Dangerous

Chapter Twenty Two: Are the Dead Really Dead?

"Hello?" I put the phone up to my ear and silence Cole and Justin with my hand. We were at a Mexican restaurant a couple miles from the motel and had just been arguing about what color my hair was- obviously a dark brown, but Cole said black and Justin, in a way to make fun of Cole, claimed it was pink.

"Hey, it's Sammie."

"What do you need?" I ask, getting right to the point. She wouldn't call unless it's important.

"The Q Team would like to speak to you."

".....you are...."

"Not over the phone, you know better. In person. Same place as last time."

"Is that even still a safe place? I mean, after I got attacked..."

"We looked into it. We suspect Anna was forced onto the team. We don't think she'd give away our hiding place."

I raise an eyebrow in surprise. "If you say so. Just give me a couple minutes, I'm eating-"

"Now or never, Ari." She hangs up.

Sighing, I stand from the table, earning a curious look from both Cole and Justin.

"I'm sorry. Q Team meeting, gotta go. Can you guys call a taxi?"

"Uh, yeah." Cole holds up his phone. "Be safe."

I feel bad because Cole and Justin don't get along and I'm leaving them alone....oh well, they'll get over it....they better.

Justin gets up and kisses me on the cheek, then murmurs in my ear, "that 'kiss' would've been a lot different if Cole weren't here."

I shiver and pull back. "thanks," I mumble. "Now all I'll be able to think about is that Cole ruined it for me," I tease.

He smirks, seeming satisfied that I flirted back. But in reality, I caught myself by surprise when I flirtatiously said that unconsciously.

I bite my lip and turn on my heel to walk out the door.

I get in my car, checking the backseats- I'm not taking any chances.

I start the car after making sure I have a gun- and a knife after what happened last time with Anna.

I start towards the apartment complex and when I pull into the empty lot, someone in all red is waiting for me by the building. I climb out, gun in my hand, aimed right at the persons heart. "Who are you?"

"Relax. I'm here to escort you to HQ. I understand if you'd like to keep your gun out, just no shooting at me." He turns and starts up the stairs. I narrow my eyes and follow a couple feet behind.

When we get to the right apartment, he knocks a certain knock and then the door opens and let's him in.

"We're taking new precautions," he explains as they step in. "The Master is over there." He gestures to the living room.

I walk over to the living room and sit across from 'The Master'. "I'm here."

He cocks his head. "So I can see. Put the gun away, Ariana. You won't be needing it here."

I clench my jaw defiantly, contemplating wether I should or not. Finally, I put it in my boot with a dirty look directed at "The Master".

"I think it's time you know who I really am," he says,

"I think so too," I say, biting my lip.

He sighs and pulls down his hoodie, then takes off his mask.

And. I. Can't. Believe. It.

Because the person before me is DEAD.

Or should be. Or is believed to be.

"Tanner?" I demand. I try not to show my surprise, but obviously I am.

He grins. "Neat trick, isn't it? Pretending to be dead."

I sit back in my chair, narrowing my eyes. "And how exactly are you here?"

He shrugs. "I got shot, yes. But I didn't die. Sammie was training to be a doctor at the time. We couldn't go to a hospital, they'd ask questions, look into it, and might've found out that Sammie was a murderer. So she tried her best with me and let's just say- I'm alive, so she did good."

"So Sammie knew?" I raise an eyebrow. "But she acted so upset when she talked about it."

Sammie walks into the room and kisses Tanner on the cheek, smirking at me. "Pretty good actress, aren't I?"

I laugh. "Not as good as me," I tease.

"Yeah, yeah," she agrees reluctantly, then walks over to the kitchen.

"So why did you start the Q Team?" I ask.

"Well, I later discovered the full story. Of course, Sammie and I already knew that the man who shot me was the father of someone Sammie had killed. But what we didn't know, was who convinced him to do it," Tanner pauses as Sammie brings us a plate of cookies and each a glass of lemonade.

"Let me guess- Quinn," I suggest, taking a sip of the lemonade.

Tanner nods, reaching for a cookie.

"But why would she want you dead?"

"She loves manipulating people, as you know. Loves knowing she's able to have the power to make someone do whatever she wants." He shrugs. "But mostly, I think it was her distaste towards Sammie."

"She didn't like Sammie?" I ask. This is news to me.

He shakes his head. "Not at all. Although I'm not sure why, we think maybe because she wanted all your attention and Sammie was taking some of it from her, so she wanted payback."

"Then why not have him shoot Sammie?" I ask.

"That wouldn't've been enough."

I feel flattered knowing Quinn was jealous of me giving a little bit of attention to someone else.

I take another drink of the lemonade. "well," I say. "Now we just need to find her." And I will find her. I'll find her before they do. And I won't let them hurt her.

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surprise!!!! Story is getting a lot more interesting from here on out (;