Operation 007 (SpyxFamily)

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Sir, we have a problem." She spoke into it, eyes stayed on Damian. Her finger lifted from the black button and it was quiet. Then crackling static as someone on the other end prepared to speak.

His voice was unfamiliar. "What is it?" He said and it clicked out.

"A boy found us. He's a Desmond, what do you want me to do with him?" The lady responded.

Contemplative silence.

The crackling returned. "Take him with you." He said and Damian's subsequent dread was mixed with relief that he wouldn't be killed.

"If he's trouble, dispose of him. I'll think of something if it comes to it." He finished and they heard from him no more.

"Yes, sir." The lady spoke unemotionally into the portable radio and it was put back. She didn't retract the gun right away "Misbehave and there will be consequences." She said and Damian could only nod, however slight it was. His heart beat fast and his hands shook from his narrowly escaped death.

The gun was put away and salty water sprung from Damian's eyes as he sucked in a long gasping breath. Another one and another.

His name had saved his life, and he couldn't begin to guess why it had any influence over them. It was said in desperation. A last bid to save his skin. It chilled him to think why it worked. Sure, most people would be swayed, but these weren't most people. For now though, as long as he stayed in line, he was alive.

Absorbed with the threat on his life, and the woman who had caused it, Damian had lost all senses concerning Forger. He looked at her as the woman did, to see her crouched on the ground clutching at her head. A habit he'd noticed after the previous kidnapping. She was between hyperventilating and crying, a panic attack induced by the woman's actions and she hadn't noticed Damian wasn't dead yet. It struck him that this was a familiar situation to her. That she knew what was going on. Forger was tangled in something far more dangerous than he thought, and he'd been seeking answers. He didn't want to know them anymore. Not at the cost of this. He would've gladly given up if it meant they could leave here and be safe.

"Come. We have to leave." The lady said to Forger. She wasn't pointing a gun at her head, she wasn't threatening her any way that he could see, and the woman expected Forger to listen. It scared Damian that they had means to coerce cooperation. That even if they had a chance to run, she wouldn't. Both physical and unseen threats were equally terrible, but there was a certain evilness that came with blackmail. If that truly was what was happening here, he didn't know how they were going to get out of this and he certainly couldn't desert her to flee on his own.

Damian was at a loss as what to do.

"Now." The woman pressed and glanced back down the path. She was worried they'd be seen. They were sitting ducks just waiting for the rare passerby to come upon them. A child sobbing on the ground, and another caught by the wrist was too attention grabbing. It invited too much suspicion. Not to mention Forger's screams that would lure people who were close enough to hear it.

But Forger was unresponsive, too locked in her head.

"Hey. He's fine. You can get up now." She said and leaned down to nudge her shoulder. It nettled Damian that she said it with such cavalier.

The touch startled Forger and she bolted up and away from her with a gasp. She wrung at her hands as she breathed heavily and her gaze landed on Desmond. She was stunned he wasn't dead. She expected it to happen.

Damian shuddered yet again. This life Forger had scared him more by the second.

"Good. Let's go." The woman said. Forger didn't respond fast enough and the lady grabbed her wrist as well.