29. Fox

29

FOX

I knew they'd all be looking for me when they woke up this morning, but I had important business to attend to. It simply couldn't wait any longer, and I knew when I returned, they would understand why I had to go.

I pulled up to the gates of Reed Security and nodded at the guard, giving him a crooked grin. His eyes widened as he realized who I was. I tended to have that effect on people, and I quite enjoyed it. Not everyone could be friendly and endearing all the time. Some of us had to play both sides. Though, they really shouldn't be too surprised. The Kamau was inside, and he was way scarier than me. I could only ever hope to aspire to be like him.

"Hey there. Just swinging by to see my bestie." I gave a large grin, hoping it proved inviting, but for some reason, the guy looked frightened.

"Do—do you have an…invitation?"

"Do you need one to get in?" I asked, again, shooting him my most toothy, charming smile.

"Uh…I'll have to check."

He fumbled for the phone. Meanwhile, I shot off a text to Cap, letting him know his guard was a little too skittish. If he was afraid of me, what would any other baddies think?

Me: You should consider finding some guards who aren't afraid of a smile.

Cap: Are you hacking into our feed again?

Me: Why would I do that when I'm at the front gate?

Cap: We're not open yet.

Me: Your lights are on.

Cap: They're always on. You'll have to come back later.

Me: I'm afraid I can't do that. Time is of the essence.

Cap: That's always the situation with you.

Me: Funny saying, right? Time is of the essence. But normally, we think of essence as an extract from a plant.

Cap: Is there a point to that?

I chuckled. This guy was so funny.

Me: Don't you ever wonder about these things? If you think about it, you can learn a lot about a person from the phrases they use. Like "barking up the wrong tree". Does that mean you think that person is a dog? Are they vicious? And why is it the wrong tree? Is the wrong animal in that tree? Is there a correct tree to bark up?

The guard looked at me warily as I chuckled in the front seat of my car. "Are you going to let me in?"

"Uh…I haven't…I don't have the right…orders."

"It's okay. They know me."

"I still can't..."

I was already bored with this conversation. I pulled out my dart gun and fired a single shot into his neck. Whistling, I got out of my car just as he fell to the ground. I dragged his body back into the guard shack. I didn't want anyone else to see his body and think they could wander onto the property without permission. That would just be unsafe.

I opened the gate and jumped back into my car, driving through it. It closed behind me and everything was good.

Cap: I'm guessing you're here to see Knight.

Me: What tipped you off?

Cap: I'll get him for you.

Me: No need. I'll find him.

Cap: The guard didn't let you in.

I turned down the drive to Knight's house. I knew he would have sensors set up so he would always know who was approaching the house. I would have to work through his obstacle course of danger to get to him, but it would well be worth it.

I saw the text from Cap and grinned. I'm outside Knight's house. No need to worry. I've got it from here.

Cap: Good luck with that.

Yeah, like I needed luck. The Kamau and I were like…a chili cheese dog and corn. It shouldn't work, but it did. I got out of my car and tried to find the sensors he had hidden around the house. The last time I was here, I was able to easily bypass them, but I was pretty positive he had added more since then. After studying the grounds for about ten minutes, I was more than positive that I'd located all of them.

To get past them all, I'd need a good beat. Anything Goes would provide me with the perfect beat to bypass all the sensors with ease. I started tap dancing my way down the drive, jumping to the grass on occasion. It was close a few times, but I managed to get nearly to the front porch before I hit a snag.

A rapid beep had me looking to the eaves of his house and I grinned. "That guy is so sly."

I dove to the right just as a weapon was deployed. The targeting system followed me as I jumped to my feet and made a run for it. Explosions licked the heels of my feet as I raced to get away from the crazed robotic weapon. Several times, the small rockets nearly got me, but my awesome boots—courtesy of Knight—kept me from meeting my maker.

I laughed as I outsmarted the system time and time again. Hopefully, I was giving Knight some valuable information that he could use to make this system even better.

Suddenly, the weapons stopped firing and I was left on a scorched lawn with very little grass left. I turned and grinned as I faced off with The Kamau. He stood in only his pajama pants—striped and totally awesome—with his arms crossed over his chest as he shot me his classic glare.

I was once again awe-struck.

"Man, that was so awesome!" I laughed. "I gotta hand it to you, no one does home protection like you do." I ran up the steps, standing beside my best friend. "So, when are you adding this to the home installation kit?"

"I'm not," he grunted.

"Well, that's a shame. It really is magnificent. It'll keep even the most annoying people away."

"Obviously not," he snapped.

I tossed my head back and laughed, smacking him on the back. "I love you, man. Seriously, what we have goes above and beyond everything else. I mean, aside from my love for Anna. She's my lady love."

"Why are you on my porch?" he said without preamble.

That was okay. It was one of the things I loved about this guy. Right to the point. No chit chat, although, I could do with just a little. You know, how are you? Have you seen any good musicals lately?

"To see you, of course."

"There are better times to drop by than at three in the morning."

I looked around and sniffed the air. "I would disagree. No one's here to bother us. You know everyone else gets in the way."

"You're in the way."

I laughed again. Man, this guy really cracked me up. "So, what's new? Everything good with Kate?"

"She nearly died. Anything else?"

"Whoa," I said, completely flabbergasted by his statement. "Back up the bus. Almost died? Why didn't you call me?"

"Because I didn't think of you."

Okay, that hurt just a tiny bit. If Anna almost died, I would be on the phone with The Kamau immediately, ready to exact my revenge with my best bud. But everyone dealt with grief in their own way.

"But she's good now?"

A flicker of uncertainty filled his eyes and I suddenly realized that he felt that same daunting feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. He felt responsible for Kate—the same way I nearly got Anna killed. There were still days I couldn't function if I let myself think about it too much.

"She's fine."

"That's good," I nodded. "You know I have your back. Anytime, anywhere. All you have to do is say the word."

He nodded, almost like he was grateful. That was huge coming from The Kamau, who never admitted he needed anyone.

"Is there a reason you're here?"

"I have a job for you."

"I don't take jobs anymore. It's the reason Kate was almost killed."

"Right, but this is a good one."

"I said no." He turned around and walked inside. I heard the door lock, but that wouldn't stop me. I went around to the back and quickly picked the lock, bypassing all the alarms along the way. When I made my way to the kitchen, he was waiting at the table with two cups of coffee.

Grinning, I took a seat across from him as he slid me a cup. "Thanks."

"The answer is still no. Have your coffee and leave."

"So, talk about a mindfuck, Cash and Rafe have a sister. Apparently, their father didn't know how to keep it in his pants, if you know what I mean."

"I always know what you mean."

"So, she was taken hostage by Zavala—this nasty drug cartel leader—when she was younger. He even forced her to be his wife." I snorted in amusement. "Clearly, he doesn't know how to kidnap a woman properly."

"And you're telling me this, why?"

"Because you're The Kamau!"

"Again, I'm not sure what the point is?"

"Well, Rafe has been working behind the scenes to take down The Syndicate. It's basically a group of guys who think they're super scary. Obviously, they've never met you. But I digress, they think they're awesome. I guess with enough money and power, you can get away with nearly anything."

"Fox—the point."

"Right, so Rafe has been dismantling The Syndicate because he needs to make Zavala as powerless as possible. But he's on this island—which happens to be the same island FNG parachuted onto. Although, technically, he was just pushed out of a plane, if I remember correctly. But I guess that's why Rafe chose FNG."

"What?"

"You know, because he can't die."

He rolled his eyes at me, but I continued.

So, FNG was on the island and Zavala had his men "kill" FNG. Only, he wasn't really dead and managed to escape from being buried alive. It was quite the feat, if I do say so myself. But I'm still not sure how he managed to end up in the ocean because sharks surround the property and the skies are monitored constantly. There's literally no way to get on the island. Or off."

"Yet, FNG managed both."

I grinned at him. "You would be correct. So, are you in?"

"In for what?"

"Rescuing Rafe and his sister?"

"Why would Rafe need to be rescued?"

"Because he's on the island, trying to rescue his sister. But there's no way off because he's not FNG. And if he can't get off, he can't get his sister off either. And then there's the little fact that Zavala doesn't know Rafe is Isabelle's sister. So, you see my conundrum."

"Yes."

"So, you'll help?"

"Not at all."

My face fell at his blunt refusal. I really thought Knight would be all over this. World domination and picking on the little guy were things Knight strongly detested. How could he walk away, knowing this was going on?

"But…consider this a personal favor."

"You're not doing me a favor."

"No," I chuckled. "You'd be doing me a favor. I'd owe you for the rest of my life."

"And why would you offer me that when this has nothing to do with you?"

"Nothing to do with me?" I asked incredulously. "Rafe is Cash's brother. And Cash is like my brother. Everyone at OPS is my family, and when your family is threatened, you do whatever it takes to protect them. They've been with me through everything."

"And you'd give up your life to protect them."

"Of course."

"Even knowing that you'd be leaving Anna and your kids behind? You would sacrifice your life and leave your family unprotected. You would ask me to leave my family unprotected to help you."

I swallowed hard as the realization that he was not going to help kicked in. "I would do anything for my family."

"Even sacrifice your own."

"I would never sacrifice my family, but I would give my life to help them if it was necessary."

"You're a fucking idiot, then."

I shoved to my feet. I came to the wrong place, and I never thought I would say that. "When I was at my lowest—when I wanted to take my own life—they were with me. Rae and Dash dragged me out of an alley when I was too drunk to do anything for myself. When I was depressed as hell, Zoe gave me a reason to live. She made me her child's godfather. Cash has been to nearly every musical I ever wanted to see. He doesn't even fucking like them. And when I couldn't fight any longer, they went to all my meditation classes, never giving me shit for walking away from the life I had. There was never any judgment from any of them. They didn't understand it and they thought it was fucking weird as hell, but they were there for me. So, would I walk through fire for them? Would I give up everything so Cash doesn't have to see his brother and sister die? I'm surprised you even have to ask."

I kicked off the boots Knight had once given me and then took off my coveted leather jacket. "Maybe I was looking up to the wrong man all along."

I tossed the jacket on the floor and headed for the door. Disappointment weighed heavy on my shoulders as I walked out the back door and headed to my car. The dew on the grass soaked through my socks, but I didn't care. I thought I would be returning with someone who could help us make all of this right. Instead, I was going home a failure.