Firebomb (The Jewel Project #2)

09.1|| The Agent

Chapter nine

The Agent

Sam had set them three breaks that night. He walked along, quietly, trying to wrap his mind around everything that happened. Snitch Gravel hadn't known they were there, they'd been drinking water ridden with toxic waste, Ron was Snitch Gravel's man... Jerry had pistol-whipped Von Crooken. It was that last thought that confused him the most.

He'd tried to find a pattern regarding the spoiled water's effect. He'd become incredibly angry and paranoid and totally, totally selfish. So, all of the defects he held in had poured out. His self-restraint had flown out the window. But what did that say about Jerry? Or Kyle who had turned into a walking vegetable?

He'd refused to take another sip of water, even if his throat burned. He lied to himself, thought he'd only have to last one more second without it. The seconds turned into minutes, the minutes into hours, and the burn finally subsided a little and was bearable.

For the first time, he noticed that William had also changed. Gone was what seemed to be a hyperactive four-year-old. He now stood quiet, sometimes looked around as though the setting seemed familiar, then lowered his eyes. Sam hoped this was a sign that William might be of some use to them after all.

Once the sun rose, Sam stopped. They probably had another hour or two to go until they reached the forest, but he wasn't forcing anyone to rough it up. Not anymore.

The others, however, bypassed him and walked on and Sam followed, smiling weakly. He hadn't heard any of the others talking and he had a feeling they were doing it out of solidarity. The thought cheered him up considerably.

They walked for another hour until they reached the forest. Sam stopped in front of the first tree. It wasn't as hot anymore and the trees would provide much needed shelter. Except it also provided shelter to Snitch Gravel's men.

"Are you all right, kid?" Kyle asked.

Sam jumped and almost toppled over. "I like it when you call me kid. It was weird when Jerry said it."

Kyle smiled, but it was obvious that he still wanted an answer.

Sam turned to the group, thinking feverishly. "I... I'm sorry. About being awful, about trusting Ron so much even after Billy warned me against him. It's just... Snitch Gravel has pulled this trick so many times already. I honestly thought he was bored with it by now."

"But what if Ron was telling the truth?" Jerry asked cautiously. "What if he really is another agent?"

"No, think about it. It would've been the first thing he had to say to gain my trust. I don't believe he randomly kept that piece of information hidden. He could have killed us in our sleep."

"Stop blaming yourself. We all thought he was harmless. Well, except Billy," Jimmy said adding the last part after catching Billy's eye.

"You said he was a traitor to Snitch Gravel," Jerry said warily. "Did you really mean that?"

Sam rubbed his chin, pondering on the answer. It was the one thing he'd avoided thinking about, because it got his hopes up. When he'd said it, he'd believed it, but he wasn't sure. "I don't know. I think he might be, but I don't have any objective reason. Just a gut feeling."

"Your gut feelings are usually pretty accurate," Jimmy pointed out.

Sam smiled and looked at the tree behind him. Once in the forest, the last semblance of safety would disappear. Snitch Gravel's men were probably crawling through the bushes, and now Ron was in there on God knew whose side. But the edge of the forest was the worst place to be, so Sam nodded his head and they entered the forest.