Wicked games

Chapter 18

I SAT PERCHED ON the edge of the rooftop, crouched down as I stared below. The University's garden stretched out before me, the ground packed with police officers and scared parents as they shouted for their children. Little did they know that the officers couldn't even lift a finger while we worked on it.

Boredom gnawed at me as I waited for this mission to wrap up. My eyes scanned the room through my binoculars. Most of the students were gathered in a corner, trembling and wide-eyed. Only two girls remained at the front, near the Russians. The redhead was on her feet, face contorted with fury as she talked back at the men. The blonde one, however, was on her knees, a gun pressed to her temple.

"Kai, what's the situation?" Hell's voice crackled in my earpiece.

"We're wasting our time." I grumbled, irritation creeping into my voice. "We should just storm the class and get it over with. The Russians don't stand a chance anyway."

Fire's growl came through the earpiece, dripping with annoyance. "Mind your own bussines, Kai."

I rolled my eyes. "You should be the one minding your business. Nikolai looks like he's about to blow the blonde's brains out."

Silence followed, but I could still hear her frustration through the comms. It didn't bother me, I was already used to her behaviour.

The blonde girl captured my gaze as I returned my attention to the classroom. There was something about her that made it hard for me to look away. Maybe it was the way her hair cascaded down her back in loose curls, or the way her face looked flush from crying. Maybe it was the way her eyes shone, fear etched into every line of her expression. Whatever it was, it pulled at me and I found it almost impossible to focus on anything else.

I shifted my position slightly, my eyes never leaving her. The mission might have been pointless and tedious, but the sight of her made it a little bit bearable.

My attention was drawn to the entrance of the room as Fire appeared, her hands gripped by two men. She wore an expression of feigned confusion, and I almost laughed. I knew better than to be fooled but her act; Fire was anything but innocent.

It didn't take long for her facade to crumble. The moment she found an opening, chaos erupted. She moved with precision and ferocity while she took down the two men, and soon another one was dead.

I tightened my hold on the crossbow, ready to intervene at any moment.

"What the fuck," I mumbled, confused as Fire pointed the gun to the blonde girl and shot.

I could see the girl trembling, clearly shaken up by her friend's action. For a second, it looked like she was holding her breath, waiting for the moment to pass. Then her eyes opened slowly, filled with a terror that made my heart clench.

I had seen countless of hostages before, all scared and crying and pleading for their life, but none had ever made me feel like this.

Shaking my head, I turned my attention to the job at hand, just in time as Nikolai raised his gun at Fire. I reacted instinctively, releasing the bolt from my crossbow. It sliced through the air with a swift swish, shattering the window and knocking the gun from his hand.

"Take them out already." I growled in my earpiece, Hell's eyes falling momentarily on me. Though I was sure he could barely see me, he knew exactly where to look.

This mission might have been routine, something we had to do for Fire, but I wasn't expecting it to feel so personal.

And for that, I would see it through to the end.

***

THE ENGINE IDLED QUIETLY as I sat in my car, fingers tapping the steering wheel in a fast beat, while my eyes remained focused on her house.