So now you all know her name.
(I'm not going to be changing the title from Thirteen's POV to Everly's POV. At least, not yet.)
And now, without further ado...the chapter. Sorry it took a little while.
Thirteen's POV
"I think you should make them tighter." I tell Josh.
He scowls at me as he ties the ropes around Garrett and the chair. "Any tighter I'll be cutting off the circulation to every damn part of his body."
"I don't see a problem with that." Lily chimes in.
"Shouldn't he be awake by now?" Olivia questions before shooting a look at Ryder.
"Why are you shooting a glare my way?" Ryder asks defensively.
"You're the one who shot him!"
"I know. You're welcome!"
"You probably gave him permanent brain damage." Kate mutters.
"If that's what that little thing did when I shot him then you know what? I'm not sorry. Asshole had it coming big time."
"Mr. Stevenson, I would tread lightly if I were you." Henri warns with a harsh and deadly glare. Ryder chuckles nervously.
I turn my attention back to Josh just as he finishes with the last of the ropes. "You do know that if he somehow gets out-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, you're blaming me." Josh says with a roll of his eyes.
"I could have you and him trade places." I threaten.
Josh smiles widely before a look of mock concern falls over his face and he points with his hand up to his own cheek, but in reality he's referring to mine. "You might want to put something on that."
I pick up the glass paperweight from the table next to me and peg it at him. He dodges it easily and rolls around on the floor laughing. I glare at him before glaring instead at Ryder, since it was his fault. He just gives me a blank look.
"I apologized already." He says with a deep sigh, as if this conversation is so beneath him.
"You and I both know you didn't mean it."
He shrugs lazily. "No I did not."
Ryder had caught up to me and tackled me to the floor. I have no idea what exactly he was planning on doing and even he seemed at a loss. He had just kind of stared at me murderously, right up until the point I tried to get up. Then he decided he wasn't above hitting girls. My cheek is now sporting a cut, but not from Ryder. At least not intentionally.
When he'd knocked me down I'd fallen slightly onto a tree root, and it had cut into my cheek. He then tried to hit me. And I say tried because he's the one who ended up with the black eye.
And Lily's the one who gave it to him. She's quite proud of it too.
"When should he wake up?" Hayden asks Ryder and Ryder just lets out a little careless shrug.
"Few hours maybe?"
"Are you just suggesting an answer?"
"Well it's not like I asked Nicky." Ryder grumbles. "Tasers don't normally knock people unconscious...unless she's the one who made them." Ryder scowls and I can't keep the smirk off my face.
"She pulled a taser on you didn't she?" His only response is further scowling and a deadly glare. I laugh and Lily cackles like a witch.
"Where is Nicky?" Lily asks curiously. "I haven't seen her yet." She peers around Ryder as if Nicky's hiding somewhere in the house behind him.
Ryder doesn't say anything though, and instead offers her a tight lipped and tense smile. His jaw clenched shut his fists clenched against his sides.
"Ryder..." I trail off in warning and he turns his glare on me.
"I'm sorry." He bites out sarcastically. "But it's not the FBI's job to keep criminals safe. It's our job to catch them."
"What did you do?" Lily questions harshly.
Ryder shrugs simply but keeps his glare on me. "I shot her and left her for dead."
I gape at him but he makes no indication he's joking. He doesn't smile, he doesn't laugh, and his eyes hold none of their usual mischief.
"Are you serious?" I finally ask. I'm honestly afraid of the answer.
"No he's not." Lily says as she studies his facial expression.
"Half truth." She states after a moment. "She did get shot, but he's not the one who shot her, and she is gone...but I can't tell for sure if he left her or she left him."
Ryder glares at his sister in annoyance. I'd never seen them interact together before, but Lily always told me that no matter who was lying about what, both of them could read each other like an open book. They could lie to anyone else, except each other.
"Who shot her?" I question Ryder, bringing his attention back to me.
"John." He says simply. The name means absolutely nothing to me, but it clearly means something to Lily. Her eyes go wide and she lets out a soft gasp.
"You know him?" I ask her and she shakes her head.
"I've heard of him, and I knew Nicky knew him." She replies. "He's....a problem. I didn't realize he'd be sent after Nicky."
"He wasn't." Ryder says with the shake of his head. "Nicky went to him for help." Ryder says flatly.
Lily chokes on her own spit before turning towards Ryder. "What did you slip into her drink?"
Ryder scowls at her. "She's suicidal. That has nothing to do with me."
"What's the big deal?" Chase intervenes. "Who is this guy?"
Ryder shrugs. "Hell if know."
"John's a hit man. A contract killer." Lily says. "And he's the best. He use to work with Nicky." Lily explains. "But...things kind of went a little sideways when Nicky sort of...kind of...possibly...threatened his wife."
What was Nicky thinking going to this guy for help?
Hayden taps me on the shoulder and I turn to face him. He jerks his thumb back over his shoulder in the direction of the front door. Or rather, what's left of it. I look over his shoulder just in time to see Sam disappear outside. I walk around Hayden and outside.
"Where do you think you're going?" I call out. Sam stops and turns towards me, his duffle bag slung over his shoulder.
"I've got to go Daggers." He says simply. "Don't try and talk me out of it."
"Well I'm going to anyway." I reply, walking down the steps towards him.
He lets out a long sigh. "I can't stay. Not with Garrett tied up in your living room."
"Yes you can." I tell him. "Just stay away from the living room."
He lets out a soft humorless laugh before turning away and walking back towards the car.
"Your cover's blown." I state and he stops in his tracks again. He doesn't turn back around to face me this time and instead hangs his head and runs a hand through his hair.
I narrow my eyes at him in realization. "You already knew that. Didn't you?" He lets out a resigned sigh as his answer. I feel my anger flare up. "How long have you known?"
"Daggers it's not that big of-"
"No, you answer me. How long have you known?"
He shakes his head. "A little over a month now."
"Why didn't you say anything?" I hiss. "You could get killed."
"It's my word against his, and if I really felt threatened by the fact he knows, he'd already be dead." He replies. "Look I'm taking care of it alright? I'm Garrett's right hand man, he'd have to have evidence to accuse me of anything and he doesn't."
I nod, still pissed off he didn't tell me. "Triple know anything about this?"
Sam shakes his head. "Between the four of us you're the only one who knows."
I just nod again. He pulls open the car door and tosses his bag into the back seat. I push the door closed before he can get into the driver's seat.
"Why can't you stay?"
He laughs bitterly. "And do what? I don't fit in with these people anymore." He runs his hand through his hair again and shakes his head. "Besides, the longer I stay, the more danger you're all in."
"Who cares."
"I do." He states firmly. He shakes his head again. "I don't need another name added to the list of bodies."
He pushes past me and opens the car door, I grab hold of his wrist. He turns his head to look at me.
"Neither do I."
He looks down at the floor before pulling his wrist free and getting into the car. "I'll be back soon."
"No. You won't." I state harshly. "At best I'll get a call from you in a few weeks. At worst, the agency will find your body in a river somewhere." I slam the car door for him when he gets in before turning and walking away.
I hear the car door open back up behind me but I ignore it and keep walking.
"What do you want me to do?!" He yells. "What can I possibly accomplish by staying here?!"
I shake my head and ignore him. I hear his footsteps and feel his arm grab hold of my shoulder, spinning me around to face him. I let my fist fly. He curses as he rubs at his jaw.
"I want you to stay alive." I say in a deadly calm voice. "I want you to care enough to try and stay alive."
"I'll be fine. I've got to finish this." He hisses between his teeth and I shake my head.
"Right." I say simply. "Mission always comes first. How could I forget." I bite back sarcastically.
He lets out an aggravated sigh as I turn away. "It's not like that. Daggers!" He calls after me.
"Get lost Sam!" I shout back over my shoulder. "You wanted to leave and now I'm not stopping you!"
I walk back into the house and Lily's leaning against the wall in front of me. "Problem?" She questions as she waves her hand in Sam's direction.
I shake my head. "No. He's leaving."
"Yeah, I think you need to tell him to look up the definition of leaving." Lily points over my shoulder and I groan.
I turn around to face him and he crosses his arms over his chest. "I told you to get lost." I state simply.
"I didn't mean it like that and you know it Daggers." He says.
"I don't care how you meant it. It is what it is, and the facts are that you care more about this mission, than anything else in your life."
His eyes darken. "I don't have a life right now Daggers. I complete this mission and I get my life back. You know this, so I can't understand why it I pisses you off."
I shake my head. "I'd rather you stayed alive than completed the mission. I can't lose anyone else. Do you get that?"
He shakes his head angrily. "You've already lost me." He sates before turning and walking out the door.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" I call after him but he doesn't say anything else and just gets in the car and speeds off.
"Ohhh..."
"What?" I snap at Lily and she holds her hands up in surrender. "Sorry." I mutter.
She waves her hand dismissively at my apology. "Two things." She says, holding up two fingers. "One, why wouldn't you tell me you had a guy on the inside?"
"Couldn't risk Sam's cover." I reply. She sways her head back and forth, deciding if she likes my answer.
Finally she nods. "Fair enough. Two, he likes you."
I give her a flat look. "Thank you for your acute observation skills."
"Oh I'm not done yet."
"Darn."
"You like him."
I turn and glare at her. She gives me a wide smile and her eyes spark with mischief. "Wipe that look off your face."
"I don't hear you denying it." She says smugly and I narrow my eyes at her further. "Cupid was considered an angel."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"I look like an angel, and can act like an angel."
"So?"
"So...match making and arrows of love here I come. I'm going to need a costume."
"I'm with Cody." I growl at her. She gives me an almost sad smile.
"That's what he meant when he said you've already lost him. He's not going to try to get in the way. So why should he stay?"
I turn away from her and stare off in the direction of the driveway. "I'm going to offer you a piece of advice."
I groan. "I really wish you wouldn't." I mutter. "I don't need to have more things on my mind at the moment."
"Cody's a great guy." She says. "But Sam's got my vote."
"You were beating the guy up earlier." I tell her, turning back around to face her. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
Lily smiles. "Well, I looked into Sam's old agent file-"
"How'd you get access to that?"
"Devin is Zero's kid." She says slowly as if I'm stupid. "So I asked him to get me the fi-"
"When did you find out?"
"Just now. You just confirmed my suspicions. Thank you for that."
I glare at her and she smiles wider before continuing on. "Sam went through almost the exact same thing you did, and beyond that, he knows you. He knows you can handle yourself, and he knows your priorities."
"Cody knows me too." I tell her firmly.
"Yeah he does. But he'll never-and I do mean never-understand you."
I look at her, and I know she's right, but this can't happen right now. "I don't need boy problems right now. I'm with Cody and that's that." I say firmly.
"Hey!" Josh comes running up. "The devil just woke up."
My face goes blank and my muscles tense up. Lily's happy expression morphs into a blank look to mirror my own. Suddenly she feigns confusion and her eyes light up again.
"My brother's been awake for a while now. What do you mean just woke up?"
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Thank you for being somewhat patient :)
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