by Sara Schoen
I glanced nervously toward the compound, silently begging Siren to come out just so I would know she was alive. I sighed, knowing I had to assume she was safe until proven otherwise. During her time at CIRA she had infiltrated countless groups, and she had trained Camo, who was able to fall into any identity given to her without a hitch. Camo had proven excellent at her job, which meant Siren had been an amazing teacher, and teachers rarely taught their students everything they knew. Therefore, Siren was bound to have a few tricks up her sleeve. I just had to believe she was okay.
“We can’t know until one of them shows up. No alarm seems to have been sounded, and no one is acting differently, at least that I’ve noticed. They may just be waiting. Siren is learning all of this stuff as she goes along, so she may not have found a time to get out yet without being noticed. Maybe she can’t get out alone. They are all in teams, which isn’t like how the Cardoza’s set up their bases before. They are learning from their previous battles with us, and I don’t like it.”
“I don’t either, but what choice do we have?”
“To end them before they get too far ahead of us.” The words fell from my mouth on their own accord before I even had a chance to stop them. I didn’t want to since every word of it was true, but something about saying it out loud made it real for me. I would end them before they could continue to grow, and thankfully Sandstorm followed the same train of thought. He wanted to obliterate them from the top and become a force to be reckoned with if any of the lower level members wanted to take over. That’s if they survived this, I thought with a wicked smile. I had a feeling those who survived would cut their losses and forget about the cartel, at least this one. CIRA would move onto others in time, and I’d be with them every step of the way to take down men like Harley.
“I’m good with that. I’m ready to stop chasing these guys. It’s time to move onto someone else. We can’t spend years following them all, we have to take on more than one at a time instead of dropping everything to take on these guys.”
I was about to reply to say the Cardozas are the biggest cartel so we needed to take them out first, but I was interrupted by a phone ringing. We ignored it for a minute before I heard the two-man patrol coming back.
“Do you hear that?” one of them asked.
Panic shot through me as I realized it was the phone Night Stripe stuck in my backpack. “Shit,” I cursed quietly as I dug for the phone. Pushing everything I touched to the side, my hand wrapped around the phone and clicked the side button to silence it. I glanced down to see the two-man team searching for the source of the sound and contemplated my chances of moving without being seen or having Night Stripe call me again and get me killed. Neither seemed likely.
The phone vibrated in my hand and before it could make another sound, I answered. “Do you have any idea what you’ve just caused?”
“What are you talking about?” she questioned as one of the men below called out around him. I hadn’t expected her to hear it, but she laughed lightly. “Why didn’t you put the phone on silent after I called you the first time? I basically told you that I’d be calling back eventually. I can’t help that you didn’t take precautions.”
“I haven’t had a phone in almost seven years. I don’t know how to work this thing except to answer you and make it stop ringing. I wasn’t going to waste my time learning how to learn how to operate it either because I wasn’t planning on using it. Now why the hell did you put me in this situation?” I asked as I glanced back to the men, who had dispersed to check the area. Eventually the only answer left would be to look up. There was no way they would just forget about it and move on.
“I’m calling because you’ve run out of time.” Her voice was low, a soft whisper compared to her usual boisterous tone. From what I could tell, it was quiet on her end of the line. She wasn’t out in public in the CIRA building, she was alone somewhere, away from everyone. Either she wasn’t supposed to be talking to me or she hadn’t told anyone she could get in touch with me and wanted to keep it a secret. I didn’t have time to ask, I needed her to get right to the point.
“How so?” I asked as I turned toward Rum, who had managed to conceal herself in the foliage near the top of the tree. I could barely see her, but I knew I was too noticeable. They’d spot me and then I’d really be out of luck.
“Sharp Shooter gets the flight logs today; I can’t stall Maverick or KC anymore. They’re free for the day because I couldn’t find agents who needed a flight anywhere. Sharp Shooter has been asking for them for the last few days. He even called them while Renegade and I were badgering him on the Cardoza Cartel. He’s going to find out, and I’m not sure what’s going to happen except that he’ll send someone to retrieve you. You need to do whatever it is you’re planning and you need to do it quickly or you may never get the chance.”
“I got it. Thanks for trying, Night Stripe. You gave me more than enough time. We have a plan that should be going active at the end of this week. Two or three days should be enough for me once Sandstorm gives me a definite day, but I should be finished if Sharp Shooter actually sends someone after us.”
“Us? So that’s where Rum went.” She laughed lightly to herself, a little of her usual cheerful demeanor returning to her voice. “I’m not sure who Sandstorm is, I’ve never heard of him, but if Rum’s with you then I know you’ll be fine. I won’t call you again, but just in case someone finds this phone and tries to call you, how about you put it on silent? It’s really easy, I promise. I can talk you through it if you need me to.”
“Don’t patronize me,” I growled as I shut the phone and effectively ended our call.
I glanced around to see the two-man team coming back with the three-person team not far behind. We were about to get found out if we didn’t think of something fast. I contemplated chucking the phone after clearing it and let it ring, but it seemed risky since I didn’t know for sure how to clear the phone. I didn’t want it somehow getting back to Harley where CIRA was. The location of the building had been kept a secret from those outside the agency for years, and I wasn’t going to be the one to blow it. I’d give that credit to a recruit one day I’m sure, but I prayed that day never came.
“Hey, stop there,” one of them ordered as the teams met up, their guns drawn.
I glanced around the tree to see where they were pointing, and saw a platinum blonde pony-tail sticking out from under a green hat. I let out a breath of relief as Siren came closer and stood confidently in front of the guns. She must have a plan, though she could be winging it again. I prayed for the former. I didn’t need to watch her get shot. We needed to get out of this mess.
“What are you doing out of the compound? You know you’re not supposed to leave the boundaries unless on patrol. We could have shot you or had the base operate the failsafe.”
“Whatever,” Siren said, lacing her words with a feigned valley girl accent. “I was given permission to be out here. Malik is looking for you guys, he has something to discuss before the next meeting and wants to see you now. He said he has important information to pass along that can’t wait until the day of, so I was told to find you and deliver that message, but feel free to shoot me. I’m sure he and Harley would like that. It would give them a reason to pull you guys off patrol and have you do something less glamorous, like maybe work in the hole.”
The hole sounded like a threat, and judging from the sudden stiffening of the men below, that’s exactly what it was. They nodded to each other and ran off before one of them ordered Siren to finish their sweep and handed her a gun before joining his fellow members. Once they were gone, she glanced up to us in the trees and waved a friendly hello before Rum peeked out of her hiding spot.
“That was quick thinking, Siren. Thanks for the save,” Rum chimed, returning the wave.
“No problem. Now come down here. We have a lot to talk about and I can’t be out here too long or someone may think something’s going on.” She sneered as she glanced over her shoulder
at the retreating cartel members. She took a deep breath, before adding, “This mission is going to be bloody.” Her voice seemed haunted like she knew something horrible was about to happen and she didn’t like it one bit.
Chapter 18
“So what got you in trouble this time and made me have to save your asses?” Siren asked with a smile as Rum and I joined her on the ground. “Oh wait, let me guess. You couldn’t handle waiting anymore and almost attacked that patrol and ruined everything? You’re lucky I was here to save you.” She pointed one long delicate finger in my direction with a smirk on her face.
“I didn’t do anything. You can thank Night Stripe for causing that scene and almost ruining everything. She called while they were right below us and alerted them that someone was around. If she hadn’t put that damn phone in my bag it wouldn’t have been a problem. I told her not to call again after the last time.”
“Why didn’t you silence it after she called the last time just to be on the safe side?” Siren questioned with an eyebrow raised.
“I didn’t think about it!”
Rum laughed lightly to herself, clearly remembering what I told Night Stripe about not knowing how to, as she gestured for the phone. I handed it to her so she could silence it. The last thing we needed was another interruption. I didn’t think she’d call me again after the first call, and I definitely didn’t want to risk it another time. We may not be as lucky again.
“Well, what did she want? What made her risk getting us caught by calling us?”
I sighed, letting some of the frustration go with it before I replied. “Nothing I didn’t already know. She said Sharp Shooter is getting the flight logs from Maverick and KC today because she couldn’t find any agents who needed a ride. She can’t distract either of them much longer, and it’s about to come to light what we’ve been doing. She didn’t even know this is where you guys were, but I guess she had a feeling because she didn’t sound surprised. So while we’ve kept it a secret, we’ve run out of time. The only thing we have going for us at this point is that Sharp Shooter won’t risk more lives than needed. So while he figures out what to do and how to get me back to CIRA without a fight, we should have enough time to complete Sandstorm’s plan.”
“Oh yeah, I met him,” Siren chimed as Rum continued to tap away on the phone. “It would have been nice to know we had a friend here. He nearly scared me out of undercover work. I thought he figured out I wasn’t the real Macy when he called me back to his office. I was expecting him to put a gun to my head.”
“If it makes you feel better, I didn’t know he was here. He was in the Middle East the last time I saw him and Sharp Shooter made it seem like that’s where he still was. I wasn’t expecting to see him here, though it didn’t surprise me that I ran into another agent. I half expected it, but I just didn’t think it would be him.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“When I was recruited.” My reply was curt, and she knew it was because I didn’t want to talk about that day anymore than I had to. I didn’t have to right now so it was best to move on.
Siren nodded, but didn’t reply. Her glance followed the perimeter of the compound as if she was on the lookout for cartel members. She clearly didn’t have time to chat with us, she was on high alert as if someone was about to join us at any moment. Was something about to happen? Were they being watched or was she worried about the cartel members coming back once they finished talking to Malik? It wouldn’t look good for her if they did, and as I said, it was best to move on.
“So what have you found out, Siren?”
Her gaze returned to mine after I spoke and I saw a familiar ferocity in them when it came to missions; sheer determination and power to push through anything. “That our friend Sandstorm is a force to be reckoned with here. He’s here, as Malik Something-I-can’t-pronounce, to set up a trade line for his group, who apparently trust him to make a lot of important decisions. I guess it’s come from his years of undercover work, but still. His people trust him, and that makes Harley’s not trust him. He’s supposed to be kept happy but also watched like a hawk while he’s here. If he’s not happy, then you’re punished with working in the “hole” as they call it. I’m not sure what that is yet, but I think it has something to do with the failsafe and I know no one wants to be there if the failsafe is activated.”
“That seems strange to me,” Rum chimed as she slid the phone into her back pocket. I guess she didn’t trust me to hold onto it anymore after our close call. “What could it be if it’s bad enough to act as a punishment? There’s a lot going on, but nothing makes sense. At least not yet.”
“It gets weirder too,” Siren asserted. “Harley has him watched, all of his movements possibly. I’d be willing to venture a guess he already knows we are here if anyone saw your exchange yesterday.”
“That explains why he was looking around like he was afraid of getting caught. He probably knows he’s being followed.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised. Harley really scrapped the bottom of the barrel with these guys. Some don’t even have proper training. Others are some of the members from previous bases so they know what’s going on and are the ones entrusted with watching him.” She seemed thoughtful for a moment before she continued. “Things on the inside of this building work a lot differently than other cartels have.”
“What do you mean? How is it different?” Rum questioned.
“I don’t know how to explain it if you haven’t been inside, but it’s hardcore. I see why Sandstorm is so abrasive, he has to be in order to live in there. There are so many rules. Plus, people go through screenings randomly—for good reason since I took over Macy’s job so easily—so I’m trying not to raise suspicion. I don’t think I’d be able to pass the test and I’ve seen how it ends.” She gulped loudly.
“You’ll be fine. Just keep your head down for a few more days.”
She nodded, though she looked noticeably shaken. Whatever was going on inside the cartel must scare her as it does its members. She was in deep now, and getting caught meant death and revealing the rest of us. I knew Harley was paranoid, but even this seemed extreme.
“Did he tell you the plan?” I asked in hopes of easing her mind. I glanced around to see if anyone was coming in this direction. I didn’t see anything, but I hadn’t been paying attention to how much time was left between patrols. How much time did we have left?
“Yeah, and while I don’t mind being volunteered for things, I prefer to be a part of the original discussion.” She glared me down as if I had come up with the plan and she couldn’t bear the thought of her friend coming up with something so dangerous and seemingly unplanned. “What the hell is this plan? Why did you agree to something so gruesome? I’m supposed to help him look for information on everything I can get my hands on and in three days we are supposed to be ready to slaughter everyone? That’s a little rough, Spit Fire. Why did you agree to this?” Her voice cracked with emotion. Siren always had her morals set on keeping as many people alive as possible, even if they didn’t deserve it. She didn’t believe in killing, unless absolutely necessary, but CIRA’s policy was changing and she would have to come to terms with it. Kill all enemies on sight before they can lead to more problems later on. It’s what we should have done to Camden but didn’t, now look where we are.
“There’s not much else we can do, Siren. We tried it the old way, and they just keep coming back. The only way to finally end this is to eliminate anyone who would try to resurrect the cartel again. I’m sorry you don’t agree, but that’s another reason I knew it would be best to send you after the upper level members with Sandstorm. They deserve it, and I know you’ll handle it. I’m not so sure you’d do the same on the outside, and I don’t feel like having a moral discussion of what’s right and wrong with you right now.”
“When would be the right time for it?” Her voice tightened. She wanted to have that discussion with me because she wanted to try to change my mind, but she
wouldn’t be able to. I was going to finish this for good.
“Never.”
A heavy silence hung over us as we glared at each other, daring the other to speak. Siren looked to be fighting her inner demons while deciding whether to fight me on this or not, and I stood my ground waiting to shut down whatever she said. We allowed the Cardoza’s to get away with too much, that’s why they had gotten so powerful. They were the reason we lost so many friends and agents, and now we had a chance to end them for good. I didn’t care if she wanted to kill them or not, because in a fight when it came between her life and theirs I knew she would choose hers. She had an important job to do, and any distraction could cost her her life.
“Okay, let’s focus back on the plan,” Rum said stepping in before one of us could start an argument. “Is it possible that we can gather whatever we need and take out the cartel for good, Siren? You’re on the inside so tell us what you think about the overall idea of the plan, not just your perspective on the eminent death count.”
She sighed and relented our staring match to turn to Rum. “It’s possible that it could work, but we aren’t in for an easy time by a long shot, but when are we ever? Once Sandstorm and I find enough information of whatever Sharp Shooter asked him to find, then I’m supposed to hide it so we can go back for it after. Then we wait for the day of the trade, and once one of you uses a gun to mow down everyone you can, we take cover inside and go after upper level cartel members. I don’t like this plan. You guys are in too much danger out here. It’s literal suicide!”
“What do you suggest then, Siren? Because I have nothing better.” I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against a tree as I waited for her to answer. When she didn’t I continued, “Yes, it’s gruesome and it’s suicide. We’ve had enough agents risk their lives for this cartel, it’s time to move onto someone different. If I have to jeopardize my future to make that happen then I will.” I saw Rum shift uncomfortably beside me, maybe it was the finality in my voice. She’d finally realized I wasn’t kidding. I would gamble my life away to end this; to kill Harley, and rip apart the Cardozas. “That’s why I came alone. I was ready to risk my life. I wouldn’t ask anyone to do it with me. You guys can go if you want, but I’m here and I’m not leaving until they’re all begging for their lives.”