Chapter 7
A/N: Warning. There's some suggestive language in this chapter, but nothing happens. If that triggers you or makes you uncomfortable, please stay safe!
I slept remarkably well. Better than I had in a really, really long time. I knew this for sure, because when I woke up, everyone else was already up and moving around.
That…had never happened. Especially not with them.
"He lives," Bear joked, shoving something into his duffle. "We thought you were going to sleep all day."
Blearily, I rolled over, glancing at the clock.
Holy shit. Had I really slept ten hours?
I even picked it up, waiting for it to change just so I knew it wasn't broken. It wasn't.
"Damn," I muttered, rubbing my eyes. I was still tired. "Why didn't you wake me?"
"Our car doesn't get here for a few hours," Lion said. "I was going to wake you in about half an hour if you weren't up by then."
I nodded, getting out of bed and setting my feet on the floor, rolling my shoulder. My arm was sore.
"Let me change your bandage before you do anything," Bear said, reaching for his medical kit.
"No, I'll shower first," I said quickly, getting up. "Then you can."
"Don't take too long," Tiger said gruffly, reading a book in the armchair. "I'm hungry."
I scoffed. "Yes, your highness."
He flipped me off.
I locked the bathroom door and undressed, peeling off Bear's bandage. It was still a fresh wound, but it looked good, with no signs of infection.
I took a moment to look at my scars. It still unsettled me that they knew about them. I hadn't shown them to anyone deliberately, not even…Jack, and definitely not Sabina…
I sighed. I shouldn't think about them. It just upset me.
Hopping in the shower, I washed my hair, noticing the color had faded a little, and my roots were beginning to show. That wasn't good. I needed to re-dye it as soon as I was back at base, before someone noticed.
I finished quickly, dressing in some cargo pants and t-shirt, putting a towel around my shoulders so my hair didn't soak into my collar. "Bear," I said quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Ready?" He asked, lugging over the med kit. Tiger was still reading, and Lion was on the phone.
"Perfect timing," Lion said in my direction, turning the speaker into his ear. "Room service. Want anything?"
I tilted my head, considering, as Bear wet a piece of gauze with antiseptic. "Do they have pain-au-chocolat?"
Lion blinked. "Um…"
"A chocolate croissant," I revised, smirking at his lost expression. "Want me to order?"
Lion gave a nervous laugh and handed me the phone, plus a list of everyone's orders. "I'd ask Tiger, but he's still learning French."
"Oi. Watch it." He grumbled from his armchair.
I laughed. "It's alright. French was the last one I learned."
Oh. That was…easy. Exposing that harmless piece of information about myself. It wasn't supposed to be easy. When had it become easy?
"Bonjour?" I said into the phone. "Oui, s'il vous plait. Je—" I cut myself off with a hiss, tightening my hand on the receiver. "Shit, Bear, warn me," I whispered, shutting my eyes against the sting. (Hello? Yes, please. I—)
"Sorry," he said apologetically, smiling sheepishly. "I figured it would be better to do it when you weren't expecting it."
"What part of me makes you think I like surprises," I grumbled, putting the phone back to my ear. "Euh, je suis desolee. Oui, je voudrais…" (Uh, I'm sorry. Yes, I'd like…)
I placed everyone's order, and was told the wait would be twenty minutes. It was only 10:15 now, so we would have plenty of time before the car arrived, if everything went according to plan.
In line with my paranoid personality, I was a bit worried the food would be poisoned, but I'd deal with that when it arrived.
Bear finished disinfecting and re-wrapping my arm, nodding. "It doesn't show any sign of infection, so that's good. I'll change the bandage again tonight, and then we should be okay to do it once a day from then on."
I nodded, rolling my shoulder. It felt a lot better. "Thank you."
He nodded with a smile, rising and returning the pack to his rucksack. "Food should be here in ten," I said. Bear had been thorough with the bandage, so it had taken some time. I appreciated it.
I fetched a glass of water from the bathroom and put it on the center table, pulling a vial from my rucksack and pouring a drop in. It had been a parting gift from Smithers, capable of detecting any and all poison, no matter how little the trace. "When it gets here pinch a bit off and put it in here. If the water changes color after a couple minutes, it's poisoned."
I looked up to see them all giving me a particular deer-in-headlights look. "What?"
"Why would you think it's poisoned?" Lion asked, setting his bag down beside the bed. "You said you trusted the inn."
I raised an eyebrow. "I do. Some of the most famous and well-trusted restaurants in the world have been used as conduits for high-profile assassinations via poison, because it's so hard to trace in a bustling kitchen. Someone can slip in claiming to be a new busboy, or cook, or waiter, and sprinkle some arsenic in whatever sauce you're eating, and disappear again without anyone remembering their face."
"You're bloody terrifying," Tiger said, giving me a look. "Who the hell thinks like that all the time?"
"Someone who wants to stay alive," I shot back, feeling my hackles rise. "Don't if you don't want to. I'm going to."
"Sorry, we're just surprised," Bear said, sitting down and tugging out a paperback. I noticed it was a medical journal. "None of us have really been on such an…I don't know, intelligence-intensive mission. It's weird."
I faltered. "Um…"
"Don't even bother," Tiger grumbled. "I don't care what you or your bloody file say, you've definitely been on a mission of some kind. Otherwise you wouldn't do half the things you do."
There was a knock on the door, saving me from answering. "They're early," I muttered. I pulled my handgun from my waist and pressed it firmly against the door, opening it a bit.
A middle-aged woman stood outside, pushing a cart. "Bonjour, monsieur," she said politely, then remembered. "Ah…no, good morning." Her voice was heavily accented. "I bring breakfast."
I smiled wide, going for disarming. "Thank you. May we put the cart in the hall when we're done?" I asked, enunciating clearly.
She obviously understood more than she spoke, because she nodded fervently. "Oui, of course! Enjoy." She smiled and hurried back down the hallway. I set the gun on the table by the door and tugged the tray inside. It bore several dishes, with no sign of ill intent.
I spotted my chocolate croissant and took the plate, eyeing the others. "I don't care one way or the other, but if you die, I'm leaving you."
Bear snorted. "Sure. I'll try your magic glass."
I pinched a piece of my bread off and dropped it in, watching it sink to the bottom, and checked my watch. A minute and a half later, the water was clear.
"I'm safe," I said, biting into the sweet pastry. I'd missed these. They were bloody delicious. "Bear?"
Tiger nor Lion had taken a bite of their food, waiting their turn. It turned out everyone was safe, which I'd much prefer to the alternative, but it did make me feel a bit stupid. Even though I knew quite well caution was necessary.
I only hoped the others would trust me enough to get us out of this mess alive.
…
We were picked up an hour and a half later by a nondescript Frenchman in a black taxi. The ride to the DRM headquarters (disguised as an office building) went smoothly, and we ascended the elevator to the briefing room and exchange site without incident.
I didn't like elevators, either. I tapped my foot steadily in impatience until we reached the sixty-third floor.
We were led to a nice meeting room not unlike the briefing room at Brecon Beacons, only bigger. We took our seats at the end of the table, Lion at the head, and were instructed in accented English to wait for our DRM liaison and the French teams who would be assisting us with the transport.
"Would you care for some coffee or tea while you wait?" An assistant asked us politely, smiling.
"Two coffees," Tiger said, eyeing Bear. "You do want one, right?"
"Of course," Bear grinned. "Extra sugar, as always."
"I'll have tea," Lion said with a smile.
She looked at me expectantly. "Water for me, please," I said.
"Paranoid arse," Tiger grumbled, but there was no heat behind it.
I rolled my eyes.
A few minutes later, after the drinks had arrived, eight men filed into the room. Though they were in plain clothes, it was obvious from their deliberate movements that they were soldiers, and good ones. Behind them trailed a man and a woman in suits.
"Good afternoon," the woman said in accented English, smiling professionally. "I trust your journey here was uneventful?"
"The second half, anyways," Lion replied with a knowing smile.
She nodded. "Of course. We were informed of the incident on the train, and have since worked with your Sergeant to adjust your travel plans accordingly." Her English was very good, I noticed.
The lights dimmed. On instinct, I sat up straighter, but the far wall was illuminated shortly by a projection, showing a map of France.
She went through a detailed revision of the plan, which would increase our travel time to approximately 32 hours, broken up over three days; our route was almost entirely altered, and we were going quite a bit out of the way, even through a stretch of desert at one point. We would be acting under the guise of transporting illegal opioids seized in a drug raid to a disposal site in Ukraine.
Our unit and the package would be in the back of a sizeable delivery vehicle, which had been outfitted with dual facing seats on either side of the outer walls of the transport. Two men would driving our truck, while two men would be driving a standard military vehicle in front and the remaining four would be doing the same in the back, acting as a standard military escort.
"We've received permission from the Polish and German governments to transport the package with the added French security," she assured. "You'll leave in one hour. One block away is a loading dock for a local supermarket; the package will be loaded there in twenty minutes. Jules will lead you all there; he is our main liaison for this assignment." One of the men up front nodded, giving a tight smile. "Are there any questions?"
I thought it a bit stupid to put the package in the most conspicuous vehicle. Better to have a dummy package enter the main vehicle and store him in the front; that would be the least likely place to hide him. However, I didn't exactly want to ruin the peace, so I kept my mouth shut.
"No, Madame," Lion said. "Thank you for working with us."
She nodded. "Of course. I do have a couple more things." She paused. "I do not know how much you've been told, but Hollis is a very dangerous man. There is a reason he is so highly regarded in the underworld. Not only is he skilled, but he is also very intelligent. He has been known to use psychology and his excellent ability to read people to his advantage, to weaken his opponent. He will more than likely play mind games with you, or make remarks that make you uncomfortable." Her eyes flicked to me for a moment, then back to the room as a whole. "He usually likes to single out those who appear weak, or young. As he says, those are his 'type.'"
I felt most eyes in the room flicker briefly to me, but I kept my gaze straight ahead, arms crossed. Good to know even the Sergeant had better discretion than this woman.
"I warn you of this so that you do not let it affect you," she concluded. "You are dismissed. Complete the mission and return safely."
That was nice. Blunt and Jones had only ever told me to complete the mission. Screw my safety.
We descended to the ground floor and followed Jules to the loading dock, a five minute walk away, and introduced ourselves while we waited. They didn't use codenames, but they only gave us their first names, and I'm sure some of them were fake. They all seemed like capable soldiers, sharp and fit, and I'll admit a little guiltily that I didn't pay much attention beyond that and their first names.
We stuck to our code names, for which I was grateful. I'm not sure how consistently I'd respond if they called me Matthew.
We learned that all the soldiers but Jules, who was proficient, but not fluent, had little English under their belt, so communication would go mainly by Jules, me, or Tiger. Surprisingly, though Tiger had introduced himself as the Communications expert, he nodded to me and listed me as an alternate route of communication if he was otherwise occupied.
Well. That was…mature.
I nodded in thanks.
After a few more minutes of idle chatter, a transport vehicle arrived.
I bristled, knowing it contained the prisoner. I'll admit, everyone's descriptions had put me on edge. I was a bit worried about this journey, though I didn't want to let it show.
A hand dropped on my shoulder, and I couldn't quite hold my flinch, but it was just Lion. "If you feel uncomfortable," he said quietly, so only I could hear, "or if you need to swap with one of the Frenchmen in the other vehicles, let me know. Don't forget you have a unit behind you."
Surprised, but a little grateful despite myself, I nodded. This was a team mission. Trust issues or no, it was okay to rely on other people. I couldn't do this kind of thing alone.
I noticed that, though imperceptibly, as the doors opened and Frederick Slasher Hollis was revealed, Lion, Tiger, and Bear all scooted just a bit in front of me, hiding me from view of the back of the van, where Hollis' line of sight would fall.
I was, all at once, shocked, disturbed, a little angry, and…touched.
That was…thoughtful. Maybe I was being too obvious about how antsy I was. But anyone, even Matthew, would be in this situation, right?
I peered around Lion and caught a glimpse of the infamous Slasher.
I wasn't surer if it was my fear, the rumors, or a combination, but…yeah. I wasn't liking this at all.
He was a man of impressive stature, easily 6'2" or above, with muscles that were nothing to scoff at. He was decorated with tattoos, winding patterns of color racing up his arms and neck, a star on one cheek and a Chinese character of some kind on the other. He sported a nose ring, several ear piercings, and a bar through his lower lip. His wore a sleeveless white t-shirt and orange pants, and his hands and feet were shackled closely together, a chain attaching his hands and feet as well.
"Well," he said, grinning to reveal a row of dazzling white teeth. He had a shaved head, with the beginnings of dark stubble beginning to show, and beady dark eyes that seemed to take in everything at once. He was no one to mess with. "Are these the fine young men who are going to protect little old me?"
He was American, though there was some kind of accent layered on top. I couldn't tell what. His eyes surveyed the dock, and the transporters on either side of him guided him quickly to the back of the delivery truck we'd be using. In doing so, he passed us, and his eyes settled on me. They stayed there.
He grinned, and I was reminded of a shark. He had half a foot on me easy, and I hated looking up at him. "And who might you be?"
"One of the fine young men who's going to be escorting you," I said, trying to keep my voice even and toneless.
His eyes looked me up and down. "Fine young man indeed." I tried not to flinch. One of the men jerked him along, and he glanced back my way before walking forward again, saying something snide to one of the men beside him.
Lion patted my shoulder. "Don't sit next to him. I don't want him near you."
"I wasn't planning on it," I admitted, watching him. "I appreciate it, but I can handle myself, you know."
Lion looked up, making sure Hollis wasn't looking our way, and tousled my hair. "I know you can, but I'll tell you as many times as you need to hear it, you don't have to."
"Yeah, I don't like him," Bear commented, bumping my shoulder. "He's a creep. It's normal to be freaked out."
I shrugged. "I was warned twice. I've got the message."
"Twice?" Tiger asked, looking confused. While he wasn't nearly as open about it as Lion or Bear, I could tell he wasn't happy, either.
Oh. Oops. "Sergeant warned me before we left. He had more discretion."
Lion frowned. "Tell us next time. That's what a unit's for. We look out for each other."
I looked away. "Fine." It wasn't worth arguing over.
The transporters got Hollis secured to his seat (which had been specially equipped with harnesses and the like) and instructed us on how to use each of them before we departed. During this, Hollis' eyes roamed, but he kept looking back at me. I steadfastly avoided his eyes, refusing to give him the pleasure.
Finally, when it was time to move out, we took our seats inside the delivery truck and closed the doors. We'd be driving eight hours today, stopping once for food and once again for bathroom and gas, and then stopping at an old German military base that hadn't been used, but had been maintained for foreign necessity.
The others in my unit climbed in before me, Lion and Tiger resolutely taking the seats beside Hollis before I'd even climbed inside. The seats were three or so feet apart, so it wasn't like riding a bus next to him, but I was glad I wouldn't have to be closer to him than necessary. I'd expected Lion to, but Tiger surprised me. He might've been more of a softie than I thought he was.
I considered. Maybe…this wasn't so bad. This whole…having people looking out for you, thing.
It hadn't been bad so far. It had been conflicting, and worrying, but…not bad.
I'd consider. I didn't have to decide anything right away.
With a small jerk, we pulled out of the dock and were on our way.
The delivery truck had small holes in the sides, enough to allow proper air flow. I used them to watch the scenery rush past, though it made me a bit dizzy at times. Still, it was better than looking at Hollis, who'd been looking at me almost this entire time.
I bloody hated this feeling. It felt like my skin was crawling.
"So," Hollis said, his voice reverberating. I flinched, and then bloody hated myself for it, because I saw him grin out of the corner of my eye. I was on edge, and he knew. "You, the little one. What's your name?"
I didn't answer. If I didn't engage with him, maybe he'd take the hint and leave it.
That only seemed to egg him on more, though. "Strong silent type? Now that's something I didn't expect out of you."
"Quiet," Tiger snapped, crossing his arms. "We're not here for conversation."
"No?" Hollis asked, raising an eyebrow. "But it's so quiet without it. And he looks like he's got interesting stories to tell. I'm all for a good story, but I'd like to know your name! What do you say?"
"I'm gonna bloody gag him," Tiger muttered.
"Oh, unfortunately that's not allowed," Hollis commented, looking smug. "I know my rights."
"This isn't America," Bear commented, and I'd never heard the happy, buoyant guy sound so cold. I shot him a look, only to see that his posture reflected his voice. He didn't like this any more than I did. None of them did.
"No, but you still treat people with respect, I'm sure," he said, eyes glinting. He looked at me, and I made the mistake of looking at him as he did so. "Oh, pretty eyes, kiddo. I was worried you'd never look at me!"
I looked away. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
"I heard earlier that you guys use animal codenames," Hollis commented, chattering on like he would with a friend. "So can I at least know those? If I need to ask for something?" I kept silent, as did the other three. "If I guess and get it right, will you let me know?"
No one responded. Tiger tapped his foot impatiently.
"Hm," he said, and even looking away, I could feel him staring at me intently. "Kiddie…maybe yours would be…I dunno, Dog?" He paused, and I waited for the punchline. "No, no…maybe Bitch," he said, a sly grin stretching over his teeth. "That would be a suitable occupation for you, I bet."
"Oh, I'm gonna bloody kill 'im," Tiger muttered, reaching for his bag.
"Tiger," I said quietly. He looked up at me, as did Hollis. "It's fine. He can say whatever he wants." I looked at Hollis, then, steeling myself. "I don't give a damn."
Lion smiled, looking away to hide it.
Hollis smiled, too, but it was very, very different. "That's okay. It's no fun if you go off when I'm just getting started."
I looked away again, propping my chin up on my hand. We were passing through more rolling fields, leaving the city further and further behind. I wished I was back on holiday with Jack and Ian. Anywhere but here, really.
"Fine, fine. I'll try something else. How old are you?"
Again, I remained silent. Lion didn't, though. I could tell he was getting fed up. His voice was calm, but his eyes were dark. "Take the hint, Hollis. No one here is going to talk to you like you want."
"Oh, that's fine," Hollis said, waving a shackled hand. "I'll just talk, don't mind me."
And he did. For four bloody hours until we stopped for food. His words ranged from harmless, to cruel, to absolutely intended to draw a reaction, and by the time we stopped, I was ready to tear my hair out.
As soon as the wheels stopped turning, before the truck was even settled, I was out of my seat and headed for the door. "What, tired of me already?" Hollis called behind me as I jumped down, brushing past Jacques, who'd unlocked the doors.
We were in a clearing behind a thick copse of trees, just off the road. A lonely little diner sat across the street, but the foreseeable stretch of land beyond the trees was otherwise deserted.
I stopped at a sturdy looking tree and braced myself against it, taking a shuddering breath.
That was bloody awful.
"Are you alright?" Lion's quiet voice asked behind me.
I inhaled, turning around and leaning back against the tree. "Yes. He's just a prick."
Lion laughed. "Can't argue with that. Let me know if you want to switch vehicles."
I shook my head. "No. It sucks, sure, but I'm not giving him the satisfaction." I shifted, looking away. "Thank you, for being…you know."
He smiled. "You're welcome. I told you, we've got your back."
He leaned on the tree across from me and sat. I took it as an invitation to do the same. "Bear's pretty fond of you, you know. He likes finally having someone younger than him around."
I smirked. "Guess he needed someone around his own age. He's a ball of energy."
Lion grinned. "That he is. And believe it or not, Tiger's very protective of his unit. That includes you."
I raised an eyebrow, dubious.
"I'm serious," Lion said, folding his hands behind his head. "You've seen him with Bear, haven't you?"
I had. Tiger was different with Bear. I could tell immediately that Bear was very important to Tiger; it was evident through his actions and his words, though only to someone who was watching. And Bear seemed to know, and reciprocated the affection, however hidden.
"What he did in there?" Lion said, nodding towards the delivery truck. "How he got so angry when Hollis started goading you? That's something he'd do for Bear or me."
I looked away, feeling heat flame in my cheeks. "Why are you telling me this?"
"To prove to you, since you're so stubborn and unwilling to realize it, that we've wholeheartedly accepted you into our unit, and you're not allowed to do anything about it." Lion shrugged, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "To be honest, I didn't think it would happen. But…you're a much better kid than you make yourself out to be."
I scoffed.
"See? You're doing it again. You put yourself down far too much, and you don't even realize it." I ignored him, but he just smirked when my eye twitched.
The Frenchmen, who'd been milling about, seemed to disperse. Jules came over to us. "I am going to bring the food back here to eat," he said slowly, though his pronunciation was quite good. "What would you like? It has simple English and French options."
"Fish and chips?" I ventured, relieved when he nodded. I wasn't in the mood for any surprises. Or, God forbid, duck.
"Make that four orders," Lion said. "The other two will probably want that, anyways."
Jules nodded. "Do you know what the package prefers?"
"Go in the back and scoop something out of the garbage, for all I care," I muttered, turning my head away.
Lion laughed. "Just another order of fish and chips," he said. Jules nodded and left, George and Vinny—if I remembered correctly—accompanying him.
"Lion," I said quietly, not looking at him. I felt heat flame in my cheeks. "If I…if I accept what you're offering…you know, to be…a real member of the unit…" I took a deep breath, steadfastly ignoring his intent gaze. "Could I do it without revealing anything? I can't…I can't do that. Definitely not yet."
Lion smiled. "Of course, squirt. Rome wasn't built in a day. You can reveal things as you need to."
"On the condition of you never call me squirt again," I said, turning back to him with murder in my eyes.
He laughed, though, and looked unashamed. "Nope. Unit members have exclusive rights to use any nicknames we want."
"Fine, arsehole," I shot back.
"That's fine, half-pint," he retorted, and it was easy.
It was so damn easy.
The past minute had been a conversation I promised myself I'd never have. I promised myself I'd never accept this. Never, ever.
But…Hollis freaked me out, and I thought I was going to have to do it alone, like I did everything else, but then…then the idiots bodily put themselves between me and him, even though they didn't know what he was capable of or what he might do. They spoke up on my behalf. They…they gave a damn.
And unless I'd been missing the past month, I didn't think I'd done nearly enough to earn that. Which meant they were…giving it. Just…just giving it.
If they were giving it, and I didn't have to…to earn it…maybe I could let myself accept it. At least a little.
I couldn't call them family yet, not even close, and I didn't know if I'd ever be able to. We'd only known each other a month. But…
…but it wouldn't hurt to call them friends.
A/N: Holy crap, two chapters in three days? I'm on a roll!
I hope you enjoyed my baby finally finding someone to rely on :) I love my kiddos. Let me know what you thought about it!
Also, it looks like this mission is going to take up a few chapters, which I didn't anticipate, so…yeah. Just updating you XD
As always, thank you to my stellar reviewers: Raalina, Owlqueen08, Nrandom, Eliida, OnlyABookworm, Riderkitty, hunterjk123, and otterpineapple06! You're all wonderful!
Thanks so much to everyone following and favoriting. I appreciate you all!
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