Nervous

Eric was a little surprised Stacy decided to stay, let alone join him. He felt so...lost. He had no idea what to do or say...so he simply remained quiet. It was a long five minutes or so until he finally rolled over onto his back. He tucked Stacy in close to his side, and let out a long sigh as his fingers ran slowly through her hair. 

"It's not true, ya know," he mentioned quietly as his eyes glued themselves to the ceiling. "Any of it. They shouldn't have called me home."


Garret caught Nate's look, and recognized that he disagreed with Reese, but was respecting orders anyway. It was commendable, really, as far as loyalty went. But would he and Victoria ever stand a chance? More than likely, the answer to that question hung on today's events, which was not a reassuring thought. He gave Nate a little nod before getting in behind Victoria. He understood. And he had chosen to cooperate.

The drive only took about half an hour. Another Elite vehicle had followed, but stopped about two miles back to keep its distance. Inside was Gunner and Rick, in case Susanne needed medical attention onsite. But they wouldn't venture nearer until the trade was complete...

The rarely used dirt road appeared abandoned, which was good on a day like today. Reese drove the Elite SUV slowly, keeping his eyes wide open. Despite Garret and Victoria both saying Aaron was the only other Agency operative out here, he wasn’t going to take any chances.

The plan was simple. Make the trade, and as soon as Susanne was clear, Garret and Victoria would turn back. The only wild card was whether or not Aaron would be returning with them or left to go crawling back to the Agency with an unbelievable story.

They had to drive a few miles down the designated road until another vehicle came into sight. Reese slowed even more, and parked about twenty yards away, cutting the engine. Aaron was leaned casually against his car, arms folded, sunglasses shielding his eyes from the bright morning light. He remained motionless until Reese exited the SUV.

“Where is she?” Reese demanded loudly so his voice would carry the distance.

Aaron took his time opening up the back door, then reaching in and pulling Susanne out. Her wrists were tied with rope behind her back, and a blindfold kept her from being able to see anything. She stumbled forward and gave a little cry of pain as her ankle twisted.

Reese’s heart gave a start, but he didn’t move. “Susanne? You okay?”

She recognized his voice, and nodded. “I’m alright,” she assured, even though she hurt all over, and everything inside was screaming for her to run.

“Now show me mine,” Aaron called over.

Reese motioned to the car, and inside, Pete nodded to Nate. “Time to dance.”


Across the open field, Jason kept watch on the scene through his rifle scope. He was well-hidden in a large oak tree, sprawled out on a thick branch, his legs his only security from falling. It had been a long time since he’d been in a position like this, and despite the dangerous situation for Susanne…he couldn’t deny a small part of him liked being back to what he was good at.


Garret was first out, and kept a close eye on Victoria as she followed. He eyed Nate as well, hoping this whole thing went down the way they all wanted. He would do his best, but could make no promises.

Aaron set his sunglasses up on his head and squinted at his fellow operatives. They seemed unharmed – typical of the Elite to go easy on their prisoners. They were always so weak. “Uncuff them,” he called.

“That wasn’t part of the deal,” Reese returned. “They’ve got keys on them – you can take the cuffs off later.”

“And I’m calling the shots.” Aaron retrieved a handgun from his back and pointed it at Susanne’s head. “Apologies for the pun.”

Reese bristled, and turned to glance at Garret.

Garret nodded. “Do as he says. I’m not going anywhere – you know that.”

“No…I don’t.” Reese neared anyway, and uncuffed him first, then Victoria, giving her a warning glance. He was being forced to trust them both on Susanne’s life, and he didn’t like it one bit.

Watching what was going on, Aaron was sure that Garret and Victoria would take down the Elite agents as soon as they were free, but…they just stood there. No one was even pointing guns at them. Why didn’t they take them all out? It was child’s play for them. It was as confusing as when Aaron had seen Garret try to help that other agent…wait…was that the same guy with them now? He hadn’t died after all. Something wasn’t right here. He grabbed Susann’s shoulder, and put the gun closer to her head. “Send them over,” he barked. “Now.”

“Let her start walking first,” Reese countered. “Meet halfway – that’s what we agreed to.”

“Do you think I care?!” Aaron gripped Susann’s shoulder tighter, making her wince. “Send them over. Now. Or she dies, and it’s on your hands.”

Garret gave Victoria a sidelong glance. He had a bad feeling that even if they went the whole way, Aaron was going to kill Susanne anyway. “He’s starting to panic,” he spoke quietly. “Let me go first.” Not waiting for Reese’s permission, he held up his hands and took a couple steps forward.

“Garret,” Reese hissed. “Get back here.” Being ignored, he threw Nate a new look of warning.

Garret called to Aaron. “Just send the woman over first, Aaron. Victoria and I are on our way.”

Aaron’s eyes narrowed. “What is wrong with you? First you helped that agent, now you’re going all soft. Did they brainwash you or what?!”

“No, no they didn’t. But there’s more to this than you realize.” Garret took another step. “There’s more at stake, but I can’t explain until this is over.” He glanced over his shoulder to make eye contact with Nate, before looking back to Aaron. “Stick with the deal you made with Reese and let Susanne start walking. Then they’ll let us walk, too.”

“What’s stopping you?!” Aaron grew more nervous. This was all wrong. Everyone was focused on Garret, and now even Victoria wasn’t acting. Why? What were they really doing? “Both of you get over here now, before this whole thing goes south.”

By now, Pete had exited the vehicle with Katie, standing nearby, ready to draw his sidearm if need be. How unstable was this guy? Would he make good on his threats, or was he just a bunch of hot air?

Garret shook his head and took one more step. “Aaron, listen to me. I know you trust me. If you don’t let Susanne start walking, they’re not gonna let me or Victoria cross the distance. Reese will stick to his word – stick to yours and we’ll make it out of here alive.”

“Are you joking?” Aaron shook his head. Susanne whimpered and he threatened her by pressing the gun harder against her head.

“No, I’m not. Just trust me. Please.”

Please? Garret was asking and not ordering, and that was not right. Not right at all. Aaron suddenly became afraid that he might be the target here. He didn’t know what was really going on, but out of nowhere, he now sensed that his own neck was on the line. And it felt like he was being betrayed by Garret.

Pete stepped closer to Nate and Reese as he saw Aaron shifting his weight. “We gotta let them go,” he mentioned quietly. “He’s gonna kill her.”