Chapter 24: Chapter 24

I feel my head begin to roll backward and my eyes flutter closed. The sunlight streaming through the window warms up the exposed part of my skin and it feels comforting like a warm caress. When sleep eventually takes over, I jump in my seat, my eyes snapping open. I immediately shake my body, slapping myself a few times to remain awake. In front of me lies an array of weapons, all of our guns and knives.

All lined up perfectly, waiting to be used. A knife is strapped to my lower leg and I know it won't be coming off anytime soon. Besides the weapons, Micah lies soundly on his bed, his eyes closed as he sleeps. Dark circles stain his warm skin from his duty of keeping watch whilst I slept for a few hours. I wonder whether we'll be safe whilst I catch a few more hours . . .

No, I can't do that.

I have to do be ready and on guard incase anything happens. We don't know whether the FBI are planning to end this suicide mission early.

Are they aware that Micah and I know of their intentions?

Do they plan on killing us if Calvin Black's corrupt family business doesn’t?

The questions have been playing around in a loop over and over again, keeping me awake during this long night. I let out a heavy breath, breathing in deeply as my eyes continue to grow heavy.

Coffee. I need lots of coffee.

“Hunter."

“Hunter!"

"Mhm, yeah. I'm up," I mumble, my words barely audible. I pry open my eyes to find Micah stood up next to me, his eyes narrowed.

"You're meant to be keeping watch.”

"I know, I was dreaming of coffee." I grunt in response, standing and stretching my arms over my head. I sneak a glance at Micah, wondering whether he's thinking about last night just as much as I am. I hope things between us don't become awkward but he's acting the same as he usually does which is a good sign.

"Micah?" I say out loud, yawning silently behind my hand. He straps a knife to his right leg before slotting his gun into his waistband. He doesn't look up at me but I notice him pause, his body stilling.

"Yeah?" He says quietly, his words still laced with a deep rumble due to him waking up.

"Do you have a plan? We are still technically part of the FBI." I ask him, dropping down onto his bed. The section he slept in is warm and I close my eyes, inhaling deeply. When I open them, Micah is pulling his shirt over his head. I feel wrong for watching him so I turn away, glancing out the window instead. The sun is rising high into the clouds as the day draws closer and closer.

"I have a plan, sort of.”

His words catch my attention and I snap my head in his direction. He finishes pulling over a clean shirt, raking his hand through his hair.

"Now would be a good time to share it with me." I say lightly, my body sinking deeper into the bed. Micah sighs, dropping down into his computer chair. He places a hand on his chin, resting on his arm.

"We act like we don't know." He finally says, sounding unsure. I raise my eyebrow at his words, wondering whether he's joking or not.

"You are kidding, right? How can we ignore the fact that the FBI want us dead? How deep does this run anyway? Are Ted and Margaret waiting outside our bedroom door with a shotgun?" I say quickly, each question rolling off the last. Micah cuts me off, sounding annoyed —

"Shut up Hunter and hear me out.”

I glare at him but quieten down. He blows out deeply before continuing.

"We carry on going through with this mission and act like we don't know. If we manage to find Christopher Black and arrest him before they can kill us, we stay alive. The FBI can't ignore us when we have a wanted criminal on our hands. We need to be careful, really careful. I'm going to talk to a few people I know, see who authorised this mission and why. Until then, we lie low." Micah says firmly, his eyes set directly on me. I listen carefully, giving him a small nod.

"That means you can't see Calvin Black until I know what the hell is going on here Hunter." Micah adds, an angry edge to his voice. I frown, showing my disagreement across my features.

"Why can't I see him? Surely it makes more sense to act like everything is normal so we don't raise suspicion?" I question. Micah's jaw tenses and he runs his hand over his face, looking troubled.

"I agree with you but I don't know whether Calvin Black is in on this or not. Whatever's going on, there's one thing for certain. . . Someone wants us both dead and it's got something to do with Christopher Black and the FBI. I need to figure out why and who but I don't want to risk us being hurt. That's why you can't see Calvin, it won't be for long." Micah explains. I feel the dread begin to build back up inside me and so I nod grimly.

"Okay Micah, whatever you say." I mumble, staring up at the ceiling. I hear him step off the chair and walk over to me. The covers are pulled over my body and I cling onto them, my eyelids fluttering closed.

"Get some sleep Hunter. I'll keep watch and start calling up some friends.”

I barely register his words before I fall into one of the deepest sleeps I've had in a while. Despite the need for rest, a permanent frown is etched onto my features due to the big red X pointing at Micah and I.

*****

My phone vibrating wakes me up.

I groan and stir in Micah's bed, rolling over. The handle of the knife strapped to my leg begins to dig into my flesh and I slowly begin to wake up, floating back to reality. I sit up in bed, reaching up to rub at my eyes. Once I can see clearly, I freeze in the position I'm in.

I'm alone in Micah's room but something isn't right.

The door is flung wide open and papers from his desk are scattered all over the floor. I immediately hold my breath, jumping out of bed whilst grabbing my gun from the bedside table. Fear and confusion washes over me as my eyes scan every inch of the room.

There's been a struggle.

"Micah?" I call out, whispering.

My words drift off into the eerie silence and I feel every hair on the back of my neck stand up pin straight. Fear prickles away at my body, cold goosebumps scattered over my skin.

"Micah?" I call out again, taking a step forward. I walk around the papers, my footsteps light on the floor. The hold on my gun tightens and I can feel my knuckles strain from the tight grip. I walk over to his laptop and quickly press a key to spring it back to life. The screen flashes and an image fills the screen.

I almost drop my gun in complete shock.

The image is a CCTV photograph of Christopher Black. He has a woman pinned to the wall, both of their faces full of desire and passion as they scramble at one another. My eyes scan over the photo, a wave of nausea washing over me as I stare at my FBI boss pinned up with her legs spread apart.

It's Veronica Kilburn, the director of the FBI.

"What did you find Micah?" I whisper, my hands beginning to tremble the longer I stare at the picture. I physically drag myself away from it, numerous amounts of questions filling my head. I can't seem to make sense of anything and the confusion is too much for me. I feel myself sink back onto the bed, my arms lowering the gun clutched in my hands.

I almost forget about my phone but the sound of it vibrating again reminds me of why I woke up in the first place.

Where the hell is Micah?

How did I not wake up from the obvious struggle that happened here?

My first question is answered as I lift up my phone, reading the text across my screen. It's a text from Calvin Black and it's short, blunt.

I have him.

"No!" I yell, unable to make sense of anything going on around me. I fumble with my gun and my phone, trying to call Calvin. The phone rings once before he picks up, the line eerily silent.

"Calvin, it's not what you think!" I plead with him, my voice full of desperation. I pause and wait for him to respond but when he does, my heart freezes and my stomach pulses.

"Agent Hunter Ashley, it's lovely to finally speak to you. You've been chasing me for quite a while, huh?”

I don't need to see who it is to know who the voice belongs to. When I respond back to him, my voice is equally as cold and detached.

"Christopher Black.”