Authors: Sara Schoen
Upon arriving at the hospital, I could hear the wheelchairs gliding over the smooth tile floor in the lobby. Danielle had given us the room number, and directions on how to get there, but first Camden paid the bill for Sara Evans, who saved Danielle. He did so without a moment of hesitation, and without asking the girl if she even needed the help.
“In case you have to send a bill or have further questions…” He gave them his contact information on a business card. “I want to make sure she never sees the cost for this visit.”
The lady behind the counter was shocked to say the least, and had a hard time forming a sentence, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. “Yes, sir,” she finally managed to say. “Why are you doing this if you don’t even know her?”
“If a stranger is willing to put herself in danger to save my girl, then I’m going to make sure she’s taken care of in return.” He didn’t say much else, but I think he summed it up quite nicely. He wasn’t worried since Danielle explained she had made it through the event unscathed. Now he seemed annoyed that it had happened. He’d been taken away from work to be here for a girl who hadn’t helped him in anyway. I knew that he also just wanted to take Danielle home and hope she forgot all about it, but that wasn’t likely. He had mentioned Danielle brought her up a few times, after he finally got the name out of her on the phone. She had become attached to her savior.
In that moment, I might have thought he actually cared about them. He paid for a stranger’s bill, dropped everything to come see Danielle, and never questioned why. He almost tricked me—almost. Until he added, “As soon as this is done, we get back to work. We can’t stay long. Work is more important, and dealing with our
issue
takes priority.”
A familiar feeling of annoyance and disappointment washed over me when I realized he had come for appearances only. He didn’t care Danielle had almost been hit and put in the hospital, and his extent for caring about the girl who saved Danielle ended at paying her bill. Nothing about him would change. If it wasn’t about money or the cartel, he didn’t care.
I didn’t say anything as we walked through the halls, directed by a nurse toward the room number Danielle had given us. I hadn’t been in a hospital in years, but found it oddly pleasing that this hospital appeared different than most.
The carpet was a deep red color with black stripes in the pattern, and the gray and white tiled walls covered up a white concrete wall. There were cracks in a few places, but less depressing than lacking color completely, as most hospitals did. I had been in a few as a kid, and the lack of color had always bothered me. It made me feel drained because there was nothing of interest to look at once color vanished from the world. To me, the lack of color made it seem as if they wanted you to stay sick.
Camden crossed in front of my path and cut me off, causing me to bump into his shoulder as he quickly made it into one of the rooms. I stopped for a moment, trying to refocus my thoughts before I followed, but once again I ran into his back when he stopped short. He didn’t react. I started to think he might’ve become queasy because of the chemical smell that seemed to be in every hospital, or maybe the girl’s injuries were extensive and that made him uncomfortable. I had once seen a friend with an arm bent the wrong direction, elbow jutting out from where it was supposed to bend. No matter how much blood and gore I had seen previously, it still made me uncomfortable. But when I looked around him I realized his eyes were focused on the girl in the bed.
I glanced over his shoulder to see she’d sat up with assistance from the adjustable bed, and was laughing at something Danielle had said just before we walked in. Her disheveled dark blonde hair fell in front of her face, covering her eyes. When she flicked her hair out of her face, her bright smile made it seem as if she wasn’t in a bit of pain. I guess her injuries weren’t what made Camden stop in his tracks.
I could see the cuts on her face, and the bruises covering her exposed skin. She looked beautiful despite them, and showed few signs of pain considering what she had just experienced.
Remarkable, indeed
.
“Wow.” I exhaled.
She immediately looked at me, and even though I knew how wrong it was to stare, I couldn’t look away. She offered me a shy smile as a blush crossed her cheeks and she looked away in embarrassment. Her hair moved to cover the injuries I had been studying.
Danielle’s voice broke my concentration. “Hey, boys! This is Sara. She’s in one of my classes, and my partner for a project a few weeks ago.” Danielle beamed, as if talking about a great accomplishment her friend had completed, not just a school project. She hadn’t even mentioned Sara had stepped in and saved her life.
“Hello, Sara,” Camden said, stepping forward, offering his hand. She shook it, and gave him a smile. It was just as breathtaking as the last one. “So, what happened?” He moved so that he could take a seat next to Danielle, leaving me alone to stand by the door.
Danielle immediately took over explaining, without waiting to see if Sara would answer. “Well, we had just finished class, a general education writing class, and we were walking across the street to catch the bus when a car sped right up to me.” Danielle put her hands in front of her to give an estimate of how far away it was.
I knew she exaggerated when she told stories, so I turned to look at Sara’s reactions as Danielle spoke. She seemed bashful, not wanting to take the praise for what she had done. It only got worse when she caught me staring again. She tilted her head down, letting her hair once again hide her face for a moment before she looked back at Danielle.
“If Sara hadn’t seen it, I would be the one in the hospital bed right now,” Danielle finished.
Sara let out an uncomfortable laugh when we all looked at her. “It’s nothing, just a natural reaction. I’m pretty protective of my friends.” She laughed it off.
I suddenly knew my assumption had been correct. She must be the other agent, living undercover as Sara Evans to enroll in Danielle’s class. I wondered if the car hitting her had been orchestrated. Demon most likely would have been the one in the car, and that would explain why the car hadn’t stopped. He had been working with her so she could take the hit, and told her exactly what to do, which minimized her injuries. No wonder Demon had worried about her, but Whip Lash knew she’d been ready. She had gone through the Sandtown mission, so this was no big deal. She’d been prepared for this one, but I still couldn’t be completely sure that Sara was Night Stripe.
What if she’s just a kindhearted civilian?
It was hard to believe that such a small girl had taken down the compound in Sandtown, killed Jax, and then left her team behind for an unknown mission. She barely seemed able to have attention on her, but then again, as a thief, no one ever saw her so the attention was never on her. She’s trained to be a shadow, never seen, and hard to catch—just as she had proved at the Sandtown compound.
“Well, that’s an incredible story,” Camden stated skeptically, but it didn’t seem as if he would question her further. “I’m thankful you pushed Danielle out of the way, and I have paid your hospital bill. You won’t be charged for anything.”
Sara stared at him in awe, and pure shock. “You don’t have to, Camden. I don’t need a hand out or—”
“Don’t consider it a hand out. Take it as a thank you.” He rose and held his hand out to Danielle. “I won’t take no as an answer, Sara, and when I bring Danielle back, I’m sure she’ll convince you to accept. I just have to talk to her quickly. I’m sure Marco here will be happy to keep you entertained.” He flashed me a knowing smile as he left. I didn’t have time to think about it. A moment later, I was alone with Sara, who watched me expectantly.
“So,” I said, feeling awkward. A smile spread across her face as she held back laughter.
I was never good around girls; so much for outgrowing the discomfort around them. But in my line of work, I never saw them. Sure, there were more women in the Army, just not where I had been sent, and I never had to talk to one if I didn’t want to. Suddenly I wished I could be more of a people person.
“I like your tattoo,” I said, gesturing to the arrow on her forearm. I had noticed it when I first entered, and upon a closer inspection it seemed to be trying to cover a jagged scar that went from about her elbow crease to her wrist.
There was a story in that one.
“You should see my other ones,” she said cheekily. My jaw dropped slightly at her words, completely taken back by her statement, causing her to laugh. She continued to laugh and eventually waved her hand before she spoke up again. “Don’t get excited. I meant it as a joke. I had to find a way to break the tension, and nothing more. I do have others, though. There’s a lightning bolt that takes up my left shoulder and upper arm, and a compass on the back of my neck.”
“What do they mean to you?” I asked curiously, moving to take the seat Danielle had vacated.
“The compass is for my parents,” she said. “They both passed away, so I have the compass for them because they always guided me in life. The arrow is for my zodiac sign, and so I always remember that an arrow can only go forward once it’s been pulled back. So when life and troubles are dragging me down, it’s a good reminder to know I’ll eventually shoot right past it.”
“That’s pretty deep for a tattoo. Mine is just of a couple of comrades I lost while overseas.” I tried to cover the shock that swept over me. Talking to her was easy. The truth just slipped out. I had never told anyone about that tattoo.
“That has meaning,” she replied. “You’re just not giving it enough credit.” A comfortable silence fell over us. The silence seemed to eat away at her as she became interested in the scar peeking out from the lines of the tattoo. I wanted to ask about it, but that would be too personal for just meeting her.
“What about the lightning bolt? Why did you get that one?”
“I like to think of lightning as the only light you’ll see during a storm. The one source of light to guide you through the darkness, so that no matter what you’re going through, you always have something to lead you. That, and the sheer speed of it has always fascinated me.” She smiled, and once again let a silence envelop us.
This was my chance to find out if I had been right. Danielle and Camden would be back shortly. I knew I couldn’t ask her straight out or break the order to keep her in the dark, so I only had one choice.
“Did you hit the ground running?” I hoped she knew the terminology Demon and Whip Lash used.
She tilted her head in confusion. “What does that mean?” Her face scrunched up as one eyebrow lifted up and the other down. The phrase meant nothing to her. Maybe she was just a normal girl.
“I meant did you hit the car while running, or…never mind. I’m sure you’ve answered enough questions about it today,” I said, offering her a smile.
She nodded a thank you as Danielle reentered the room, leaving Camden by the door, gesturing for me to follow. I got out of Danielle’s seat and followed Camden out. He didn’t say much, except that Danielle insisted on staying with Sara. That meant we were going back to the compound to finish looking for the rat until visiting hours at the hospital were over, but I couldn’t focus on that anymore. My thoughts were filled with Sara. I couldn’t be sure she was the thief, or how deep her role ran, but choosing who to protect had just become a lot harder.
I had been ordered to protect this girl. Whip Lash told me I had to save her at all costs, even if it meant not protecting my sister, but I wasn’t sure I would be able to do that without knowing for certain she was Night Stripe. There had to be some way to figure it out without revealing myself. I just had to find a way, and wait for another opportunity.
Camden had left the loft to meet with his father to discuss the future. Judging from the phone call I’d overheard this morning, the yelling pushing through the walls of my room, both of them were annoyed with whoever tampered with the cartel’s business, and while the list had gotten shorter, we hadn’t found the rat yet. That was inexcusable. Which meant that today Camden would be telling his father about Danielle in an attempt to calm him. I groaned, rolling over in the bed, trying to come to terms with it.
I knew Camden needed to buy time, since the mole in the cartel could minimize his chances of taking over. If Miguel knew Camden had found a girl, planned to get married, and take over, then he would have more time, but not a lot. It would take a lot of work, and even more time, which Camden didn’t have right now. Danielle pushed to spend as much time with Sara as she could. I couldn’t tell whether the boredom of living in the loft had set in, or if she enjoyed making a new friend. I wasn’t sure. Either way, Camden had been forced to go to the hospital more than he liked the past few weeks.
With his father breathing down his neck about the rat, the cartel, and everything in between, he didn’t want to waste time in a hospital. A few times he had sent me, but only to escort Danielle there safely, at which point I had to return to the compound. I wished he would send me more often, and let me stay with them.
I hadn’t stopped thinking about Sara, in more ways than one, since I met her. In two weeks she had managed to cause enough chaos. While I wanted to push past my attraction to her for the mission, it became more difficult than I thought. I wanted to be able to talk to her, agent to agent, but that wasn’t possible. She wasn’t allowed to know me, other than my cover, and so far she hadn’t let anything slip while Danielle talked to her in the hospital. I was starting to doubt the possibility of her being Night Stripe.
She didn’t have the reflexes or reactions of a typical agent. It seemed too easy to surprise her, and she appeared to be completely unaware of who Camden was when he came in. But then she would react to something that only came from instinct, or training. When she told Danielle how she had avoided more severe damages by jumping up when the car came by, which had given her a better chance of rolling overtop it, I couldn’t help but wonder where she had gotten that instinct from.
Most would have dove toward the sidewalk, gotten both of them out of the way, and avoided injuries all together. It’s a natural reaction, and one that had a better outcome. Even though she had hit the car and rolled off the side, due to the car not stopping, it could have been worse. She had braced herself as if she had been trained. My suspicion only grew when Danielle had said that she rolled away, and moved as if barely injured until she collapsed. I had seen her move in the hospital bed, and had already begun to doubt she had actual injures.
But then I wanted to know how CIRA convinced the hospital to fake that she had broken ribs.
Maybe the tests were easy to fake
.
I hadn’t been able to signal Camo to return, or find a way to communicate with Demon by myself without drawing unnecessary attention, but maybe I didn’t need them. I could sneak into the hospital and find out about her. For a trained agent, it wouldn’t be hard to get in and out without being noticed. Sara had a small frame, and moved swiftly according to what Danielle described from the accident. I’m too big to be nimble, but I could make it. All it would take is going against orders.
Which I knew I couldn’t do.
I tossed aside the thought as I pushed myself off the bed. I needed answers, and I wasn’t going to get them sitting around. If I wanted to be sure of Sara’s identity, then I needed to risk contacting her and exposing who I was. I needed to know the plan. I couldn’t keep following someone who played the role of her fake identity so well. Demon and Whip Lash claimed that she would be easy to read, and that I would automatically know her. She let me read what I needed to for her role, but not her true intentions. As for automatically knowing, I couldn’t be certain, but I would fix that.
“You’re leaving too?” a voice said as I touched the doorknob.
I turned to see Danielle sitting on the couch. I had forgotten she was here because it had been so quiet. She looked bored, and judging from the remote control in her hands, she had been flipping through channels since Camden left.
“I thought you’d be happy with me leaving,” I said. “You don’t exactly enjoy my company.”
“I would be, but there’s no one else around. Sara isn’t allowed visitors after eight, and it gets way too complicated to get into the hospital after that time. They make it so hard, it’s like they don’t want people to visit,” she complained. A moment of silence passed between us as she collected her thoughts again before continuing, “Everyone keeps leaving. First, some guys came over to talk to Camden after he finished arguing with someone on the phone, then they left, then Camden followed them shortly after, and now you.”
“Well, why didn’t you stay with your friends? They would have been happy to stay with you.”
“Well, I had nowhere else to go after the pipe burst in my apartment. The landlord said it’s a lost cause so he has to rip up the carpet and everything. Mold is probably all over it now, water damage…I lost a lot of stuff. Besides that, one of my friends is studying abroad, and the other didn’t answer when I called for help,” she said with a frown. “She didn’t call until a few days later, but by that time Camden had offered to have me stay here.”
“You could go stay with her if you wanted,” I replied. “I’m sure now that she knows what happened that she’ll be willing to help you out.”
“She doesn’t have room to let me live with her for however long it’s going to take to fix the damage at my apartment. She would let me, but there just wouldn’t be enough room for the both of us in her one bedroom apartment,” she explained before falling silent again. I was about to push the conversation when she spoke up again. “Just get out of here.” I could hear the pain in her voice, and it hurt. I had left her alone for years. I wished I could make it up to her, but that meant not going to see Sara.
I sighed heavily. There wouldn’t be many other times to make it up to Danielle for leaving her behind. “You know,” I said, letting my hand rest on the doorknob. “I’m going out to get something to eat, if you want to—”
“Well, since you offered,” she said, letting happiness ring in her voice as she sped to her room to get ready.
I hope I didn’t live to regret not sneaking in to see Sara.
***
We walked to the nearest fast food restaurant to grab a bite. The night air was cool and crisp, reminding us that it wasn’t quite summer yet, and that there was still a chance for the temperature to drop below forty. We didn’t say much to each other until we arrived and had both ordered our meals.
“I’ve already spent enough time in the loft,” Danielle stated, the hesitation in her voice shocked me. She normally demanded things. I didn’t know what to do with the sudden change, so I waited for her to finish. “Do you mind if we eat here?”
“No, I don’t mind,” I replied. “Go pick a place to sit and I will wait here for the orders.”
She walked off, and I didn’t have much longer to wait for the food to come. I just didn’t want to stand there in silence, and I had a feeling she didn’t either. I just didn’t know what to say to keep her from suspecting me. I had come close a few times, but I brushed it off. There wasn’t much for her to go on, and there would be less when Camden told her I was dead. It hurt to think about the pain she would go through when she heard the news, but there was nothing I could do about it. This mission had to play out for whatever Sharp Shooter had told the other agents to do, even if I didn’t fully know everyone involved.
I plucked the food bags from the counter once the cashier slid it over to me, and made my way to Danielle. Once she had the food in front of her, she talked nonstop. Whether it was her complaining about school, classes she had to take, or just life in general, she kept going. I blocked most of it out as she continued her rant.
“Jackson always encouraged me to do my best in school, and if I didn’t understand something he would take the time to explain it to me.”
“Sounds nice,” I said, remembering how I used to make her sit down at the kitchen table to do her homework. She hated it at the time, but I guess now she appreciated it because I wasn’t around anymore.
“Yeah, it was. He spent a lot of time with me, even though he drove me insane…sometimes. I liked having him around. It was a lot better than not knowing where he is. Everyone’s written him off, but the Army never gave a formal report that his body had been found. The whole incident is still under investigation.”
I could tell the words left a sour taste in her mouth, judging from her disgusted expression.
She continued, “That’s the worst part, not knowing. I hope Camden can find something. I just want a little closure. I don’t want to be in the dark anymore.”
I swallowed hard, trying to cover the guilt that sank into my features. I couldn’t fight the remorse. I should have found some way to tell her I was still alive, but that went against orders, and I had sworn to follow them. “I’m sure you will get some closure soon,” I said. “Camden is good at what he does.”
A gleam of hope appeared in her eyes.
“Tell me more about your brother and you,” I said.
She beamed at the suggestion before she continued to talk about our relationship growing up together. She mentioned events that made me smile, and a few I cringed at. She seemed pleased to talk about it until we had both finished our food, and were ready to go.
“I’m sorry, I’m probably boring you,” she said as we got up to leave.
“No, not at all,” I said, smiling. “You guys sound like you were really close. It’s okay to talk about him.”
Danielle shrugged. “To him we probably weren’t that close. He probably just thought of me as his annoying little sister, but to me, he was my everything.”