by Sara Schoen
“Yeah, she did. Did you think of something?” She must have picked up on the emotion in my voice.
I had thought of something, but I didn’t like it. It humanized the members of the cartel, and made me see Siren’s side about the negatives of the plan. She must’ve gotten to me somehow because I wouldn’t usually care. “What if he did what the Cardozas did to gain more members? What if he took people off the street who were having a hard time, like Camo’s family who were so desperate for money that they took the job offer, and used them? They have no idea what they are walking into and they may not have a way out except by death.” Just like my family didn’t when we let Harley into our life, I thought to myself.
Rum lightly placed her hand on my shoulder for comfort. Her voice was low and soothing when she spoke. “Having second thoughts on the plan? We still have time to back out and think of something else.”
I opened my mouth to answer when I heard a familiar voice echo through the halls. It was dark, yet still smooth enough to lure anyone into a false sense of security and will them to believe every word out of his mouth, even the lies. Without thinking, and allowing the sudden anger to win over my better judgment, I walked toward the voice that had caused so much pain in my life. Even as Rum tried to stop me I pushed through to the heart of the compound.
“Spit Fire, come back. Where are you going?”
I heard her chasing after me, but I kept just slightly out of her reach as I followed the voice through the hallway. The compound had one long hallway with many rooms branching off of it, providing a perfect straight shot to Harley. I don’t know what I planned to do once I arrived, but I surely hadn’t expected to see such a massive amount of people crowding into one room. I passed through an archway and entered a large warehouse sized room that was filled to the brim with people. I stood stunned as I looked around at just how many people we were facing. I caught sight of a familiar face in the crowd before Rum pulled me back into the shadows. Though my eyes never left Siren’s.
The fear in her eyes was unmistakable, whether because she saw me in the compound or because of whatever Harley had called them in here for, I couldn’t be sure. Though from her continued rigid posture after the shadows hid me, I assumed it was the former. She stood perfectly still and tried to act natural as someone next to her nudged her, probably asking if she was okay since she nodded curtly and that seemed to be the end of the discussion. Her eyes continued to dart back to where she’d seen me during Harley’s talk.
“Glad to see everyone could make it, not that you had much of a choice otherwise,” Harley joked lightly, making those in the room laugh forcefully.
I scoffed, to which Rum nudged me to tell me to shut up. Siren glanced around uncomfortably before flashing her gaze back to us. Either she heard me or she was paranoid we would be caught. Even though I’d wanted to come in here, I had to admit that Rum was right, this was dangerous and stupid. Not that I would ever openly admit that to her because I didn’t regret it yet, but she was right. I had been overcome by anger. I wanted to confront him and finally get some answers, then eliminate him before he could become a threat to other people.
“I have a small announcement to make and then we can all go on with our daily lives.” Harley glanced around the crowd of people and as his eyes drifted closer toward me, I backed into the shadows as much as I could. It felt as if he knew we were there as his swept over where we were hidden, though he didn’t linger long. He returned to the crowd seconds later, but it had felt like hours of staring into his dark eyes. “The trade is happening tomorrow instead.”
The crowd erupted into conversation. It started out as whispers between the people next to them and built as more people joined the conversation. I could hear the fear in some of the voices echoing around the room. Half the room bursting with excitement and the other half suddenly terrified, clarifying which side had previously been in a cartel from the ones who had only joined recently for reasons unknown.
“Now now, relax.” Harley raised his hands to call the crowd’s attention again. “There’s nothing to worry about. It’s only earlier to keep everyone as safe as possible. You know that’s my overall goal. I want to keep you all safe and prevent any mishaps or attacks. If I change the schedule it will throw off anyone watching us. My friends from previous bases will agree with me, and I’ve decided to take this measure to ensure your safety.” A few people nodded and the murmuring began again, but Harley put an end to it before it could grow louder. “I ask that everyone stays with their partner while we finish the final preparations for the trade and to keep a watchful eye out. We don’t want any surprises. Everyone knows their jobs, so if all goes well then we’ll have most of our ties back and can finally focus on the real mission.”
Clapping erupted from the previous cartel members along with a few screams of encouragement. I looked at Rum, whose confused expression mirrored mine.
“What is he talking about?” she questioned in a panicked whisper.
“I don’t know, but if previous members are excited then I don’t like it.”
She nodded in agreement as Harley worked once again to calm down the cartel members. Tension built up and tied a knot tightly in the pit of my stomach. This couldn’t be good. If it made Harley and the other cartel members happy then it had to be bad. But what could it be? As the thought crossed my mind, my jaw dropped open and my eyes opened wide in fear and shock.
“CIRA,” I whispered, my voice lost in the uproar of cheers before Harley finally got it under control again.
“Yes, I know we are ready to move on. We want to find the CIRA building and eliminate the agents responsible for the destruction of our previous bases and our friends!” He let the cheering return for a moment before he continued. “I have a few leads, but I won’t share anything until we’re in the clear. Then we will make a plan to avenge our fallen friends and family, and anyone else who stands in our way will be dealt with swiftly and permanently.”
His words resonated through the warehouse before the crowd cheered again. I couldn’t get his speech out of my head. It seemed like he had some unfinished business with CIRA rather than what he said about ‘avenging’ those we killed.
“What about the families they tore apart or the agents and civilians they killed? I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” Rum said with utter disgust.
“They don’t care about that,” I answered as something scratched at the back of my mind. Camden had said that there was a plan against CIRA, and that someone was going to go after Demon, Whip Lash, and Sharp Shooter. They wanted to get rid of the leaders so CIRA would crumble, and now I knew the person behind it was Harley. Camden’s knowledge about me and Renegade’s reveal had allowed them to connect the pieces. Harley used Renegade to connect us all together and now he’s willing to track us down one by one if he has to.
“What are we going to do? We have to let someone at CIRA know what’s going on.”
I glanced in Siren’s direction to see her hands balled into fists. No one liked when CIRA was threatened, especially not the agents. I guess her anger means she’s given up on the ‘humane’ way to put them down. It was either us or them, and I knew what every agent would pick.
“We end this here and now. If we finish them, then there will be no one to hurt our agents or attempt to take down CIRA. We just have to show them that we’re stronger than they give us credit for.”
I didn’t even have to look at Rum to know that she was ready to fight.
Chapter 21
Rum and I escaped during the chaos of everyone leaving to head back to their assigned posts. Though we moved with the crowd, we remained in the shadows until we had to leave them. This was always the hard part because if we were seen then the whole plan blew to pieces, but what’s life without a little risk? Rum went first to show me the way, and I followed her movements to the letter. There would be fewer eyes on the outside until everyone got settled, and would allow us to slip by unnoticed. We knew we would have to be c
autious since there would be a few cartel members outside, but I hadn’t expected to run into Sandstorm. As we made our escape to head back to our usual positions in the trees so we knew where to be found, Sandstorm emerged from the surrounding trees like a predator ready to capture his prey. A scowl had taken over his features and anger rested deeply in his green eyes.
“What the hell were you two thinking going in there? No, don’t tell me, let me guess.” His gaze flashed between us for a moment before stopping on me. “That if you go in there and Harley sees you then it could end right then and there? Or Maybe you wanted him to see you so he could have a chance to let the fear chill his veins?” He scoffed, though he hadn’t been far off. “I have never seen something so risky in all of my life as an agent. Please explain what your bright idea was because I know it wasn’t for information. You know Siren or I would have told you everything we knew when we met up tonight, but you seem to insist on making reckless choices. Is this what CIRA has come to while I’ve been gone?”
“You’d be surprised how much it’s changed,” Rum whispered as she looked around the area, checking to see if any other cartel members were around. Sandstorm said we were reckless, but he was keeping us out in the open, which was just as dangerous.
“Well?” He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for my answer.
“Well what?”
“Why did you actually do it, Spit Fire? Was it out of sheer curiosity or stupidity? I want to know what kind of crazy I’m working with here so I can know how you’ll fuck up and can plan around it in case something happens.”
I didn’t answer. I wouldn’t relent and let him mock me for my choices nor allow him to bait me into a fight. So instead, I carried on the original conversation and completely ignored his words. “You’re meeting us tonight? Was that a plan before the meeting or after? How are you going to get Siren to come with you without attracting attention? Won’t that look a little strange having her follow you somewhere in the middle of the night?”
“Not if it’s done correctly.” The anger didn’t fade from his eyes, but he didn’t push the topic. “Siren and I have it all worked out now. I already told her that we would move the meeting to tonight in order to discuss the plan more thoroughly instead of rushing, but I guess Harley has other plans. I was going to talk to her again after the meeting, but that was before I saw you two lurking in the shadows. You just better be glad that no one else noticed, or at least hasn’t said anything to Harley yet. I can’t believe you’d do something so foolish! Both of you,” he added, turning to Rum.
“Exactly, no one else noticed. So we’re fine and the secret is still safe. You can get off our backs about it now. We know how to handle ourselves, that’s our job!”
“I gave you a job, and I’m in charge here, Spit Fire, not you. I know you’re here for Harley, but if you want him then you have to wait. I need to know I can trust you because that’s the only way this plan will work. I thought I could, until you went in and did something stupid again!”
“Don’t worry. The mission will be over before we have the chance to do it again,” Rum chimed before moving to take cover behind a nearby tree.
We followed her movements without hesitation and rested in the shadows of the trees. A few cartel members walked out of the barracks and began to walk around the compound’s grounds. We had to move soon if we didn’t want to be discovered, and that meant all of us. His gaze felt hot on my skin. I knew Sandstorm was waiting to see what I would do. He was probably wondering whether I would mess up his mission and chance at going back to CIRA. I didn’t plan on it, but I couldn’t promise him anything either.
“It better be,” he whispered back as the cartel members retreated from sight and we rejoined each other. “I can’t have a repeat of this. I need to make sure you guys are going to listen to me like Siren does.”
“Why did you move the meeting before Harley announced he was moving the trade date?”
“I wanted to give us an extra day so we could collect ourselves, rest, and move around if needed. I also wanted to go over the plan before we had to start so we’d have more time to think it through. Especially now that it’s happening sooner; we need to know what’s going to be happening so we’re prepared. Plus, I need to make sure we all know our jobs and stick to them.” His burning gaze fell onto me again, and I couldn’t help but squirm under the heat of his glare. He wanted to break me, but if he did all he’d hear was how nothing went according to plan, even the best thought out plan can go to shit. I should know, Sandtown was my shit storm, but that wouldn’t get us anywhere. “For now, we play it cool. Siren and I will be out here tonight to discuss it with you guys. Once this happens, there’s no going back for us or the cartel. Siren and I will blow our covers and we won’t be able to go back if something goes wrong. It’s all or nothing at this point.”
“What about me?” Rum questioned. “I train the only thief we have and was trained by the one before her. I’m trained to stay out of sight, so at least then maybe we’d have a chance of someone staying alive to report back if the shit starts to hit the fan. I can be around in the background and eliminate more of the upper level members before they scatter, then blend in just as easily.”
“Yeah, I’m sure the purple hair really helps with blending in.” Sandstorm shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong. I would prefer to have your skill set, Rum, but I can’t take that risk. I need someone to keep Spit Fire out of trouble, and from what I’ve seen Siren is just as reckless as her. We have to watch them and make sure everything goes according to plan. I know you’re all good agents, or you wouldn’t still be alive today, but I don’t know you. I have to work with what I do know and this is the best plan I have right now, and from the looks of it, it’s the only one we have time to make.”
Rum nodded and once again glanced around our surrounding area. “We have to go soon. The patrols are starting up again. We can’t assume that they will keep with their regular schedules now. We will have to move when we find an opening and go with it no matter what. We don’t have much time, if the patrols stick to schedule, before they get here.”
“She’s right, you have to go. The patrols will be on high alert and there will be more happening than usual with the trade going on tomorrow. Harley will want to make sure no one is within miles of this place so there can’t be a surprise attack,” Sandstorm explained, following Rum’s lead and scanning the area. He must have spotted someone, because he ordered us back into the shadows.
I didn’t try to look around, instead I just hurried to get out of sight. The sound of crunching leaves and snapping sticks reached my ears. The patrols were wandering the forest around us, and eventually they would close in on us. “We have to go, Rum.” My voice came out so low that I could barely hear it, but somehow she heard me and nodded in my direction from her hiding spot, gesturing for me to follow her. I began to move when she motioned for me to join her. She wanted me to follow her lead again, and I had no problem taking orders from her. For some reason though, when they came from Sandstorm they rubbed me the wrong way.
“Ready?” Rum questioned without looking in my direction.
“I’m ready.” I dug my foot into the ground to provide a little leverage to help propel me forward when the time came to run away. Rum ran faster than me, which meant I’d have to do my best to keep up with her.
She lightly tapped the tree as a signal for me to be ready to go, and I tensed, preparing to react, though we didn’t get a chance to. Sandstorm cleared his throat before we could take off, preventing us from taking the first opening we had. Rum put her hand out to stop me, but I had already sprung and ran into her back. She tittered slightly, but held her ground. I gripped her shoulders to right myself before turning to glare at Sandstorm.
He shrugged. “I forgot something. Don’t go back to the trees, like I said, Harley will have them on high alert. It’s not safe there anymore. Go to the beach and wait for us there. Don’t move or even think about going anywhere e
lse. Once Siren and I get there we will finalize the plan of action for before the helicopter lands tomorrow morning.”
I nodded, and pushed Rum to tell her I was ready to go. I didn’t want to speak again in case anyone was close by. It didn’t take long before Rum pulled me with her and we were off. Following her was more difficult through the woods than it was in the compound. She managed to find the smallest places to land her feet to make minimal sound, and even following in her footsteps I made a lot of noise. It would be sure to attract attention if anyone was near us, but all I could do was pray no one was around. Killing before the trade would be just as alarming as a patrol turning us in, and without weapons we had a slim chance of making that happen. Even with them there was a slim chance we’d make it out alive.
“Don’t think about it. If you keep your mind on it then it’ll happen, and none of us will make it out of this alive. Focus on the end game and keep your head clear.”
“I’m not Night Stripe, I don’t need you to read me and tell me what I’m feeling.”
Rum came to a stop and turned to me with sorrow deep in her eyes. “I wasn’t talking to you. I’m worried about everyone at CIRA, Night Stripe especially. If I don’t make it through this, she’s half trained and left to fend for herself. I can’t leave either because they have to be stopped, and they took my mentor away from me. I’m just hoping I’m not repeating history. I don’t want her to end up like me.” A haunted look filled her eyes and took over her features. Her skin paled slightly like she was about to be sick. She might be worried about Night Stripe, but she also feared for her life.
“We’ll beat them, Rum. I know we will.” I placed my hand on her back in an attempt at comforting her as we stepped onto the beach. The sun was beginning to set, signaling the end of the day, and preparing to envelop us in darkness. The night would bring heavy planning, along with the last chance to back out. None of us would, but the thought still weighed heavily on me as my mind spun, filled with what ifs and unanswered questions.