The Winning Element (The Specialists)

by Shannon Greenland

  I quickly turned and opened his door.

  “Don’t drop a threat,” he said, his voice steady and stern, “unless you’re ready to go through with it.”

  I turned around and looked him in the eye. “Oh, I’m ready. More ready than I’ve ever been in my life.” And I was. I’d never been more sure of anything.

  I walked out, clicked his door closed, and, with measured steps, made my way down the long hallway to my bedroom. The usual scene greeted me when I walked in.

  Mystic sat cross-legged on the floor studying some sort of Tarot cards.

  On her bed, Bruiser and Parrot faced each other, engaged in a rip-roaring game of thumb wrestling.

  Chomping her gum, Beaker lay stretched out on the carpet, scribbling in her chemistry notebook. I wondered, not for the first time, what mad-scientist formulas she had in there.

  Cat, the newest addition to our team, and Wirenut reclined across Cat’s bed, sharing a set of earphones and a bag of cashews.

  I experienced a quick pang of loss. Come tomorrow morning, I might never see any of them again.

  I’d put it all—my whole new life—on the line.

  Bruiser glanced up and grinned. “Yo! Where you been? I’ve barely seen you in the past two days.”

  Giving her a small smile I really didn’t feel, I shuffled over to my bed and sat down. My tennis shoe bumped my suitcase underneath. The same dinged-up blue suitcase that had carted my belongings around the last ten years of my life.

  I’d been so excited finally to unpack it, so thrilled to settle permanently into a place I could call home.

  In a few hours I might be repacking the same suitcase I swore I’d never use again.

  My gaze fell on the lollipop bouquet David had given me when I returned from my mission with Wirenut. With a sigh, I chose a coffee-flavored one and slipped it in my mouth.

  Wirenut took his earphone out. “What’s going on? You don’t look right.”

  With that question, everyone stopped what they were doing and focused on me.

  I took a second to meet each of their curious gazes.

  Calm, peaceful Mystic—the clairvoyant. With his thick neck, huge body, and short blond hair, he always made me think of a football player, not an in-touch-with-the-universe kind of guy.

  Red-haired, freckled Bruiser. One hundred pounds of hyperactivity. Always sporting an innocent dimpled grin and tight, customized T-shirt. Today her shirt read, HEY! YOU GOT A PROBLEM? No one would ever guess she was one of the world’s best fighters.

  Shy Parrot, with his dark, Native American features and sweet heart. For a guy so quiet, it amazed me he spoke sixteen languages.

  Our electronics specialist, Wirenut. His trim goatee and bicep tattoo made him look like bad news. His silly humor said he was anything but.

  Beside him lay his girlfriend, the beautiful, Mediterranean Katarina. Recently code-named Cat—our cat burglar.

  And Beaker, the Goth chemist, always with different-colored hair—black-and-white-striped this week. She wore a perpetual smirk and never seemed to be in a good mood. And she always chewed gum ferociously, like if she didn’t, she’d explode or something.

  “Well?” prompted Wirenut.

  Screw keeping everything a secret. I was tired of secrets. I took the lollipop out of my mouth, took a deep breath, and told them everything. About my parents. About Eduardo Villanueva. And that I’d given TL an ultimatum—help me go after my parents’ killer or I’d leave the Specialists.

  No one uttered a sound when I finished. Mystic, Parrot, and Beaker just stared at me while the others exchanged silent glances.

  From their shell-shocked expressions, no one could really believe what I’d just told them.

  More time went by, and still no one said anything. Only the faint sound of Wirenut and Cat’s iPod filtered through the air.

  Finally, Bruiser cleared her throat. “What can we do to make sure you stay?” Her soft tone, so unlike her, made tears press against my eyes.

  “Nothing.” I swallowed. “TL knows where I stand.”

  bzzzbzzzbzzz.

  My cell went off. I reached over to my dresser, picked it up, and checked the display: ***. It was TL’s stat code.

  Wide awake, I quickly swung my legs over the side of my bed and tiptoed into the bathroom. Since it was five in the morning, Cat, Bruiser, and Beaker still slept.

  I washed my face, swished mouthwash around in my mouth, and then tiptoed back across the girls’ room. I tugged on jeans and a T-shirt and quietly made my way out.

  The long, dark hallway seemed to stretch to eternity as I strode down it toward TL’s room. My stomach flip-flopped in anticipation.

  Coming to a stop at his door, I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep, fortifying breaths.

  This was it. In a couple of minutes, I’d find out if I was staying or leaving. I’d gone over our conversation an endless number of times last night. I felt no regrets for giving TL an ultimatum.

  I’d had to do it.

  I hoped he understood and didn’t make me leave. I loved my new life and wanted more than anything to stay.

  Opening my eyes, I tapped on TL’s door.

  “Enter.”

  I turned the knob and stepped inside. David sat in one of the metal chairs in front of the desk. What was he doing here?

  He didn’t look at me as I took the seat beside him. I sensed he was upset about something. He was probably mad I hadn’t told him about the ultimatum. I would have, but I hadn’t seen him since my conversation with TL.

  Behind TL, his bedroom door sat propped open. His covers and pillows didn’t appear disturbed.

  TL picked up his mug with a tea bag dangling over the side. “I’m going to say this only once, and there will be no more discussion on the subject.” He made eye contact with first me and then David. “My marriage to Nalani Kai is no one’s business but mine. Neither of you will tell anyone she is my wife. As far as you’re concerned, she’s a field agent. Nothing more. Do we understand each other?”

  “Yes, sir,” David immediately answered.

  “Yes, sir,” I echoed.

  It occurred to me then that David had probably gotten in big trouble for telling me about TL and Nalani’s marriage.

  I chanced a quick look at David, but he still didn’t make eye contact with me. I owed him a huge apology.

  “GiGi,” TL continued, “you’ve turned into someone I wasn’t expecting. I’m not disappointed. Surprised is a better way to describe what I’m feeling. You proved your psychological profile wrong in stepping beyond your comfort zone of reclusiveness, of living inside your brain, of not taking chances unless forced to. I thought one day you might. I’d hoped one day you would. I just wasn’t expecting it to happen this soon.”

  I didn’t know if I should take his words as complimentary or not, but I remained quiet and kept listening.

  “As I mentioned last night, the IPNC has been after Eduardo Villanueva for years. He’s managed to squirm his way out of being captured every single time we came close.” TL rubbed his fingers over his shaved chin. “As you two already know, the Specialists are now private. We’re no longer run by the government, by the IPNC. Legally, we can’t go after Eduardo Villanueva unless the IPNC hires us.”

  TL dunked his tea bag a few times. “I’ve spent most of the night on the phone with senior IPNC officials. They’ve agreed to give us the case.”

  My heart skipped a beat in anticipation. I hoped this conversation was leading to where I thought it was.

  TL sat back in his office chair. “They’ve given us sixty days to find, apprehend, and bring down Eduardo Villanueva.” TL picked up a folder and tossed it in my direction. It landed in front of me at the edge of the desk. “Since you’re so interested in going after Eduardo, I’m giving you the case. You’re in charge. You will be putting together the mission.”

  “E-excuse me?” He was kidding, right? I didn’t know how to put together a mission.

  TL’s brows lift
ed. “You heard me. You want to bring down your parents’ killer?” He looked at the folder. “There it is. It’s all yours. It’s this way or no way. This is a challenge, GiGi. It’s part of your training. You’ve boldly stepped beyond yourself and requested my help. Well, I’m helping you by getting the case. Now let’s see how you continue to handle that boldness and plan the mission.”

  I stared at the folder, itching to peek inside. This was what I’d wanted, to go after my parents’ killer. But . . . I didn’t know how to be in charge.

  TL took a long, leisurely sip of his tea. “There are a couple of conditions.”

  “Conditions?” Why did there always have to be something else?

  He put his mug down. “David will assist you in designing and planning the mission.” TL looked at David. “Whatever you come up with, make sure you set yourself up as backup from a separate location.”

  David nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  I released an inaudible, relieved breath. Good, David was going.

  “I will need to see and approve all plans, the budget, and the equipment lists.”

  I nodded my head.

  “You will be monitored every step of the way.” TL tapped his eye. “Never forget, I’ll be watching you. Even when you don’t think I’ll be watching, I will be watching.”

  I nodded again. I didn’t expect any less.

  “And,” TL continued, “Beaker and I will travel with you.”

  “Beaker?”

  TL nodded once. “Beaker. She will be your partner on this mission.”

  Groooan. Anybody but her. She hated me. For that matter, I didn’t much like her either.

  “Make your decision now. Yes or no. What’s it going to be? It’s this way or no way.”

  Without hesitation, I slipped the folder from his desk. “Yes.”

  minutes later, david and I stood in the hallway at the mountainous mural. He placed his hand on the globe light fixture. A hidden laser housed within scanned his prints, and the mural slid aside to reveal the ranch’s secret elevator.

  We stepped inside, David punched in his personal code, and the car descended.

  Without looking at me, he pulled two energy bars from his back jeans pocket and handed one to me. “Breakfast.” Still not making eye contact, he opened his energy bar and took a bite.

  I studied his bent head as he chewed, swallowed, and took another bite. He was really upset. Either that or his flip-flops must be real interesting with the way he was staring at them.

  “David?”

  He didn’t look up.

  I sighed. It’d been so long since this kind of friction stood between us. It felt awful. And I was the reason why.

  The elevator stopped on Sub Four. David reached for the control panel.

  “Wait.” If I didn’t say something now, we wouldn’t have privacy later. “I know you’re upset.”

  He took his hand away from the control panel but still didn’t make eye contact.

  “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry that I told TL I knew about Nalani. You trusted me with that information, and I screwed up. I never intended on saying anything, but I was so mad that it came out before I had time to stop it.”

  David shrugged a shoulder, still studying his flip-flops. “My fault. I should’ve known better than to tell you. To tell anybody. ”

  That made it worse. In other words, David couldn’t trust me.

  But . . . how fair was that? Everyone made mistakes. This one shouldn’t mean David suddenly couldn’t confide in me.

  I reached out and took his hand, hoping he wouldn’t pull away.

  He didn’t, thank God.

  “I am really sorry. Please know you can trust me with anything. I made a mistake and won’t make it again. I promise.” I squeezed David’s hand. “Was TL really mad at you?”

  "He wasn’t happy.”

  Translation: Yes, TL’s mad.

  David respected and admired TL. Everyone did. But David had lived here for years and had known TL longer than anybody. They had a working relationship, sure, but their friendship was rooted in years of mutual loyalty.

  And my uncharacteristically big mouth had come between them. Of all the times for me to get lippy, I had to do it with two people I cared for a lot.

  Finally, David brought his eyes up to mine. I saw hurt in their dark depths. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d threatened to leave?”

  My heart paused. While I sensed he was upset about this when he didn’t look at me in TL’s office, I was hoping it was just my imagination. “I didn’t tell anyone.” I shook my head. “Well, I mean, I told my roommates and the guys last night after my meeting with TL.”

  “But why didn’t you tell me?”

  “B-because . . . because you weren’t in our bedroom, I guess. Everyone else was, so I told them. If you would’ve been there, I would’ve told you, too.” Even to my own ears, my reasoning sounded weak. I should’ve told David first.

  He let go of my hand, and I immediately missed the warm contact. “Reverse the situation, GiGi. What if I’d threatened to leave? Wouldn’t you be upset to find out through someone else?”

  My shoulders drooped. “Yes.” He had a point. I’d feel awful if someone else told me David was leaving. It’d make me feel like he didn’t return the feelings I had for him, that he thought our relationship insignificant.

  “How do you think I felt when TL told me? I didn’t know what to say. I was shocked.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  David ran his fingers through his hair. “Do you understand that if any one of us leaves, we’re not allowed to have contact with anyone here? If you would’ve left, none of us would’ve seen you or spoken to you again. Ever.”

  I swallowed. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” I’d never thought to ask about such things. I’d never planned on leaving.

  He shook his head. “Why didn’t you come to me? We could’ve figured out a game plan. We could’ve sat down and talked things through. Come up with something other than you leaving. We could’ve gone to TL professionally. You’re lucky he didn’t kick you out last night.”

  “I’m sorry. I was so tired and frustrated and . . . sad.” God, what had I done?

  David punched in his personal code on the elevator panel. “That’s no excuse for making rash decisions. If you’ve learned anything in the Specialists, it should’ve been that.”

  I threw my hands up. “I’m sorry again.” What else could I say? I’d made mistakes, but everything turned out all right. I got to stay here at the ranch, and we were going after Eduardo Villanueva.

  He stepped off the elevator. “Stop apologizing. It’s getting on my nerves.”

  My jaw dropped.

  David took off down the hall.

  “Everyone makes mistakes,” I called to his back. “You’re not perfect either. I can’t believe you’re this mad at me.”