She Will Persist

30

Adira

I felt like I was in zero gravity.

The dancers around me turned to wind up toys, the air fizzled into a heated cloud, and I myself felt weightless too, except for my head which felt like a boulder. There were not words to explain how it felt now that Axel and everyone else knew that I love him too.

So I, stupidly, stood frozen on the dance floor where Harrison left me, oh so amused with his crafty little trick, in complete and utter disbelief, robbed of the ability to breathe and to think straight.

"Fucking hell I can't get this last door open."

Seriously Blitz? Now? How the hell is a stuck door even remotely close to as relevant as the fact that the entire fucking mission group knows—

"The lockpick isn't working?" Zach asked.

Blitz groaned. "I don't have one."

"What about a regular knife?"

Wow so I guess we're all just ignoring that last conversation?

"It's blunt from cutting all the wires of the bombs, and it's too big for the keyhole. And this door is made of industrial grade fucking steel."

"It can be industrial grade vibranium and you still have to get in there," James said. "That's literally the most strategic position to place a bomb. Without that one, there's a chance Basilone could escape without getting completely blown to bits. We could blow up all the other bombs we've placed and it won't do nearly as much damage as it would if we just blew this bomb up."

Okay okay I get it, the stuck door is important.

"Someone go and help him," Owen commanded.

I tripped over my words for a little bit before I managed to stammer, "I have my lockpick." I scrambled off the middle of the dance floor and towards the entrance of the gala.

"Somebody care to initiate one of those distractions we went over?" I asked hurriedly as I tried to scuttle inconspicuously around all the people. Some of the women were decked out in so many diamonds I was worried if I looked straight at them I'd be blinded.

I heard a crash behind me but unlike everyone else I didn't snap my head up to see where it had come from. Axel or Harrison had probably pretended to be drunk and knocked over one of the champagne serving tables. Classic. Effective.

"James?" I picked up my pace as I neared the open doors.

"On it."

My heart raced as I slipped past the guards, who were furiously speaking into their headsets trying to figure out what the crash was.

"You're good, calm down," James said softly in my ear. "The cameras didn't see anything."

"Thank you."

I hurried around the warehouse and back to where my old clothes were. I took off the dress immediately, and slipped back into my black jeans and t-shirt, leaving the dress on the floor. There was no need to wear it anymore, so I just threw my real clothes straight on. I strapped my handgun and knives back to my thighs, then made sure all my other spying trinkets were clipped onto my belt and in my pockets. I hopped on one foot while weaseling my boots back on and lacing them up tightly, then sliding more knives inside them.

I put my hair back up in a ponytail and glanced up at the closest camera. "Enjoy the show?" I winked at the lens.

"Ha ha," James replied. "I'd love a warning next time, maybe set some music up and play it in slow motion," he said sarcastically.