by Sara Schoen
And I was right.
Rum nodded to Night Stripe, giving her the OK to tell me. Though still reluctant, Night Stripe explained what she knew, which wasn’t much. “As I said, Katya is the one working on it now with Demon. I’ve been looking into it as much as I can, but I can’t find much on the new leader. He must have changed identities at one point, or changed his name at the very least, so I don’t have a full record of him. I know where he was as of yesterday when he called Katya to make a deal to meet with him, what he did for the cartel previously, and his past to a point.”
“To what point do you have information on him?” My voice tensed, I heard it and so did they. I could see Night Stripe becoming inquisitive the more I asked. Soon she would start to connect the dots from my story to the man she was after. I could see a sparkle in her eyes every time she thought she figured something out. The slight glimmer in her blue eyes that said she was working out the truth.
“His name is Harley Sanchez; he was a lower level man in the top ranks Cardoza Cartel. He would only come to power if the unthinkable happened; both Miguel and Camden were disposed of. Well, that happened and now he’s taking control. Honestly, I think it was his plan all along. For him to be in the top ranks he must have come from another mafia. He doesn’t seem to be related to the Cardozas so that’s just a guess for now. It would explain how Camden passed on his information though, Harley would be close enough to talk to Camden and gain information. Did Camden say anything about it while you interrogated him?”
I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. Night Stripe had figured something out. The way she emphasized ‘for now’ told me she’d be looking into something later on. I just wasn’t sure what exactly. “Camden said someone would eventually take over and he had discussed it with whoever it was, but never gave a name.”
She smiled. Whatever she thought she knew, I had just confirmed. “That means Harley be expecting us when we finally go after him. Camden and him were able to talk while he was in prison.”
“Do you know where he is?”
“He’s currently stationed in Washington somewhere, but I could find an exact location given a few days with Katya’s help. I just haven’t been able to yet. I don’t want to spook him before we are ready to head there ourselves. I don’t want him running off and having to track him down again. So for now, Sharp Shooter is waiting on more information before he sends us in. He doesn’t want a repeat of Russia or Sandtown.” A dark shadow took over her eyes as she thought over her sentence. While one had been disastrous with loss of life, Russia had caused her to lose the leadership position Sharp Shooter had entrusted her with. She made the choice to go back for Renegade and they both ended up captured. She ended up being punished for her choice. Both missions were hard for her to swallow.
“Thanks for telling me, Night Stripe. I didn’t realize we were missing so much information. Sharp Shooter is right, we should wait.” I paused for a moment to allow her to reply, but she didn’t. I could see the darkness vanish from her eyes as she started focusing in on me. I had to get out of here before she figured everything out, if Rum hadn’t already. When she was silent it meant bad news. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to report how the mission went to Sharp Shooter, I ducked out before I finished.”
I turned to leave when Rum spoke up. “I’ll take care of it, Spit Fire. You’ve been working on that mission longer than I have. Take time and recuperate.” She approached me with a warm smile and leaned down to hug me before adding, “I don’t know what you’re planning, but you better be careful. You’re going to have too much attention on you if you’re not. I don’t want to lose someone else.” She released me and quickly turned back to Night Stripe to call an end to the training so she could talk with Sharp Shooter.
I walked out and prayed that I’d be out of here before either of them figured out what I was planning.
Chapter 4
I spent the next few days gathering whatever information I could from Night Stripe and Katya. I talked to Katya on the phone for hours, attempting to weed through her thick Russian accent and indecipherable English. I didn’t want to spend anymore time in CIRA than absolutely necessary. If anyone figured out what I was planning, they’d either try to stop me or worse—help me. I had decided to jot down the information as I received it and then filter through it in Washington. I still had to tell Sharp Shooter I was leaving, and commandeer a plane for the trip. Maverick would take me if I asked, and hopefully, he wouldn’t ask too many questions.
Even if he did, I didn’t have all the answers and I’d tell him as much.
I still didn’t have an exact location for wherever my stepfather was hiding. I knew it would have to be in an area close, but not in a town. They wouldn’t want someone learning about their dealings and having to move operations again. They’d most likely have it set up as they did in Georgia, which would be helpful since I was familiar with the set up. It didn’t help that I knew very little about the team protecting Harley, which was bad since I’d have to handle them alone, but I didn’t have much of a choice. Once Katya relayed the information about where they could find Harley, Sharp Shooter would relent and let agents go in.
Winging it was the best idea in this case. I wasted less time before Sharp Shooter gave in and gave other agents a suicide mission.
I forcefully zipped my backpack shut at the thought before tossing it over one shoulder and rushing out of the room. I glanced around my room before leaving to make sure I didn’t forget anything, but was once again reminded of how empty it was. Our rooms were based off of where we were before recruitment, supposedly to make us feel at home here, but when I first saw the room from my mom’s home, I instantly got rid of most of the decorations. It had been too painful, and still was. So the walls were left bare, all the stuff that reminded me of my mom’s house was thrown out, and only the necessities remained.
With a sigh, I shut the door and made my way to Sharp Shooter’s office. I hadn’t told him about my leaving today in an effort to prevent him from stopping me. If he called the director of the CIA and learned I wasn’t going to meet him then he’d try to keep me here. I wasn’t letting that happen.
I walked passed dozens of agents as I headed toward Sharp Shooter’s office. I only recognized a few since I didn’t take many jobs outside of the mafia aspect of CIRA. At times I was called in to strategize for other missions, but I didn’t go with them. I knew very few people here compared to the number of agents available. But as I passed them I knew I was risking my life for them, even for those I’d never met. I didn’t want anyone to be called in for this mission who didn’t have to be. I didn’t want anyone else to be hurt by this monster.
It’s dangerous, but worth it.
Thoughts about my stepfather formed in my head, and forced me to relive my time with him. My hands reflexively tightened into balls as the thoughts streamed into my mind. I didn’t notice until my palms starting to hurt from my nails digging into my skin. I tried to burn the thoughts away, but every time I did they seemed to sear into my memory even more. There was no escaping them. That’s why letting my mind wander is dangerous, because I had a habit of letting certain things come back to haunt me. Thankfully, the thoughts went up in smoke as I knocked on Sharp Shooter’s door, returning to the matter at hand—lying and getting out of here before he figured everything out.
“Come in,” his voice boomed through the door.
I opened the door expecting to only find Sharp Shooter, but instead found Fire Fox and Seeker with him. All of them turned their attention to me as I entered and made my way toward them. I tried to keep my gaze set on Sharp Shooter or Fire Fox because if I looked in Seeker’s direction he’d know I was up to something. After training with him for so long he had learned to pick up on my tells. He always knew when I was lying, and he’d make sure to catch me in it to add a little humility to my training regimen.
“What’s up, Spit Fire? Had enough rest already and looking to go back out?” Seeker quip
ped as I walked past. “Or are you coming with us to Germany?”
A faint smile swept across my lips at his playful words. “No. I’ve had enough time with you. I don’t want to spend weeks in Germany hearing you critique every move I make.” I nudged Seeker lightly as I walked past him and approached Sharp Shooter. I stopped about two feet from Sharp Shooter, standing beside the other agents, but slightly out of their gaze.
“Are you going to tell me why you’re here, Spit Fire? I wasn’t expecting you.” Sharp Shooter looked at me expectantly.
“I can wait,” I replied. “They were talking to you first, and I’m sure they are eager to get on a plane to Germany.” I had hoped that he would take the offer so I could talk to him alone and remove Seeker from the picture entirely, but Sharp Shooter didn’t agree.
“Just speak, Spit Fire. We will be talking for a while. There’s no need to wait on us.”
I nodded in understanding and swallowed the small fear biting at my core. “I came to tell you that I’ve been called for by the director of the CIA and should be back in a few weeks should everything go according to plan.”
“When did he call?” Sharp Shooter seemed confused, maybe even shocked that I had come to tell him. Normally I would have just left, but that would have only caused more trouble than me cooperating. At least this way I could earn his trust, and hold out on revealing my plan a little longer. “You were supposed to tell me when he called.”
“And I am.” My words didn’t miss a beat, and had slipped out without much forethought. When did lying become so easy that I could do it without thinking? “He called an hour ago. I packed, and now I’m heading out.”
“You know that’s not what I meant, Spit Fire.” The tone in his voice became a mixture of disappointment and anger. Of course, I knew what he meant, that’s why I waited until I was ready to leave. He’ll double check later and realize I lied, but he still won’t send in more agents until he’s sure of what they would be walking into. By that time, I’d hopefully be done and ready to come home to face my punishment.
“I’m sorry, Sharp Shooter, but he said it’s urgent and I should head out right away. I didn’t want to waste too much time.”
Sharp Shooter sighed and shook his head. I turned to look behind me at Fire Fox and Seeker to see if they were buying the lie. Fire Fox looked uninterested in the conversation and had busied himself by perusing a file with Germany in bold letters on the folder. I couldn’t help but wonder what they would do in Germany as I allowed one quick glance in Seeker’s direction.
Once our eyes met I knew I shouldn’t have risked looking at him.
Seeker looked at me like he always did when he knew I was lying. The look consisted of a smirk and an accusatory gaze, along with a hint of amusement twinkling in his eyes. The accusatory stare was meant to wear me down but it never did. I could never make it past how amused he seemed. It almost made it seem like he was proud of me. Usually, I wanted him to believe my story, but right now I didn’t care whether he believed me or not, I just wanted him to keep his mouth shut. I wasn’t going to give up the lies I had dedicated to before, and wouldn’t now.
“Okay, just go, Spit Fire. I’ll check in when I have time. I need to get this,” he gestured between him and the other agents,” going again. They are supposed to leave in the next few hours and were tossed into this last minute. Be safe and come back home in one piece.”
“I’ll do my best,” I replied to his usual sendoff statement before I turned and walked out.
As I left, Seeker made eye contact with me again. His eyes squinted almost to a close as he mouthed the word “liar” with a playful smile, which made me think he found it funny. He hadn’t bought the lie from the start, and if I didn’t know better I would think he knew the CIA director was on leave, but Seeker didn’t know that. He just had a way of knowing when I lied, and it irritated me. Thankfully, Sharp Shooter wouldn’t figure out that I lied until it was too late. I had left that information out of my reports and only certain agents kept track of leaders of other organizations. Typically, the ones who worked with them most recently or were in charge of being in contact with them were aware of who was on vacation.
I returned the smile quickly and walked out of the office before anyone could mention the small exchange or Seeker decided to blow it in front of Sharp Shooter and force me to wait while they finished. Once I was free of the confines of Sharp Shooter’s office, I immediately made my way toward transportation out of here. I needed a ride, and hopefully one that would be soon and without too many questions. I knew Sharp Shooter would ask enough of them when he realized I wasn’t working with the CIA. If only there was a way to stall him longer.
As if an answer to my silent prayer I noticed Renegade and Night Stripe sitting in the team room, most likely updating themselves on other missions or planning how to talk Sharp Shooter into sending them to Washington. It didn’t take long for a fallback plan to form. It was risky to include other people, but I knew they would distract Sharp Shooter and buy me a little more time. All I needed was time and I could prevent another huge loss of life. Night Stripe would understand that, just as she would understand my need for revenge.
She’d understand. She’d be willing to help.
“Night Stripe,” I said interrupting their conversation as I approached the team room. Both looked up at me with curiosity gleaming in their eyes then after a moment seriousness overtook them. I took a deep breath and felt myself relax slightly. They must have noticed the tension in my posture from holding the weight of my personal mission on my shoulders. It came from carrying the weight of my family’s death for years yet being so close to letting the weight fall to the ground once my stepfather was gone. “I need you to help me. I just need to buy a little time, if you could distract Sharp Shooter when Fire Fox and Seeker are out of his office, I’d appreciate it.”
A moment of silence filled the space between us. Her blue eyes bore into my hazel ones as if reading me like an open book. I could see the waves of emotions ripple through her before finally resting on understanding. If I had to guess, Katya had told her I was looking into the Cardozas as well. She may not have the whole story, but if left idle she’d figure it out soon. She nodded and simply replied, “I can do that. How much time do you need me to waste?”
I took a mental step back as I reeled in the shock of her easy acceptance to my request without any questions. She always wanted to know why, what was different about now? “You don’t want to know why I need you to help me? You don’t have anything to ask?”
“Spit Fire, if you wanted me to know, you would have told me. I knew something was up when you first came to talk to me, and I can accept that you don’t want to tell me everything. I can see that whatever you’re doing is important to you otherwise you wouldn’t have badgered me for information. I can venture a guess at what you’re doing and why, but again, you’ll tell me in your own time. All I ask is for you to stay safe, especially if you aren’t taking help with you. I know what it’s like to go alone.”
“Thank you.” The words were difficult to force out with all of the emotions flowing through me. The acceptance and sheer understanding shared in that moment was almost too much for me. We rarely communicated, but she was the support and reasoning for what I was willing to risk for my friends and fellow agents. I pushed those thoughts aside and turned my attention to Renegade before the emotions became too much to deal with. “And you?”
Renegade looked me over with a cautious glare as if he couldn’t trust me and was reluctant to give me his word. While he was relatively new to the team, he wasn’t new to the agency, and I had seen him follow code instead of stick by his teammates. He had left Night Stripe alone in Mexico and then to redeem himself risked both of their lives in Russia. I hoped he learned something from that, and as he spoke I realized that he’d learned that the rules came second to his friends. “I won’t say a word.”
“What can you tell us?” Night Stripe asked curiously.
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br /> “All I’m going to say is that I’m going on a mission for the director of the CIA. I’ll be gone for a couple of weeks possibly, but if you guys can distract Sharp Shooter from looking into it further I should be back in no time. I’d much rather do this one on my own if possible.”
“Isn’t the director if the CIA on temporary leave or something?” Renegade questioned. “I hope you didn’t tell many other people that excuse. You may have already exposed yourself for whatever your real plan is.”
“You only know that because Rum told Night Stripe when she returned. No one else knows and that’s exactly why this will work. Sharp Shooter can’t contact him until next week at the earliest, but by that time I would’ve already landed and started my mission so he can’t pull me back or risk more lives to retrieve me. Plus, with a group of agents going to Germany in a few short hours, Maverick won’t be able to open his big mouth to anyone else either. I have time to work with. I just have to make it there without Sharp Shooter figuring it out. I’m leaving before he can question me more, and when I come back I’ll accept my punishment.”
“Should we be worried, Spit Fire?” Night stripe asked, worry lacing her words. “This is starting to sound like something I would have said before chasing after Ash. It sounds dangerous.”
“Only for the people who get in my way,” I replied curtly before turning around and walking out of the room. I heard a faint, “Good luck,” wished to me as I made my way down the hall. I scoffed at the well-wishing. I didn’t need the luck, but he would. He’d regret sending me away, he’d regret allowing me to live, and most importantly he’d regret killing my family. Regret comes in many forms, but he’d only find it in death.