Broken Arrow (Guarded Secrets Series Book 5)

by Sara Schoen

  “I understand it’s hard. I’m glad you could see him again.”

  This time I nodded without replying. We fell into a comfortable silence despite being surrounded by rushing nurses and agents who needed nothing short of a miracle to make it through the next few hours. Hopefully they weren’t going back to CIRA to be slaughtered later. I almost wish I could keep Fire Fox here. There’s too much uncertain at CIRA right now, and I don’t see it getting better any time soon.

  Chapter 19

  “I’m glad he’s still alive,” Shadow said, her voice low and weary. She had gotten up to move around after I told her about the raid on the Cardoza Cartel. She was having a hard time swallowing the information and got up to take a breather. And probably escape the tension still between us, I thought as she reluctantly sat down. She couldn’t meet my gaze, and refused to even look in my direction. Instead, she focused on Fire Fox, who seemed to be having a nightmare from the way he was thrashing in his sleep. “I didn’t realize he had been through so much or that you guys had been in a raid before this. No wonder you’ve been trying to send me home...”

  I sighed heavily when I took in her grief-stricken features. Maybe I’m being too hard on her, but at least now she understood. Though it wasn’t the exact reason I tried to get her back to CIRA. I had tried to send her away so she wouldn’t get in the way. I didn’t think anyone from the cartel would still be here, at least not someone who would hurt her. She’d be safer at CIRA though. That’s how it used to be anyway... I shoved that through from my mind, but no matter how hard I tried, it kept coming back. I couldn’t help but wonder who would betray CIRA like this. If Seeker injured Fire Fox to help him, and he wasn’t the mole. Who was? Would we ever find out? Yeah, when it’s too late...

  I glanced at Fire Fox when he jerked again then relaxed. The nurse had explained that he was tired because of the excitement, but he had been having nightmares for weeks. Suffering while awake and asleep. There was no break for him. Though now the nurses got a break from him. Apparently, he had been telling them for weeks I’d show up eventually. He knew I’d come for him and I did.

  Nurses would stop to say hello to me, some wouldn’t say anything, and others gushed about Fire Fox to me. “We thought it was impossible. No way would anyone come here, but I’m glad you did. He hasn’t stopped talking about you, and you’re the first person who ‘is coming’ to actually show up. You’ll give hope to the other agents here for sure.” I tried not to feel guilty for getting the other agent’s hopes up. I hope whoever they are waiting for come too, but I doubt it. I almost didn’t come. If it hadn’t been for Shadow…

  “Look, Shadow.” I leaned over in the seat and reached out to touch her, but she pulled away from me. She crossed her arms and leaned away from me while I looked her dead in the eye. She didn’t meet my gaze right away, but eventually she gave in. Though that was the last bit of her will power. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. You didn’t deserve that. I was upset because you haven’t followed orders, but that’s not a good reason. You gave me my family back and that’s what I care about. I’ve been wondering what happened to him over the last few weeks and to have to come face to face with the truth that he could be dead.” I paused for a moment, taking in a sharp breath and recomposing myself. “I didn’t like it. I’m sorry I took it out on you.”

  Shadow nodded, but didn’t reply. She looked away and I followed her lead. Clearly, this wasn’t going to be easy, I thought as we sat in silence, both of us unsure of what to say. The tension hung in the air like a noose. Every second that passed by, the rope got tighter and tighter around my neck. I didn’t want to speak up again in fear of pushing her. So, I waited to see what she would do. Even if she refused to speak again, I would have waited.

  “I’m not upset with you,” she finally stated.

  I glanced up to see Shadow’s features contorted in a mix of grief and pleading for help. I didn’t say anything. I wanted her to say something. I didn’t want to accidentally close a door to have her open up again.

  “I know you don’t understand why I keep coming back and you want me to follow orders, but I do it because even though I don’t know you. I have a sense of loyalty to you. You’re my trainer, you tolerate me, and have patience with me even when I don’t deserve it. That loyalty is something I can’t give up.”

  She glanced up at me with a fierceness in her eyes, but I noticed her leg shaking. It shook her entire body while she sat down and took in a breath to get herself together for the rest of her story. Looking into her eyes, I could see tears forming, and as far as I knew, we had just started the story. I nodded her on, but again I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to stop her from saying what she needed to.

  “I lived a life where loyalty was all we had. There was no money, there was no love, there was only loyalty. My family loyalty was it, even when my mother’s revolving door of boyfriend burned me or told me to keep quiet while they did it to my mom. I was loyal to her and only her. We stuck together and when she died from the last guy, I was lost.” She took in a sharp breath and quickly wiped her eyes. “I had to resort to stealing because the guy took over the house. No one would listen to me. I became friends with some kids on the street, but their loyalty was elsewhere and I was disposable. I was stealing just to get by, I learned fast, and that meant trust faltered.” Her voice cracked, but she pushed through it. “I don’t mean to disappoint you, but I had overheard you previously talking about Fire Fox and how much you missed him, so when Huey mentioned him when we got here. I had to tell you. I didn’t mean to disobey your order, but I knew you had to know this. I’m sorry.”

  I reached forward and placed my hand on hers as I had done to Fire Fox. Her head jerked up in shock and her eyes were wide. “You’re now family, Shadow. Remember that.”

  She nodded, wiping her eyes to get rid of the tears. “I’ll be right back.” She stood up quickly and practically sprinted away.

  I nodded in response and let her walk away to recover alone. I didn’t want to push her too hard. I didn’t want to bother her or make her feel more vulnerable than she already was. I turned back to Fire Fox, his breathing relaxed and steady. Glad to see he’s in better shape than before. Even if he’s not back to fighting shape yet. My thoughts were interrupted by an incessant ringing. I tried to ignore it before a nurse glared at me as asked, “Are you going to answer that or just bother everyone in here with it?”

  “Sorry,” I muttered, quickly digging the phone out of my pocket. “I thought I left it with my teammate.” The nurse shook her head at me as I answered. Why were the nurses so annoyed with me all the time? I couldn’t be that bad. Could I? “Hello?”

  “Hello, Night Stripe.” Sharp Shooter chimed with a song-like voice. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m looking for Shadow. Camo says she got away again and I figure you’d know where to find her. Though I didn’t realize how hard she was to keep track of, but she’s proving to be quite the handful. I’m trying to track her down.”

  “Well, you found her. She’s here.” I sighed. “She managed to find the field hospital and went back to get me. She also managed to find Fire Fox.”

  “He’s there?” The surprise in his voice shocked me.

  “Yeah, he is. Didn’t you know?” I found it odd that he wouldn’t know where his agents were. He was usually so on top of that, and Fire Fox had mentioned Sharp Shooter knew. Maybe someone was in the room with him…He’s trying to control the flow of information again.

  “I knew there were agents there, I knew we had to get them stable before we moved them, and that’s it.” His voice became muffled, but the few words I heard I knew he was talking to someone else. I couldn’t hear anything of what was being said, though it probably wasn’t good. When he eventually he came back, he didn’t even comment on ignoring me. “I’m glad he’s alive, Night Stripe. You can give him the good news. I have Maverick on his way there to pick up more agents to bring home. Maverick should be there in a little over half an hour un
less he’s flying faster than usual. If Fire Fox’s doing well, then he should be coming home on that flight.”

  I glanced at Fire Fox, still sleeping, but probably eager to get back to CIRA after being out here the last few weeks. “That’s great to hear. I’ll try to get Shadow back on that flight so she can continue her training. Though I have a feeling she’ll just find a way to come back. She’s like a bad penny.”

  “She sounds like someone else I know...”

  I laughed lightly. “Yeah, I can see that I guess. I just wish she wasn’t as much trouble as me.” I thought about her story. While mine wasn’t nearly as harsh, I knew how hard life could be. No wonder she was trying to please me. She wanted me to be her family, to have the same loyalty that she already had for me, and I made fun of her for it. That wasn’t right. We’d need to find a middle ground somehow.

  “Don’t think about it like that,” Sharp Shooter stated, interrupting my thoughts. “She’s not trouble, she’s determined and that means she’ll make an excellent agent one day.”

  A smile took over my features at his sly compliment. I could feel the smile beaming with pride, not only for myself, but for Shadow. “I believe she will be. I don’t see her giving up any time soon.”

  His laugh echoed over the phone for a moment before he settled down. “I’m glad to hear it, but I’m also calling to check in with Renegade. Can you pass the phone to him?”

  “Ugh, I would, but, he ugh...” I stopped, suddenly unsure of how to explain why I wasn’t with them and where they had gone. “I would, but he’s not here...”

  “Sounds like I won’t like this.” Sharp Shooter groaned. I heard him shifting in his seat and waited until he told me to continue. I could picture him with his free hand sliding down his face in annoyance and displeasure. “What happened?”

  “They went to handle another part of the mission. They should be back soon.” I had hoped that would be a good enough answer. I didn’t want to tell him everything, but I should have known better. He was particular about where his agents were, and he wouldn’t like two of his best going rouge like I had before.

  “What does that mean? Where did they go?”

  “They found out information and are following another lead. You’ll have to ask when they call to check in with you.” A plane buzzed overhead, getting closer and closer. I leaned over to look out the side of the tent to see Maverick’s plane, the red insignia giving it away. That was quick. He must have KC flying if he made it here that fast. I wouldn’t complain though, at least not too much if KC was flying. It saved me from this conversation. “I hear Maverick coming in. I got to go, Sharp Shooter. I’ll see you again soon.” I hung up on him before he could answer and began preparing Fire fox to get out of here. If I had to fly home myself, Fire Fox was getting on that plane. I wouldn’t leave him again.

  Chapter 20

  Maverick, Shadow, and I carried Fire Fox onto the plane without a struggle. He had initially stirred when the plane landed, but knowing the plane ride ahead wouldn’t be easy, the nurse had given him something to help sleep. Though it seemed to have the opposite effect on him. He shook and stirred more than when he had first fallen asleep. It’s almost as if he didn’t want to sleep and was fighting to wake up and escape his nightmare. I know she said the drug might not help him very much, but this wasn’t doing anything. I guess it was worth the effort when he’s about to be flown home to yet another hospital.

  “Glad to see you finally found him. Only took you a couple weeks,” Maverick quipped. “I had a bet you would have found him in half the time. Thanks for making me lose.” He smiled brightly, seemingly making fun of me while trying to ease Shadow. She had been uncomfortable with him the second he walked up and he berated her about escaping from his plane. Apparently, she didn’t close the hatch completely when she left and he had a problem at ten-thousand feet.

  I bit my tongue and let Shadow handle it. I didn’t really mind that he had a small issue. He’s alive. That’s what matters. Time to move on.

  “I did what I could,” I interjected. “Sorry about your bet. If you had let me know then I would have tried a little harder.” I winked, causing him to scoff and shake his head. He knew I wouldn’t help him win a bet unless I got a cut of the winnings. Don’t ever bet against a thief unless you want to lose. “Just do me a favor and get him back in one piece, okay? I worked too hard to find him, just for you to kill him now.”

  He tried not to, but eventually he laughed. “I’ll do what I can.” We fell silent for a few moments as we carried Fire Fox into the plane. I counted each step, worried about tripping and falling down the stairs. That would be the perfect example of how to kill him after what he went though. It would be just my luck. Just as we reached the top of the stairs Fire Fox jerked in his sleep. The backboard beneath him toppled in my hands, almost falling right out of them. “Though I can’t promise to keep him in one piece if he keeps moving.” Maverick grunted as we set Fire Fox onto the floor and began to lock him into place.

  I let Maverick do that himself because I didn’t want to be responsible if Fire Fox started moving on the flight home. I’d never hear the end of it, but if Maverick strapped him in and Fire Fox somehow caused a problem in flight, then he’d never bring it up to me. That sounded like a win-win for me. Maverick got all the straps into place as Shadow got up to get the next patient.

  “What are you going to do about her?” he asked, pulling my attention back to him. I didn’t understand what he meant until he nodded in Shadow’s direction.

  “I’m not going to bother sending her back right now. She’ll just end up back here anyway. So, I’d rather have her about arm’s length away from me so I can keep an eye on her. Maybe then she’ll stay out of trouble.” I glanced at him with a smirk once I noticed his shocked expression. Clearly, he hadn’t been expecting that, but he didn’t need to know that I had gained a new respect for her. It wouldn’t do any good to explain to him and I’d never hear the end of it.

  He scoffed, probably realizing I was serious about keeping her here. “You can only hope to be so lucky. Frankly, I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t somehow get herself killed. There’s nothing out here, but she loves to cause trouble so I’m sure she’ll find something.”

  I lightly hit him in the arm once he finished restraining Fire Fox. He let out a soft ‘ouch’ and reeled back from me. “It will be a nice reward for her for taking me to Fire Fox.” I glanced down at Fire Fox before turning my attention back to Maverick. “Thank Huey for me when you see him. He may not have told me directly, but he helped me find Fire Fox again. I would have had to wait for you to tell me he was here, and we know that would have never happened.” I lifted an eyebrow at him to compliment the accusatory glare I flashed at him. “Because you’ve been here how many times and never told me?

  “Hey,” he asserted. “When it comes to family. I’d tell you as soon as I could. It might take a while, but I wouldn’t let anyone think a loved one was dead. I didn’t tell you he was here because I wasn’t certain. I thought he was, but what if I had told you he was here and then he wasn’t?” He paused for a moment, relishing in his rhetorical question and my silence that came from it. “I would have felt appalling. I wouldn’t do that to anyone, Night Stripe. I would have told you if I was certain he was here.”

  “That’s good to hear.” I moved to help Maverick retrieve the next patient, but a hand suddenly slapped down onto my wrist and held me in place. “Hey!” I glanced down at Fire Fox, who had a weak smile on his lips. He didn’t comment right away, clearly exhausted, so I rested beside him to wait. “Glad to see you’re awake.” I waved Maverick on, promising to come help him once Fire Fox and I finished talking. He nodded and got up wordlessly, possibly sensing the seriousness in Fire Fox’s actions as I did. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but knew we should save that for later. “You’re going back to CIRA. Just rest until then. You’ll be home in no time. Maverick promised to take excellent care of you.” I nodded to him with a g
entle smile and moved to get up, but he held me tightly.

  “I remembered something you should hear.” I fell back to my knees and waited patiently for him to explain. I could see the fire burning in his eyes. Whatever he’s about to say, it won’t be something I’ll like. “I got injured in the battle, not in a fight, but for what I saw in the middle of it. Some of my injuries came from the fight, but the initial ones weren’t. I didn’t get shot because I’m old and slow either.” He smiled at me, a soft impish smile, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

  I laughed lightly at his attempted humor, but it wasn’t real. He caught my attention and I wanted to know exactly what happened to him. What happened during the fight? Why did he only just remember? “You’re not old, but you are slow,” I quipped. “You’ll be even worse after being in bed the last few weeks.”

  He laughed with me before his expression turned serious again. “Look, Night Stripe, what you said about the mole got me thinking. I was shot because I walked in on an agent talking to cartel members. At first I thought they were trying to bide time so I jumped in without thinking and killed a few. I didn’t even see who it was, I just reacted. I saw cartel people huddled around one person. I thought it was a friend. It turns out it wasn’t.” He fell silent for a few moments and took in a sharp breath. “I was shot from behind first and then taken down by the cartel members. I didn’t even consider it before you mentioned the mole.”

  “Why would someone do that? I don’t understand. What is there to gain?”

  Fire fox shook his head. “I don’t know. All I can remember past that is Seeker coming. He eliminated the cartel members. I wanted to keep going but he gave me the mercy hit to put me out of my misery.” He flinched as if he could feel the pain right now. “The more I think about what I walked in on, it looked more like a briefing. Whoever this was, was directing them. They were telling the cartel where to attack. That’s why we lost so many people. That’s all I can think of. They knew we were coming and had someone helping them. I just didn’t want to think like that, but I can’t ignore it anymore.”