The Young Spy (Book One)

Chapter 20: Into The Lion's Den

Nighttime strikes quickly as Swift drives his way around the city, heading for East Los Angeles, the area Audrey told him the warehouse is located in, and the address she already gave him as well. Shrouded in darkness and sparse silence, he focuses on the road all the while listening to a couple of tunes playing on the radio, tunes that were such a perfect background ambience for him, thoroughly fitting for a night drive in the city. He's obsessed with this kind of atmosphere. The lack of light makes it even better, and more relaxing. He got distracted by the song that he almost forgot to turn right at an intersection.

Swift discovers his palms are sweaty after so long of holding the steering wheel. So, when he arrives at a red light, he takes his hands off of it and cleans it with a handkerchief in his inner pocket. The light has not yet turned green when his palms are all clean, so he waits, resting his hands on his lap, waiting to grab the steer back once he sees the traffic light turn green. Just before it does, his phone that rests on the dashboard rings. He looks at the contact name. Lars.

He answers the phone, putting it on loudspeaker. "Swift speaking."

"Kid?"

"Yeah, it's me," Swift wonders why Lars sounded puzzled. "Who did you think this was? You didn't save my number, did you?"

"Did you decrypt it?" Lars asks.

"Uh, m-maybe. Not sure." Swift's lips shake a little.

"What do you mean not sure?"

"Well, one of my friends is handling it. Turns out the file has a thicker kind of security that'll take... probably a few days to crack. Me? I'm heading out." Swift puts the car to a halt when another vehicle in front stopped.

"Heading out? Where?"

"One of Edmund's old properties. I'm heading there to pay a visit to his former associates." Swift replies.

"Oh, let me guess. The masked crooks Edmund had under his command to distract the authorities by robbing banks and getting away with it all the time?" Lars says. A long pause kicks in between them, with Swift being silenced in startlement. "Hello? Kid?" Lars calls out, wondering what the silence is.

"I'm sorry, you knew that the entire time?" Swift asks. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't ask," Lars responds.

Swift makes a furrow, "I could've used the intel, Barlowe. Would've been helpful."

"Speaking of, how'd you find out about them?" Lars asks.

"A friend of mine told me."

"I see," Lars nods. "And I assume this friend of yours knows Matt's deal?"

"Mhm." Swift hums positively.

"So, what are you planning to do?"

"I'm planning to talk to them first, then flush them out. That'll compromise Matt in some way, right? Make him panic and stuff?"

Lars contemplates, "Are you sure? Because that's... I don't know, it just doesn't feel right. Are you sure you're up for it?"

"You're starting to make me doubt my decisions here, Lars. Of course, I'm sure." Swift says. Just a few blocks away from the warehouse. He thinks as soon as he sees another street sign, now needing to go straight forward to his destination.

"If that's what you feel like doing, then go for it." Lars sighs. "You mentioned talking to them before you do what you're gonna do. What exactly are you going to talk to them about?"

"I don't know. Anything related to Matt that no one else knows, maybe?" Swift hesitates.

"How do you know if they know anything?"