In The Shadows

Chapter Twenty

Debbie. Irine's clear and strong voice echoed in my head, so sure and so confident. But how could she be so sure and so confident of another rebel group, one that Debbie was a part of? Last night replayed in my head, the way I confessed how weak I felt and the way that she made me feel stronger. There was determination in her voice, but there was also something else that allowed her to overcome the fears that weighed me down, the ones that made me feel as though I was drowning. What allowed her to keep her head above the water?

The way she talked about the past and the present and the future, the way she grouped our family together, and the way she was searching for a way to overcome our situation all pointed in one direction.

Hope.

Sure, there was some sadness and fear in her eyes, but Irine's words carried hope. Her actions were driven by hope, and her thoughts were ones signed and delivered by pure hope. She knew there was a way to swim beyond the oppressing waves that tried so hard to push her under, to force her to sink into the depths of the ocean.

"Amber," a voice snapped above me. My head jerked up to find Jax scowling down at me. "Pay attention. Go get another box." Jax shook his head and turned away, strategically stacking the boxes in the back of the truck so that if there were inspection checkpoints on the way to our destination, we would be able to hide behind them and not be seen.

"Sorry," I mumbed, my cheeks blushing profusely.

"Aw, is Mr. Dark and Broody feeling extra dark and broody today?" Chase joked, sticking out his bottom lip to pout at Jax. He placed a box on the back of the truck and laughed as Jax tried to kick him but missed.

"Don't worry," Crystal scoffed as she passed me, holding a couple of more containers. "He's all bark and no bite."

I offered her a small smile as I rushed to grab another cardboard box. Yesterday, as Davis trained Mason and I, the others, Jax, Crystal, Chase, and Noah all strategized in another conference room about how to execute today's mission. Once we finished loading up the truck with the fake shipment, Mason and I would be debriefed about our roles.

"Everyone ready?" Davis yelled, bursting out from a door leading out into the main garage. He was wearing the fake uniform of a truck driver, complete with a clipboard listing all of the supplies he was bringing in. As for the rest of us, the people of the town we were traveling to wore casual clothing so I was wearing a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt.

"Ready." Jax nodded as I placed the last box on the back of the truck. He set it on the stack and helped the others climb on.

"Are you ready for this?" Mason asked me as we walked over to the truck, her cheeks were pink with anticipation. Jax gripped our hands and helped us up into the truck. He turned away to reach back down for Crystal's hand as Mason and I made our way behind the piles of boxes.

I shrugged. "I don't know, it doesn't really matter. I mean it's not like we have a choice in the matter."

"Oh, really? I think I am, well I don't really know." She started rambling, slowly twisting a hair tie around her fingers. "It'll be so different from the normal training that we've been doing, I'm so nervous that I will mess up or do something stupid."

Before I could respond, Davis's voice came from the back, "There will definitely be a checkpoint along the way, so remain alert and don't get caught." With that, he slammed the back doors shut and walked around to the driver's seat. It was only a moment more before the metal machine under us roared to life and wobbled forwards.

A couple of the boxes slid from their positions as the truck moved, and Jax adjusted them before joining the rest of us. Crystal and Chase had the files spread out in front of them, studying them again before they presented the mission to Mason and I.

"Let's begin," Crystal started, passing a photo of a man around the circle. He had dark, cropped hair with tan skin and beady eyes. He wore faded jeans, a dirty t-shirt, and was decorated with sleeve tattoos. He was not looking at the camera in the picture, instead looking behind his back and seeming nervous about something. There was a tension in his muscles and the way he walked, as if he needed to get somewhere quickly.

"Meet Xanthus Luther. He is a 36 year old male that works for a car shop on Rein Avenue and lives in an apartment right down the road. He was first on our radar from a mole about being a possible leader to a rebel alliance that is planning an attack on our army. He was recently spotted taking several different trips back and forth between an address located at," she paused to double check the sheet, "101 Wallace Way."

She passed another picture around, this one was of Xanthus exiting a large building, his head down and looking away from the camera. An unkempt walkway lead to a simple two door entrance of the brick apartment building, showing the anonymity of the situation, the willingness to blend into the background.

"Our job is to investigate. Investigate Xanthus, investigate the 101 Wallace Way, investigate why Xanthus feels the need to take a different route each time he goes there. Everything."

She looked over to Chase, who nodded. "Due to the fact that we still don't have enough people on this team, we will have to split up into smaller teams than usual to cover all that we need to. So, to start, Mason and Jax will go to 101 Wallace Way. Find out everything you can about what's inside, who's there, anything."

Jax and Mason both nodded, making eye contact with each other.

"Noah and I will follow Xanthus, keeping track of his every move. We will let you know where he is, and be paying attention for what we say so that you don't get caught."

He was about to move on when he interrupted himself, "Oh, and that reminds me, when you are out in the field, it is crucial to keep communicating. We will give each of you a comms system, which will you use to keep in contact with the rest of the team. Understood?" He spoke in a general way that made it sound like he was talking to the group, but he looked pointedly at Mason and I, and we nodded at the reassuring information.

"Last but not least, Crystal and Amber. You two will have the job of searching his apartment, the car shop on Rein Avenue he works at, and the routes he takes. On our previous mission that circled around Xanthus Luther, we went to his apartment and the car shop, but didn't find much that could lead to anything solid. Your job is to find something solid."

"Great. Any questions?" Crystal's question was more so directed towards Mason and I, but I shook my head and Mason was surprisingly silent. "Good. A couple of more things to add are that we will hand out the comms systems as we get closer. Once we get there, Davis will drop us off at different locations to avoid suspicion."

Mason raised a tentative hand. "Do we have a certain time that we need to meet back up again?"

"Yes, thank you, I almost forgot that part. Meet at 22:00 hours at your drop off location. I think that's it. We will regroup in a little bit, but for now you have some time-" Crystal shuffled her papers again, trailing off.

Chase prompted, "Crystal."

"Oh, right." Crystal shook her head and looked up at all of us. "One more thing. If you run into trouble along the way, don't take any risks that could expose you or who you stand for."

Jax's eyes narrowed and he glared at both Mason and I, in turn. "Any-"

"Jax, that's enough," Noah warned. Tension thickened in the air between our circle, and it quickened my pulse. Mason evidently felt the same way, as her eyes darted between Jax and Noah.

"What? Has something happened before?" She asked, her words slow and heavy with caution.

"Just." Crystal started out in a hurry to cut off Mason's question, but then hesitated, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. The only thing that matters is: protect those you serve."

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I know that it's been so long since I've posted! But I really appreciate those of you who stick with me, and continue reading these chapters! You are truly amazing!!

What did you think of this chapter?

How do you think the mission will go?

See you later, I hope it's sooner rather than later!

- Scarlett