by Sara Schoen
“You should work on that nervousness with her, you know, in case she gets captured and interrogated again.” My words had more bite than I intended, but I didn’t apologize. I couldn’t believe they had come here when they knew I didn’t ask for their help. Why couldn’t they let me finish this on my own?
Rum shrugged and continued, unaffected by me. “She does fine under interrogation. She still jitters a little, but nothing noticeable unless she’s holding a remarkable hand. I saw the tapes of her from Gorod, and we’ve worked on it since. She’ll be better next time, but there’s always room for improvement.”
“Wonderful.” The word dripped venom as I waited for Rum to get to the point, and when she didn’t I pushed for it. “Yet she still can’t keep a secret from you two. Why are you here exactly?”
“You haven’t told Sharp Shooter, and we know that means whatever you know isn’t good. I’ve heard Night Stripe talk about the Cardozas a lot recently. You must know Harley and that’s a red flag. When missions get personal, they go south, and then good agents get hurt. What were you thinking coming here alone? You can’t take down a whole cartel by yourself. You need help.”
“I didn’t ask for help. I came to do this on my own so you guys wouldn’t have to later.”
“Well, we’re here now and we aren’t leaving,” Siren stated. “So you might as well tell us what’s going on otherwise we’ll just slow you down.” She leaned against a tree, putting her back against the bark to look out at the airstrip. “Katya has landed and the cartel has arrived, you have maybe half an hour before they leave so if you’re trying to figure out where their compound is located you have that long to fill us in before you lose them.”
I turned back toward the airstrip to find Siren was right. I had missed Katya’s plane landing and the cartel arriving by boat, which messed up my plan already. I had either wanted to leave and get half way over to the lake before they landed so I could wait out the meeting and then follow them back, or listen in on the trade to see if Harley was there. I doubted he would be, but maybe if he was then I could have ended this earlier than planned. One bullet is all it takes.
“You guys are already slowing me down. I could be half way across the lake by now waiting to see where they go.”
“Well, now you have to wait until they leave. Start explaining what’s going on and we can get ready for when the time comes.”
I glared down my two so-called friends who had single-handedly forced my hand for how I was running this mission. I had missed out on seeing what direction the cartel came from and on getting any information from this exchange. Maybe Night Stripe’s phone would come in handy after all. Demon and Katya could give me a rundown of what happened or Night Stripe could after they reported back to her; she owed me for sticking that thing in my bag anyway. That still left the issue of two meddling agents. If I didn’t play along with their demands, I’d be forced to hunt down the cartel for miles over the lake, but if I let them come then they’d be in danger. Which is exactly what I was trying to avoid. I stifled a groan as I glanced between them and the trade. I didn’t have much of a choice because they’d stop me one way or another until I told them everything. Annoying pricks.
“Here’s the short explanation of what’s going on,” I started. “Harley, or whatever his real name is, is my stepfather. Camden blurted out that Harley was taking over the Cardoza Cartel during the interrogation and since then I’ve been tracking down as much information as I can about my stepfather. Thanks to Night Stripe and Katya, I got this far in figuring out where he is so I can face him. I know what he’s capable of and I wanted to make sure I didn’t lose anyone else to him. If he’s leading the Cardoza Cartel like Camden and Night Stripe’s research says, then it’s bad news for everyone. He’s ruthless and he doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Not even family.” I looked between them. Both looked unimpressed so I continued. “He’s the reason my family is dead. I’m here to even the score and kill him. He killed my mother, my siblings, and he tried to kill me. I’ve always said that everyone has a tragic story. This is mine. I’m going to end him, because if I don’t he will kill other agents. He has information on us that Camden shared with him and he already knew I was with CIRA somehow. I have a lot of questions and I won’t get any answers by sitting around waiting for him to rebuild the Cardoza Cartel.”
“So your plan was to come here, follow them back to the compound, and then kill your stepfather?” Siren questioned. “That’s ridiculous. I’m glad we came because you’re going to need some help. Even just for a meeting those guys are packing more heat than before, and they don’t seem to be messing around.” She gestured back to the air strip as two men held Katya at gun point while others loaded two crates onto the boat.
I watched Katya place her hand on the barrel of one of the gun’s pointed at her and push it toward the ground. She stepped forward, taking the man by the collar of his shirt and pulling him down to her level before telling him off. She eventually pushed him away, and turned to glare at the other man, who put down his weapon as well. Once the crates were loaded onto the boat, another man joined them and handed Katya a case of her own. She flipped it open and shut it quickly before taking it from him and walking away. I watched Demon follow after her, and then stand at the plane’s entrance while the cartel members walked past. He seemed to be scanning the surrounding forest, possibly looking for us or more cartel members. His gaze swept over us before he turned to enter the plane and it revved to life again.
“They’re heading out. It’s now or never, Spit Fire,” Rum spoke. She directed Siren to go and watch the cartel before she continued. “We’re here for you. You’re stuck with us now so you might as well get used to the idea of having us help and get over it. We have a job to do. If I can help it, I’d like to keep as many other agents out of this as possible. There’s no need to lose more lives than necessary.”
I nodded in agreement before racing off to join Siren as she watched the cartel retreat back toward their compound. It was now or never, not just for the mission, but also to prevent Harley from getting enough power to really do some damage.
Chapter 12
We decided to leave the camping equipment behind to lighten our load and make it easier to escape if needed. I didn’t mind leaving it behind, the less to carry the better, but I wasn’t sure about what to do with the Jet Ski once we got to the other side of the lake. Both items could attract more attention to us than we wanted if the cartel managed to stumble upon them. Maybe they’d think the Jet Ski had drifted over from the resort, since they took the canal directly across from it, but I doubted it had ever happened before or would ever happen again. On top of those things to worry about, I hadn’t been sure we’d be able to fit three people on the Jet Ski. Sure, two was no problem, but three…it wasn’t comfortable be any means, but it worked.
When the time came, I took control of the Jet Ski and followed after them, making sure we weren’t close enough to arise suspicion, but not far enough to lose them either. Thankfully, Siren had watched the cartel cut across the lake while Rum and I dug out the Jet Ski, and we hadn’t wasted as much time as I would have alone. I was actually thankful to have them, though I didn’t appreciate the drop in. I had gone out on my own to protect them, not to drag them here.
“Take a break on that beach with all the campers. We will blend in and can watch from the jetty to see where they go before following them,” Siren said in my ear so she could be heard over the roar of the engine.
I nodded and changed course from following the cartel boat to just off their right for the beach. To them it should look like a couple of tourists heading to the beach. They didn’t have a reason to think CIRA was coming, except for Camden’s death a few months ago. The paranoia should have settled by now and allowed enough cartel members to drop their guard, but I’m sure there were still a few precautions in affect.
Once we landed on the beach only few people took notice of us. But, they kept to themselves whi
ch was fine by me. The last thing I wanted was for civilians to get involved. Most wouldn’t even notice how close they were to a cartel, because they were too busy soaking up the sun, drinking, and fishing. I found it best not to alarm them unless absolutely necessary.
“God, do you guys remember the days when we used to be like that?” Siren asked, leading us toward the jetty to better watch the cartels boat.
“Yeah, I do. I was thinking about it yesterday actually. I used to spend a couple days every summer in the Upper Peninsula with my family; my real family.” My heart ached as my family crossed my mind. It hurt almost as bad as saying their names. That’s what I get for slicing open old wounds. Now I have to deal with the consequences.
“I used to lounge on a beach in Sandston, New Jersey. I actually heard Night Stripe talking about it with a new recruit who came from that area. We talked about it for a bit just to rest in the nostalgia of the memory.” Siren sighed lightly as if wishing she could go back to her old life and be back on that beach now. I wasn’t exactly sure what brought her to CIRA, but the snip-its I heard didn’t sound pretty.
She never told me the gritty details of it, in fact I don’t think she ever even mentioned bluntly that she had watched her father die while protecting her from a couple of guys. I think it tore her up too much to even let the thought cross her mind because she blamed herself. She was a lone wolf most of the time, even if agents stepped up to protect her she’d push them aside, because she didn’t want someone else to give their life for hers again. I couldn’t blame her. After watching someone she loved die for doing the same thing, she didn’t want to carry the weight of another death on her shoulders. I had watched two of the people I cared for most die in front of me. I knew how she felt. That kind of experience changes a person.
“I never really spent much time on the beach,” Rum muttered softly, as if she hadn’t meant to say it aloud. “We didn’t do much in the way of travel or fun. They tried, but just couldn’t make it happen between everything going on.” Her voice cracked lightly. She was trying to hold back a sob.
I didn’t pressure her to continue, nor did Siren. If she really did live and train with monks it must have been after whatever happened with her family. From the looks of it, whatever happened was painful enough to hold back and lie to cover it up from everyone she knew. Sometimes telling a story, no matter how outrageous the lie, was better than telling the truth.
We sat on the edge of the jetty and watched the boat slowly retreat around the bend of the river. We’d have to move eventually so we could follow them, but we would have to leave the Jet Ski behind this time. We wouldn’t want to attract anymore attention to us than needed, and the Jet Ski attracted attention no matter where we took it. Depending on how far away the building was, walking would be long and annoying, but it was the only safe option we had.
“How did you guys get here anyway?” I asked, hoping to change the subject and let Rum catch her breath before moving forward. Emotion was deadly on missions, blinding us in some cases and causing us to lose focus in others, and we had to remain focused for our sakes.
“We came in through Wilber Airport and I knew an agent in the area who owed me a favor from a few years ago that I’ve been meaning to collect on. He brought us up here. He’s also going to keep an eye out for us if things go wrong. He doesn’t know exactly what’s going on, but I guess since Night Stripe and Sharp Shooter narrowed down the area, any agent in the vicinity knows what’s about to go down.” Siren glanced over her shoulder, most likely noting the people around us to see if any seemed too interested in what we were doing. We didn’t want tagalongs.
“Yeah and Aces, the newest pilot of the year dropped us off,” Rum added after recollecting herself. “He has a thing for Siren so it was pretty easy to convince him to bring us and he promised to keep it off the books, for now. As I’m sure whoever brought you over agreed to do.”
“Yeah, KC wasn’t happy about it, but he agreed to keep his mouth shut and not to turn in his flight logs for a week. I figured that would be enough time. Actually, it was all I had since he’s picking up Director Walsh then and Sharp Shooter is going to want those flight logs sooner rather than later. Besides he wouldn’t risk his flight time for anyone, and I know he wouldn’t risk what he loves to help some agent he just met. That’s why the less people who know, the better. Sharp Shooter will figure out I lied soon enough. Once he figures out that I’m not working with the director he’s going to send someone here to forcibly drag me back.”
“You flew with KC down here? Were you that desperate?” Siren questioned, raising her eyebrows and widening her icy blue eyes in shock.
“I’d never even heard of him before. How the hell was I supposed to know he was crazy?”
Siren laughed. “I’m sure he’ll behave himself with Director Walsh though. He wouldn’t bite the hand that feeds him, because everyone knows if Director Marsh told Sharp Shooter to let KC go, KC wouldn’t be flying planes for us anymore.”
“No hesitation,” Rum agreed. “Sharp Shooter has to keep everyone happy so we can work without interruption and work together if needed. KC knows better than to risk his job, even if he’s holding the flight logs for you.”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t be so sure of either one. We need all the pilots we can get and KC enjoys showing off too much to behave for anyone while flying,” I stated as I glanced down the small canal to see the cartel boat had vanished. Hopefully by now they had docked, or at least made it closer. “Siren, is anyone watching us?”
“Not that I can tell. I think we’re in the clear, but if any one comes then we can deal with them. I’m not too worried about it though.”
“Great, then let’s go.” I hopped up from my seat on the rocks and tried to seem nonchalant as we walked through the forest. We looked as if we could fit in here, living a typical life, except under our clothes we had our weapons concealed—at least for the moment. We were trained agents with skills and training that these people only saw in movies, and enemies they thought weren’t a problem throughout the country and around the world.
We walked through the trees, the ground littered with empty beer cans, the occasional remnant of clothing, and the usual leaf and branch clutter.
“This is a part of the old life I don’t miss,” Siren said, gesturing to a pair of discarded lace underwear. “Hooking up in the woods...where is the self-respect? At least find a room. It’s way more comfortable than the forest floor.”
“Why is that a self-respect problem?” I questioned, continuing through the liter. “Maybe they didn’t want to wait or couldn’t afford a room.”
Rum sighed, and placed her hand on her chest. “Ah, young love.”
Siren cringed. “Do it once for the experience and then never again.” She sounded like she was quoting something from her past instead of answering me. Her voice was distant, a million miles away from here. Even as I caught her gaze, she didn’t seem like she was with us. Instead she was lost in her thoughts of her old life again.
I left her be as we walked through the woods, sticking close to the river but not out in the open. We traveled for roughly fifteen minutes down the bank of the river’s canal before spotting the cartel boat docked on the other side of the river. The boat was already unloaded, and from our spot we could see a final crate being loaded into a single vehicle. Without a word, we turned and nodded to each other before racing as fast as we could to a new location where we would have a better view to watch them from.
The fallen branches cut my legs as I ran through the woods with Rum and Siren running silently behind me. We stayed a safe distance from the cartel as they finished loading the final crate into the truck. When we came to a stop, we watched them drive slowly through the trees. We kept a steady pace with them as they traveled, remaining back and hidden by the trees to keep from arousing any suspicion. As the trees began to clear, we hung back and waited for them to move a fair distance away before we followed. When Rum believed we were in th
e clear, she went ahead, waving her hand for us to follow.
“Oh fuck,” Rum cried as she breached the clearing into the compound. “We have our work cut out for us on this one girls. When your stepfather does something, Spit Fire, it’s not half-assed.” She side stepped to make room for us. I caught up, with Siren right on my heels, to where Rum had stopped. As I approached, the expansive compound came into view and I felt any hope I had of handling this alone completely fade away. With each step it seemed to gain another building and more forces than I had imagined. This was bigger than Sandtown and the Georgia base combined with even more people to run it and follow orders.
This must have been where they were moving to on our last trip to Sandtown—their new headquarters. In the last place I’d ever expect, I thought with a silent, defeated sigh. There’s no way I could have handled this on my own. Hell, even the three of us won’t be enough.
Chapter 13
“Holy shit,” Siren cursed, saying exactly what I was thinking. We were both looking down at the compound from our new vantage point in the trees. Rum sent us up here before going to sneak around the compound to see if she could get inside and find out anything useful. From the ground, each step we took had shown a new building, and along with it came new problems. From here we could see everything, and trust me, it didn’t look good. “How did they build something this massive and not raise any red flags until recently? This had to take time, money, and a lot of planning. When they said they were moving to a new base we assumed it was to a new headquarters. Did we just stop looking after Georgia?”