002

Chpter 13

                                                        ~Never Letting Go Of You~

The next day I was late to work and was half running half walking through the mall towards scoops when someone grabs me and kisses me. I pull away and realise it was Steve.
"What the hell" I say.
"Sorry we were hiding from a Russian" Steve explains.
I look over to Dustin whose mouth is hung open and holding a phone.
"Right" I say walking off.
I get to scoops and translate the rest of the tape.
I sit in the break room listening to it over and over whilst Robin served ice cream until there was a knock at the back door.
I open it.
"Delivery for you" a man said handing me a box.
"Thanks" I say taking the box and signing Steve's name on the clip board.
My eyes travel from his logo on his shirt that said Lynx to the logo on his hat.
"Have a nice day" he says as I give him the pen.
"Yeah you too" I respond.
The man walks off and I walk into the hallway after him.
On the back of his shirt was a picture of a silver cat.
And then it hits me I grab my notepad with the whole translation on it and push open the door.
I push past Steve and Dustin and run out of scoops.
"Hey Nat where are you going" Steve shouts after em.
I jump on the water fountain in the middle of the mall.
"A trip to china sound nice" I repeat as I spin in circles. My eyes land on the Chinese restaurant.
I look down at my notepad for the next phrase.
"If you tread lightly" i point at the shoe shop.
"When blue and yellow meet in the west" this one was harder to find until my eyes land on the massive clock on the wall.
"Natalie what are you doing" Steve asks.
"I cracked the code!" I respond jumping down from the fountain.

Later that night we all head onto a roof near the Lynx loading dock.
It was pouring with rain and I had Steve jacket on.
"Look for imperial panda and Kaufman shoes" I say.
Dustin used the binoculars to tell us what was in the boxes.
"They're with that whistling guy ten o'clock" Dustin points.
"What do you thinks in there?" Steve asks.
"Guns, Bombs" Dustin responds.
"Whatever it it they're armed to the teeth" I say pointing at the guards with guns in their hand.
"Hey what in there?" Robin asks as one of the guys opens a metal door and the lynx worker moves the boxes in there.
"Just more boxes" dusin replys.
"Let me check it out" Steve try's to grab the binoculars but Dustin pulls away.
Steve grabs them and hits it on a pipe grabbing the guards attention.
We all duck and Steve grabs my hand.
He lets go but I take back his hand scared.
"Stay here watch the door" I hear someone shout in Russian.
"Now I whisper and we all crawl to the door escaping safely back into the mall still not letting go of Steve's hand.

The next day Dustin comes back from spying on the Russians again and we all sit in the break room.
"That keycard opens the door but unfortunately the Russian with the keycard also has a massive gun" Dustin explains. "Whatever's in this room whatever's in those boxes they really don't want anybody finding it"
"But there's got to be a way in" Robin says.
"Well you know I could just take him out" Steve says.
"Take who out?" Robin asks.
"The Russian guard" Steve responds.
"Don't make me laugh" I scoff.
"What? I sneak up behind him I knock him out take his key card easy" he explains.
"Your forgetting the fact they're Russian and are probably much more trained then a boy who works at scoops ahoy for a living" I say.
"And did you not hear the part about the massive gun?" Dustin asks.
"Yes Dustin I did that's why I would be sneaking"
"Please tell me this and be honest have you ever actually won a fight?" Dustin asks.
"Okay that was one time-"
"Twice" I interrupt. "Jonathon year prior"
"Okay that doesn't count" Steve argues.
"Why wouldn't it? Because it looks like he beat the shit out of you" I retorted.
"How would you know you only moved to Hawkins last year?" Robin asks me.
"Oh uh Steve told me about it" I answer.
"He had a busted lip crooked nose it wasn't good which is why fighting a Russian guard is NOT a good idea" I say.
"That just might work" Robin says getting up and running to the tip jar. She grabs a handful of cash and runs out the shop Steve and I run to the counter and look at the empty tip jar.
"Hey some of that is ours!" Steve shouts.
"I'm trying to find us a way into that room" she says before running away.
I go back into the break room and sit on a chair.
If she finds a way into that room who knows what could happen.
It was too risky I had worked so hard to disappear of there radar and if they find me they find everyone who helped me.
Steve walks in.
"You ok?" He asks.
"What if we get caught or what if something bad happens?" My voice jolts at the thought of anything happening.
"Hey Robin has gone to find a safe way into that room and you don't have to do this if you don't want to" Steve reassures me.
"What if doesn't work and you get hurt what am I meant to do carry on selling ice cream" I get up from my seat.
"Nat your forgetting how powerful you are and how capable I am and Robin is going to find a better solution I know she is. Don't come if you don't want to"
"Oh I'm coming you can't protect yourself on your own" I take the ice cream scooper out his hand and he smiles.

Later on Robin comes back and places blue prints of the mall on the table.
"It is fascinating what 20 bucks will get you" she says. "These are the complete blue prints of Starcourt mall"
"So this is us scoop" she points at the shop on the blue print.
"And this is where we want to get she points in the other side of the paper where the loading dock is.
"I mean I don't really see a way in" Steve says.
"There's not" Robin removes the blue prints of the table to reveal another set of blue prints except this one's more advanced. "If your talking exclusively about doors"
"Air ducts" dustin says.
"Exactly" Robin grabs a pen. "Turns out this secret room needs air just like any old room and these air ducts lead all the way here" she draws a squiggly line through the vents all the way to the loading docks.
We all look up at the vent in the break room.

Steve opens it with a screwdriver.
"Flashlight" he demands and Dustin hands him one. "Yeah I don't know man I don't think you can fit in here it's like super tight" he says.
"I'll fit trust me no collar bones remember" dustin reminds him and Robin and I share a look.
"Uh excuse me?" Robin asks.
"Oh he's got some disease it Uh chry it's chrydo something" Steve attempts. "He can bend like gumbo"
"You mean Gumby" Robin corrects him.
"I'm pretty sure it's gumbo" Steve retorted.
"Steve just shut up and push me" Dustin shouts half way in the vent.
Steve grabs his feet and try's to push him in.
"Not my feet dumb ass push my ass" Dustin shouts.
"What?" Steve asks.
"Touch my but I don't care!" Dustin screams.
"I'm pushing" Steve shouts.
"Push harder" Dustin argues.
Robin and I try to hold back our giggle as we watch them.
The Bell at the counter starts to ring and we both turn around.
"Ahoy sailors all hands on deck get over here and serve me some samples" Erica says continually ringing the bell.
Robin and I look at eachother.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" I ask.
"Yep" and we both leave the break room and walk over to Erica.
After luring Erica into the break room and explain to her what we're trying to do she looks into the vent.
"I don't know" she says climbing down from the ladder.
"You don't if you can fit?" Robin asks.
"Oh I can fit I just don't know if I want to" Erica says.
"Are you claustrophobic?" I ask.
"I don't have phobias" she scoffs.
"So what's the problem?" Steve asks.
"I want to know what's in it for Erica" she says.
After serving her mountains of ice cream we all sit at a booth with her watching her slurp on a drink.
"More fudge please" she says as she hands Steve back an ice cream boat.
Steve takes it annoyed and walks back over to the counter.
"Hey Natalie can you come and refill the fudge my hands are full!" Steve shouts from the counter
I roll my eyes get up and grab a jug of fudge.
"Could you not have just put down the ice cream" I say struggling to lift the fudge.
I finally fill up the machine.
"All yours" I walk back to my seat.
"I'll do it but free ice cream. For. Life" Erica says slurping on her drink.