Crossing Boundaries

The Sneaky Thief

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As Mr. Blackbourne and Kota entered the town that was indicated on the GPS, they came across a familiar black jeep idling next to a small convenience store. Mr. Blackbourne stopped the car next to the jeep and hopped out. He approached the jeep cautiously but relaxed when the grinning face of Luke Taylor appeared through the window.

"How on earth did you get here before us," Kota whispered sticking his head out of his own window.

Luke simply grinned and said, "Shortcut."

Mr. Blackbourne shook his head and changed the subject; he would be getting a full report from them later anyway. Right now, from what he could hear from Sang's phone, things were starting to get heated and they had to get to Sang, fast.

"Okay, the place they are at is just around the corner but we don't want to alarm them. Sang is in a very precarious situation. They are currently waiting for whoever they are going to meet."

"Shouldn't we intervene before this person arrives?" Asked Luke.

"No, we need to observe first, see what the situation is like. Come, we are on foot from now."

They got out of the car silently. At this time of night, there wasn't a single soul out on the streets. This made it easier slinking through the cover of darkness but it also meant that any noise could carry. Luke went up front to lead the group. His stealthy feet and sharp intuition made him the unofficial guide. Once they got to the back of the parking lot, Luke hid himself behind the bushes that bordered the place. They could hear faint sounds coming from the other side. The rest of the Academy boys followed Luke. It was a bit of tight squeeze to keep them all shielded but when it came to getting Sang back, they were taking no chances.

Luke peered over the bushes. Yep, there was North's black sedan parked under the streetlight and another car had just pulled up next to them. They could make out a vague shadow from inside the sedan. That must be Sang. A man stepped out from the other car and while the boys could not quite make out the features of the person, they knew that this man was definitely someone of authority given the way he barely kept his anger under control and the way Dr. Reed was cowering in front of him. They needed to get Sang out but at the moment with both men out of their cars there was no way they could get Sang out of there undetected.

They moved onto the topic of what to do with Sang. The boys glanced at one another. Mr. Blackbourne gave them a 'hold on' sign. When the man stepped under the light, Mr. Blackbourne immediately knew whom they were dealing with. He had placed a bug on Mr. Hornet that day at the shelter, and while he couldn't pick up any illegal activities from Mr. Hornet, there was something shady about him even back then. Once Mr. Hornet had spotted Sang in the car, he had instantly recognized her. At the point when Mr. Hornet had called Mr. Blackbourne a suit, Luke quietly snorted, though this was no time to be making jokes.

When Mr. Hornet shoved Sang towards the trunk, the boys held their breaths. Sang was being pushed around and they could already see bruises forming on her arms. All the boys wanted to do was rush in and grab her but this was not the time to make hasty moves even if their feelings were warranted. Mr. Blackbourne signed to Luke to make a move at his signal. North had already passed the spare keys of the car over to Luke. The trunk cover could be popped open with the key fob. After Mr. Hornet had shut the trunk, he returned to Dr. Reed who stood there staring in incredulity and with slight sadness. It was clear to see that he felt some sort of remorse towards the young girl who was currently trapped in the trunk. Dr. Reed might be a criminal but he had never intended to hurt Sang. Mr. Hornet snapped Dr. Reed out of his thoughts by barking at him, "We need to make a move before anymore people decide to crash this operation."

Mr. Hornet returned to his car and slid inside. Dr. Reed turned with him and asked, "But, what about the girl? We can't keep her locked in there."

At this point, Mr. Blackbourne gave the signal to Luke. Both the men had turned their backs to the car meaning they had a small window of opportunity to gather Sang. Luckily the back of the car was turned more towards them; if Luke crept his way over, keeping to the ground, he might just be able to make it undetected. Luke slunk out from under the bush. He wasn't known as a sneaky thief for nothing. He'd executed this kind of plan before many times. He is usually pretty high in demand when it comes to espionage and retrieving work for the Academy. After clicking the trunk open (the sound so faint that neither Dr. Reed nor Mr. Hornet noticed), Luke crouched down at the back of the car and slowly eased the trunk open a tiny sliver. He peered inside to see a frightened Sang with dried tears streaking her face. Luke felt his heart jump inside his chest. His sweet girl, his sweet Forever trapped like an animal in such a tiny space filled Luke with a fierce need to protect and cherish this girl and hurt the bastards who made her like this.

Luke put a finger to his lips and urged Sang to scoot herself closer to him. Luke reached his arms inside and guided Sang out, careful not to jostle her too much. This maneuver took them some time as Luke had to pause a few times to make sure both the men's attentions were occupied elsewhere. They were still arguing about what to do with her. Luke managed to get Sang onto the ground beside him. Luke could make out faint sounds of sirens in the distance and unfortunately the two men could hear them as well. Quick as a flash and before the two men turned around, Luke dragged Sang into the shadows so nothing seemed amiss to the two men.

Luke and Sang could hear them yelling to the other to get the hell out of there. Mr. Hornet and Dr. Reed tore themselves back into their cars and hightailed it out of the car park. Neither of them checked to see if their 'passenger' was still with them.

Luke silently carried Sang back into the bushes to where the others were waiting. Once Sang laid her eyes on the anxious faces of the boys, she broke down into tears. She threw herself into Luke's arms as he was closest to her and hiccupped out a teary "Thank you." Sang sobbed into his arms for a few seconds. The boys looked on with relief and tenderness written on their faces. Never again are they letting her out of their sight. Sang twisted out of Luke's arms and clamped herself around Mr. Blackbourne's neck. Mr. Blackbourne held her gently and stroked her hair. After all the boys had had their turn cradling a still sobbing Sang, North carried her to the Jeep and laid her down on the back seat. Luke scooted himself inside with her and held her close. The ordeal was over and they needed to get her home.