by Sara Schoen
Good luck catching me. I’m as good as gone at this point, I thought as I followed the water out of the resort’s bay and made my way south toward the airstrip Hal had mentioned. I doubted they could have built another one on the other side of the lake because the terrain was too rough from the mountains; they could easily construct a building up there, but not an airstrip.
My big question is how they would transport the materials to the other side of the lake. That’s where the compound had to be. It’s the only place that made sense, but how would they cart huge shipments back to the warehouse? I brushed the thought away as the airstrip came into view a few miles away from the resort. I’d find out soon enough what they planned to do and I’d follow them back.
The airstrip was the only open part of the landscape, clearing about twenty-five meters for the asphalt and less than a mile back into the trees. From what I could see, planes would come in from the south and leave to the north. If I wanted to stay out of sight it would be best to stick to the north side where the tree line was slightly thicker and provided a waterway to park my Jet Ski just out of sight from the end of the strip. That way I could see where the cartel members went after they departed and then follow them easily. I turned the vehicle around and took the first turn-off available from the waterway. The lake slowly became shallow, making it difficult to maneuver the Jet Ski as I approached land. Thankfully I was able to make it to the end of the small inlet where I dismounted. The reeds and vegetation provided an excellent cover for the Jet Ski, keeping it hidden from anyone who came looking for it. From the air I hoped it looked like someone had abandoned the vehicle, but only Katya would see it in that case and know it was me. Harley would send his men over by boat most likely, and they had no chance of seeing it from their position.
I carried my bag and the camping gear into the woods with me. The grass was long and unkempt; branches, dead reeds, and driftwood cluttered the ground. Trees loomed overhead, blocking the sun from beating down on me, and casting me into the shadows. Just how I liked it.
I set up the tent on an elevated part of the land in case the tide rose any higher. I hadn’t kept track of tides since I was a kid in Michigan. We would visit the Upper Peninsula when the weather permitted us to go swimming. My brother would always be the first in, and then he’d jump out as fast as he could when he felt just how cold the water was. My sister would shove him back into the water, and then he’d pull her down with him. They’d both be screaming about how cold it was while I remained on the dock, dry and warm, reading a book while watching over them.
My mother was never far off either. She was always just around the corner convincing my father to get off his phone and stop working long enough to enjoy the day with his family. On the rare occasion that he came with us, it was on one of the few days he was able to be home, rather than having to travel for work. Even to this day I wasn’t sure what he did for a living because he never talked about it. He explained once that he wasn’t allowed to tell us what he did, just that he traveled a lot and sometimes wouldn’t even be able to tell us exactly where he was going. The fleeting moments I had with my whole family were my favorite, but then it had all fallen to pieces. The growing distance between my father and mother made it difficult for them to keep their marriage together. When he was home, they were fighting. When they were apart, they were the happiest.
It’s a sick twist of fate to watch two people who were in love for so many years just simply fall out of love with each other.
The divorce hadn’t been a surprise, but it still hurt. With our father constantly traveling my mom had to keep us. So at least there wasn’t a custody battle. I don’t think I would’ve been able to handle that. I knew both parents wanted us, but it just made more sense for us to stay with our mom, and she rose to the occasion. She was strong and willing to put up with the demands of being a single parent. She met Matt not long after that and they seemed to hit it off, but he wasn’t the best father figure. In fact, I think I preferred Harley to him in some cases. They were two extremes of the spectrum, one completely dominating over our lives and the other too loose and unstructured. It seemed as if Mom was trying to avoid anyone who resembled my father to prevent her heart from being broken again. I wondered now if she would have preferred heartbreak over a gunshot.
I knew from experience getting shot wasn’t painless. I’d taken a bullet before, multiple times in fact. The difference was that unlike hers, mine weren’t fatal. I often found myself wondering if she suffered much. I hoped she didn’t. Did she survive long enough to see her life flash before her eyes or pray to see her children on the other side, if there was one? I like to hope that she had found Cara and Jake. They needed her. They needed her even when I was there for them. If she had been with us, then maybe they’d still be here. Maybe they’d all still be here.
A single tear slipped over my eyelashes and sped down my cheek. I hadn’t said their names in almost seven years. It ripped open old wounds, which I thought had healed long ago. I should have known they wouldn’t heal, at least not until I found Harley and made him pay for what he did to us. Then maybe, just maybe, I could heal and when I let them wander through my thoughts I wouldn’t be as torn up as I was now.
I sat in silence as I watched the sun set over the lake, consumed by my thoughts and allowing them to swallow me whole for the first time in years. I hoped it would give me a reason to fight harder, and that if it got too hard I wouldn’t give up. I’d fight, and if it ended poorly at least it would just be me instead of other agents. My thoughts were interrupted by an incessant ringing meeting my ears and refusing to stop. It took me a moment to realize it was coming from my bag.
“What the hell?” I mumbled to myself as my hand fell on a cold, metal phone in my bag, which I knew for a fact I didn’t put there. “Who is this?” My words were tight, angry, and annoyed. Didn’t they realize what could happen by slipping a phone into my bag without my knowledge? I could be tracked or it could have gone off around the compound and my position would have been compromised.
“Oh, calm down,” Night Stripe said. “You owe me after worming information out of Katya and then not telling me. I thought you were trying to help us get rid of the Cardozas not give them a free pass!”
“Who said I’m giving them a free pass? And I don’t think getting Katya to talk warrants a phone being put in my bag. You know how dangerous this could have been. What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking a friend was in trouble and may need some help. I gave you enough time to get somewhere safe.”
I took a deep breath to relax. She meant well, but this wasn’t the place nor the time to call me. There were too many factors when it came to a phone, especially one I didn’t know I had on my person. There’s a reason only one person per team carried a phone and they always knew they had it.
“Don’t worry about it, there’s only two people who know you have it. Just don’t chuck it though, it’s Whip Lash’s. He always leaves it here while on assignment.”
“It’s tempting,” I said as I glanced through the trees. Nothing out of the ordinary, yet. By tomorrow there would be Russians meeting Americans for an exchange all in the name of stopping a cartel. “Why and when did you put this in my bag?”
“A hunch, and I handed it to KC to put in your bag before you took off. I knew you’d need a plane, but Maverick was busy so I took an educated guess who he’d send you with.”
“Good guess,” I grumbled, suddenly feeling slightly nauseous just thinking about KC and his flying. “What’s the hunch?”
“That you’d figure something out and not tell us. It sounds like you’re near water; I can hear the waves.” I glanced toward the water to see that it had risen slightly and begun crashing against the rocks. Thankfully there were no planes or she could figure out with relative accuracy where I was. “I guess you made it to Banks Lake and are waiting for Katya to show up tomorrow. Then you’ll follow the cartel back to where their compound is, right?”
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I grit my teeth in annoyance. “Yeah, do you have a problem with that?”
Night Stripe laughed, which only angered me more. I knew it wasn’t the best plan, but it was the most straightforward. “I have no problem with your plan, Spit Fire. I’m not calling to start a fight. When Katya failed to tell me the new information she passed on to you I needed to know you weren’t holding anything else back. I’m still working to convince Sharp Shooter to send us in, and while I know you don’t want help I’m worried that you’re getting in over your head. Harley has managed to collect a lot of old cartel members and they’ve been recruiting all over that side of the country. We’ve squashed a few of them, but there are a lot of names on that list. I don’t know how many people you’ll be facing.”
“Does he know?” I asked, referring to Sharp Shooter. I didn’t want to know how many people my stepfather had managed to trick into aligning with him. I knew the risk before I left. At this point I couldn’t do anything to help my standing. I still had the same number of guns and bullets in my bag, and eventually they’d run out. I just hoped I’d have enough to save one for Harley.
“Not that I know of,” Night Stripe said with a sigh. “But he will soon. You can’t hide it from him forever, and trust me, he has a way of finding things out before you plan on it.”
“I don’t need to hide from him. I just need a week at the least to finish what I started, then I’ll face my punishment willingly. If he doesn’t figure it out before then I’m golden.”
“Yeah, you’re golden all right.” Her voice clenched as if she knew something she didn’t want to share. I almost asked her, but she continued before I could. “And what were you going to do if you actually completed this mission and needed a ride home at the end of the week. You wouldn’t have taken a phone if I hadn’t slipped one in your bag, so how would you have contacted us?”
“By then I assumed Sharp Shooter would have figured out what I was doing and Maverick would be waiting by his plane to take me home.” Truth is, I hadn’t thought about it. It wasn’t important since I knew there was a high likelihood I would die before I got the chance to make it home.
“And if the mission went wrong?”
“It won’t.”
“But if it does?” she pushed. “I’ve been there before, Spit Fire. It’s not pretty. I’d be happy to help if you want it.”
I sighed. I could do this on my own. I had to do this on my own. “I appreciate it, but no thanks. I’ll let you know if it goes south before I die. That way you’ll have the location to give Sharp Shooter, but other than that I’m not giving you any information.”
“I understand.” She paused for a while, leaving a heavy silence on the other line for a few minutes. It left me in silence to deal with the weight of the choice I made by not accepting her help. It remained heavy on my chest, making it hard to breathe. “I called to tell you that Katya got a time for the meeting tomorrow. It will be early, around seven in the morning. So get some sleep and be prepared for a busy day. You’ve only got four days left to finish this once they land. Otherwise, you run the risk of alerting Sharp Shooter to where you are. Use your time wisely and if you need me, just call.” She hung up and left me alone once again.
How do agents undercover handle this? I thought I’d enjoy being alone, but the rush seemed to have worn off. Now I almost wished I had taken her up on her offer for help, but bringing her here would only put her in more danger than it was worth. All the agents were safer at CIRA. I’d handle this one solo and come out on top.
Chapter 11
The sound of a plane flying overhead woke me up from the first restful sleep I’ve gotten since I learned Harley was still alive and taking over the cartel. Normally I was up well before seven, even at CIRA. I should have been waiting for Katya’s plane to arrive instead of being woken up by it. I preferred to get an early start to my morning, mostly because if I didn’t do it myself someone else would eventually come to wake me up. I was often called on to assist with various skills starting early in the morning or one of my friends would want me to eat breakfast with them before we went our separate ways.
Pushing the thoughts of CIRA out of my mind, I stretched and quickly exited the tent into the morning glow. I should regret stealing from the resort, but truthfully I did it for the greater good—at least that’s what I kept telling myself. I knew it was wrong, and I’d have to return everything eventually, but I did it to make this mission possible. Even when it came to getting information from Katya and ordering her to keep it to herself. Since Night Stripe knew I had to assume Demon did as well. I should have known Katya wouldn’t keep our conversation quiet, but a girl could hope. As long as it didn’t get back to Sharp Shooter sooner than it was supposed to then I guess it really didn’t matter.
Glancing up, I couldn’t see the plane above me. I couldn’t even see the sky due to the dense foliage. I had wanted an easy vantage point to watch the trade, but from this distance I couldn’t see the strip clearly nor could I see anything overhead. If I wanted to see the trade, I’d have to move toward the airstrip and closer to the clearing while still managing to stay out of sight in an open field. As if that’s possible, I thought as I heard movement around me. I glanced in my peripheral vision, taking notice of the wind moving the reeds around me as I waited. I couldn’t be sure if it was an animal or a person. I prayed for the former. I didn’t want to run into anyone here.
I tuned out the plane overhead. My body tensed, fearful that Harley had wised up too much and sent someone to scope the location before the drop could be made. He wouldn’t want to start a business deal with someone looking to betray him, and that’s exactly what it would look like. Though once he got a look at me he’d know I wasn’t here for Katya, but for him. He had to know I hated him. After all, he had purposefully baited me here by telling Camden my identity. It almost seemed as if he wanted a fight just as much as I did. A rock fell into the water nearby, breaking into my thoughts, as a soft plop echoed through the silent trees.
I kept tabs on the footsteps of a nearby animal. The steps were too close together, there had to be more than two legs to create the rhythm, but in case I was wrong I didn’t want to ignore it. I turned my attention behind me as a soft voice tickled my hearing. It was low, barely audible, and difficult to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. Just then, a few twigs snapped further back. If that was actually them then I had a location. If it wasn’t I would be distracting myself from a possible threat. I listened closely until I heard someone softly curse again before apologizing to whoever they were with. I pulled my gun from my holster and leveled it in the direction of the voice. Another curse came from behind the trees before two sets of legs slowly came into view.
“What the hell?” I questioned as Rum and Siren stepped out of the trees, their hands held up in a surrendering motion while they smirked, knowing I wouldn’t shoot them. I lowered my gun as my features twisted in confusion. “What are you doing here?” I glanced between them as Siren let out a low laugh, her blonde hair billowing in the light breeze from the lake. My gaze landed on Rum, whose smirk had only deepened. Night Stripe. “Night Stripe told you didn’t she? That’s why she really called me last night. She wanted to know where I was so you guys could meet up with me. What, is she the only one allowed to do a self-assigned solo mission?”
“You mean actively attempting to commit suicide by going after someone from your past?” Siren questioned with a scoff. “Even if she did save Camo’s life, you know Night Stripe made the wrong choice. You even discussed her punishment and made an argument pointing out everything wrong with running off alone and not telling anyone what was going on. Yet, here you are doing the same thing.”
“I’m seeing things in a different light now,” I replied. “I also didn’t send an enemy to any other CIRA agents. I’m only putting myself at risk, which was my main point if you remember, Siren.”
Siren waved off my comment. “Well, we’re here now so deal with it.”
“I can’t believe she told you. I thought of all people Night Stripe would understand what I’m doing and why I had to do it alone. How could she do this to me?”
“If it makes you feel better, she did try to cover for you and she almost got away from it. She’s doing a lot better since I first started training her,” Rum stated with a proud smile. Teaching her mentee to lie had been mandatory for Night Stripe’s first mission, along with hand-to-hand combat and stealth should something have gone wrong. I guess it’s good they were prepared because everything that could go wrong did go wrong on that mission. Which could explain why Rum seemed excited Night Stripe could almost lie convincingly to her. It meant improvement and a better chance for survival. “She also didn’t call you to give us your location, though it did help to locate you. She called to make sure you weren’t withholding anything else. She wanted information to convince Sharp Shooter to send agents out, at least that’s what she told me. Though now I think the reason she’s been all over him for the last few days was to cover for you.” A smile slowly took over her features as she connected the dots. “But she couldn’t hide it from me and eventually she caved when she figured out I knew she was lying.”
“It makes me feel a little bit better, yes. At least she didn’t fully break her promise to help me. Are you the only ones who know?”
“Yes, except for Seeker, Renegade, and the pilot who brought us here. Though I assume they are covering for you as well since it took a while for me to even get wind of what had happened. I might not have noticed, but when you weren’t in your room the other morning to get breakfast and I couldn’t find you in CIRA I knew something was up. I almost didn’t suspect Night Stripe, but she gets jittery when she’s holding something back. She has a guilty conscience, or at least that’s what it looks like since I know she’s usually not apologetic for her actions unless they have unintended consequences. When I started asking questions and she started acting strange I knew she was a part of it.”