by Emery Hale
Of course I couldn’t leave. I’d never leave my team behind.
James, an officer of MI6 had been given the go-ahead to delegate this terrorist op to the Academy, specifically the Omega team, my girls. There wasn’t a thing Harkness could do about it – and what made it even better was that if anyone were to ask about Naomi, she was officially instated as an outside source, so she’d be given full immunity. Harkness couldn’t touch a single hair on her head; none of the staff could. To say I was relieved would be an understatement.
Chris jumped out first and offered to hold the door, but I nodded my head in James’s direction. He understood quickly and closed the door, heading inside.
My brother, on the other hand, noticed I was lingering.
‘What happened?’ he asked, taking his seatbelt off. ‘I keep telling you that if Quinn does illegal shit in her bedroom I don’t wanna know about it.’
‘No,’ I said, with a small laugh. ‘I wanted to tell you something in case the op goes sideways next week.’
‘If you’re gonna start saying goodbyes, don’t even think about it. It won’t happen, not to us.’
‘Oh god no, I’m rubbish with those.’
That was when the nerves set in and I grabbed the car door handle and hopped outside, using my good leg as a stabiliser. James jumped out from the driver’s seat, immediately taking my arm as I sucked in a dry breath, pins and needles spiking through my knee.
‘Jess, if it’s not goodbye and it’s not about Quinn then what is it you wanted to tell me?’ James asked, grabbing his briefcase from the car.
When we made it to the front door I paused, took in a breath and turned to my brother with the most confident look I could muster, knowing that the next phrase could make or break our relationship. Well not ours, the one he had with his best friend.
‘I slept with Chris.’
James stopped, his mouth dropping open and eyes darting from me to the wooden door. If I didn’t know any better I’d say he wished he had lasers in his eyes to burn through his best friend’s skull, but I did know better, shit.
‘More than once,’ I added.
My brother remained speechless as rage simmered on his face. I didn’t want to stick around for much longer, so without another thought I opened the door and hobbled inside. I really hoped he didn’t hurl that new briefcase at Chris’s head.
‘He was straddling her. She didn’t seem to mind, though,’ I heard Chris say, and I burst out laughing. What show did I miss?
‘Who was straddling who?’ I asked, walking into the living room.
When I saw the scene in front of me nausea rose in my throat – what the fuck? Kayson was straddling Naomi, who had all the stability of a melted snowman right now. Shocked didn’t even begin to cover it – I’d asked Kayson to protect Naomi, not fuck her!
I glared, ready to beat the shit out of him. Being a dick was one thing, manipulating Naomi when she was vulnerable was another. Oh, and also she was my best friend. When the hell was your ex about to shag your best friend OK? Naomi didn’t even know the guy!
We dated for a year, did that not mean anything? Did he not have enough respect for me not to do this? Apparently not. I knew Kayson was shitting himself as he locked eyes with me, like a deer caught in the headlights.
‘Ashford, go find Lily in the medical wing, she has the plans for next week,’ I said, trying to suck my anger out, because if I didn’t I would have started screaming.
Kayson’s face immediately filled with regret. ‘Jess, I’m fine here, Lily asked me to train Naomi.’
Oh, did she now? Well that wasn’t sanctioned by me so you can tell Lily while you’re there that whatever deal you had was off! I wanted to scream – how the hell could he do this? Kayson had the pick of anyone in the school but he chose her?
Then for the hell of it, I pulled rank.
‘You’re the second Runner who is now on my team, this so-called training wasn’t authorised, so get out,’ I demanded, pointing to the door.
I may have been injured but that didn’t mean I was any less likely to kick him in the dick. I couldn’t even look at Naomi right now, all I could see was him. I told Kayson to protect her and now he does this? Unbelievable. You know, I’d actually been starting to trust him again.
‘Jess,’ Kayson begged. He knew exactly what I was thinking but I wasn’t in the mood to listen.
‘Go.’ I motioned to the door before casting my gaze to Quinn.
She looked angry herself. She hated guys like him; her step-father was one of them.
Kayson marched out of the room, barging into Chris. I rolled my eyes, pressing my tongue to the back of my teeth, clenching the anger. He could be so arrogant at times, thinking he could just take whatever he wanted, just because he’s good looking. It was his only redeeming quality.
Chris started laughing but I shot him a glare, so he shut up pretty quickly. There was no time for this. We needed to plan.
‘You must be Naomi,’ Chris said, with a smile that could unhook any bra. ‘Word of advice, stay away from Ashford. He’s not good for anyone, not even himself.’
Oh here we bloody go, did dick-measuring go down while I was outside?
‘Chris. Let’s leave the kids alone, we have things to discuss.’ James said but it came out like an order from a superior. Oh fuck, not this.
The whole reason I told him about it outside was so that fists didn’t start flying; I did not need any more blood on the kitchen walls.
Chris naively left with James, closing the kitchen door behind them.
‘I thought he’d be taller,’ Naomi said, speaking up for the first time. Jesus.
‘You,’ I said, pointing to the girl’s chest, ‘Go upstairs.’
Then, she had the audacity to laugh in my face. ‘Jess, you’re not my mother.’
‘If you’re wondering why I’m treating you like a child it’s because you’re acting like one.’ I may be a hypocrite, but Naomi wanted to be here so badly, then the moment she got the chance to train, she decides to do that? Of course if Kayson had done anything without her consent he’d be on the floor, but by the look on her face and what Chris had said, she didn’t have any problem with it.
‘We were training, he fell on top of me.’ Oh yeah, totally.
‘You’re here to train, not stare into a man’s eyes all day,’ I snapped. ‘You’re here for a job. Start acting like it.’
Then, like a child who didn’t get her own way, Naomi stormed out of the room and ran up the stairs. That went well.
Quinn crossed her arms, plopping down on the couch.
‘This whole thing is so messed up,’ she said.
Well, she wasn’t wrong.
CHAPTER 23
Cinders
Rubble; ashes.
JESSICA-GRACE WINTERS
One week later
I wanted to scream.
The jeep shook and jolted as it drove down the back roads of Brora, a small town up north, and even though I’d never struggled with motion sickness, I couldn’t help but feel the pit of my stomach burrow deeper. The mere image of Naomi sitting in the back only brought the sickness to my throat. James said that whatever plan Trojan were following it would be worth the documentation – at this rate she’s going to be filming me kicking his head.
James drove down to Thames House in London yesterday so that he and his boss (girlfriend) could control and monitor the situation from there. When he left, it was clear something was troubling him. He didn’t divulge anything but I got the feeling he no longer trusted the people he worked for.
I pushed the thought from my mind, focusing on the task ahead. My team was separated into two jeeps: the first consisted of Lily, Grace and Kayson, who’d taken the lead. Runners and Medics always travelled together. The second was made up of myself, Christopher, Quinn and Naomi. The two girls chattered away in the back seat, going over the plan for the eighth time, Carrier to Techie. I thought it might have stuck in her head by now but Naomi was dete
rmined to keep the noise up. I would kill for some silence.
Like we’d agreed, Chris and I had kept it professional. It had to be, otherwise I was going to chuck a bunch of red pills down my throat. Forgetting had become more appealing after the week I’d had.
Quinn had told us about the new floor of the Academy and their plans to create holding cells. Seriously, how did they come up with this shit? Then there was the whole situation with Harkness. We told him repeatedly that we forgot to take them off after a practice op, which he apparently believed. After that, I’d walked in on Kayson and Naomi sparring – it was a sight I wished I’d never seen.
I hated to admit it, but she progressed well. Naomi had learned all the basics of hand to hand combat and a few defensive moves. It took her a while though, since she didn’t want to punch anyone in the face – if she was sticking around for longer I’d tell her that comes naturally with time.
My opinion on the matter of Naomi didn’t seem to matter anymore, now James was in charge, and I hated him for it.
There was a crackling in my ear and Lily’s voice rang through.
‘Blackbird, comm check.’
‘Received. ETA two minutes everyone,’ Quinn piped up, her eyes darting to her laptop before Lily went silent and Grace spoke up.
‘Nightingale, comm check.’
‘Loud and clear.’
‘Ronan,’ Kayson said.
‘I have you.’
I heard Quinn typing away from the back of the car but I didn’t look. She was in her element, best not to disturb her. Even though Quinn was running through comm checks I could guarantee there was more going on behind the laptop: traffic cams, news reports and agency intel. The Technical Support needed to be up to date with everything happening in the area that might affect the mission. Of course I had my own job to do, but right now, I was enjoying watching the world go by. The one I grew up in. Ever since I found out Brora was our destination, there was something that just didn’t sit right. Before my mother moved us all around the country I’d spent most of my childhood in this coastal town, a lot of my childhood memories were made here – and now, there was this gut feeling of certainty that something would go horribly wrong.
‘Carrier One,’ Naomi said shakily, fiddling with her earpiece.
Of course we weren’t giving her a codename, they were sacred and since this was a one-time thing, a simple one was appropriate.
‘Got you,’ Quinn said.
Through the rear-view mirror I noticed she took Naomi’s hand, squeezing it for reassurance before going back to the laptop. Jealously lashed like a whip; I should be the one to protect Naomi.
She looked ridiculous – sure, it was everyday clothes but even so, she was going undercover as a tourist. They were Lily’s clothes so they didn’t even fit her, and the earpiece stood out like a sore thumb – to me, anyway. She didn’t belong in this world.
‘Kane,’ Chris said.
‘Lilith.’ I pulled the wire round the back and tucked it behind my hair.
‘Thanks guys. All good, vital signs are strong. Green light from me.’
When the jeep in front stopped so did we, but I didn’t move, I needed more time to think. Of course we had a backup plan but what about the backup to the backup plan? This was one of the most dangerous zones I’d ever been in, and getting out of the seat behind me was a civilian. She’d only had a week of training and that was nowhere near the kind of Carrier we needed.
I watched as Lily and Kayson got out of the jeep, both arming themselves as Grace slung on her medical backpack. The Runners were our first line of defence, so to say they were handy with a gun was an understatement. Quinn was going to hike to a building west of here, which was far enough to give her a secure location. If anything were to go wrong Kayson was to head back immediately. Of course the girl could defend herself, but after last time I wasn’t taking any chances.
Naomi had been told to stick by Lily at all times, but if something went wrong Chris would swoop in and get her to the exit route so Lily could help me. Either way, she was protected.
Chris’s job was Senior Team Lead, but his orders didn’t overrule mine – well they did, but he could never pull rank on me, even if he wanted to.
I took in a breath before getting out the car and heading to the boot. It was filled with guns and ammunition which were to be guarded by the team James would be sending in later. Precautions were something I no longer took as a joke. I grabbed two nine millimetres, four magazines and two silver knives which were small enough to slip inside my thin jacket. Even as I was arming myself, I found it difficult to breathe. Naomi was here, of all fucking places!
She couldn’t even work a firearm, not that I would give her one.
There was so much that could go wrong, way too many variables, there were only so many eventualities I could deduce. There was a high chance that if things went wrong I wouldn’t see Naomi until after it was over, if I made it that far.
‘Jess, she’ll be fine,’ Grace said as she walked over to me, grabbing a gun for herself.
‘I know that.’
‘Tell that to your face.’ I only rolled my eyes.
‘Kayson’s guarding her with his life and so is Lily. They may dislike each other but they’ll do the job. I don’t like having her here either; once she’s done filming, she’ll be escorted out.’
I just had to keep thinking about that: once Naomi had filmed any evidence of Trojan then she was out. Then at least she’d be back behind closed doors – although it was more like enemy lines.
‘You did the right thing though, with Christopher.’ I nearly dropped my gun, did the Holy Spirit make this girl psychic? ‘Too complicated, you know. Don’t look at me like that Jess, ever since you two got back he’s gone into work mode. You’ll be better for it.’ Grace patted me on the shoulder before she jogged ahead and out of sight.
Had I done the right thing? Of course I had.
‘Lilith, Pilot is on the move to rendezvous one,’ I heard Naomi say in my ear. That sounded wrong coming from her.
‘Received,’ I said quickly, closing the boot of the car and heading up the beaten path.
The two jeeps were parked at the side of the road. One of the paths headed towards Dunrobin Castle (rendezvous one) while the other lead into town. We’d come a couple of days earlier than Trojan was scheduled to arrive: our job was to find any sign of their agents or activity, document it for later use in court and then get out. It seemed simple, but the pressure was on because we had no intel on our enemy. We were completely in the dark. The only thing we did know was that they planned to burn this place to the ground.
If we found they had weapons of their own already set up, this would become a much bigger operation.
As my team made their way through the field we kept quiet apart from the occasional comm check or question. Naomi was near the back with Lily, while Kayson, Grace and Chris walked behind me. As we waded our way through the tall grass I wanted to turn to Chris and ask him if he remembered one of our first secret dates was in this field, he’d brought the wine, but I silenced the notion. Now wasn’t the time for this. I needed to keep a sharp mind, evaluate where we stood on this chessboard. Too many moves with too little time.
For a town on the coast this place wasn’t exactly all sand and sea breeze – the stench of cow manure shrivelled my nose. The smell unlocking many a memory of what were meant to be romantic spring walks, to Chris and I turning around and going back the way we came – Stop it! Focus on the job.
After ten minutes we’d made it into the small familiar town, deciding to spread out to cover more ground. Grace was posing as a tourist while I posed as a jogger. Luckily my leggings and hoodie were thick enough to hide the gun holstered at my back. I had pushed a single magazine into my legging pockets and placed the other two at my torso.
As I picked up the pace there was no sign of Trojan or any enemy agents – in fact, there was no sign of anyone. The place was deathly quiet; the only sound
was the smack of my feet on the cobblestones. I thought this place would be busier given it was a Friday afternoon.
‘Report,’ I said.
All I got back from the team were negatives; they hadn’t seen anything either. Where was everyone? It was like a ghost town – they even had a creaky pub sign blowing in the wind. From my time here as a child it had always been busy, surely it hadn’t changed that much?
‘Blackbird to Lilith, I can see smoke but it’s probably just some kids having a bonfire,’ Lily said.
Wouldn’t surprise me, considering there weren’t any parents around. As I passed shop and café windows, there weren’t any people inside, not even a waitress. Which was weird since the little bakery to my right was always bustling, when I was younger anyway. I remember this older woman who ran it, she always gave me a free cupcake on the sly. Surely she still had to be around here somewhere? Anyone?
‘Pilot, is there some sort of event or festival we don’t know about?’
‘Negative,’ Quinn replied. ‘There’s nothing.’
‘Then where the hell is everyone?’ Kayson asked.
‘Get inside the buildings,’ I ordered, ‘see if there are any clues. Carrier One, start the camera.’
‘OK . . . uh – there, that should be it.’
I stopped at a newer-looking shop, my hands pressed against the glass, peering inside. It was a clothing shop, mannequins and dress racks as far as the eye could see – but then I saw smashed glass all over the floor, blood smeared and spattered everywhere. I assumed that wasn’t over a misplaced receipt.
I headed cautiously for the door, opening it slowly, but as I did, glass crunched underneath my foot. I slowly turned, four distinct bullet holes, all marked with blood, were lodged into a mirror next to my head. Shit.
‘Report. There’s been a shooting,’ I started, but a loud screeching noise ripped through my ear, nearly sending me to my knees.