DEATH EMPRESS - JACK WILDER [1]

7: Crash

     All of us Horsemen are currently running around like chickens without heads. The FBI are wasting no time coming for us and we are literally shit screwed. I look up from the endless stacks of paper on the desk to see Daniel smash Rhodes' phone with his foot.

     "The firewall's down," Henley says, typing away on the computer. "Do they know about this?"

     "They who?" Daniel asks.

     "I think she's referring to they, them, or whoever we're working for," I answer.

     "Who are we working for?" asks Merritt with a bunch of rolled up papers in his arms. "And are we prepared to go to jail for them?"

     "Okay, stop being paranoid," Daniel says.

     "It really does happen."

     "Yeah, it happened to you. It doesn't mean it's gonna happen to us," Daniel says and I swear I heard a hint of nervousness in his voice.

     "Guys, I don't know if I can do this, alright. I don't want to go to jail, you know?" Jack says as Daniel hands him some papers.

     "Then don't screw up. Alright, you're always talking about how you wanna be treated like an adult, now might be a good time to start acting like one. Stick to the plan. Stay here and burn it all," Daniel says rather harshly.

     "Hey, Danny, ease off, would ya?" I say, giving him a stinky look. "There's no need to treat him like shit."

     "I'm not. I'm just simply stating that if he doesn't pull this off correctly, we could all go to jail. Do you want that?"

     "No, which is why I am staying here with him and helping him burn all the papers," I say, crossing my arms. "Besides, I'm not even sure I understand what the plan is."

     "Uh, Kate," Henley says. "That's probably not the best idea you've ever had. Maybe you should come with us."

     "And do what, exactly? No, I am not leaving Jack alone. I am staying here and there is nothing that will change my mind."

     "But your ankle—"

     "My ankle is fine. Would everyone please stop babying us just because we're the youngest ones?"

     Daniel shakes his head. "You know what, yes. Go ahead, Kate. Stay behind and do whatever you want. It probably works better this way, right?"

     I walk over to Jack and take some papers out of his arms to throw in the fire. Everyone in the room stares at me uneasily, except for Danny who seems to be the most at ease for the first time in the longest time.

     "I don't know what I'm doing here," Merritt says, diverting away from our conversation.

     "Well, I don't know what you'll do anywhere else," Danny says.

     "I'm here for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. That's it. Then I'm gone." Merritt slams some papers on the table, indicating that he is not messing around.

     I frown at his confession. As much as I hate to admit it, I know that once this is all over we'll all go our separate ways and never speak to each other again. A part of me really wishes that we can continue this trick on forever.

     "You can do whatever you want when this is over, Merritt, but until then you stick to the plan," Henley says.

     "Still don't know what the plan is," I say under my breath, throwing more papers in the fire.