𝙑𝙞𝙭𝙚𝙣 || 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙧

Six.

Chapter six: Wraith

"You fucking lied to us."

"No, I didn't lie to you. I asked you guys to come down here, do reconnaissance, and make a plan. Now, we can execute that plan alone and take all of the money or you guys can fuck off and I'll bring the team from down here in. But I assure you, if I do that, this fucker will find out about it and he'll be gone. I need this guy."

Margo folded her arms as she stood close to a very pissed off Frankie. They were all under the impression that the agency were aware of them dancing with the devil but as it turned out, Santiago threw them all in at the deep end and paid their expenses himself, meaning if they died out here, they'd be ghosts and legally, their bodies weren't allowed to be brought home. Technically, he lied so that they could all follow his lead and execute one of the world's most dangerous men by hand.

"You know how many fucking bad men are out there all over the world?" Margo spat, eyeing Pope in betrayal.

Santiago nodded. "Yeah, well, this is my last one."

Tom, Ben and Margo all scoffed and snorted. Santiago was beyond devoted to giving innocent communities back their freedom after getting rid of the evil that riddled the cities. There was no way the man was stopping after the execution of a single drug lord and a few of his men. He was unstoppable, which was apart of the reason as to why Margo decided to join him on his warpath of destruction. They had a mutual interest of living for the danger.

"And you may not believe it, but I have been here for the last three years of my life, trying to make a difference but it's a fucking mess and it's all because of Lorea." Pope couldn't stress enough. "The thought of leaving everything we've done for the last seventeen years - with and without Vixen - with nothing to show for it-"

Tom interrupted. "Fuck you, nothing to show for it."

Pope ignored Ben's scoff. "Look, if we had accomplished half the things we've accomplished in any other profession, we'd be set for life!"

"Hey, man. That's the deal we cut." William told him.

"Well, it's a shitty deal."

"Yeah, well-"

Pope then addressed each of his friends individually by the point of a finger, beginning with Tom. "Because this man's a goddamn hero and he can't even send his kids to college. And Fish's the most talented pilot I know, and he's grounded on a bullshit coke rap. And how many times can your brother get the shit kicked out of him for-"

Ben interrupted, a stern look on his face. "I didn't get the shit kicked out of me, I won that fight."

"Sorry, Benny." Pope's empty apology was able to satisfy Ben before he turned to Margo. "And how many hours a week does Vixen have to work to make ends meet in one of the shittiest neighbourhoods in America? And how many more pep talks can you possibly give? I'm done, man. Both knees are shot. That neck operation I got last year made things a whole lot worse."

Pausing briefly, Pope then continued over the chirping of crickets. "So, the question is, do we finally get to use our skills for our own benefit and actually change something?"

***

The jeep's engine revved, speeding the vehicle at a higher velocity. The headlights struggled to protrude through the thick musk that lapped around them, swallowing the car in a grey cloud in the night sky. Although the vehicle was well equipped for this type of weather, driving in the dark unnerved Margo as she stared out the window, noticing they were very close to the edge of the highway with an almighty drop just inches away from they're tyres.