2. Chapter 2

Idon't know what to feel anymore. Protective, angry, worried, confused. My emotions bounce between them all as I walk down the hallway of the apartment toward our rooms.

It wasn't our main property, but it still had a few things we needed to bring with us. Not to mention that we now needed to clean Ash's room.

Throwing my bedroom door open, I quickly open my laptop and lock it down before throwing it into a backpack. I wipe my room before I leave it every time, it's a habit now, so I then move to Ash's room. Nix and Rick are already in there, wiping down all the surfaces.

"You already cleaned your rooms?" I ask them only to get matching droll looks in response. Of course they have. We have had 11 years of making sure not to leave anything of ourselves behind. I strip the sheets off the bed and walk into the attached bathroom, opening the shower and dumping them inside. I retrieve the bottle of bleach from under the sink and empty the entire bottle onto them. Setting the empty bottle aside, I grab another cloth and make quick work of all areas she may have touched.

Soon enough, we are done and dashing toward the apartment door. A sound catches my attention as Rick reaches out to open the door and I don't even have time to shout a warning before an explosion has the door flying inward, propelling Rick backward onto the floor. My stomach drops at the thought of him being injured but I can't check on him.

I can't move, not with the amount of guns aimed in our direction. Something tells me that the hard and serious faces of the people holding them won"t take kindly to me checking on him.

"Hands where we can see them! Don"t move!"

The voices shout over one another, blending into a cacophony of commands as adrenaline courses through my veins. My heart races, and I fight the urge to panic, to lash out at the intruders.

Nix stills a few feet from me; I can see the rage flash across his face before he locks it down. We lock eyes for a brief moment, silently communicating. There is nothing that can be held against us, no evidence that could have caused this. And no one knew where we were. There are only two options behind this, Ash's secret identity caught up to her, or Kacey betrayed us.

But as I glance over at Rick, lying motionless on the floor, a wave of fear washes over me. I want to rush to his side, to make sure he"s okay, but I know I can"t risk it, not with the guns pointed at us.

"Stay where you are!" one of the intruders barks, their voice cutting through the chaos.

I swallow hard, forcing myself to remain still, my hands raised in surrender. The smell of smoke hangs heavy in the air, mixing with the metallic tang of blood.

The gruff man continues to bark orders, his voice echoing in the tense silence of the room. "Get down on the ground! Hands behind your backs!"

Nix complies without hesitation, lowering himself to the ground with a resigned calmness that unnerves me. But I refuse to move, stubbornly standing my ground as I demand answers.

"What have we done wrong?" I shout, my voice tinged with defiance. But my question is met with silence, the intruders showing no signs of relenting. I can now clearly make out the letters stamped across some of their vests: FBI.

Suddenly, one of them advances towards me, grabbing my backpack and yanking it from my arm with surprising force. Pain shoots through me as they kick at the back of my knees, their rough hands gripping my wrists and pulling them behind my back. I grunt in protest, struggling against their hold as they restrain me.

As I"m held down, I turn my head, blinking through the haze of pain to see Rick being similarly restrained, blood trickling from a deep cut in the side of his head. My heart clenches at the sight, a surge of protectiveness flooding through me despite my own restrained position.

My eyes flick to Nix, silently seeking guidance, but he subtly shakes his head, urging me to remain silent. I purse my lips, frustration simmering beneath the surface, but I follow his lead, swallowing back the torrent of questions and protests threatening to spill from my lips.

The agents haul us all to our feet, their grip unyielding as they begin to march us out of the apartment.

One of the agents produces a card to call the elevator, and I mentally sift through the possibilities of who could have handed it over. But before I can dwell on it further, we"re ushered into the elevator, the doors closing behind us with a slap of metal.

Nix"s voice murmurs beside me, barely audible over my own heartbeat. "If this was Kace, he"s a dead man," he mutters, his tone dark and filled with quiet resolve.

I shift closer to him, our exchange masked by the sound and movement of the descending elevator. "If it was, then I"ll hold him down for you," I respond just as quietly, my own determination matching his.

But before we can say more, one of the agents grunts and yanks on my restraints, forcibly separating me from Nix once again. I shoot him a fleeting glare only to receive a sneer.

My gaze flicks over to Rick, still wearing a dazed expression, blood matting his blonde hair. His silence is unsettling, and I can only imagine the turmoil raging inside his mind.

As the elevator doors slide open, the sight of flashing red and blue lights outside the building is almost blinding. My heart sinks as we"re herded out into the chaos outside.

My thoughts drift to Ash as we"re shoved into the back of an unmarked FBI vehicle. I hope she"s safe and managed to escape. Despite the anger still simmering beneath the surface, I would willingly put myself in this position if it means she gets away unscathed. But then I wonder if some secure black site might be safer for her than being out in the open where her life is also in danger from the contract on her head.

And if this was Kacey, did we just leave her in the hands of someone who betrayed us?

How did everything suddenly become so complicated?