The Best Intentions

Chapter Thirty Five

We had been working with Strike to take down Night for three weeks, but it was the first time Strike had actually been to Dark Skies. She was in awe, to say the least. We usually called each other or met up in discreet locations, but Coldfront finally let her come to headquarters, even though we didn't know her real identity.

We were paying her even more than I originally planned. She didn't ask for it but it wasn't hard to recognize she was struggling financially. She couldn't have been much older than me, but it was clear she was working herself to death even when she wasn't wearing a mask.

"Night is planning to attack Dark Skies the next time you make a public appearance," Strike repeated for Dare when he walked inside.

"Huh?" Dare asked. I rolled my eyes and let Coldfront fill him in on the rest.

I still couldn't believe how easy it was for Strike to learn Green Light's and the twin's identities. Green Light was named Bethany Rhodes, Silver was Sky Fisher, and Gold was Vera Fisher. Of course, we already knew who Aphrodite was.

We were planning to meet Night head on. Strike would help us during the fight and she'd threaten to expose their identities if they didn't disband. She knew how easily they could leak her identity, but she didn't seem to care when I asked her about that. I think she finally realized that Dark Skies wasn't as bad as the press made it seem, and Night was worse than it looked. Or, at least, I hoped.

Strike wasn't going to be much help in actually taking down Mendoza, but that didn't matter. She was an ally of Dark Skies, even if she wasn't going to directly go after Mendoza. I didn't blame her.

I zoned back into the conversation when Strike suddenly brought up Aphrodite. "When I asked Beth why she let Aubrey join, she said that she was willing to let Aubrey redeem herself. If Aubrey proves herself, she's going to make her a permanent member."

I gritted my teeth. "Well, she's not going to be a permanent member for long."

Strike fumbled with her thumbs. "There's something else. Aphrodite...she...killed Red Wave."

I took a step back, a strange chill washing over me. "What? Did she say why?!"

Dare placed his hand on my shoulder. "She did it because Red Wave tried to kill you, Blue."

I pushed him away from me, shaking my head. "No. No. I am not going to be used as an excuse for that. I didn't want Red Wave to die. I could have forgiven her. We could have worked passed our issues. It wasn't Aubrey's decision! It should have been mine!"

Dare exhaled. "I know you see what she did as malicious, but I don't think she saw any other option."

I couldn't forgive her. I really wanted to, and I was trying, but I just couldn't. "Too bad. There were other options." I looked over at Coldfront. "We're going to attack Night today. Strike, you need to go to the warehouse. The ambush will happen in an hour."

***

Coldfront nudged me. I glanced at him, unhappy that I wasn't watching the sky anymore. "What?"

"Since when did you start calling all the shots?" he asked. I shifted my feet. We were standing on an abandoned bridge, waiting for Night to show up. There was a crowd forming in the distance.

"Since I started planning everything," I responded. "Don't worry. Once I kill Mendoza, I'll be out of your hair. You can rebuild your precious little team and rule the city. I don't care what you do after I'm gone."

"What if we find Kieran?"

I looked back up at the sky, trying to fight off my sneer when I saw Green Light and the twins. "Don't get my hopes up."