“Nice of you to finally show up!” I waved my hands in fake frustration, clapping Rory playfully on the shoulder as he came to a stop next to me.
“We got the wrong directions,” Kyle mumbled, cutting a glare at Jaiden.
“Well, you’re here now. Deal with this mess,” Jaiden said, picking up Brennon’s bag. “We’ll take this to the boss. Moira, let’s go.”
Rory grumbled as he walked over to the dead woman, and I swallowed, suddenly wishing to leave as soon as possible.
Chapter 8
“We should have at least taken a look at the device,” I whispered to Jaiden as we strode to Sheridan’s office. We’d been ordered to immediately bring the device and I wasn’t even sure if we should be handing it to Elemontera just like that. Who knew what they planned to use it for? I doubted it was anything good.
Jaiden snorted. “As if we’d know anything about it.”
“Okay, fine. Whatever you say.” I didn’t have any more time to argue because the door of Sheridan’s office swished open. My heart jumped into my throat when my eyes met the boss’ cold, gray eyes. What the hell was he doing here? He leaned back in Sheridan’s chair, his lips pressed into a tight line. Sheridan lounged in a chair opposite him, a soft smile on her lips, her blue eyes sparkling.
“I’m so glad to see you back!” she said, her gaze focusing on me. “Did you enjoy your first mission? I hope you understand our cause better now.” She got up and took the bag with the device from Jaiden. “I’ll take care of this.”
“Yeah, totally,” I said with the cheerfulness I didn’t feel.
“I knew it!” Sheridan glanced at the boss, who cracked his knuckles, her smile fading. “The mission went well, don’t you think, sir?”
“We got the device and Brennon, so yes, I’d say that’s acceptable, but I can’t help but wonder...” He pinned Jaiden with an angry glare. “What happened to the unidentified elemental that was spotted near your location?”
“He got away before...” Jaiden’s voice wavered a little.
“He got away?” The boss let out a derisive laugh. “So you did get a better look at him, but still he got away. Tell me, Jaiden, how does an untrained elemental get away from someone with abilities like yours? They say you’re our best agent. I’m starting to wonder what that says about our organization.”
Jaiden’s gaze was fixed to the floor. Heat flushed through my body as I ground my teeth. Why the fuck was the boss upset when we’d done exactly what he’d asked for? “Sir, some random person wasn’t a bigger threat than Brennon. Our hands were full. Even our backup failed to show up on time.”
The boss’ eyes met mine, his eyebrows raised, the corners of his lips quirking up slightly. “I don’t remember asking you anything.”
“I don’t remember you asking us to bring in anyone other than Brennon.”
Jaiden flinched, his head jerking up as his wide eyes stared at me. Then he shook his head slightly.
“You did quite well on your first mission, so I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that,” the boss said, his voice like acid. I bit the insides of my mouth to stop myself from saying anything else.
“Moira, darling, you can come talk to me later if you wish. First missions can be stressful,” Sheridan said, pulling the bag open. “You’re both dismissed.”
Jaiden took me by the arm and we were outside before I could take a better look at what was in the bag. As we rounded the corner, he pulled me to a stop, his face contorted with fury.
“Don’t do that ever again!”
“Do what?” I crossed my arms, hoping he wouldn’t mention anything about me asking him to let Max go. I wouldn’t blame him if he did, though. It was my fault the boss was angry with him, but I still wouldn’t have changed my mind or done anything differently.
“Talk to him like that!”
I blinked. “You mean defend you in front of the boss? Are you kidding me? He didn’t have any right to attack you like that. It took a lot of energy to capture Brennon, not to mention we could have gotten killed! He should at least consider that or go after elementals on his own.”
Jaiden touched the base of his neck, frowning. “But he wasn’t talking to you, okay? He was talking to me. You should have just let it go.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he stormed down the hall. Maybe he was offended because he thought he didn’t need anyone to defend him, but he hadn’t exactly been making his case. I wasn’t sure I’d ever figure him out. If only I knew why he was working for Elemontera in the first place. One thing I was sure of, though; he was afraid of something. I just didn’t know of who or what.
The next morning, I aimlessly strolled the halls until I found myself again in front of Sheridan’s office. She’d offered to talk to me, so maybe she’d give me some answers. I raised my hand, but the door opened by itself before I could knock.
“Oh, it’s you. Come on in, Moira.” She quickly tapped the screen of the device she was holding and it went dark. “Please take a seat.”
“Thanks.” I settled myself in the chair, smiling shyly at her. “I didn’t mean to upset the boss. I guess I was just...” I lowered my gaze to my hands in my lap. “I don’t usually react that way.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m sure the boss has more important things on his mind.” Sheridan got to her feet and picked up a bottle of water. “But tell me how you felt about your mission. Was everything okay?”
“Yeah, I guess. It wasn’t like... It wasn’t like I’d expected.” I met Sheridan’s eyes as she placed the bottle in front of me. “I didn’t want anyone to die, and that woman...” My breath hitched in my chest as I summoned the images of the woman’s dead body back into my mind. I had no desire whatsoever to share my feelings with Sheridan, but if I faked everything, she’d realize it and wouldn’t give me the information I wanted.
Sheridan’s eyes softened. “That woman’s death wasn’t in vain. You made sure of that. I’m so proud of you.”
“Really? It wasn’t?” My eyebrows went up. Sheridan had threatened to harm everyone I cared about and now she was proud of me? That was seriously messed up. Why did she even bother to pretend to be nice to me if she could always simply threaten me? Or did agents do their jobs better if they convinced themselves they were doing things of their own free will?
“We prevented a dangerous elemental from doing more harm and we got the device. That means we saved thousands of people.”
“Thousands?” Brennon wouldn’t have killed thousands of people, so did that mean the device could somehow do that?
Sheridan nodded. “As you can see, Elemontera is doing the world a huge favor.”
“Is that device really that hazardous?” I cocked my head.
“Yes. It’s an important piece of a biochemical weapon.”
“But who would need such a weapon and why?”
A sly smile spread across Sheridan’s lips. “Someone who wants something really badly.”
“Are you going to destroy it?” I held my breath, hoping this time Elemontera would do the right thing.
“We’ll take care of it.” She leaned on the edge of the table, crossing her arms. They weren’t going to destroy the device. How predictable.
“Great!” I gave her my best smile. “When can I go on another mission?” I had to figure out a way to alert someone who didn’t have homicidal tendencies about the device. It couldn’t stay in Elemontera’s hands no matter what.
“We didn’t plan on sending you on another one so soon, but I guess I can persuade the boss to let you go on the next one.” She beamed.
“Thank you.” I got up, and this time I didn’t have to force myself to smile. Sheridan seemed to like me or at least she thought my abilities had a lot of potential. Sucking up to her a little didn’t sound like a bad idea. Being a favorite of someone in power could certainly help me and even provide me with a means of escape. But still, I had to be careful. Sheridan could be acting as well just to see how I’d react. Surely, she co
uldn’t be thinking I had completely changed my mind about Elemontera in such a short time, especially when my parents’ lives hung in the balance.
“Oh, just one more thing before you go,” Sheridan said as I was about to walk through the door.
I glanced at her over my shoulder.
“You might run into Noah in the hall.” She winked. I inclined my head and hurried into the hall, feeling as if my knees were about to give out, my mouth dry. If Elemontera planned to let Noah walk around like any other agent, that could mean only one thing; Noah’s fate was in Jaiden’s hands. If Jaiden mind-controlled him like Elemontera wanted him to, I didn’t even want to think what that would mean for Noah. But if Jaiden did as I’d asked him to, then there might be hope for all of us after all.
Chapter 9
I hadn’t seen Noah, even though I’d been prowling the halls for hours. As I chewed on my lip, someone lightly touched my shoulder, making me jump.
“Sheridan wants to see us. Now,” Jaiden said, dark circles under his eyes, his brow wrinkling. He strode off before I could ask him anything, so I rushed after him. Could there really be another mission so soon or was something up? The door of Sheridan’s office was open and I could see the boss and Sheridan poised over some papers on the desk.
Sheridan looked up as Jaiden and I came inside. “We have spotted three or four tainted elementals nearby.” She pushed three pictures across the desk toward us. One quick look at the pictures made my heart skip a beat, nausea rising in my stomach. I went completely still, barely breathing and praying my face wouldn’t betray any emotion. It was easy to recognize Ashley, Bailey, Sam, and Marissa on the photos. If Jaiden felt something, he wasn’t showing it in any way, his face a mask of mild disinterest. Ashley and the others must have left the safety of the hideout on the island to look for Noah, Jaiden, and me.
“And?” Jaiden said. “They seem like a bunch of kids. Why didn’t our team bring them in?”
“That’s the problem,” Sheridan said. “Our team failed to capture them. These elementals are good at getting away. We’ll send another team after them as soon as we detect them. You two will go with the team.”
“Sheridan, are you sure this is a good idea?” the boss asked, his eyes raking over me. “Moira might compromise the mission. I doubt she’d like to help us with something she feels would benefit only us.” His gaze fell on Jaiden. “And Jaiden failed to capture one elemental last time, so he might not even be of any use to the team.”
Sheridan grimaced. “I’m sure Moira understands that powerful elementals should be supervised, otherwise they could use their abilities for nefarious purposes. Right, Moira?”
“I suppose we’ll find out.” The boss offered me a chilling smile. “But if the mission mysteriously fails, someone will pay for that.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. How could I help my friends without putting my parents’ lives in danger?
“You’re free to go for now,” Sheridan said.
I almost ran out of the office, but I knew the cameras were watching my every move, so I did my best to remain calm.
“Hey, wait,” Jaiden yelled, catching up to me.
“What?” I pressed my lips together.
He leaned forward, his arm snaking around my waist. “If you want help with the mission, come to the showers in two hours.” With a smile, he let go of me and walked away. I started after him. What the hell was he talking about? Did I dare to think he might be willing to help? No, I didn’t.
“Moira?” A shy voice behind my back made me spin around.
“Noah!” A smile broke out on my lips as I saw his blue eyes. Putting my arms around him, I pulled him close to me, relief overwhelming me. “Oh my God, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He stepped back to look at me up and down. “You look great.”
“Thanks.” I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, unsure how to check if Noah had been mind-controlled. For all I knew, Jaiden could have done it without doing any damage to Noah’s brain, but what if the damage couldn’t be observed so easily? “So, umm, what are you doing?”
“Not much.” He shrugged. “Waiting for a mission, I guess.”
I considered trying to create a sound barrier with my air, but I was sure Elemontera would block my elements in a second. “I’ll go on my second mission soon. It’s about some elementals like us.” I looked deep into his eyes. “Sheridan might let you join the team if you ask her.”
Noah’s gaze didn’t waver. “I’ll do that. I’d love to help you.”
“Yeah, I’d love to have someone I can trust at my side.” I raised an eyebrow at him.
“You can always trust me.” He slowly blinked. Jaiden could have mind-controlled him to lie to me, but I hoped I was right to assume Noah’s mind was untouched.
“See you around,” he said.
“Yeah.” I grinned. Now I only had to find out what Jaiden wanted from me.
I slipped into the area with the showers, carrying a fresh set of clothes and a towel. Even if Jaiden changed his mind, I could always pretend I just came to shower. The faint sound of running water could be heard from one of the showers, and I wondered why Jaiden had asked me to come here when he had to know someone could walk in on us. Besides, the cameras were in here, too, except in the showers themselves.
The water stopped and I heard the shower door slide open. “Hey, you came,” Jaiden said softly, and I turned my head to look at him. His dark brown hair was completely wet, tiny droplets of water gliding down his muscular chest and getting lost in the towel around his waist. “Wanna join me?”
I gaped at him.
“Don’t worry. No one will be able to hear us.” He winked. I tore my eyes from him and glanced at the showers. If we went inside, no one could read our lips, and with the door closed and water running, they wouldn’t be able to hear us either. Oh, right. But wouldn’t they send someone for us if we did that? Unless they assumed we were... I blushed. So the only way to talk to Jaiden was to make everyone think I had sex with him? Aw, perfect. He had better have something smart to say or I’d set him on fire.
“Okay.” I strolled toward him, trailing my finger over the glass doors of the showers until I reached him. “Help me with this.” I tugged on my top. His lips parted slightly and I thought he’d refuse, but he pulled the top over my head and tossed it to the floor, his eyes traveling all over my body as I slid off my pants and kicked them aside along with my shoes.
We got into the shower and Jaiden closed the door, locking it in place. Glad that the showers were big enough and didn’t have any openings except the air filter, I pressed myself against the wall, feeling strangely naked just in my bra and panties. Jaiden let the water run and stepped closer to me, clutching his towel.
“What did you want to tell me?” I whispered.
“I assume you’ll try to do something to stop Elemontera from capturing the elementals from the hideout.”
I took a good look around me to spot any eavesdropping devices Jaiden might have planted in here. “My friends, Jaiden. Your friends.” Was he trying to help me or help Elemontera?
He looked away. “We have to do something, but it won’t be easy.”
“Does that mean you want to help them, too?” I gave him a questioning look.
His dark eyes, full of annoyance, met mine. “Of course I do! I risked everything today by not mind-controlling Noah. Can’t you trust me for at least a moment?”
I crossed my arms. “Thank you for that, but no, I can’t trust you. But it looks like we’re on the same side on this, so what’s your plan?”
He sighed. “There’s a device that can temporarily block the tracker in our bracelets.”
“And no one will figure it out? Because if they do, and something happens to my family...”
“No, they won’t figure it out. Not if we’re careful.”
“Okay. Then what? We just go with the team and use the device...”
Jaiden ran a hand ac
ross his face, pushing a couple of wet strands out of his eyes. “It’s not that simple. There is only one device that can do that and it’s in a well-protected office.”
“Let me guess. It’s in the boss’ office?” A tic started in my jaw.
He nodded. “I’d get it by myself if I could, but there’s a camera in there that no one is supposed to know about. If I go there alone or something happens to the camera, the whole office will be searched.”
“Can’t you just turn into air? Cameras can’t detect us.”
“No, when you enter the office, the bracelet automatically blocks your elements.”
“Ah, wonderful.” The water was tickling my toes, the steamy air making it hard to breathe. “So how do we get it?”
“I came up with a plan, but you won’t like it.” He cringed.
I arched my eyebrows at him. Yeah, I didn’t like the sound of that. “Just tell me.”
“Umm... We could pretend you and I... that we are together.”
A frown creased my brow. “Together how? Like now?”
“Yeah. The office is on the way to my room and if I wanted to take you to my room, we’d have to pass right next to it. If we started making out and sort of barged into the office, we could steal the device.
“Wouldn’t the boss notice the device is missing?”
“He could, but I think he won’t because he hasn’t used it in ages. It’s a private office. There are many things on his desk and unless he sends someone to search through it, he probably won’t notice.”
“And how are we...”
Jaiden put his hand over my mouth and I almost pushed him away but realized his whole body was alert.
“Jaiden? Are you there?” a guy yelled.
“Shit. They must have figured out something was wrong.” He let go of me and started to turn around, but I caught his wrist, shaking my head. I had to make sure neither he nor anyone could prove I was conspiring something, and for that we had to be convincing.
“Have you done this before? With girls?” I asked quickly.
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