He quickly paid the bill and hauled me to my feet. I thanked the goddess no one tried to stop us on the way out to his car. “What’s your address?”
I rattled off the address I linked to my alias before I pretended to pass out from the drug. When we stopped, I pretended to wake up slightly, looking around, “Where are we? This isn’t my place,” I slurred my words.
“I had to make a stop first.” He got out of the car and walked around to my door, opening it and grabbing my upper arm, “Come on.”
I complied, stumbling as I walked with him. Once we were inside he led me over to a chair and tied me to it. Kemp came out of the shadows with a syringe in his hand. He carefully inserted it into my arm and injected whatever it was into my body. I slurred my words again, “What was that?”
“A little something to counteract the effects of the rohypnol you were given at the restaurant. You should be back to normal in about ten minutes,” Kemp said with a cruel smile on his face.
I pretended to pass out again, passing the time quietly. A few minutes passed the ten minute mark, I pretended to startle awake. I looked around, “Where am I?”
“That’s not what you need to worry about right now,” Kemp said, “You should be worrying about what we’re going to do to you if you don’t answer our questions.”
Murphy squatted down in front of me, “Who do you work for?”
“Phenom Press. Please, I’m just an editor. I don’t know anything,” I struggled against the restraints more as I spoke.
Murphy stood and walked away, keeping his back turned as Kemp slapped me hard against the face, “We know you met with Walker and his partner this morning. Who do you work for?”
Kemp started to hit me again, “Wait! Wait. I’ll tell you. I work for the CIA. I was assigned this case when a six man team was given an assignment that should’ve been at least a nine man team.”
“The CIA can’t operate on domestic soil,” Kemp said before he slapped me again, “You’re lying.”
“I promise you I’m not. It was an observe and report assignment. That’s it.”
Kemp pulled out a knife and pressed it to my face. “Let’s see if you’re wearing a wire.” He cut off my shirt and laughed when he saw my scars, “Someone’s already worked on you. No wonder you’re not so quick to hold onto your secrets.”
He cut off my bra and squeezed my breast, “Please. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, just don’t touch me.”
“How much do they know?” Murphy asked, finally turning back to me.
“I-I don’t know,” Kemp started to hit me again, “I don’t! I swear! I was just told to do surveillance on you and report back. They didn’t give me a full dossier on you guys.”
Kemp walked behind me and put his hands on my shoulders, “You realize we’re going to kill you right?”
I fought against my restraints, “What? No please! I’ve told you everything I know.”
“Yeah but we’ve kidnapped you and you saw our faces, so sorry but we have to do it.”
“Why? What are you doing that’s so bad you would kill me?”
Kemp and Murphy looked at one another until Murphy nodded, “We’ve discovered a very lucrative market in selling information or setting up US troops with false intel. It’s amazing what people will pay just to kill American troops.”
“But why? Why would you sell out your own country?”
“What has this country ever done that’s so great? Murphy, Tessa, and I get paid little to nothing, especially compared to what these people are paying for this shit. I’m talking millions,” Kemp bragged.
“But wait wouldn’t that send up a bunch of red flags?”
“Nah. We hide everything offshore,” Kemp said, patting my shoulder, “You maybe could’ve worked with us if you would’ve come to us when you started.”
“I would’ve, but I enjoy not betraying my country,” I said before I broke through my restraints and took down Murphy.
Kemp watched as I knocked Murphy out quickly and turned to him. He pulled out his gun, “Who are you? Who do you work for?”
I smirked, “No one you need to concern yourself with.” I disarmed him quickly and knocked him out too. “Come on in, guys.”
As soon as I said that, Walker and Maverick ran in with their guns drawn. Maverick put his gun away and took off his shirt. I gladly slipped into it, “So when you said you were kidnapped and held for almost a week, you meant you were tortured for a week,” Walker said.
I shrugged, “It happened, I try not to dwell on it for too long.”
They cuffed Murphy and Kemp and carried them out to the car. “Thanks for your help,” Maverick said, wrapping me in a hug. Our dragons reached out for one another before we pulled apart.
“Any time,” I gave him a light smack on the arm before looking around at where we were, “Where are we exactly?”
“A little outside of the city,” Maverick said.
“Do you guys think I could get a ride?”
Walker nodded, “Where are we dropping you?”
“Do you need anything else from me before I leave town?” They looked at one another before shaking their heads, “Great. Drop me at my hotel. I’m ready to get home.”
By the time we got to the hotel, Murphy and Kemp were awake and pissed. “I’m going to fucking kill you when I get out,” Kemp hissed.
I laughed as I got out of the car, “Yeah good luck with that.” Maverick rolled down his window, so I could hand him a scrap of paper with my number on it, “Call me if you need anything else, but try not to need anything else.”
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for your help,” Maverick said with a wave of his hand.
I headed inside, packed my bag, and checked out of my room. I was back on the road to the complex. I got back around one in the morning, so I decided to spend the night in my room at the complex.
Author: Kailan Counahan 