Raging Fire (Guarded Secrets Book 4) (7 page)

Chapter 9

I walked from the safe house in Easton, Washington to a diner in town in hopes of finding a trucker to hitchhike with to Banks Lake. The Crest View Diner wasn’t what I expected. It had a beach town feeling to it, as if it didn’t truly belong in Easton but on the East Coast shore. It was homey, welcoming, and everyone seemed friendly, at least the ones I interacted with in hopes of getting to my destination did. The waitress even offered to help keep an ear out for me since truckers and travelers would at times come through. She didn’t know how many people would be heading towards Banks Lake today, but it was worth a shot.

“Come, take a seat.” She gave me a booth to myself on the side of the diner. “How about I work on your order while we wait for someone to come in who can take you.”

“That would be wonderful. Thank you.” My stomach growled loudly, as if to tell her just how grateful I was for the invitation. Fortunately, I had thought to bring some money with me to pay for breakfast or I would have had to turn down her offer. Typically, CIRA took care of the food on missions by giving us a stipend to use, and the agents would pack light snacks for the lull between events. On longer ones, or during a rather risky mission, some did resort to snatching food from the kitchen. Sometimes it was the only way we could eat. They’d leave money, but the most extreme options were saved for those who were in danger and couldn’t be exposed for long, but sitting at a table in the restaurant gave me the perfect chance to scope out a possible ride, and the waitress seemed more than willing to help.

I didn’t think hitchhiking was
that
normal. At least I hoped it wasn’t. It could be dangerous, I was only risking it because I didn’t have another means of transportation and if anything happened I knew I could handle myself. I had a tough exterior, but that didn’t mean when people looked at me they thought I wouldn’t be a problem. That was their mistake. 

A few locals seemed promising from their conversations, all traveling somewhere today, but very few of them were traveling North. So I sat in the diner for a few hours chatting with the waitress, Melinda, and letting the lies flow throughout the conversation easily. At least until a trucker, who was heading north, come through for a quick breakfast. I heard him talking to Melinda as he sat at the bar and ordered his coffee to sip on while he waited for his food. He told her that he was heading to a town just past Electric City, which was close enough for me. It was on the wrong side of the lake from where I believed Harley’s base to be, but closer than the few towns on the correct side. I had a feeling he’d be the best I would get unless I wanted to repeat this again tomorrow. It was either hitch a ride with him or walk, and there was no way in hell I’d walk all the way there.

“If you’re looking for a co-pilot I know someone heading that way too,” Melinda said to the trucker as she nodded in my direction. “We were hoping someone would show up to take her to Banks Lake. You could drop her off at Electric City when you stop for lunch.”

The trucker turned in his seat and smiled lightly at me. He had scruff on his chin where a beard was slowly coming in, and his eyes were young even though his gray hair gave away his age. “If you can wait about half an hour, I’ll be happy to have some company on the way to Electric City.”

I nodded a quick thank you just as Melinda came to collect my plates. I wanted to thank her for her help, but she beat me to it.

“You don’t have to say anything, and you don’t have to worry about the drive either. Hal will take good care of you. I’ve been looking for people I’ve seen before or had friends from around here. I know you’ll be in safe hands.”

“Thank you so much. It means a lot to me.”

“No problem. When you get to your father’s place just be sure to ring here in the morning so I know you made it safe. That’s all the thanks I want.” She smiled at me, without waiting to see if I would agree to her request. From the tone of her voice, I had a strong feeling she actually believed that I was going to see my father. At first I thought she played dumb for my sake, but she seemed pleased to know I’d be with family soon.
If only she knew.
I guess there wasn’t any harm in letting her hope for the best, and believe a small lie, I just couldn’t help but wonder if she’d make the connection between me and the news reports after word got out about the cartel. I doubted it, but just in case she got curious, she’d have a hard time finding me. I used a fake name and everything. The less anyone knew about me here, the better off I was and the safer they were. 

Hal was true to his word, half an hour later he was ready to go and we were heading down the road. Our stomachs full, bills paid, and both of us looking forward to what the road held in front of us. The conversation flowed easily, and he seemed to buy all the lies I told him about where I was going and why. He was doing his job, taking a shipment to a grocery store upstate, and to him I was going to visit my father. I preferred to play it safe when it came to civilians, make up a story and stick with it, because if anyone started asking questions then it would only cause problems. 

He dropped me off in Electric City, a few miles away from where he was dropping his cargo. After about three hours in a car, I was thrilled to be able to walk around again. When I told him I was looking to head to my father’s house near the lake, Hal agreed to take me as far as he could. At least from Electric City I could catch a boat across the lake instead of swimming through it. Hal seemed to know the area well. He told me that the boat left from a resort and traveled down the river where a new airplane strip had gone in recently. I hoped it would be easy enough to hop onto and figure out if that was the airstrip Katya would use for the trade. How many airstrips could there be? And if I had to go for a short swim it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

We said a quick goodbye when he dropped me off near the resort before he finally pulled off and let me get back to work. As I watched him drive away, I wondered if this is how Sandstorm felt when I left him while he was undercover. A small piece of me had hoped I could’ve extended my time with Hal, just so I had someone to take my mind off of what could happen when I confronted Harley, but I knew this was for the best. I had to do this alone and to do that I had to focus, despite the deadly outcome, on getting into position to watch the trade tomorrow. The more time I wasted standing here thinking about it, the closer I let Katya get without me being in place.

Katya was right, her coming here provided a good opportunity for the mission. She would be able to show the legitimacy of their trade line, and I got to figure out where the Cardoza’s base was. I just had to get the trade site first. 

Hal dropped me off at a walking distance from the resort and as it came into view I knew I had my work cut out for me. A single large building loomed over me for the resort, but behind it were smaller ones and to the left was the dock for water sports. The resort rested on Banks Lake, but also had access to a bay. It would alert more people if I tried to take a boat straight from the dock. I’d have to plan well if I couldn’t find another way out of here.

I walked around the resort and slowly came to realize there wasn’t a ferry service across the river as Hal had made it seem. The resort provided Jet Skis, boats, and other water vessels and toys to their guests. I had two choices, steal one or get a key and then take one. Considering I was sure I had to pay for the rental as well show a hotel guest card and ID, I chose the former to make it easier on myself. In fact, I think I picked the better of the two options, because as I explored the rest of the resort I discovered a small cabin where they kept the overflow supplies and vehicles that needed service. It was a short walk away from the resort, but out of sight enough to where I could have some privacy. All I had to do was block the view of the cameras so no one could trace the theft back to me.

“Well, I’m sold.” I avoided the cameras easily enough and covered the few aimed at the front entrance with the scattered branches from the trees so the leaves would cover the view in a way that seemed natural. 
As if all of them had just fallen in sync, 
I thought sarcastically, but I’d learned a long time ago that no one questioned anything unless they had to. Most would brush it off as a coincidence and move on, which worked for me. While I was covered from the outside, I had no way of knowing what would be on the inside, but figured I’d deal with it when I got that far. I couldn’t worry about it until it became a problem. 

I kneeled down beside the door and picked the lock with ease. I shoved the door open and glanced around, careful to check for cameras. When I didn’t see any, I rummaged through the building to find a camping set, including a tent and the supplies to build it with, and the keys to the Jet Skis outside. While I had other choices of transportation, I figured one Jet Ski would go unnoticed if it went missing for a few days. A boat would be a little more obvious. Slowly, but surely, it was all coming together. 

“Just check the cameras so we can leave.” A chill shot up my spine as the voice met my ears. They were approaching from the back of the building, slowly coming closer to discovering me. Someone must have noticed the cameras were out and sent someone to take a look. I’d lose my cover, along with any chance I had of getting away unseen if I wasn’t careful. 

Grabbing the camping bag and my duffle bag I ran from the building and into the surrounding trees. I watched as two security guards came around the building. I couldn’t hear much of what they were saying, but they took an interest in the door being open and radioed to someone on their walkie-talkie. They must have thought everything else seemed normal because after they removed the branch I used to cover the camera’s view, they walked away. Once they were a fair distance away, I made my way to the docks and took the Jet Ski that lined up with the number on the key, heading once again into the unknown as I got one step closer to completing my personal mission
.

Chapter 10

The wind felt good as it caressed my face and blew through my hair, it made me feel free for the first time in years. I did what I had to, and I knew I wouldn’t regret it, even if I lived long enough for Sharp Shooter to force me into giving a formal apology to the resort. As if he’d ever find out I stole it…well, technically I
borrowed
it because I did plan on returning it, just not anytime soon. They’d get it when I finished with Harley and used it as an escape exit. Even as I looked back to see if anyone noticed the missing Jet Ski, which no one seemed to since no one was watching or coming after me, I knew I wouldn’t have cared if they did.

Good luck catching me. I’m as good as gone at this point,
I thought as I followed the water out of the resort’s bay and made my way south toward the airstrip Hal had mentioned. I doubted they could have built another one on the other side of the lake because the terrain was too rough from the mountains; they could easily construct a building up there, but not an airstrip.

My big question is how they would transport the materials to the other side of the lake. That’s where the compound had to be. It’s the only place that made sense, but how would they cart huge shipments back to the warehouse? I brushed the thought away as the airstrip came into view a few miles away from the resort. I’d find out soon enough what they planned to do and I’d follow them back.

The airstrip was the only open part of the landscape, clearing about twenty-five meters for the asphalt and less than a mile back into the trees. From what I could see, planes would come in from the south and leave to the north. If I wanted to stay out of sight it would be best to stick to the north side where the tree line was slightly thicker and provided a waterway to park my Jet Ski just out of sight from the end of the strip. That way I could see where the cartel members went after they departed and then follow them easily. I turned the vehicle around and took the first turn-off available from the waterway. The lake slowly became shallow, making it difficult to maneuver the Jet Ski as I approached land. Thankfully I was able to make it to the end of the small inlet where I dismounted. The reeds and vegetation provided an excellent cover for the Jet Ski, keeping it hidden from anyone who came looking for it. From the air I hoped it looked like someone had abandoned the vehicle, but only Katya would see it in that case and know it was me. Harley would send his men over by boat most likely, and they had no chance of seeing it from their position.

I carried my bag and the camping gear into the woods with me. The grass was long and unkempt; branches, dead reeds, and driftwood cluttered the ground. Trees loomed overhead, blocking the sun from beating down on me, and casting me into the shadows. Just how I liked it.

I set up the tent on an elevated part of the land in case the tide rose any higher. I hadn’t kept track of tides since I was a kid in Michigan. We would visit the Upper Peninsula when the weather permitted us to go swimming. My brother would always be the first in, and then he’d jump out as fast as he could when he felt just how cold the water was. My sister would shove him back into the water, and then he’d pull her down with him. They’d both be screaming about how cold it was while I remained on the dock, dry and warm, reading a book while watching over them.

My mother was never far off either. She was always just around the corner convincing my father to get off his phone and stop working long enough to enjoy the day with his family. On the rare occasion that he came with us, it was on one of the few days he was able to be home, rather than having to travel for work. Even to this day I wasn’t sure what he did for a living because he never talked about it. He explained once that he wasn’t allowed to tell us what he did, just that he traveled a lot and sometimes wouldn’t even be able to tell us
exactly
where he was going. The fleeting moments I had with my whole family were my favorite, but then it had all fallen to pieces. The growing distance between my father and mother made it difficult for them to keep their marriage together. When he was home, they were fighting. When they were apart, they were the happiest.

It’s a sick twist of fate to watch two people who were in love for so many years just simply fall out of love with each other.

The divorce hadn’t been a surprise, but it still hurt. With our father constantly traveling my mom had to keep us. So at least there wasn’t a custody battle. I don’t think I would’ve been able to handle that. I knew both parents wanted us, but it just made more sense for us to stay with our mom, and she rose to the occasion. She was strong and willing to put up with the demands of being a single parent. She met Matt not long after that and they seemed to hit it off, but he wasn’t the best father figure. In fact, I think I preferred Harley to him in some cases. They were two extremes of the spectrum, one completely dominating over our lives and the other too loose and unstructured. It seemed as if Mom was trying to avoid anyone who resembled my father to prevent her heart from being broken again. I wondered now if she would have preferred heartbreak over a gunshot.

I knew from experience getting shot wasn’t painless. I’d taken a bullet before, multiple times in fact. The difference was that unlike hers, mine weren’t fatal. I often found myself wondering if she suffered much. I hoped she didn’t. Did she survive long enough to see her life flash before her eyes or pray to see her children on the other side, if there was one? I like to hope that she had found Cara and Jake. They needed her. They needed her even when I was there for them. If she had been with us, then maybe they’d still be here. Maybe they’d all still be here.

A single tear slipped over my eyelashes and sped down my cheek. I hadn’t said their names in almost seven years. It ripped open old wounds, which I thought had healed long ago. I should have known they wouldn’t heal, at least not until I found Harley and made him pay for what he did to us. Then maybe, just maybe, I could heal and when I let them wander through my thoughts I wouldn’t be as torn up as I was now.

I sat in silence as I watched the sun set over the lake, consumed by my thoughts and allowing them to swallow me whole for the first time in years. I hoped it would give me a reason to fight harder, and that if it got too hard I wouldn’t give up. I’d fight, and if it ended poorly at least it would just be me instead of other agents. My thoughts were interrupted by an incessant ringing meeting my ears and refusing to stop. It took me a moment to realize it was coming from my bag.

“What the hell?” I mumbled to myself as my hand fell on a cold, metal phone in my bag, which I knew for a fact I didn’t put there. “Who is this?” My words were tight, angry, and annoyed. Didn’t they realize what could happen by slipping a phone into my bag without my knowledge? I could be tracked or it could have gone off around the compound and my position would have been compromised.

“Oh, calm down,” Night Stripe said. “You owe me after worming information out of Katya and then not telling me. I thought you were trying to help us get rid of the Cardozas not give them a free pass!”

“Who said I’m giving them a free pass? And I don’t think getting Katya to talk warrants a phone being put in my bag. You know how dangerous this could have been. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking a friend was in trouble and may need some help. I gave you enough time to get somewhere safe.”

I took a deep breath to relax. She meant well, but this wasn’t the place nor the time to call me. There were too many factors when it came to a phone, especially one I didn’t know I had on my person. There’s a reason only one person per team carried a phone and they always knew they had it.

“Don’t worry about it, there’s only two people who know you have it. Just don’t chuck it though, it’s Whip Lash’s. He always leaves it here while on assignment.”

“It’s tempting,” I said as I glanced through the trees. Nothing out of the ordinary, yet. By tomorrow there would be Russians meeting Americans for an exchange all in the name of stopping a cartel. “Why and when did you put this in my bag?”

“A hunch, and I handed it to KC to put in your bag before you took off. I knew you’d need a plane, but Maverick was busy so I took an educated guess who he’d send you with.”

“Good guess,” I grumbled, suddenly feeling slightly nauseous just thinking about KC and his flying. “What’s the hunch?”

“That you’d figure something out and not tell us. It sounds like you’re near water; I can hear the waves.” I glanced toward the water to see that it had risen slightly and begun crashing against the rocks. Thankfully there were no planes or she could figure out with relative accuracy where I was. “I guess you made it to Banks Lake and are waiting for Katya to show up tomorrow. Then you’ll follow the cartel back to where their compound is, right?”

I grit my teeth in annoyance. “Yeah, do you have a problem with that?”

Night Stripe laughed, which only angered me more. I knew it wasn’t the best plan, but it was the most straightforward. “I have no problem with your plan, Spit Fire. I’m not calling to start a fight. When Katya failed to tell me the new information she passed on to you I needed to know you weren’t holding anything else back. I’m still working to convince Sharp Shooter to send us in, and while I know you don’t want help I’m worried that you’re getting in over your head. Harley has managed to collect a lot of old cartel members and they’ve been recruiting all over that side of the country. We’ve squashed a few of them, but there are a lot of names on that list. I don’t know how many people you’ll be facing.”

“Does he know?” I asked, referring to Sharp Shooter. I didn’t want to know how many people my stepfather had managed to trick into aligning with him. I knew the risk before I left. At this point I couldn’t do anything to help my standing. I still had the same number of guns and bullets in my bag, and eventually they’d run out. I just hoped I’d have enough to save one for Harley.

“Not that I know of,” Night Stripe said with a sigh. “But he will soon. You can’t hide it from him forever, and trust me, he has a way of finding things out before you plan on it.”

“I don’t need to hide from him. I just need a week at the least to finish what I started, then I’ll face my punishment willingly. If he doesn’t figure it out before then I’m golden.”

“Yeah, you’re golden all right.” Her voice clenched as if she knew something she didn’t want to share. I almost asked her, but she continued before I could. “And what were you going to do if you actually completed this mission and needed a ride home at the end of the week. You wouldn’t have taken a phone if I hadn’t slipped one in your bag, so how would you have contacted us?”

“By then I assumed Sharp Shooter would have figured out what I was doing and Maverick would be waiting by his plane to take me home.” Truth is, I hadn’t thought about it. It wasn’t important since I knew there was a high likelihood I would die before I got the chance to make it home.

“And if the mission went wrong?”

“It won’t.”

“But if it does?” she pushed. “I’ve been there before, Spit Fire. It’s not pretty. I’d be happy to help if you want it.”

I sighed. I could do this on my own. I
had
to do this on my own. “I appreciate it, but no thanks. I’ll let you know if it goes south before I die. That way you’ll have the location to give Sharp Shooter, but other than that I’m not giving you any information.”

“I understand.” She paused for a while, leaving a heavy silence on the other line for a few minutes. It left me in silence to deal with the weight of the choice I made by not accepting her help. It remained heavy on my chest, making it hard to breathe. “I called to tell you that Katya got a time for the meeting tomorrow. It will be early, around seven in the morning. So get some sleep and be prepared for a busy day. You’ve only got four days left to finish this once they land. Otherwise, you run the risk of alerting Sharp Shooter to where you are. Use your time wisely and if you need me, just call.” She hung up and left me alone once again.

How do agents undercover handle this? I thought I’d enjoy being alone, but the rush seemed to have worn off. Now I almost wished I had taken her up on her offer for help, but bringing her here would only put her in more danger than it was worth. All the agents were safer at CIRA. I’d handle this one solo and come out on top
.