Errand Runners

Chapter 25

"You’re friend was quite the guy. He hated confrontation, but when it came down to it, he’d defend those he cared about,” Tom reminisced. “Eventually he outgrew the gang, and decided to live a simpler life. But even in his down time, he couldn’t seem to lay low.

“What do you mean?” Nole interrogated.

“How do I say this,” Tom wondered. “He was a theorist. Whenever something happened, like the water shortage, he thought there was some grand conspiracy behind it. Sometimes a lot of the things he said made sense, but we just didn’t want to believe it.” He hopped off the desk and reached into the trapdoor for Betty’s files.

“What are you-” Zane started.

“Calm down,” Tom eased. “It’s not like I haven’t seen them before.”

“Does Betty know you’re a Para,” Valerie wondered nervously.

“I’ve never mentioned it formally, but I have a feeling she’s suspicious of me,” he answered, preoccupied with the files.

All of the new information was overwhelming. Nole wasn’t even sure whether he believed it or not. Clearly Tom was a Para, and Asteria was the leader, but was the part about Murphy being a gang member true? How much about Murphy was Nole completely oblivious to? “Ah, here it is,” Tom declared, interrupting Nole’s thoughts.

Holding up a familiar manila folder, Tom handed it over to Nole, who hesitantly took it.

“That’s the one we got during your first errand,” Valerie noted, peering into the folder beside him. To his surprise, Zane also glanced inside the file. Nole hadn’t even questioned whether or not the information was shared between the runners and Betty. He’d automatically assumed that he was the only one left in the dark. Never would he have imagined that Betty had treated them equally.

Skimming through the document inside, Nole realized that it was a formal offer of joining forces by the Pents to the Quads.

“An alliance,” Zane deduced immediately.

“Keep reading,” Tom advised.

The letter was fairly concise and expertly worded for a gang contract. The Pents were offering the Quads an alliance in order to take down the Paras. In doing so they could combine members and overthrow the Paras as the strongest gang in the city. Just before the end of the letter, there is a brief mention of them being a hired party, and that they’re only job is to take down the Paras.

“This is about destroying the Paras. What does this have to do with us?” Nole pressed.

“It’s all connected,” Tom proclaimed simply. “One of our newer members managed to figure it out. I’m not too privy on the details, but it made enough sense for Asteria to act on it.”

“What about Olivia and Betty?” Valerie asked.

“They have nothing to do with this,” Zane replied. “They got caught up in his mess.” Nole shot him a dirty Zane a dirty look, but refrained from engaging in an argument.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Tom announced. “You guys were in this without even realizing it. In fact, they’ve been keeping tabs on you for months now.”

“How? We’ve been here the entire time. Why did they wait until now?” Valerie’s attempt at making sense of the information was getting more and more difficult.

“They have a cover. When your friends were deemed associates of Nole’s, their arrest could be justified. And since they were completely unaware of your group’s little information perusing business, they had to wait for their opportunity, and Betty taking Nole in was just that.”

“Who are these people that you keep talking about?” Nole questioned.

Tom gave an audible sigh, like what he was about to say was risky.

“Right now, the Enforcers Unit.”

“The whole unit?” Valerie was stunned.

“I reacted the same way at first, but it’s like I said, the logic made sense,” Tom explained. “Remember, there’s a lot more to this than just your friends.” He glanced at Nole and added, “It even goes beyond Murphy’s murder.”

Things were starting to sound like a major conspiracy theory. Was Tom implying that the Enforcers killed Murphy? Could his alleged past with the Paras have something to do with it? That would explain the planned hit on the Paras, but it was a bit of a stretch in Nole’s mind. He didn’t want to come right out and say it, but trusting Tom was far from easy. Not even Valerie or Zane trusted him, and they knew him longer than Nole had.

“How can we believe anything you’re saying?” Zane accused, reading Nole’s mind. “What’s stopping us from thinking you’re an enemy as well?”

“I guess nothing,” Tom shrugged. “All you can do is believe me and trust that the information I’ve given you is accurate.”

No one responded. It was as if they were all unsure about the ultimatum presented. Believe someone that had been deceiving them all along, or do nothing and losing a potential ally?

“What about Caden?” Suri asked, breaking her silence. Nole closed his eyes at the inquiry. It was clear that Nole had given her hope by mentioning his encounter with their brother, but she was grasping at straws if she was hoping that Tom had an answer for that.

“Who?” Tom said, puzzled by the new name.

“Our brother,” she answered, moving forward. “He’s with the Enforcers now. If you’re going after them, something might happen to him.” Her pleas were excruciating to hear. Her seeking Tom’s assistance made Nole think that she’d lost all faith in him.

“The targets are the Enforcers, if you’re brother is on their side, then-”

“He’s not on their side,” Nole interrupted, grabbing Suri’s shoulder. “Suri, you don’t have to worry about Caden. I-” he stopped midsentence as he saw her gaze lower. How many times have I made this promise? “I need help,” he admitted. “Tom, right?” he said, turning to the grown man before them. “I want in on this job, but in exchange, you have to help me get to my brother. He’s in Central Station and I won’t be able to get to him on my own. Not after what happened last night.”

Suri lifted her head, seemingly surprised by Nole’s request of assistance. Nole was surprised with himself as well, but not because he’d asked for help, but because of how long it had taken him to ask for it.

Throughout the time that Caden had gone missing, people have been trying to help him, but he took it for granted. He wanted to be the one to fix his own mess, but in doing so, he’d limited the chances of success.

“Central Station, huh?” Tom seemed to be mulling over the answer, but Nole already knew what his answer would be. “Alright. Asteria wants you on board, so I’m sure she’ll agree to your terms.”

“And, we have to act before anything happens to Betty and Olivia,” he added.

“Yes, please don’t let anything happen to them,” Valerie begged.

Tom gave her a curious look, as if her request was unnecessary. Giving her a nod, he ended the terms of their negotiation.

“Alright, but we need to act fast.” Snatching the file out of Nole’s hands, Tom threw it back into the hiding spot and shoved the desk back into its original position overtop the trapdoor.

“Shouldn’t we regroup with everyone else?” Nole wondered.

“There’s no time.” Tom glanced at the four of them with a grim expression. His small, dark brown eyes were dead set on them. “They’re planning on executing them today.