I never wanted to be one of those fic writers who never finished their stories. Therefore: update. I'll be trying to finish this before the new year, there's probably three more chapters left, tops!
I've never liked mornings. Some people find them a time for reflection and peace, but I always just feel cheated out of a lie-in, and sulk for the first eight hours.
Unless, of course, I'm fighting for my life, which kind of changes things a little bit.
It was five a.m on the day after we'd landed Dubai and already pushing a hundred degrees outside. The day before had been a rush to get organised as more Guardians were flown in to help us with what we were assured was their biggest undertaking yet. Most of the day had been spent in limbo- constantly waiting for the call to tell us it was happening. It didn't come, not until about midnight, with Sydney crashing into our room, a manic expression on her face. The deal was to go down at five-thirty inside a well-protected compound on the outskirts of the city. The CIA operatives- namely Eddie, Mason, and Dimitri had all been flown in as a supposed gesture of goodwill on our part. They didn't know that we were about to stab them right in the back, something I was still struggling to get a hold of myself. But I was tangled up in something far greater than myself, far bigger than my relationship with Dimitri, bigger than any of us, and it was more terrifying than I would ever admit.
The plan went something like this.
At five-thirty exactly, the unknown buyer would exit the compound, straight into an armoured vehicle bound for the nearest airstrip. We had told Dimitri and Eddie that Dashkov would be inside the building himself- even though it was unlikely- so they'd be occupied trying to find him whilst a second vehicle carrying the plans exited from the back of the compound, driven by the buyer's 'trusted' bodyguards- Mason, Adrian and a guardian operative. When the buyer arrived at the airfield, he'd be apprehended by another CIA team and taken in for questioning.
The plans, however, would be driven back to Guardian HQ, about an hour away from the compound, and Mason would be dropped out of the car somewhere along the way. It was a shaky plan at best, but it was all we had.
Right now, I was stationed with Mia by the back entrance, which Dashkov would supposedly come through. To say I was nervous was the absolute least- if he had intelligence that any of us would be here, he wouldn't hesitate in blowing the place sky-high. Christian and my father were handling the IT side of things from a small, obscure van parked about a mile away, and Christian had insisted on bringing Lissa with him. Dimitri was at the north entrance where he'd be trying to get an ID on the buyer, and Sydney was in a parked car under a sand dune, ready to pick us up when the time came. The only thing keeping me grounded- apart from Mia's nails digging into my forearm- was Dimitri's voice in my ear, transmitted through a wire. It had been silent for the better part of twenty minutes, but suddenly, it crackled to life.
"Grey BMW, bullet-proof, tinted windows, flanked by a truck, approaching from the east," his voice informed us. I glanced at my watch- only a few minutes early, but Dashkov probably wanted to make them sweat a little before he handed it over.
"I'm running the plates, but getting squat," Christian contributed, sighing. Mia elbowed me in the ribs more vigorously than was appropriate as a larger, clearly armoured vehicle pulled up outside our entrance. I squinted down at the people who got out of it- one who looked plausibly like Dashkov, surrounded by four bodyguards. It wasn't him. I could tell, simply from the way he walked, the outline of his profile. A decent body double, but it wouldn't be fooling me.
"It's him," I lied, gritting my teeth. "Dashkov approaching the south entrance, one of his goons is carrying a briefcase," I whispered into my radio.
"Roza. Are you sure it's him?" Dimitri asked, and I swallowed hard.
"Of course I'm sure," I snapped back, and the radio went silent. We all held our breath as both parties entered, getting ready to move. Dashkov never liked to linger, so neither would his double. Barely four minutes later, the buyer emerged empty-handed, but his muscle came out from our side, carrying the same case. Dashkov's people, I knew, would stay inside until they could perform a sweep, making sure that the buyer wasn't going to circle around the perimeter and come back for the money.
Everything happened very quickly then.
The Briefcase car took off so quickly the tyres screeched, at first appearing to tail the buyer's personal car.
"Going in," Dimitri's voice informed us grimly. I paused, knowing what I had to do, but unwilling.
"Rose, Mia hissed, covering her earpiece, "C'mon. We have to jump, now!" Taking a deep breath, I gripped her hand and let myself fall from the compound wall, onto the back of Sydney's van. She took off almost immediately, making us both stumble. I winced, bracing myself for the message I knew was coming from Dimitri.
"They're all dead!" his voice said frantically. "Dashkov-his men- they're dead, how did we not hear the shots?"
"It's not Dashkov," Eddie joined in grimly, his tone almost accusing.
"Roza?" Dimitri's questioning tone almost broke my heart. I had betrayed him, and this time, there was no going back.
Unable to listen anymore, I wrenched the earpiece out, watching it get crushed under the wheels of the car. Mia said nothing, but softly squeezed my shoulder as we left Dimitri and Eddie behind. Ahead of us, I watched as the car carrying the cases made a sharp left-turn, jerking back onto the road ahead of us. We were out of shooting range from the compound now, and the car that was supposed to bring Dimitri and Eddie had taken off without them, leaving them stranded. Mason, though, was still on board, and had clearly just realised it had been a set-up. Heart in my mouth, I could only watch as a struggle ensued in the other car, gunfire breaking a window as they grappled. The black-clad Guardian grappled with Mason in the back of the truck, both giving as good as they were getting. Mason, however, was a better boxer than I had remembered, and his right hook sent the guardian stumbling. My eyes widened, horrified as the guardian reached for his gun, swinging around to fire two shots at my oldest friend, my big brother, my confidant for so many years.
Time seemed to slow down, and then halt, as Mason fell from the truck, onto the side of the red-dirt road.
"Stop the car!" I screamed down at Sydney, struggling to get out of Mia's grip. "He's hurt, Sydney, stop!" I didn't care if it killed me, I had to get to Mason, make sure he was alright, because his life wasn't a price I was willing to pay for victory. Numbly, I realised that I should have thought about that before.
"Rose, get down!" Mia yelled, slide-tackling me to the ground as shots from Mason's direction whizzed over our heads. Openly sobbing by now, I sat up anyway, burying my face in my hands. I could only sit and watch as Dimitri's figure blurred into the distant background, as tiny as the trees, perhaps even a mirage that hadn't really been there. I watched as Mason aimed once more for me with trembling hands, but didn't shoot.
When I saw him slump to the ground and stop moving, I wished with every fibre of my being that he had.