Authors: Sara Schoen
“You knew who I was before this mission started,” I stated. “Tessa clearly knew, so how did you know if they never told you a thing about me?”
Sara took in a sharp breath, but once again said nothing.
“Camo said you had a file,” I pressed, taking a step closer to her. “Where did you get the file from?”
Sara looked up at me, and for a moment I saw the ghost of a smile on her lips, then it vanished. “Earn my trust, and maybe I will tell you.”
“I saved your life today, how does that not earn trust?”
“Because you did it as Marco,” she replied easily. “Now you have to earn it as Renegade. That is your name, isn’t it? You let it slip at the park, and by the name I can’t tell if I trust you or not, so you’ll just have to prove to me that you deserve it.”
“Are you always like this?”
“Oh, yes.” She smiled. “Get used to it. You’ll be around me more often now.”
“And why is that?” I asked curiously, unsure of what would happen when we got back to CIRA headquarters.
“Because now that she has a hot boyfriend she’s not letting you out of her sight,” Camo interjected. Sara straightened her back and looked at Camo as if she had kicked a dog. “You two will make beautiful children one day,” Camo blurted out, shocking both of us, but she had earned a laugh from everyone in the vicinity. Camo had managed to break the tension while I tried to get answers out of Sara, though she would live to regret that joke.
“You have five seconds to run,” Sara growled under the laughter around us.
“You can’t be serious,” Camo said with an awkward chuckle. “I was just kidding.”
“Three…two…” Sara reached out and took one of the other agent’s weapons from his pocket. She leveled the weapon at Camo. “One.” Camo raced off, eventually followed by Sara. “I’ll be right back.” She slowly made her way back to the car, for what I didn’t know.
Most turned around to watch, waiting to see what Sara would do to catch Camo in her state. No matter what anyone told her, she wouldn’t stop moving. I was sure Demon had already tried. Maybe they shouldn’t have doped her up on painkillers, then she’d have to sit out this one. Now the other agents could see if she would follow through on the threat or if it was all talk. I would have tried to stop whatever was about to happen, and calmed Sara down before she could do anything to Camo, but Danielle had other things on her mind.
“You’re going to stick around this time, right?” Danielle asked, uninterested in the squabble.
I glanced at Demon, who laughed, pointing in Sara’s direction. I wondered what Sara could be up to, but at the same time I didn’t want to know either. I hoped he would keep his promise of giving me whatever I wanted after this mission, but I wasn’t sure what my choice would be anymore. If I left I would lose the friends I had made, the sense of accomplishment, and I would lose the chance to get to know Sara, but if I stayed I would lose Danielle again.
“I hope to stay, one way or another. Just give me some time to figure it out.” I knew that wasn’t the answer she wanted, but it was all I had at this time. “I’m going to figure something out.”
“You want to stay with her, don’t you?” Danielle asked, pointing to Sara, who had somehow managed to trap Camo by hanging her upside down from a nearby tree using Whip Lash’s whip as the rope. I wondered how she had managed to get that off his belt loop. How had she managed to trap Camo? Then I noticed the knot around Camo’s feet and an extended rope to the back of the car she had been leaning against. At least she never had to lift a muscle. Camo swung wildly from the branch as Sara tied it into place. I couldn’t hear what Camo was saying, but I had a feeling it was nothing but profanities.
I let out a laugh as Sara turned and left her friend upside down, and walked toward Whip Lash to receive her punishment. I wondered if she knew Demon and Whip Lash had set up their dynamic for what she needed in order to train as an agent. She had the skill, and they gave her what she needed to accomplish her training.
“Come on. We have to get you home, and then I have to take my new girlfriend out on a date,” I said with a smile. “Maybe then I can get her to tell me what I need to know, and maybe more about herself.”
“Just make sure that if you stay, that it’s what you really want. It will be a big change,” Danielle said as she glanced around at the agents. She didn’t realize that while I hadn’t lived with them for the last few years, it would be a bigger change to go back home and never see any them again or go out on missions.
“But the best way to make your life better is to take a chance, and hope it’s for the best,” I said, wrapping my arm around her and leading her toward Demon so we could get her home, and head back to the agency.
Two Months Later
CIRA had settled down with finishing off the Cardoza Cartel’s leading men. There wasn’t anyone to take over, the members had dispersed and were being rounded up, and to top it off the police had arrested Camden. While I was a little annoyed that he got to live out his days in a cell, always around to cause trouble, at least Miguel had died in the fight. If I could have only taken one down, Miguel had been the most dangerous and vengeful. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about him.
I had convinced Sara to open up about Ash Crest. The similarities between the accidents were obvious, and while Sara said she hadn’t been fully aware of who had done it until Demon told her, she started looking into him. She had quieted down at the mention of his name because she knew he had taken her family away from her. After listening to each other’s stories, we knew the same person had committed the crimes. She didn’t say much on why her family had been targeted, but she had a lot to say about the person who killed Ash.
“I don’t have a lot to tell you. The files I discovered during my search were all destroyed.” That explained how she knew my name. She speculated that she had gotten too close, and scared whoever had killed Ash. “Whoever is behind Ash’s death got rid of anything that could lead to him, even files about Ash’s targets.”
While a valiant effort, it wouldn’t stop me from looking for him. I wanted to find out why Ash had targeted my family, and for that I had to track down the man who did it. Sara explained she had a lead, and passed along the information to me before she told me what she remembered from my file. The file held information on my parents mostly, the hit had gone out for them, but she wasn’t sure why. She only knew that Ash preferred to get rid of the family, or only leave one person alive. In my case, they were still looking for me. They were waiting for me to show my face again so they could finish the job. They knew that if they took out Danielle, then I would never reveal myself, and they’d always wonder where I could be. When I asked for more information on her lead, she shrugged.
“I don’t have a lot on him, honestly,” she had said, seeming uninterested in the conversation. “Just a name.”
“What’s the name?”
“Cameron Tyler.” Her answer was curt, to the point. I think she wanted to stop talking about it, but I wanted more information. I needed to find him, she knew I wanted to, and when I did I’d figure out why he took my revenge from me.
“How did you find him?”
“Tessa gave me the information by accident. It happened to be in some of the folders I collected from the Sandtown raid. He apparently worked for the Cardozas for a while. I’m not sure why he turned or what he had against Ash.”
“How did you and Tessa come to an agreement to work together?”
A haunted look entered her eyes before she spoke. “We made an agreement that night, one that few people fully know about or understand. I helped Tessa into a new life, and I got the information that had eluded me for years after the crash, but it also sealed my fate. I wouldn’t leave the agency knowing I could stop men like Ash from harming other people. Now there’s no going back.”
While Sara had found some happiness after choosing to stay in the agency, the pain in her eyes betrayed the sensation that she’d lost her family all over again. She would have been alone if they hadn’t taken her in, and now she had abandoned them. They were hurting, even worse than she had been, because she could distract herself with missions and life in the agency, but she knew they would never stop looking for her. They knew she wasn’t dead, or at least one of them did.
Alex, Sara’s oldest brother, continued to search. He knew she hadn’t gone hiking, but went along with the story when he found a note and proof that Sara was in danger. He called off the search for her by helping Demon fake her death, but Alex knew she was alive. He just couldn’t find her. There were flyers all over their hometown, letters in the paper, and images on social media begging for information on her. They all went unanswered, and it hurt her to know that she could never tell them.
I had a surprise for her, but it would have to wait until Demon gave me the thumbs-up. He’d kept his word that after the mission ended, I could get whatever I wanted, and I wanted to stay in touch with Danielle. I wanted to be able to talk to her, whether face-to-face or just over the phone. I wanted to stay here, but I wanted to let her know that I was okay, and that she wasn’t alone anymore. When he agreed, after getting the okay from Sharp Shooter, I took it one step further and asked if Sara could do the same with her adoptive family.
At first, Demon had been skeptical, but when I explained that Danielle had moved to be closer to me, and got a new job in the area, she had made new friends—including Alex Ricker. The entire family continued searching for her, and Sara missed them as well.
Luckily, Demon and Sharp Shooter had a soft spot for Sara, and allowed the same reward to be passed on to her, but it remained our secret. I would be the one to give her this gift, and I couldn’t wait to see her face when we arrived. Demon had given me the all clear earlier today, but it almost wasn’t worth the trouble.
“Just get in the car, please!” I begged. Sara was refusing to get into the car Sharp Shooter allowed me to borrow for the short trip. We were about an hour away from Sara’s hometown, so Demon told me to give her a sleeping pill. He said it was the only way to get her to cooperate.
“I’m not getting in until you promise not to drug me!” I never should have told her we were going to the graveyard to honor her family for the anniversary of the crash. She had refused the sleeping pill because of it.
“Fine,” I relented. “Just get in the car, and tell me if it becomes too much.”
After that, she got in without a fight. Though I wish the car ride had gone a little easier.
The entire time, she gripped the seat in fear, and a few times we had to stop to let her collect herself again. I took it slow, angering everyone behind me, and the trip actually took almost two hours because of it. She had eased slightly by the time we got there, and I hoped that meant we would have an easier time driving back to the agency. Though I doubted it.
She got out of the car, taking a moment to enjoy the steady ground beneath her feet, and then immediately made her way to the family gravesite. I stayed behind, and gave her a few moments to herself as I looked at the blue sedan in the distance. I smiled as I waved, signaling them to come over and see us. It didn’t take long for Danielle’s blonde hair to show up on the far side of the car, and slowly the family of four stepped out, making their way toward us. Sara was concealed from view by the large tombstone, so they weren’t able to see her right away. One of the guys in the group looked at Danielle curiously, probably wondering why she had asked them to come here. All she did was point to Sara, who had yet to notice them, and when the Rickers caught sight of her they couldn’t believe their eyes.
“Sara,” the youngest boy in the family cried as he raced toward her.
She broke out of her trance, turned to see them, and held her hands up to her mouth as tears filled her eyes. “Yeah, Seth, it’s me.” Her voice cracked with emotion as she stared at her family.
Seth hugged her tightly. The whole family stared in disbelief, each making their approach before embracing her. There were tears in their eyes, especially in her mother’s, as they fawned over Sara and asked her all kinds of questions. While she couldn’t tell them everything, Demon had said she could tell them the basics, and that she would be allowed to see them. I would be able to tell them that after they finished holding her, and could explain more of what I had told Danielle already.
Danielle wrapped her arms around me as she watched the Rickers. “It’s nice to see a happy ending for them.”
I felt tears well up in my own eyes at the sight, and I had to agree with her. The oldest brother was ecstatic to see her. The parents had missed her greatly, and the youngest one seemed intent on never letting go of her hand ever again.
“It is really nice,” I agreed.
Danielle stood silently for a moment. “So, have you guys gotten together yet?”
“Sorry, that’s classified,” I replied with a smile, knowing it would frustrate her.
“You know she’ll tell Alex and I can just ask him, right?”
We watched as the family continued to embrace and cry with Sara. Alex joked with her, and the family gathered to tell her stories while taking in the changes that had happened in a little over a year. They could see the wounds and scars from her fight with the Cardoza Cartel, but the pain on her face as they told her what she had missed was the most predominant. They also took the time to tell her they weren’t angry, they just wanted to know what had happened to her. Listening to them say how they’d never given up on her, and how proud they were of her, made her weep.
I wrapped my arm around Danielle’s shoulder. “You could just let him focus on having his sister back for the time being. They deserve it,” I said. “You did good, Danielle. This was amazing to get them together. You really helped her.”
“It’s the least I could do after what she did for me. I just hope she’s not upset that I’m seeing her brother.”
I smiled. “We can keep that a secret for a little bit longer. Maybe after the next mission we can drop that bomb on her.”
“Where are you guys going next?”
“I don’t know,” I said thoughtfully. “But I’m sure it will be worth the trouble. I’m kind of hoping Russia, but then again they really do hate when you kill one of their own men. So I could never go back.” I laughed, and smiled brightly down at her, knowing she wouldn’t understand.
Danielle laughed, thinking it was a joke. The less she knew about my job, the better.
I lightly pushed her forward so that we could join the Rickers in their celebration. She immediately went to Alex’s side, and he introduced her to Sara. I guess she never told him she had met Sara before. It would have been too complicated to explain, and then she would have had to discuss the cartel, as well. They weren’t allowed to know about that.
Sara gestured for me to come to her, and she introduced me to her family, who thanked me for keeping her safe and bringing her home. I didn’t have the heart to tell them she would have to leave again. It could wait until the moment had passed and we could talk more about the arrangement Sharp Shooter had set up for her.
I walked away, letting the family talk and hug, as I headed toward the family tombstone. I touched the cold stone and silently thanked her family for giving her something to fight for, allowing her to bring this happy ending to the Ricker family. She lived and fought for them. They were the reason she came to CIRA when they needed her, so that she could protect them from the people she fought every day. I also couldn’t help but thank them for raising her, instilling her with strong values, including the loyalty to other agents and dedication she had for her friends—even to myself when I needed someone the most.
“I will watch over her. I will protect her,” I promised them quietly. I turned to look back at her with her family, and couldn’t help but let the truth slip. “I love her.”
She didn’t hear it, and neither did Danielle. At least I wouldn’t have to hear about this yet.