Serve and Protect

Chapter 31

Author's note: The illustrations for this chapter were drawn way before the fic started. As such, please ignore any inconsistencies between the two.

If Glimmer had it her way, the Best Friends Squad would have left to rescue her mother the moment Bow pinpointed Angella's location. Adora knew this because Glimmer tried, and Adora had to physically stop her.

"Let go of me!" Glimmer snarled as she thrashed against Adora's arms, which were locked around her middle.

"Oof!" Adora held strong, even as one of Glimmer's elbows nearly knocked the wind out of her. "I will, but I need you to listen to me, okay?"

With a defeated groan, Glimmer finally stopped struggling. "Fine, I'm listening!"

Warily, Adora released her friend from her grip, wincing at the dirty look Glimmer shot her as she whirled around. But Adora knew better than anyone that charging into the Horde's headquarters unprepared was nothing short of a death sentence.

"I know you want to save your mom, Glimmer. I do too," Adora said. "But we can't just rush in. It's too dangerous. We need to think this through."

"We've already wasted too much time," Glimmer shot back. She paced the room, agitated. "What if they kill her while we're 'thinking this through'?"

Adora understood her friend's panic. After everything she'd told her and Bow about the gang, after what they'd seen with their own eyes when Shadow Weaver turned herself in, Adora couldn't blame them for worrying. But they didn't know the Horde like she did.

"For what it's worth, if they wanted to kill her they would have done it already," Adora said. "They wouldn't have bothered taking her back to headquarters."

"Then what are they planning?" Bow asked from where he sat on the couch. By now he had the map with Angella's GPS signal pulled up on his tablet. He had been watching it like a hawk, just in case there were any changes. "Could it be a trap?"

This was a possibility that Adora hadn't considered. What if Bow was right? What if this abduction was about more than just Angella getting too close to exposing the dirty cops in her midst? What if this was all a ploy to lure Adora out of hiding now that Shadow Weaver wasn't there to stop them?

Her heart sank. She could only think of one person who would put Angella's life in danger for the chance to get back at her.

"Catra." The name slipped past Adora's lips before she had a chance to think better of it. Glimmer rounded on her, eyes wide and furious.

"What about her?" Glimmer asked. "Do you think this was her idea?"

Adora's mouth gaped for a moment as she considered how to answer the question. Did she think this was Catra's idea? She didn't want to believe it, but with each passing second, the possibility burrowed itself deeper and deeper into Adora's brain until she couldn't shake it if she tried.

"I don't know," Adora said quietly. "Maybe?"

"That bitch!" Glimmer shouted. Her voice chased away the uncomfortable quiet that had settled into the house.

Bow glanced at Adora. Something about her expression must have told him that they were wading into dangerous waters with this line of thought, so he jumped to his feet and hurried between the girls. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, okay? The only thing we know for certain right now is that the Horde has Angella. Adora, what do you think their next move will be? Is there any chance they could be holding her for ransom or something?"

No, there wasn't. Adora had never known the gang to kidnap something for financial gain; it was just too risky. But if the idea could help bring Glimmer some comfort while they planned what to do next, Adora could play along. "Possibly. Angella's pretty important — they could probably get anything they wanted in exchange for her safety. Or maybe they're just trying to find out how much she knows."