Manhunt

Chapter 16

Julia struggled beneath Mark's weight as he tightened his hold on her, her intense glare meeting his amused stare. It was just her luck that an animal would make enough noise for one of them to investigate where she hid, but she had taken a risk of taking her cover somewhere close.

"Oh, so that's what you meant by rat." Jason called out, chuckling at the sight. "Well done." Julia's mind raced for ways to escape, frustrated with the way she was easily discovered. She didn't want to expose any of her team members, and she could only imagine the look on Red's face as she watched her failure unfold. She'd have to act like she was working alone, or at least keep herself alive long enough to have their dealer move to where the nuclear weapons were.

"Get the hell off me." She hissed at the Mark, who seemed to be enjoying the way she squirmed underneath him. He brought his face close to hers as he chuckled.

"Nah," he replied in a whisper, his lips tilted up in an unfriendly smile. "I quite enjoy the position I'm in." She growled at him, twisting her hips in an effort to throw him off balance. All she needed was for him to slip up, and she could make a break for it. However, he remained steady on her abdomen.

"That just makes me enjoy it even more." Mark chuckled, his lips formed into a broad smirk. She bit back the many insults she had for him, realizing that it wouldn't help the situation if she made them angrier.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Asked the girl she recognized to be Dena. She stepped towards Julia, glaring at her in disgust. "You better speak now, or we'll show no hesitation in fucking killing you. Understand?" Pondering on what to do, Julia turned her head and smiled sweetly at her.

"Fuck off." She answered, her previous concern on controlling the situation seemingly disintegrating as her feisty attitude finally made an appearance. Dena's eyes blazed up before running at her, ready to kick her face with as much strength as she had in her. Before she could, though, her teammate stopped her.

"My, you have a lot of guts girly." Jason purred, glancing at Julia and shooting her a smile. "I like that."

"I doubt you'll like it for long."

"Definitely courageous." Nina stated in amusement from where she was standing, directly in front of the cases of weapons. "Especially coming here alone..."

"Can't say courage and wits go hand in hand." Julia stated in a bored tone, slinking her gaze over between Mark, Nina, and Maria. Maria hadn't said a word since Julia was discovered, but it was clear to see that she and Mark were the brains of the group.

"Can someone shut this bitch up?" Dena snapped, seething at her commentary. "Clearly you're pressing for time until your team gets here. Otherwise, you'd be pissing yourself." She was still angry from Julia's earlier comment, aiming to rile her up. Unfortunately for her, her foul mood just made Julia's better.

"Absolutely...I am totally waiting for my team of twenty to come save me." She informed them sarcastically, opting for chaotic responses instead. "Or the cops. Whichever comes first. I make a bet with myself sometimes...makes things interesting. Lurking gets boring after a while." Personally, she was proud of herself for making up such bullshit on the spot, even though it could easily get her killed in seconds. "Are you guys done, though? I was just about to leave—"

"Why would they send you, of all people, to come here?" Mark questioned, his curious gaze burning holes into the side of her face. "From what I can tell, you don't look old enough to do anything." God, was he absolutely unfazed by her incessant rambling?

"Hm...I feel I'm qualified," she replied, turning her stare to him. "It really depends on your judgment." At this point, she started wondering what her team was doing. She was buying them time, but she knew for a fact that she couldn't keep this bluff up for long. They could kill her right now, if they wanted to. Honestly speaking, she wasn't yet mentally prepared to die this early. She just needed one of these people to separate from the rest. But how?