Chapter 47
We make our way inside the building effortlessly. This mission is different because along with our normal guns, we also have tranquilizer guns. The plan is to sedate the kids while taking out all of the guards, and then transfer them to the institution Dr. K has worked hard to set up on short notice.
There was a lot of debate about the location, but we ultimately decided that we needed to keep Russia as our home base, so the facility is just an hour outside of the city where we live.
Our time will always be divided between Russia and Norway, but at least this way, Dr. K can be back home more often. I don’t think she has grown to love Norway as much as we have. So as soon as we have a solid replacement for her, we plan to let her know that she can stay in Russia.
Cillian and Damien exchange a glance as we round the corner in the building, something they have been doing a lot since we arrived, and I can’t help but wonder what they are up to.
“Killer,” I whisper. “What did you do?”
When all I get is a wink in return, dread builds in my stomach. We make it to the cafeteria where five of the nine kids are. However, instead of going in quietly and trying to sedate them before we cause too much stress or create a panic, Damien and Cillian walk in like they own the damn place.
Boris glances at me with wide eyes before turning his attention back to Cillian and Damien who walk right up to the table the kids are eating at and sit down with them.
Evie and Alexi nearly have an aneurysm, and Laney and Arrow stare while Havoc shakes his head. “I knew they were up to something,” he murmurs.
“How do you want to do this?” Damien asks the group. They take in his appearance, and we all stand there because what the feck else are we supposed to do?
“We told you it was your call. You can walk out of here with us and we will defend you along the way, or you can pop some bullets in a few of the guards, and we will hand you the weapon to do it.”
“I want a gun,” the boy beside him says.
“I want one I can take my time with,” the girl next to Damien says.
The other two are quiet as Damien and the girl begin to discuss which guard she would prefer to flay open.
How do they have this kind of rapport with them already?
“You two aren’t saying much,” Cillian says, handing the boy at his side a gun. No one moves as the boy flips off the safety and places the gun to Cillian’s head.
My heart drops into my gut, knowing there is nothing I can do to save him. Panic consumes me, every part of me wanting to fire at him. But I won’t. Not even if he pulls the trigger.
No one raises a weapon as we wait with bated breath to see what the boy is going to do.
The weapon fires, sending a wave of shock, fear, and loss through me. We all flinch and bile raises in my throat, threatening to spill over when I realize that he didn’t shoot Cillian.
He shot a guard that walked in behind us right next to Rhea. The guard drops to the ground, blood pooling at his feet, and Rhea laughs the moment she realizes what’s going on.
A smile stretches across the boy’s face, looking even more unhinged than Cillian as he takes in our shock and the fact that none of us raised our weapons except for Alexi, who only raised his tranq gun.
The boy flicks on the safety before crossing his arms.
“Told you they were the good guys,” the kid says.
The other two at the table are breathing heavily as they glance around the room. “We only want out. Guards tell us people outside are bad. You didn’t hurt us when we could hurt you. You are not bad.”
The way his speech is broken reminds me a bit of Ami and Ani. Even though my chest is still trying to recover from the anxiety of losing my insane boyfriend, I step forward.
“We are not good, but we are honest. I give you my word that you will be safe and protected with us.”
The two nod as Damien and the girl with blonde hair stands, shaking hands in agreement.
“I’m going to get the guard they call Striker. He’s got a bald head. If you see him, don’t shoot to kill so this little one can do it.”
Evie gapes at him. “What the fuck is happening right now?” she nearly yells.
We don’t have to worry about the shot fired or yelling catching the attention of the guards because the rooms are soundproofed, but damn, her voice hurts my ears a bit.
“Do you remember when we all watched the Black Widow?” Cillian asks as he stands with the rest of the kids. The one on the end pauses for a second before getting up. Damien hands him a gun, which seems to help him relax. Four boys and one girl here means there are three girls and one boy left.
“Yeah,” I answer. I was hoping while we watched the film that it would give us an idea, but I don’t know where he is going with this.
“About two weeks ago,” Damien says, “right after we caught that Sullivan guy, Cillian and I used Lev to help send them a message.”
The boy who’s been silent speaks up.
“We got a message in our rooms. We’re allowed to have televisions, but we’re limited in what we can watch. The code name ‘Ghost’ came across the screen before the image of Ronan in his office came into view. We watched as he told you about what he did to us. Since then, Ghost has been sending us messages, encouraging us to stand against what the guards ask us to do. Last night, he said he was coming to save us.”
“Oh my fucking stars,” Evie says. “Is that why you insisted I order all of us these ghost pins?”
Sure enough, Evie, Alexi, Damien, and Cillian are all wearing a pin with a ghost on it.
“I want one,” Rhea says, stepping forward.
“Who are you?” the girl next to Damien questions.
“These idiots saved my ass at the last camp. We were supposed to graduate to this Hellhole soon or be sold into some bigwig families. Glad we never made it to either of those destinations.”
“Is that what the guards were talking about when they said we won’t be getting the new recruits?” one of the boys asks.
Cillian holds up a hand. “As fun as this is, I’m assuming the other four left don’t agree with our plan?”
The kids glance at each other before the girl nods at Cillian.
“They said they like the order and don’t want things to change. James doesn’t believe any of this is real. He has a theory that we’re all secretly in the Matrix, and he’s waiting for his ticket out via some magic blue or red pill.”
Cillian and Damien laugh before Alexi steps forward.
“Will you be upset if we tranquilize them in order to get them out of here safely?”
“Honey,” the girl says, popping out her hip and placing her hand on it. Something about her hair color triggers a memory just out of reach. She’s clearly a leader here, and most of the boys defer to her to answer the questions. “I will pay you to shoot James in the ass with one of those things.”
Some of our group chuckles as my mind separates what Ronan said and connects it to this girl. “You killed my mother.”
I didn’t mean to say the words out loud, but the realization is such a shock that I don’t know how to process it. Boris’ hand lands on my shoulder, but even that feels muted as I stare at the weapon of a girl in front of me.
She’s strong, her features fierce even when she cracks a joke. She reminds me of Damien in that way, but she also reminds me of Ronan. My hand twitches to raise my weapon as the girl looks around the room and then steps towards me.
“The tea?” she asks, her voice not giving away her emotions.
All I can do is nod, trying to swallow past the lump in my throat.
She shrugs her shoulders, defeat taking over her features as she shakes her head.
“Then do what you have to do.”
Worry glazes over her eyes as they connect with mine, and for a brief moment, it’s as if our souls touch one another. I can feel her, and she feels so much like me that my anger and anxiety calm in an instant.
Taking a step back, I gesture towards the door with my arm. “What I want to do is get you somewhere safe, if you’ll come with us.”
Her brows pinch, confusion written all over her face as Boris wraps an arm around me from behind.
“We, of all people, know that you are not who these men have tried to force you to be. With us, you get a second chance.”
The girl looks from me to Boris, then to the rest of the group before glancing at the boys behind her.
“Well, what are you idiots waiting for? Let’s get out of here.”