Blood and Bone | 1

4 | 0

      Mariette was standing right where we'd agreed to meet, leaning against the wall of a brick building. Her hazel eyes were on the cars speeding by; she hadn't noticed the two of us yet.

      Jake and I watched her from behind, as still as two statues. She didn't appear to be armed as I checked her pockets for any strange weighting. I couldn't see any knives she might have hidden, due to the jacket she wore. Although I could see any weapons, I found it hard to believe that she wouldn't carry one around, especially with everything that had gone down in the last few days.

      "Go talk to her," I told my teammate in a low voice. "I'll make sure she didn't bring any friends along." He walked silently out of the shadows in the alleyway and towards the short girl.

      I slipped away and began sweeping the area for any Club members. I circled the surrounding edifices, searching for any trace of spies or assassins. All of the buildings in town were at least two stories high, making it easy for someone to ambush us from above.

I made my way up and onto a balcony of a building overlooking the busy street and surrounding area. There were no signs of foul play, at least not yet. Sneaking over to the edge of the balcony, I listened in on the conversation below while still keeping an eye out for attackers.

"-and the plane should be landing at around five thirty, maybe six in the morning. He has about twenty men that are meant to be there to help with the transport and guard the prisoners, your crew," I heard Mariette say, spouting out information like she'd been waiting to tell anyone who would listen. "Dmitri, Adiago's lieutenant, will be there to oversee the operations."

"Tell me about Hundsen," Jake commanded, crossing his arms. "What is he planning?"

"He made no indication that he'd be at the airport. We both know well that he is a busy man with multiple jobs going on at once. He still has some of the Club our searching for any trace of you and the assassin." She paused and glanced around. "Where is Tesla, anyway?"

"Why?" my teammate inquired drily. "Are you scared?"

But Mariette seemed to shake it off. "Not as afraid as I am of what Hundsen can do with the power he holds."

      "What can you tell me about his other jobs?"

      "He's trying to get more territory from the Needles. There have been a few small fights with casualties on both sides, but none near the warehouse. Adiago has the advantage, and he's pushing them back more and more."

      "Good," said Jake. "He's busy."

      "Yes," Mariette agreed. "But he's making the search for you and Tesla his top priority. I'd be very careful if I were you."

      When Jake stayed quiet, I heard her say, "That's all I know that might be of importance to you."

      "That is all I need to know."

      My teammate took a step back, but Mariette grabbed his arm. I vaulted over the side of the balcony and landed on the pavement  behind the building smoothly. Peering around the edge, I could see Jake staring at Mariette's hand on his arm so coldly that she immediately removed it.

      "Sorry," she stated, glancing down at her boots in slight embarrassment before looking him in the face again. "I have a proposition for you."

      With my knife in my hand, I stepped out of my hiding place to stand next to Jake. "What is it?"

      Mariette's eyebrows knitted together at the sight of me, but she spoke to both of us, "If you two are bringing Adiago down, I want in."

      "Because that's not suspicious," I muttered under my breath, but she heard me.