Chapter 8 – I Volunteer as Tribute
Regan’s P.O.V
Something was shaking me awake and I opened my eyes with a groan, “Five more minutes” I grumbled out hugging the pillow closer to me and snuggling my face into it’s hair – wait, hold up pillows don’t have hair…
My eyes shot open and instantly found Max staring up at me, her eyes were still closed slightly but I could see the electric colour of her eyes that seemed to match her hair perfectly. Some of her hair had fallen out of the plait she did in her hair last night framing her face. She looked beautiful at the moment, my shirt hung off one of her shoulders revealing the soft smooth skin. Admittedly I’d given her one of my biggest shirts just she see what it looked like on her, it looked good. I liked seeing her in my clothes that sounds a bit weird, if the guys back at the office heard me talking like this aloud – no doubt I would never hear the end of it. It was just then that I made the connection that I was indeed hugging her to my bare chest, she had to tilt her head up slightly to look at me. Suddenly last nights memories came back to me and I had to stop myself from smiling, the memories of the kiss were something I definitely wasn’t going to forget, because in all honesty – that was the best kiss I’ve ever had. As my eyes were drawn to her lips I noticed that they were moving but I’d been to consumed in my own thoughts to catch what she said.
My eyes flicked to hers and I frowned sheepishly, “Sorry, I didn’t catch that”
Max’s lips titled into a beautiful smile, “You’re not a morning person are you?”
I smiled at her cheekily, “You can tell, huh?” I closed my eyes again and pretended to go back to sleep, Max shook me again giggling.
“Come on mister, we better get up it’s like two o’clock in the afternoon. We’ve literally slept the day away. We don’t want to give your sister any crazy idea’s…” My eyes shot open and Max had a slight blush creeping across her cheeks.
Deciding to has some fun, a mischievous smile spread across my face and Max seemed to catch it. She attempted to wiggle out of my arms but I gripped her tighter until I flipped us over so that I was somewhat straddling her, “What ever are you talking about?” I asked innocently watching her eyes go wide at our position. The blush from earlier reappeared and I began to tickle her sides. A giggle passed through her lips and before I knew it I was laughing along with her. The tickling seemed to be too much for Max because she had laughter tears coming out the sides of her eyes and her laughter had become silent.
I stopped tickling her and she stopped wriggling attempting to catch her breath, “You’ve got to be one of the most ticklish people I’ve ever met” I smiled down at Max, she was lying on her back looking back up at me, she opened her mouth to say something before changing her mind and smirking at me, why was she smirking?
I frowned and was about to ask her what she was thinking about when she hooked her leg through mine and flipped us over. I stared up at her in amazement; I mean I could’ve done that but only because I’d had proper training. Something Max said came to mind, yesterday when we met her ex for the first time and just before we drove off she said she wasn’t like other girls – she certainly wasn’t.
I was now lying on my back with Max was now straddling me; she hadn’t seemed to notice yet but was still smirking at me, “Ah, I am ticklish but the question is are you?”
Folding my arms over my chest I tried to keep a straight face, “Nope”
Max grinned at me, “I think you’re lying” She replied in a sing-song like voice before she poked my stomach causing me to jerk, Max burst out laughing and started to poke my sides making me chuckle.
Suddenly the door burst open and April walked in, “Hey what’s with all the laugh-, Oh uh sorry guys” April crossed her arms across her chest and looked at us with an amused smirk playing on her lips, Max frowned and looked down at the position we were and instantly blushed and scrambled to get off of me. Max sat with her legs crossed next to where I was lying and I rolled my eyes, “Stop thinking what ever you’re thinking April, get your mind out of the gutter…” I grumbled using my elbows to prop me up so I could see her better
Her eyes widened at Max and rushed over to her and pulled her shoulders so that she was looking at April, surprise was written across Max’s face as April studied her hair.
“Max what happened to your hair? Did the shampoo make it change colour, oh my gosh!”
“April,” I called her in a deadpan voice, “Max’s hair has been like that the whole time you’ve known her…”
“Oh, my bad” April released Max and skipped over to the door, “Oh and by the way, your buddy Mack called and asked you to and I quote ‘answer your bloody phone’” She used her fingers to mark the quotations, before disappearing and closing the door behind her.
A little shocked at what had just happened I looked over at Max who was wearing a similar expression, a thoughtful look crossed her face.
“Baby brain” we spoke in unison making us both chuckle
Suddenly I remembered what she’d said, Mack had called, and if he’d called April it must’ve been important. Cursing under my breath, I reached over and grabbed my phone. Sure enough there was a fair few missed calls from Mack and other agents. Tapping quickly I pulled up his contact, pressed the call button. And waited anxiously for him to answer.
“Regan! Finally come on man, you need to actually answer your phone…” Mack’s voice drifted through the phone and I let out a nervous chuckle
“I was sleeping?” I answered him, but it came out as more of a question
“Yeah what ever buddy, I’ll let it slid this time. We got an update about the Link case” This perked my interest, “Okay, hang on I have Max with me here. Let me put the phone on speaker” I pulled it away from my ear and checked to see the door was closed and dropped the phone on the bed between Max and I.
“Max? You there?” Mack’s voice called out from the phone, causing Max to learn closer
“Yeah I’m here, what’s up Mack?” Max asked curiously looking at me out of the corner of her eye
“Like I just told Regan, we’ve gotten some new details about the Link case” Mack explained through the phone
This peeked Max’s interest as well, her head shot up and she looked at me, eyes wide she looked back down at the phone, “What? What is it?
“Well we’ve been given Intel that Link and Mason will be making their exchange today. But that’s all we have, we’ve been searching everywhere all day but we have nothing. We’re starting to think it was false Intel…” Mack’s voice trailed off
“Maybe…” I mumbled running a hand through my hair
“Wait” Max spoke up causing me to look at her, “Yesterday when we were leaving the college and I forgot my keys they were back in Mr Mason’s classroom. I went in while he was on the phone and just pretended to not hear him, that’s how I knew the formula back at the office – because it was up on his whiteboard. Anyways the guy on the phone said…” Max trailed off her eyebrows creasing in concentration, snapping her fingers she seemed to have remembered, “He said for Mason to bring the goods and he would bring the money”
“That had to have been Link, did they say where or when?” I asked hopefully
Max nodded her head, “Yeah he said at the abandoned train yard, the one on Twenty Second Street…”
“That’s great Max, did he say what time?” Mack asked hurriedly
“Yeah at three in the afternoon…” Max trailed off looking at the alarm clock next to the bed, her eyes widened, “That’s in 45 minutes!”
My eyes widened too, “Okay Mack inform everyone one else, we’ll meet you there!” I ended the call and jumped out of bed with Max following after me. Looking around I realized we’d need something to wear, “Wait here for a sec” Max nodded and I ran out of the room and into April and Lucas’s room, I ran over to Aprils draws and pulled them open. She was going to kill me for going through her stuff but this was an emergency.
Grabbing a pair of black tights and a random small shirt from the draws I closed them and ran back to my room wear Max was pacing, handing her the clothes I gestured to the bathroom and she nodded disappearing inside to get changed.
I pulled on a pair of jeans quickly and a black shirt before slipping on some shoes that were in the bottom of my cupboard. Max emerged seconds later dressed and had her hair tied back in a ponytail.
“Okay, lets go get this guy” I said determination clear in my voice
Max nodded and followed me out of the room, we took the stairs two at a time. April and Lucas must of heard the racket we were making and met us at the base of the stairs.
“Wait, do they know about your uh- job?” Max whispered to me, I wish I could tell them. This was actually my last mission; I was calling it quits so I could go to college for real. I shook my head and Max nodded, her eye softening in understanding.
“Where are you guys off to is such a hurry?” Lucas asked raising his eyebrows at us, my mind blanked and I couldn’t think of an excuse, I hated lying to these guys. Seeming to catch my tense mood Max slipped her hand into mine and gave it a squeeze.
“We got a call from the vet, my dog got caught in the fire yesterday and they said we could go and see him” Max explained quickly
Lucas’s eyes softened and he nodded, “Oh okay, I hope he’s alright. Be safe guys”
We both nodded and yelled goodbyes over our shoulders and raced over to Max’s bike, she threw me the keys while trying to awkwardly put her shoes on without falling over. The clothes I’d given her seemed to fit fine thankfully, she was wearing one of my sisters old plain grey shirts, when she was younger she went through a faze where she would only buy grey shirts saying that they went with everything.
I hoped onto the bike and Max slid on behind me and wrapped her hands around my waist, I gunned the bike and we sped off towards the old train yard.
Half an hour later we pulled up next to a couple of black SUVs at a lot just down the road from the train yard. Mack and Samson got out of the car as I turned off the bike.
Together Max and I got off of the bike and made our way towards the people who had seemed to set up a mini base under an awning attached to one of the cars. They had computer screens set up with live images of the train yard.
Mack nodded his head in greeting and filled us in on the situation. Looking at his watch again he let out an anxious breath, I frowned and nudged him with my shoulder, “What’s on your mind?”
“It’s three o’clock now and the back up wont be here for another five minutes, if we don’t stall them somehow the deal could be over by the time the back up gets here and then we have nothing on either of them…”
“I volunteer as tribute!” Max suddenly said attempting to lighten the mood, I wouldn’t show it but I was nervous out of my mind
No one laughed causing her to frown, “Come on guys” She asked the other agents standing around, “The Hunger Games?” A couple of people just gave her blank stares
“I was serious though, I can go in and be a distraction” Max stated looking between me and Mack
I instantly shook my head, “No way, that’s way to dangerous. He probably has trained men in there, I’m not risking you getting hurt” A soft smile played on her lips making my heart beat a little faster, what was this girl doing to me?
“I know Kung-Fu?” She shrugged, but it came out more of a question. I raised my eyebrow at her, now wasn’t really the time for jokes.
“I’m serious, my brother wanted to be a ninja when he was a teenager to impress girls so he learnt a whole heap of different martial arts. He also happened to need a sparing partner and he’s really over protective so he taught me everything he knows” she finished off proudly
I smiled slightly, Mack spoke beside me, “As much as I don’t like the idea – it’s the best we’ve got”
I opened my mouth to protest but Max grabbed my hand pulling me away from the others, “Can’t one of the other agents go?” I asked looking her in the eyes
Max shook her head, her ponytail whipping behind her, “No, if anyone else steps in there, they’ll probably get shot as soon as they set foot in there. But me, Link knows me and we both know he enjoys theatrics. He’ll probably start bragging about his plan for world domination for all we know…”
I frowned at her answer, as much as I didn’t want to admit it, Max was right. Letting out a sigh she gave me a soft smile.
“I can do this, I know I can” Max smiled confidently at me, I wish I could be that confident at the moment.
I nodded giving in, raising a hand I cupped her cheek with my hand, she leaned into my touch which made my heart flutter again, “Please-, please just be careful okay?” I asked concern evident in my voice, I’d only known her a short time but there was something about Max that drew me in and I wanted to know more about her.
She nodded and stood on her tippy toes to kiss me lightly on the cheek, “I will, don’t worry about me”
Without another word Max turned on her heel and walked back over to Mack, they exchanged a few words and with one last fleeting look over her shoulder at me she jogged towards the warehouse. I watched her disappear behind the parked SUVs before stepping back over to the awning where the screens were set up. Some how the guys had gotten the cameras set up so that we had a view of the entire outside of the building as well as one aimed directly at the giant roller door. Max came to a stop in front of the camera positioned at the roller door and gave us a thumbs up behind her back. She ran her hand through her ponytail once before walking towards the warehouse, closing my eyes I hoped with everything I had that Max would be okay.
When I opened my eyes Max was already at the door pulling it open roughly, then all hell broke loose.
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Bam, another chapter. The story is coming to a close soon, so I guess we'll find out what happens soon then hey? Or at least until I write the next chapter...
Hope this was enjoyed, have a great day!
Emma