“Well, I wouldn’t want to see you get in trouble,” Celine adds, taking her drink with her.With who?is all I can think. Then her greeting replays in my mind.Another coffee?Did Celine spot me walking to Caffeine Corner with Declan? Is that who she thinks I’m breaking the rules with?
I have whiplash from the sharp turn in that conversation. But I don’t have time to focus on it. I carefully walk Oliver’s and Finn’s drinks to the conference room. Then I erase the whiteboard, check that the markers and pens in there all work, and head back to my desk.
Oliver passes me on the way to his meeting. “How are you feeling today?” he asks, his voice laced with concern and – I tell myself to ignore it – pity. Yes, my initial plan was to get a low-stress job, but at heart I wanted two things: new opportunities in sports and to shed the persona of the girl who had to quit when her body stopped working.
No one could see a reason for me to quit racing, to step down from the World Games team. No limp. No surgical scars. No mobility devices. But my body wasn’t working as designed anymore. Stress – physical stress – was causing my immune system to attack as if my own muscles were an infection. But people couldn’t see that, so they assumed I was mentally weak, too afraid. I don’t need my boss to start viewing me that way because of what happened on Friday.
“I’m good,” I tell my uncle, who patiently followed my medical saga with my mom and dad. “Everything is all set for your meeting with Finn.” I hesitate to relay my next thought but muster my long-dormant courage. “I had a productive conversation with Declan this morning about my helping with strategic operations.”
I have an opportunity staring me in the face to do something meaningful and brave. I might as well take it and see where it leads.
“That is excellent news,” he says just as Declan exits his office. “I’m looking forward to an update for this weekend’s mission now that Charlie is on board,” Oliver tells Declan.
Declan appears confused, as he should be. I told him I needed to think about it more before committing to the spy side of things. But I guess my mind is made up now. “Yes, sir,” is all he says before Oliver walks away.
“Charlie, my office,” Declan orders.
If helping the world means working with Declan, who, until I was shot at, treated me like gum on the heel of his shoe, then so be it. At least his surly demeanor is helping me to remember that in spite of his good looks he is not for me. I am shoving this work crush into a file titled “don’t go there.”
“Here is a dossier on our mission this weekend,” he says before giving me a once-over. “You’re going to need to dress accordingly.”Cool, another dress code to manage.
18
DECLAN
Since X.C. and I were burned in Osaka, I’ve been flying solo. This weekend will be different – we need all hands on deck.
“Charlie, you sure you’re ready for this?” Oliver asks for the third time in the back seat of the limo. On the short drive from FIRE headquarters to the marina, he drilled Charlie on details. It would stress me out if Charlie weren’t acing every question.
“The plan is to get whatever intel we can on Frank Castillo. Where he has been, where he is going, and where he might hide a massive cache of illegal arms on his yacht,” Charlie recites, clearly trying to ease Oliver’s worries. “We have no concrete evidence that he has been initiated into the Order, but we believe this arms shipment from Hynds is his ‘audition,’ as it were. He is trusting us enough to give us a ride, so we have to assume he doesn’t have access to the Order’s intelligence on FIRE’s clandestine activities.” Charlie recites nearly word for word from the file I gave her on Monday.
She nods to Oliver. “Your role is to chat up Frank, talk like old times, get information, and keep him distracted. I will act like the wide-eyed inquisitive one and ask the captain of the boat for a tour of the bridge. In essence, we’re acting like our normal selves, but with a specific purpose.”
“She’s got this,” I tell Oliver, ready for his coaching to be at an end.
My boss turns to me without a hint of humor on his face. “Don’t you forget it.” His pop quiz was as much for me as it was for Charlie. For me to see that she is ready. He picked up on my stubborn resistance to her joining FIRE. For the past week, I’ve been prepping her for this mission. She’s one of us now, for better or worse.
Charlie, ignoring this back and forth, stares out the window. I’m guessing she’s never been in a limo before. Her fingertips hover over the various buttons and controls as if she is tempted to toy with them but restrains herself.
“Whoa, is that the boat?” she asks.
“Yacht,” I remind her, and slide forwards to catch an early glimpse myself. Once we all exit the limo, we need to act like this is business as usual.Sure, another weekend, another yacht. I’ve never stepped foot on one, but I can’t act like a newbie. Not now.
“Places, everyone,” Oliver reminds us as he types out a message on his phone and lets Ian know we’re at the dock.
Cell phones don’t work aboard boats unless you use the onboard satellite connections. We’ve agreed it’s too risky to use the onboard system and risk Castillo intercepting our intel. Charlie, Oliver, and I all have means of recording and communicating with Ian back in headquarters. All discreet and hidden.
My device is in my watch. I’m guessing Charlie’s is in her glasses. Today her frames are all black, no hint of blue to accent her eyes.
I step out of the limo first, then Oliver follows. He waits to hold out a hand for Charlie. She wobbles on her heels but steadies herself for the short walk up the gangplank.
The Waves of Timeis a superb vessel. Frank Castillo, the CEO and founder of Vallus, has one of the best fleet of ships in the world. He is waiting for us when we board the ship. Castillo is a few inches shorter than Oliver, which makes him a full half-foot shorter than me. This titan of technology has ditched his glasses (thanks to laser surgery) and added a single diamond stud to one of his ears. With his brown hair slicked back into a low ponytail, he looks like the modern Silicon Valley It guy.
The staff are ready with flutes of champagne and snacks. The vessel has the white hull and teak flooring you would expect. There are multiple lounge decks, an inset couch, two hot tubs, and a support vessel. It screams wealth, privilege, and spoils.
“Oliver! Welcome aboard!” Castillo calls out. He is wearing a casual suit and his previously pale skin is now tan. Castillo, once the world’s richest geek, has transformed his image over the past few years. Outwardly, he went through a midlife crisis: cheated on his wife, divorced, and started dating a string of starlets and models. What I know, what everyone on the FIRE strategic operations side knows, is that Castillo has courted the Order. Like so many in his income bracket, he believes he is too big to ever get caught or be held accountable for his actions.
Oliver introduces both me and Charlie. I’ve met Castillo before and he recognizes me. “Declan, how are you? Still training for Athens?” I’m impressed he remembers.
