Flames of Revenge

Chapter 50: Slaps and Surprises

I change my clothes, say goodbye to Diane, and walk back to the conference room.

I'm greeted by everyone else filing out the door.

"Plan your attack on the plane through the coms," an agent tells me. "Or we are going to be late. And grab your other clothes, we have a change in plans."

I run back to the room and grab a T-shirt and jeans, then catch up to the others.

We board the plane and take our seats. I sit on an outside seat and wait.

Dillan comes down the aisle and stares at me.

"What?" I ask.

"Move over, we're all gonna need to be closer together to plan," he says, winking at me. I roll my eyes and switch to the window seat, buckling in.
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As soon as we're in the air, I remove my seatbelt and sit on my knees so that I can see the rest of the team.

"Turn your coms on," an agent tells us. I switch it on and wait for Gordon's voice to come over the earpiece.

"Okay, here's the plan," he says. "You attend the meeting in your street clothes. Your uniforms are too well known and this would be no place to wear a costume. Only wear the masks, it's typical for people to hide their identities against people like these. Wait until they're at ease with you, then pull out your guns simultaneously and fire. It shouldn't take long if you play your cards right. The meeting place is in a city alleyway, so escape shouldn't be all too difficult. Play along with whatever they say in the beginning. Oh, and Drake needs to stay on the plane. He's not fit to fight yet."

"Copy that," Dillan says.

"Let me know if you have any complications," Gordon adds. Then his connection cuts off.

I switch off my mic and stare out the window. Then I remember that I'm still in my suit.

I try to stand up, but Dillan blocks my path.

"I need to change-"

"Why?"

"I can't be seen in this, remember?"

He mutters something and moves out of my way. I scoot past him into the aisle, and suddenly his arms are around my stomach, pulling me back.

"GOTCHA!" He says. I let out a shriek in surprise.

My mind goes blank, replacing all thoughts of reason with memories.

Heavy boots.

Rowan.

Glimmering knife.

Dillan sets me onto his lap and lets me go.

"Well then, welcome back to the reality show!" Heneya says with a grin.

My annoyance churns inside of me, transforming into rage. How dare he grab me from behind, after all that's happened.

I stand and spin around, slapping him hard in the face. He recoils in shock, then holds his cheek and looks at me. Pain fills his eyes. He looks like he's about to yell at me, but then averts his eyes down in shame.

"OH, SNAP!" Heneya yells. "THINGS JUST GOT REAL!"

"SHUT UP," Drake chimes in. "IM TRYING TO WATCH A MOVIE!" He puts his headphones back on and looks away.

I stand there for a moment, uncertain of what to do.

"I- I'll be right back," I say. Then I slip down the aisle, into the bathroom to change.
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I wait in the tiny compartment for a long time in my street clothes, wondering what to do. Then I take a deep breath and step into the aisle.

Approaching Dillan, I put a hand on his shoulder. He grabs my arm and yanks me into the seat.

"AH!" I squeak. He gets closer and closer to my face, until we're sharing a breath. Then he raises his hand and gently slaps me, a sly grin overtaking the anger I had seen a moment ago.

"That hurt, y'know," he says. I nod.

"I'm sorry-"

"Nah, don't be. I deserved it. I just got so nervous, and didn't think about what I was doing."

I grab his hand.

"Today is about you," I say. "You're about to see the murderers of your family pay and get peace of mind from it. I overreacted, and for that, I'm sorry."

He shakes his head.

"What if I don't?" He asks. I look at him.

"What do you mean?"

"What if I don't get peace of mind?" He pauses. "I don't think killing people is going to solve anything. It's just going to make the chain multiply. By six. Those guys all have families too- no matter how horrible of people they are. Their kids don't deserve to go through what I did."

"It'll be okay," I assure him. "No matter what, you've still got us."

"I guess you're right," he mutters. "And the agents can take in the kids and give them good homes. They shouldn't have been in those homes in the first place. I can't imagine living in a house with a murderer is much fun."

I nod and yawn. He looks at me.

"Tired?" He asks.

"Yeah," I say.

"Get some rest. You'll need it for later."

He puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me close. I lean my head against him, and soon, the world fades away.
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"Alisha," Dillan's soft voice says. I sit up, pulling the lose hairs from my mouth. "We're here," he says, amused. Then he turns and stands up. I walk past Drake and follow Dillan through the aisle and down the steps of the plane.

After a few minutes, we come across the alley.

I look through the grimy, narrow passage and grimace. No one is here.

Heneya takes a step between the buildings, but Dillan pulls her back.

"Not alone," he says.

"HELLO?!" No response. Slowly, we all walk into the alleyway. Dillan turns on his com and starts talking to Gordon.

I turn around and check our surroundings. Then I look up and see a figure on the ledge of a low balcony, ready to jump down.

"WATCH OU-" before I can finish, six figures surround us, jumping onto the ground from above. Dillan starts trying to fight them, but me and Heneya stay still.

Fighting them will only prove that we don't intend to be peaceful.

The figures grab us and shove us down in the center of the alleyway. I cry out in pain as my elbow slams against the rocky ground, and look up as they draw weapons, getting closer and closer to us with every moment.

This wasn't part of the plan.

We're done for.