Chapter 26: Chapter 26

Christopher Black's location is two miles away from the home he shares with Calvin. Perched between two other large houses is a grand mansion that is hidden in plain sight for everyone to see. From the outside, the building appears to be completely normal but I can't begin to imagine what happens inside those walls. The house is protected by a tall iron gate, running all the way around the building. The image of Christopher Black and Veronica flashes through my mind for the millionth time and I grimace.

"I can't believe I've seen my boss screw Christopher Black." I shudder.

"Language Hunter." Margaret warns me, her tone stern as she continues searching the house through her binoculars.

"Sorry." I apologise sheepishly, forgetting that I'm not just on a mission with two other agents but two retired agents who don't appreciate my language. There's a shuffle a few feet away from us and I turn to find Ted speed walking towards us. He's holding a small electronic screen in his hands, pressing buttons on it with a concentrated frown on his face.

"What's that?" I question him, gesturing at the device he's holding. Ted barely lifts his head up to respond —

"I've planted security camera's around the perimeter of the building. These are the eyes in the back of our head Hunter." Ted explains, passing the device to me. I nod and take it from him, looking down at the screen. It's filled with several images, each one at a different angle of the house.

"It sure is a big house." I mutter under my breath, swiping across the screen. So far there's been no movement but we haven't been here for long. An FBI Agent needs to know when to strike and the best way to do it which means scoping out the place beforehand.

"Where do you think Micah is being held?" Margaret asks Ted and I whilst continuing to watch the house like a hawk. I'm surprised at their stamina despite their age and aspire to be like them when I'm older.

"He could be in any one of these rooms." I respond, sighing at the amount of windows the house has. How long is it going to take to find him? If we do, will we find him alive?

As I'm racking my brain for a solution, Ted walks over to Margaret and places a hand on her shoulder. She briefly pauses and turns, giving him a soft smile. The creases deepen around her kind eyes as she smiles and I can't help but notice how Ted mirrors her actions.

"Would you like some tea honey?" Ted says softly, bending down to lift the thermos mug he bought along. Margaret shakes her head and in that moment, realisation washes over me. In front of me I don't just have two retired FBI Agents but two people who are devotedly in love and want to live the rest of their lives together, in peace. An overwhelming sense of guilt fills me and I turn around, closing my eyes and breathing in deeply.

When I manage to push the fear aside of doing this alone, I hand Ted the screen I'm holding and bend down to unzip my rucksack. From inside I pull out the gun I borrowed from them and make sure it's loaded and ready to go.

"I'm going in, alone." I reveal bluntly, making sure I have everything I need. A knife is strapped to my lower right leg and I have hold of a small gun with enough rounds to get me through this.

"Hunter we've already spoken about — “

"No." I say, cutting Ted off.

He silences immediately, his eyes narrowing as he gives me a chance to speak. I hold my hand up, my eyes flickering between the both of them.

"I was wrong to drag you two into this. You don't want this, you don't want to live the FBI lifestyle anymore and that's okay. I admire you, I really do because you both got out. You have each other and I'm not being responsible for being the person who took that away from either of you." I say firmly. They both quieten down, giving each other side glances every now and then.

From the look on their faces, I know I'm right.

"I want you both to go home and get away from this house and this messed up situation." I finish, pulling over my jacket. I turn around and walk away, the leaves crunching under my feet. Before I get the chance to dive into the rescue mission for Micah, I stop and turn around.

"Thank you for everything." I say softly to both of them. They still don't respond but Ted gives me a small nod as if he understands.

I need to do this alone.

*****

When I'm halfway up the security gates at the back of the house, my phone begins to buzz in my back pocket. I curse under my breath and pull it out, balancing with one foot on a single metal pole.

"Hello?" I say quietly down the line, keeping my balance. I'm hanging halfway from the gate, my body dangling in the air like an acrobatic chimpanzee.

"Hunter, where are you?”

I freeze, my heart clenching hard inside my chest.

"C-Calvin," I breathe out, his voice sending shivers running through my body.

"That's my name. . ." Calvin drawls out, confusion lining his voice. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, still dangling from the gates of his father's illegal house where he's holding Micah. He doesn't know.

Either Calvin Black is an Oscar worthy actor or his father hasn't told him who and what I am.

"Calvin, hey." I mutter, hoisting myself up as quick as I can with one free hand. I grunt a little from the effort, wondering how the hell I've ended up in this situation.

"Wow, you're seriously acting weird, again. Is it because you've finally realised you're in love with me and now you're in too deep?" Calvin says, smugness lining his voice. Despite the messed up situation, I can't help but roll my eyes. It's followed by a sick feeling in my stomach, like I've been punched by a champion boxer.

"Erm, sure. That's it." I respond, my throat drying out considerably. I know I'm acting weird but I can't help it. My brain has been overworked the past few hours and I'm still sleep deprived. Soon enough, Calvin will know who I am and he'll hate me, despise me.

I jump down and land softly on the grass in Christopher Black's back garden. The house remains completely still and I stand up, creeping towards the back door. With one hand, I clutch my gun and the other, I'm still speaking to Calvin.

"Okay, spill. You just confessed to loving me but I know you're not even listening properly. What's going on Hunter?" Calvin says firmly down the line, his voice losing its sarcasm. I breathe out, pressing my back up against the brick wall as I shuffle against it.

"Where are you right now?" I ask him, my stomach twisting and turning in nerves. I continue to take deep breaths, sounding like I'm currently in labour giving birth to my lies and deceit.

"I'm at my Dad's, he — “

"Stop Calvin. Is he there with you?" I question him, cutting him off completely. He sounds extremely confused, his frustration seeping it's way through the phone. I glance around, studying my surroundings as I wait for Calvin to respond. I don't plan on walking through the back doors so instead I put my gun away and grab onto the marble ledge leading up to the first floor. With one large swing, I've hoisted myself up, landing on my feet in a crouched position. I turn around and come face to face with glass doors.

Inside I see Calvin Black standing up with his back to me. He's holding the phone up to his ear and his Dad is sat in front of him on a leather seat, a smug look on his face. When Christopher Black notices me, the smug smile on his face grows yet he remains seated, his arms folded. The evil twinkle in his eyes brightens and I know he's about to enjoy the stand off between his son and I. Instead of trying to kill me, he's going to let Calvin Black do his dirty work for him whilst he sits back and watches.

"What are you talking about?" Calvin says down the line. I watch him from behind as he reaches up with his free hand, raking it through the strands of his hair. I pull my gun out from my pocket as protection, holding it close to me as the grip on my phone loosens. Before I reply, I take one last look at him. He's wearing his signature all black outfit, his hair messy and rugged on-top of his head. I'd do anything to sit down and explain the situation to him but I know I won't ever get the chance.

Not now.

"Turn around." I whisper, dropping the phone from my grasp. It falls and clatters to the ground, smashing into several tiny pieces.