Declan jumps in. “Ian, we know your team is overloaded and working round the clock. It’s not unreasonable to think something may have slipped through.”
“Weareworking hard,” Ian responds, still heated. “Your girlfriend over here doesn’t know what she’s talking about!”
“Hey!” Declan barks back.
“I didn’t mean to imply anything; I just can’t see any person on this team willfully putting us in danger,” I backpedal.
“You’d be surprised,” Declan mutters without looking at any of us. He’s referring to Osaka, to the mission that killed X.C. and which nearly took him out too.
“Alright, team,” Oliver says, putting an end to the bickering. “It’s late. We’re all exhausted. Let’s get some sleep and regroup in the morning.”
I nod. I could fall asleep in one of Uncle Ollie’s office chairs right now.
“OK,” Ian agrees.
“First, we need to figure out where Charlie is staying tonight.”
These words from Uncle Ollie shock me. “Um, I’m staying at my home,” I respond.
“If you’ve been tracked for potentially a month now, Blaed knows where you live. Losing the connection with the tracker, the first place he’ll look is your home,” Declan explains.
A shiver of fear races through my body. I have been watched, spied on, this whole time. Did I have any private moments to myself ?
“You’ll stay at the safehouse this weekend; we’ll find a more permanent solution on Monday,” Uncle Ollie says after taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. I’ve contributed to another mess that the team has to deal with. A mess that will distract us from finding the weapons Castillo bought and preventing them from being used.
“Safehouse?” I say.
“Come on.” Declan stands and gestures for me to do the same. “I’ll take you there now.”
Declan leads me back out of the building and to his car. A lifetime has passed since I left at five to go to the bar.
For the whole drive over to the safehouse, I’m jumpy. My nerves surge at every stoplight. At each set of headlights that pass us. Any of them could be Blaed. Or the mole. Or someone else sent to harm us, to stop us from interfering with the Order.
The crowded streets are too busy, too packed. I can’t wait to be in the safehouse, but will I be safe there?
35
DECLAN
On the drive over to the safehouse, I keep my thoughts steady.One problem at a time. One step at a time.
“I need to go back and get my car,” Charlie says as we wait at a stoplight, her eyes on her lap.
I nod. “Let’s plan to pick it up tomorrow.” I’ll feel better about it in the light of day. Also, I’ll want to thoroughly inspect it for tracking devices.
The light changes and I head forwards to the entrance ramp for the highway.
“Wait! I need to grab my clothes, toothbrush, personal items,” Charlie protests, pointing back in the direction of her apartment.
I shake my head and keep my focus on the road. “Nope, too risky. We’ll have the ops team sweep your place this weekend and clear it for any bugs or traps.”
Next to me, Charlie says nothing, but I can hear her breathing louder. Heavier. She is panicking.
“Hey,” I say, my right hand reaching for hers. I can’t truly comfort her the way I want to. I have to get us to the safehouse in one piece. This is the best I can do right now. She grabs on to my hand and squeezes like her life depends on it. “We’ll be there soon,” I tell her, and I speed up, aiming to get us off the streets rapidly.
“Why didn’t you correct Ian when he offered to find Blaed in the database?” she asks. “We already know his connection to you and X.C. And the buyer in Copenhagen.”
“You saw how well Ian handles being corrected or critiqued,” I reply.
