Pansy ▲ Daniel Atlas

✧ 1 8 ✧

Black clouds bloomed from the recently exploded wreckage, fire erupting from the car. I coughed heavily as the smoke invaded my lungs. "Elle! Elara!" I heard Dylan frantically shout. I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off by another bout of coughing. I walked around the car weakly, my knees feeling like jelly. As soon as Dylan saw me he quickly whisked me up in his arms. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." He muttered guiltily in my ear which confused me. He had nothing to be sorry for. Not able to say anything, I merely shook my head into his shoulder, gripping him tightly, feeling safe in his arms.

...

'I'm sorry.'  Was all the text said. Two words and yet I wasn't sure. My finger hovered above the 'send' button, questioning whether I should really click it.

"Dylan, Ellie." Fuller called. I sent it quickly, giving myself no time to think it through. I could only hope that Daniel Atlas hadn't changed his number. "They just figured out what the paper was in Jack's car."

"So they know what it is?" I asked.

"And why the kid died trying to protect it." Fuller added as we made our way over to the rest of the group, Fuller handed us the paper in a plastic slip. "Evans' is on his way to brief us right now."

"Let's go." Dylan urged.

"You're gonna wanna take this first, though." Fuller said, extending the phone to Dylan.

"What's that?" He questioned.

"Your friend Thaddeus Bradley." Fuller replied as Dylan took the phone.

"Rhodes." Dylan spoke in the phone, I tugged it down so I could hear.

"You do understand the function of the magician's assistant, don't you, Agent Rhodes? and I'm assuming Agent Ellis had decided to join us?"

"She's there to distract them while he sets up the trick." Dylan answered plainly.

"You'd be right if you weren't so wrong. While you're watching the magician, that lovely innocent is actually pulling the strings." I noticed Dylan's gazed and followed it to Alma. "Don't you find it peculiar that Interpol would send you a first timer off the desk to be your assistant? Why did she request to be put on the case?

"She was assigned to the case." I spat.

"Oh, luck of the draw." He mused. "Like choosing a random card in the deck."

"I find it odd, your sudden act of generosity." Dylan said. "What's in it for you?"

"Just trying to even the game." Bradley replied. "I feel like I'm playing with somebody wearing ankle weights and flippers. Keep up, Agent Rhodes, Agent Ellis. Keep up."

"Hey," Fuller said, dashing over. "We have a problem."

...

"Here's the safe." Cowan told Alma, pointing to one of the screens they'd set up.

"No, no, no." Dylan interrupted. "Hey. What's he doing here?" He asked the Boss, pointing to Cowan.

"Giving us our first solid lead." Evans sassed back.

"We've been investigating a private security contractor called Elkhorn for the last 5 years." Cowan told us.

"And?" I prompted.

"They've been hiding close to a half billion dollars-" Alma began.

"She didn't ask you." Dylan interrupted harshly causing both Alma and I to stare at him in shock. "She asked him." Could he not see the seed of doubt Bradley was trying to weave into his mind? Alma had given us no reason not to trust her, so why start now?