Ian turns to me.
“Can you unlock the window? My arm is too big for this angle.” He whispers the words so quietly that I barely make them out.
I nod, scooting over to the widow. I reach my arm in, easily unlocking it. Once I move my arm out, West is there, pushing the window open so we can climb in. Kal goes in first, but nobody moves to go in after him. I realize he’s probably going to scope things out and make sure that it’s safe. My heart races as I wait for him to come back—I hope he’s okay.
In a few minutes Kal shows up at the window and motions us to come inside. When I see him standing there, I let out a breath in relief. Alek goes in next, followed by Ian. I go to climb in, but West grabs me, lowering me inside.
After this mission, I am going to have a serious talk with them about babying me.
Alek grabs onto my waist so West lets go, and Alek gently sets me down on the floor. I glare at him, but he ignores me as West joins us.
I look around the big, empty room. I guess that since he just moved in, he hasn’t had time to decorate yet, because what I can only assume is the master bedroom is completely bare.
The floors are carpeted with fluffy white carpet. I almost feel bad walking on the floors with my shoes on until I remember the guy who is staying here is an assassin.
West turns to us and whispers, “No matter what, we stick together.” He looks at Kal. “You keep an eye on Princess.”
A babysitter? Really?
I swear, as soon as this mission is over, I am going to kick his butt for this.
West walks out the door first and heads down a hallway. Kal grabs my hand and pulls me with him. I only let him because of what West said. West is the leader of our group and the middle of a mission is not the time to defy him, no matter how badly I may want to.
West walks down the hallway. He stops by every single door to listen before moving forward. We eventually walk down a set of stairs. At the bottom, I can hear voices coming from a nearby room, meaning our assassin isn’t alone.
West pauses, looking at each of us. His gaze finally settles on me. He frowns. Knowing him, he’s probably wishing he had left me at the hotel. He holds out his gun and begins walking toward the voices. The rest of us do the same.
We find two guys standing in the kitchen. I recognize one of them as our target. But I don’t know the guy standing next to him. He’s pale, with a bald head and he has a huge tattoo on his forearm that says ‘Mom’ inside a heart. I don’t know why I find the tattoo funny, but I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Laughing right now would be inappropriate.
Nicholas Johnson stands beside him, both of them with their hands raised in the air as we point guns at them. Nicholas has lighter blond hair now, and he looks like he’s gotten a bit of a tan. I guess he’s enjoying his ‘vacation’ in Santorini.
Nicholas laughs as he looks at us. “Spy School sent kids after me? Pathetic.”
The bald guy next to him mumbles something in Greek. Nobody in our group speaks the language—why would we learn it unless we were coming on a long-term mission in Greece? But this... this is a short mission. We have one job only, and that’s to detain Nicholas Johnson. Well, and his bald friend that really hearts his mommy.
West moves in toward Nicholas, his gun out in front of him, and Alek goes for the other guy. They don’t try to talk or anything—they’re just all action. But before Alek can grab the bald guy, he takes off running as fast as he can.
Alek swears in Russian, running after the guy, and Ian goes with him. In the chaos of the other guy running, Nicholas pulls his own gun from his pocket.
West’s shoulders tense up. I’m sure he’s mad at himself for even letting the guy grab his gun. But he got distracted. We all did.
Nicholas points his gun at West first, then Kal, and finally he points his gun at me.
I’ve never had a gun pointed at me before. I was trained on what to do if it happens, but training for something and it actually happening are two very different things. It’s terrifying to know that all he would have to do is pull the trigger and I would be dead within a split second.
Kal steps in front of me.
“Interesting,” Nicholas says.
I don’t have to see him to know that he’s grinning.
“You know, Spy School teaches against what you did just there,” Nicholas says. “Stepping in front of the girl when I had a gun aimed at her head. She must be important to you.”
More like a pain in their toosh, but sure—we’ll go with important.
“We’re not here to talk.” West’s voice is strained.
Nicholas is technically right. Spy School does tell us not to step between our teammates and somebody who is holding a gun. But everybody breaks that rule. Especially when we’re trying to protect our friends. West told Kal to protect me and that is exactly what he’s doing.
A shot goes off somewhere in the house and I flinch.
West breaths heavily and I can tell he’s worried about Ian and Alek.
A second shot goes off.
“Go,” Kal says to West. “I’ve got this.”
West shakes his head. “You have a gun pointed at your head. You don’t got this.”
He’s not wrong.
I step out from behind Kal. I am not going to let him get shot for me.
When I was a kid, I saw a video of my parents in a similar situation. A guy was pointing a gun at my dad, and my mom charged him. She managed to wrestle the gun away from him. Maybe I can do the same.
Nicholas sees me moving out from behind Kal and he quickly moves his gun from Kal to me, but Kal jumps in front of me as Nicholas pulls the trigger. When he pulls the trigger, West doesn’t hesitate. He pulls his own trigger and Nicholas goes down. His body hits the ground hard and his head bounces off the tile floor a few times before his body goes completely still. He’s not even bleeding, which means that his heart has stopped. But I’m more focused on the guy in front of me who is bleeding.
“Kal.” I lean over him. There is blood pouring down his arm at an alarming rate.
“Move,” West demands.
I step back and West rips the arm of Kal’s shirt, trying to get a better look at the wound. My stomach lurches at the sight of all the blood and my hand shakes, but I manage to keep it together.
“I’m okay,” Kal says, but his voice is weak and his eyes flutter shut and open again. He looks like he’s about to pass out.
West shrugs off his backpack, grabbing a first aid kit. He presses some gauze to the wound and presses down. Kal curses, but West keeps putting pressure on it. The gauze stains red at an alarming rate and all I can do is stand there and watch.
Kal saved my life. If he hadn’t jumped between Nicholas and me, I would have been a goner.
West glances over at Nicholas, who’s glossy eyes stare at the ceiling. He’s dead, so I try not to look at him. I’ve seen dead bodies before, but only at funerals. Never somebody who was still warm.
“So much for bringing him in alive.” West curses again.
I hear shuffling, so I look over and see Alek and Ian come in. They’ve got the bald guy with the mom tattoo detained. When Ian sees Kal on the floor, he rushes over.
“What happened?” Ian asks.
“Somebody couldn’t follow orders.” West glares at me as he says it.
He’s right. It is my fault.
“Now isn’t the time to cast blame,” Alek says. “We need to get this guy turned in and we need to get Kal to a doctor.”
Alek is right, but I still feel so guilty about what happened.
Ian stands up from the floor. “I’ll pull the car around.”
“Call Spy School while you’re at it,” West tells him. “Tell them we’ll meet at the safe house and that Kal needs medical attention.”
Ian nods. His eyes meet mine for just a second, but he turns away quickly.
Nobody will look at me or even acknowledge me.
I should’ve stayed behind Kal. If I had,
none of this would’ve happened. Instead, I nearly got him killed.
“Roxy, help me get him up,” West says.
My heart sinks as I realize he called me Roxy and not Princess.
I go past West and help him with Kal. We get him to his feet, but he leans on West as we walk from the house. Alek keeps our prisoner detained while we head to the car.
I came into this mission thinking that I could show the guys that I’m not the bad guy. I thought I could prove to them that I was ready for this job. The only thing I’ve proven is that they are right—I am a failure.
One more mess up.
Kal sits on an exam table, getting his arm stitched up. Though he was bleeding a lot, the wound wasn’t that bad. He just requires a few stitches and will have to go easy in training for a couple of weeks while he heals up.
I’m relieved that Kal is going to be okay, but I feel so guilty because I know it’s my fault he was injured in the first place. He got in front of me for a reason. It was his job to protect me. It’s why he jumped between me and the barrel of a gun. If only I had stayed still, he would be fine. The assassin would be in custody right now. Instead, he is dead. I just hope Spy School can get the answers they need from the bald guy.
The doctor puts the bandage on his arm, giving him instructions on how often he should change it. The stitches will dissolve on their own over time. He declines the pain pills that are offered to him, saying he’ll be fine with ibuprofen.
The doctor walks out the door, leaving Kal and me alone in the small room. I walk over to him as he is putting on a shirt. He winces when he moves his arm, but he manages to get the shirt over his head and he puts his arm in the sling the doctor gave him. I try to help, but he holds up a hand to stop me. I can’t blame him for not wanting my help. It’s my fault he was hurt in the first place.
“Kal, I’m sorry.” My voice breaks. I hate seeing Kal injured like this. I just wish I could take everything back.
“It’s okay, Roxy.” Kal puts his hand on my arm comforting me. “Even though you’re still new, I should have known that you would do something impulsive—that’s your personality. I just thought you would listen to West’s order and stand back to observe. It was my fault.”
His words make my stomach ache.
I can’t believe he thinks getting shot was his fault. It was my decision that got him shot.
“It was my fault. Not yours.” Tears press against the back of my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.
“I know you think that it’s me you should apologize to, but it’s not.” Kal sighs. “You need to talk to West.”
And that is what I dread. West is going to be very upset—he’s probably going to yell. A lot.
“West called me Roxy.” It’s what I’ve wanted for so long, but I hate it now. He only called me Roxy because he was disappointed in me. I’d rather he be mad than disappointed. That was the worst.
Kal chuckles. “Good luck. You’re going to need it.”
He walks out the door first and I follow behind him. I want to stay hidden behind him, but not even Kal can protect me from the wrath of West.
As soon as we walk out, West comes up to me, grabs my arm, and pulls me back into the room I was just in with Kal. He slams the door shut behind us and I flinch at the loud noise.
Now comes the yelling.
“You messed up.” West’s voice is surprisingly calm.
I don’t like calm. I’d rather he yell.
I nod. “I did.”
“I told you to let us handle it,” he says.
“The guy was pointing a gun at Kal. I couldn’t let him get shot for me.” I cringe as I realize what I said.
“You didn’t want him to get shot for you, but that is exactly what happened. Kal got shot for you.” West takes a step toward me and I have to look up at him. “I told you to stand back and observe, for a reason. I do it to every new member. I asked the same thing from Ian on our first three missions together, and Kal on our first four. I do what I do for a reason, and I am the leader of this group, not you.”
I nod. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t cut it.” West pinches his fingers over the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes like he’s trying to relieve the tension in his head.
I know that I messed up. I thought West was treating me like he was because I’m a girl, but that’s not it. He is treating me this way because I am new. The fact that I’m a girl has nothing to do with it.
The thing is, we weren’t perfect, but we were making progress. I was becoming friends with the guys. And now... every bit of progress has been reset. I’m back to the guys hating me, and I can’t even blame them this time. I would hate me, too, if I were them.
“No more mess ups, Roxy. And I mean it.” West looks at me, his eyes narrowed. “If you make even one more small mistake, you’re off the team.”
“I understand.” It’s what I deserve. Honestly, I don’t even deserve the spot I have now.
“If I kick you off the team, that is it. No more Royals,” he says.
I swallow hard at the threat.
All I’ve ever wanted my whole life was to be part of The Royals. It’s been my goal. Without it, I have nothing. I can’t get kicked off this team.
“What you did... you put Kal and me in danger. You put yourself in danger. That guy was a trained assassin. He’s had a lot more experience than us. You’re lucky that bullet just grazed Kal.” He huffs, turning away. “I honestly can’t even look at you right now. Just... get yourself together. You get to explain what happened to Michael Sinclair.”
Somehow, facing Michael Sinclair seems less scary than facing West.
“West,” I say, as he turns to walk toward the door.
He pauses, but doesn’t look at me.
“I really am sorry.” I don’t bother giving him excuses, because there are no excuses for what I did. I messed up big time and that is on me.
“I know, Roxy.”
West walks out of the room and I stand there for a few more seconds, staring at my shoes. My favorite pair of pink shoes have blood splatters on them—Kal’s blood.
My chest aches when I think about what I did. I thought I was being a hero, but I didn’t know enough about the case to act impulsively like I did. If only I had taken a few more seconds to think, I would’ve remembered that Nicholas was trained by Spy School—we’re taught to shoot first and ask questions later. We never put ourselves in harm’s way—it’s one of the first things we’re taught and it is drilled into our head day after day until it becomes second nature. And Nicholas knows that.
I shouldn’t have stepped out from behind Kal as abruptly as I did. I should have done it a lot slower and showed Nicholas that I wasn’t a threat. And I shouldn’t have been so mad about the way the guys were treating me.
It’s too late to take back what happened, but I make a promise to myself that it will never happen again. I won’t let anybody else take a bullet for me.
I walk out of the doctor’s office. Ian is standing there, waiting for me.
“The guys are waiting in the car,” he says simply, and turns to walk toward the door. He pauses, waiting for me, and as I come up beside him, he starts walking again.
If I thought Ian hated me before, it’s nothing compared to how he is now. And Kal, the only one who sort of liked me, will hate me forever. And West... well, he can’t even stand to look at me.
I will never fit in with these guys.
I’ve ruined everything.
Thursday, September 28
Delicate Princess.
It’s been nine days since Kal got shot.
Nine days since West or Ian have spoken a word to me.
And nine days of me getting the cold shoulder from all my teammates.
I can’t blame them for not wanting to talk to me. Heck, I don’t even want to be around myself at the moment. Especially when I see Kal during training. He can only use his left arm, and there are certain things he still can’t do beca
use, well, I got him shot.
But after a week and a half of me moping around, I figure it’s time I do something about it. I’m tired of letting my failure define me.
Yes, I screwed up. I screwed up on a huge level. But I can still come back from this mistake. And I will come back from this mistake.
I wake up in the mornings thirty minutes before everybody else so I can run an extra five miles before running with the guys. And when we go to training, I stay for an extra hour after they leave. I work with the trainer when he can stay. When he can’t, I work on other things.
At night, after I finish all of my homework, I spend a few hours working on learning French. My teacher says I’m doing great and I am definitely going to meet West’s insane deadline of December.
But all of this still isn’t enough. I need to be better. I need to train harder. And that is why, one Thursday afternoon, I approach West. He’s sitting by himself on the balcony. He does that a lot lately. I think it’s to get away from me, not that I blame him.
The condo that the guys and I share is small, and I swear the longer we’re there the smaller it gets. At least I have my room, which is technically West’s room, too, even though he refuses to sleep in there. Even his clothes are in his bags in the corner of the living room. He doesn’t want to share the same closet with me.
West looks up when he hears the door open, but his eyes harden as he looks back out at the water, completely ignoring me. If I sit down and don’t say anything, he will get up within a few minutes and go back inside.
I clear my throat as I sit down. “I, uh, need to talk to you.”
West doesn’t acknowledge that he heard me, but I know he did by the way his shoulders stiffen. Or maybe he’s just tense because I am out here with him and he doesn’t like to breathe the same air as I do... that could be it.
“I’m not here to apologize again. I’ve done that enough. You already know how sorry I am.” I lick my lips, which are suddenly very dry. “And I know I have no right, but I wanted to ask a favor of you.”
The Unwanted Spy Page 8
