Boulder (Riders of Apollo #5)

Chapter Twenty-One: Riley Everett

I hate planning.

That is the worst part about this job, the endless talking and pointing and blah blah blah. Chief, Johnson and I have been on call for three hours and it's three am. We bought burner phones so that MI6 don't have access to the call and I put my phones in the safe on airplane mode.

I didn't want to risk anything because the terrorist organisation is attached to MI6 in someway and they're the ones making this exchange. If they're warned about it then I'm fucked. I'm already at a severe disadvantage, I don't know how to take over a boat without blowing it up.

"Why can't I just sneak on board, kill as many as I can, get the crew off, rig a bomb to explode once we're a safe distance away?"

"You mean besides the shockwave and the problems with the FBI or the fact that we don't actually know what's in the other containers which could cause issues further down the line?" Chief explains and I bang my head on my floor.

"Fuck, evidence too. Everything on that ship can tell me who is running this shit on British soil." I grumble and cross out plans A-F (yes, that many relied on the blowing up of the ship just varying risk factors and lives saved).

"I think the best chance you have is get on that boat, after I've fucked with it's computers enough to stop it far enough out that no one can get to the boat to help them, kill the hijackers and go through all the shit that you can find." Johnson decides and Chief agrees.

I wail dramatically and roll onto my back. I've been led on the floor of my lounge for over an hour now and I'm grateful I stopped Boulder from coming back with me tonight, he doesn't need to know about this yet. "That's so much more effort."

"Yeah, it is. But if you can secure all the data you can from the hard drives, take as many pictures as possible and get out of there before FBI take control then we are set. If you do find anything about a terrorist group in England, wipe it off or they'll try and get involved. They will probably be more pissed that you've done it instead of their own agents, they're prideful that way."

"Chief, I really don't like this."

"I know, neither do we. There's no other option, we need to keep this as quiet as possible, if the organisation figure this all out then we're fucked. The day we stop the boat is the day Johnson, Sonya and I will go into hiding." I'm grateful that he mentioned my mother in that, he knows after I stop this exchange they'll be after me.

"You can control the mission from the safe house." I tell them and Johnson disagrees almost immediately.

"I need the MI6 computers, they're the only ones strong enough to run the coding I need."

"I promised you, Johnson, everything you'll need is there. I'm not an idiot, I do listen to you talk sometimes, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know. Stay safe, Riles and get some sleep. We'll check in tomorrow night." I say goodnight to them and hang up, staring down at the map of the boat with a glare. I can't believe this is what my life has come to. I pack all my stuff and tuck it back into it's hiding place before taking a quick shower and heading to bed.

--------

Fuck everything. Legitimately, I feel like I get no sleep. They're knocking at my door again and it's fucking eight in the morning, five hour sleep Riley is a bitch. I open the door with my standard glare to find basically the entire club outside my door. I know they have to travel in groups but this is ridiculous.

Every woman has their husband and the kids came too, Boulder is also here and I just stare at them. "The fuck?"

"Hi!" Lexie is the first to speak as they settle into my flat like they belong here. I'm not even wearing proper clothes, as per the usual. I'm wearing one of Chief button ups with my underwear and they always seem to turn up when I'm not expecting it.

"Yeah, hi. What can I do for you?" I ask, tinkering away in the kitchen so that I can get a little bit of caffeine in my system because this is too early for me to be thinking normally.

"We wanted to talk to you about something..." Mari continues and from the hesitance in her tone, I figure I'm not gonna like this.

"Just get to the point, the poor fucker is about to fall asleep where she's stood." I point at Saviour in confirmation without even turning around and Lexie sighs.

"We were actually hoping you could stay for a little while after you've finished with the French..." Lexie trails off and I drop my spoon in surprise. I spin around to look at all of them and they all seem to have the same idea. I know the husbands like the idea that I'm training their women to kick enemy ass or whatever but like can't Saviour do it? "Not just to train us, I promise, it's just we feel like you fit in really well with us and we don't wanna lose you."

I rub my face in frustration, "I have to go back to England as soon as this shit is done to deal with the problem over there. I can come back after, I just can't stay there's too much going on at the moment."

"Yay! We'll miss you while you're gone though." Lexie hugs me tightly and I feel a bone in my back pop. Maybe the training is working.

"Okay, well you've still got me for two weeks or so." Lexie fires away from me like a shot, Bear looks at me suspiciously and opens his mouth to ask why only two weeks but Boulder speaks first. "That's when my time here ends, they need me back in England." I'm not telling them shit about the boat, they're hotheads and the fuckers will try and come with me.

While they're well trained, I can't sanction it and I work better alone. Always have, always will. Besides if the FBI find out they'll come after the Riders and if the terrorist cell catches wind of it then the whole thing goes down the drain.

I can't risk that.

This is my only chance to finish off the French and figure out what the fuck is going on at home.

"They said this to you?" Bear obviously continues the interrogation but I just give him a look.

"Yeah, I follow orders, Prez. Just like your men do. My duty is to my country and if they want me back in two weeks then I'll be back in two weeks."

This is not going to end well, I can feel it.