The Emptiness She Holds

The Mission

Chapter 13: The Mission

After Ryan dragged me to his soundproof office to yell at me about my "physical state" and how I should be taking it easy, I stopped listening. He started sounding like that boring old pharmacist lady who always went on about her dog Hershey eating her sandwich. All I wanted was headache relief — caused exactly by people like her.

Eventually, I took the meds and walked out of the store without even bothering to pay. (Calm down, people — I'm a child of God; I left fifty cents, duh.)

I convinced Ryan I was fine, except for the bandaged leg wound that flared with pain every step. (Did I tell him? Duh, no.)

He let me go on with the mission.

Right now, I'm in one of the black SUVs with Klaus, Xavier, and Electra. Our task? Infiltrate a mafia building without getting caught.

Easy peasy.

Everyone was in their mission gear — mostly black, so we could blend into the shadows. I adjusted the mic piece clinging to my ear, cranking the volume a bit.

"Nobody leaves this vehicle until Team One's in place. Cleo, join our team as soon as we enter," I said.

Static buzzed before Cleo answered, "Got it, boss."

I muted myself and turned to my teammates. "Klaus and I go first. Once we take down the first guards, you two follow behind, slow and steady. Electra, plant an explosive on every floor. While you're setting those up, Xavier, check the cells for prisoners. If you find any, bring them out the back door — Keon will be waiting in the van. Got it?"

They all met my gaze, no fear in their eyes.

"Yes, boss," came the response.

A smirk tugged at my lips as static crackled again and Team One reported, "We're in position, boss."

The car screeched to a stop.

"Facciamo questa merda." (Let's do this shit.) I nodded at the team.

Their smirks deepened as they pulled masks up and got ready.

I swung the door open and unmuted my mic.

With a swift leap, I landed softly, the SUV pulling forward. Behind me, I heard Klaus grunting, Electra moving beside him, and Xavier landing last on one knee.

From the corner of my eye, a shadow scurried along the wall, ducking suspiciously.

I rolled my eyes.

"Keon, any targets near our area?" I whispered into the mic.

"Nope. But inside the building, two guards patrol — one left, one right."

"Thanks," I muttered. "Stay put. I need to grab a stray cat."

Klaus furrowed his brow but said nothing.

I slid across the smooth cement in front of the building and caught sight of curly brown hair.

"Cleo, get your ass over here," I hissed.

She whipped her head around and clumsily crawled over.

We rejoined the others, who nodded a quick greeting.

"Klaus, we go first. Your target's on the right — eliminate quietly," I whispered.

He crouched next to me. "Stay put until we signal."

Klaus veered right; I moved left, a few feet ahead.

Light spilled from a back window, casting my shadow for any guard to spot.