The rest of the week passed slowly without any of us gaining any new information regarding the mission. Before I knew it, Saturday had arrived. A full day of training with Eric - but also the night I had my 'date' with Brad.
Midday had arrived and after a tiring training session, Eric and I had taken a well deserved lunch break. We had been doing combat fighting all morning that were a lot more intense than usual. I had wondered if it was because of my date tonight. Though that wouldn't make much sense as to why I had to learn so much. I just got the sense that Eric was a little on edge that morning.
I was walking over to Cassie's office to see her as she had requested to see me at lunch. Her door was only a few down from Eric's in the same hallway. When I arrived, I knocked on the door anxiously awaiting her response. A moment later the door opened and Cassie was standing in front of me with an apple in her hand. .
"Oh hey, come in." she greeted as she took a huge chunk out of her apple. I looked around at her office. It was so different from Eric's - it was more personalized. On the walls hung photos of her with friends at what looked like clubs and parties. Her desk had a few novels on it which I assumed she read in her down time, along with a glass vase filled with pink tulips.
"Sit." she told me as she pointed to the chair that sat on the other side of her desk. I obeyed and sat down while she nestled in to her own office chair.
"You have a really nice office." I noted as I continued looking around in admiration.
"Thank you," she smiled in between bites. I waited for her to finished before she began speaking again. "So, anyway," she continued once she swallowed, "I wanted to talk to you about your little date tonight."
I sighed as I leaned back on the chair "Cassie," I complained.
"Come on, we need to talk about what you're going to be wearing and all that" she urged.
"I don't know." I shrugged. "Give me some skinny jeans and a sweater. It's going to be cold out anyway." I ran my hands through my hair nervously.
"Are you sure? Cause maybe a nice dress-"
"Cassie, it's fine. It isn't like this is a real date, it's just a part of the mission." I reminded her.
She blinked at me for a moment, looking like she was going to argue more but then she released a long sigh and nodded in agreement.
After a moment of silence, she spoke up again. "So is this your first date?" she asked grinning.
"Not a date. It's a mission." I repeated.
"But still," she said with the grin still plastered on her face.
I sighed and reluctantly answered."Yeah..." I thought I heard her squeal but I ignored it and continued "I just haven't had time for guys with all the gymnastics training I've done over the years. I remember gym better than any high school memories I've ever had."
"Are you nervous?" she placed her apple down on the desk.
"Well, I am now," I muttered. Her bringing up the whole 'first date' thing wasn't exactly helping the situation.
"Sorry!" she threw her hands up in the air in defense. "I just wanted to know."
I let the silence settle over us again before I spoke "Did you...have to do anything like this on your missions? This, 'relationship' stuff?" I asked awkwardly.
She nodded instantly "All the time." she answered. I cringed at the thought of her being forced to pretend to like people that she was probably afraid of or repulsed by.
I gave her a sympathetic look."Is that common?"
"Only for girls like us Becca," she sighed. "You won't find the Erics and the Turners of the world doing this kind of stuff."
Even though it sucked that this was a woman's job, it felt kind of relieving knowing that Eric didn't have to pretend to like people on his missions. Even if it was just pretend, the thought still made me jealous. "Well, I guess someone's got to do it," I replied grimly.
On a good note, at least I wasn't repulsed by Brad - I didn't even really feel that afraid of him. He'd simply asked me on a date and I just needed to spend a bit of time with him to get closer to uncovering an answer on this case. I felt kind of bad using him in this way, but he seemed like the kind of guy that had probably dated a heap of girls and could get over it easily.
Cassie continued eating her apple and we made light conversation for another few minutes until she finished and threw her apple core in the bin nearby and stood up.
"You and Eric have more training now but later in the afternoon, come see me and we'll get you ready okay?" she informed me as she smoothed out her jacket.
"Okay," I stood up. "Skinny jeans and a sweater." I reminded, pointing at her.
"Fine." She laughed in response.
After I had left her office, I headed back to the gym for training with Eric. We had spent the entire morning doing combat fighting but now it looked like Eric was ready to spend the whole afternoon lecturing me and preparing me for this date.
"So remember, fighting is only used in self-defense and when needing to escape in a-"
I cut him off. "You know this is just a simple date right?" I told him, in the same way I had reminded Cassie several times. "I doubt there'll be any attacking happening."
"You always have to be ready." he replied simply.
"What about you?" I asked, "You have any missions tonight or anything?"
He shrugged. "I think it's probably best I focus on this one tonight."
I lifted my head in amusement. "You're really putting a lot of effort in this mission, huh?"
"I've just never seen a high school case like this before. We'd usually be able to catch the dealer in no more than a week but whoever is behind this drug deal is cunning. And aggressive." He added referring to the attack.
"Well, there's two of them, right? I mean, we got attacked by two people that night." I said.
He nodded his head, "Perhaps," he began pacing "or maybe it's just one person controlling everything and they had a helper, It's a smart idea." he stopped pacing.
It was an interesting theory because after all, how many people did it take to deal drugs?
"Hey lets, not give them too much credit, these are the same people that named a drug 'Naughty Time'," I said laughing.
Eric laughed with me and I stopped, gazing at him.
"What?" he asked, noticing me stare.
"Nothing," I answered quickly. "It's just that I've noticed you don't really smile that much. That's probably gotta be the most genuine one I've seen yet."
He looked down at the floor still holding a small smile before his face returned serious again. He lifted his head up and looked back at me.
"We need to move on to weapons." he instructed.
"I'm not going to need any tonight right? It's just a date." I repeated. I felt like I had been saying that a lot today. It's just a date. Everyone around me was treating it like it was a suicide mission or in Cassie's case, an actual date.
"I won't give you anything if you really think it's going to be okay, but you need to stay aware at all times," he ordered as he began pacing again.
We spent the rest of our training time doing more combat until it was time for me to get ready. I walked out of the gym saying bye to Eric but even with my back to him, I could feel him watching me leave.
Cassie had followed through with my request and brought me actual clothing that could be worn in winter, but still insisted I let her do my makeup so I let her win that war. Another thing the team had agreed to was that I could ride my bike tonight- meaning, I didn't have to deal with all the unwanted attention I got from the limo. Turner was busy working his case with Cassie that night anyway, and it probably would have been more awkward if it had been another agent I didn't know that well driving - or Eric reminding me for the hundredth time how to punch someone while handcuffed.
By the time I had arrived at Seaville, I was feeling grateful that Cassie had let me wear what I wanted to as it was freezing cold. I wrapped my arms around myself as I got off my bike, shivering. My bike was chained up securely and I had begun walking down the pathway. Brad and I had made plans to meet up at a local Chinese restaurant on the main street.
The town still looked as peaceful and quiet as I'd remembered and it began to darken with the sun setting. I could still hear the distant sound of waves crashing onto the shore of a nearby beach. I slowly began to approach the restaurant which lit up with a bright red sign. I couldn't understand what the name of the actual place was since it was written in Chinese but I had eaten there before a few years ago with Debby when we had decided to go late night shopping in Seaville.
I hoped that Brad would already be there otherwise I wouldn't know what to do. Wait at a table for him? Call him? It wasn't like I actually knew what to do on a date considering I'd never been on one before. Debby had been on a few herself even with her hectic gymnastics schedule but had never actually filled me in on what they were like. I felt completely clueless.
I finally made it to the doors of the restaurant and reached out to place my hand on the door handle when I suddenly stopped, hearing a voice behind me.
"Amanda," I turned to see Brad walking up behind me. I felt relief flow through me that he actually turned up. I don't know why I'd been worried for a moment that he wouldn't.
"Hi," I spoke nervously as I looked at him. He wore a leather jacket, black t-shirt and skinny jeans like his usual appearance at school.
"Come on," he said as he started walking in the opposite direction of the Chinese place. I stood there for a moment, looking confused as he walked off. I realized we must not have been eating there after all. To be fair, he had only said that we were meeting there, I had just assumed we'd be eating there too.
I followed him walking closely behind. "Uh so," I began, feeling my stomach swirl. "Where are we going?" I asked. He didn't reply and kept walking.
I kept walking near him, not saying another word. He finally turned the corner and walked into a dark alley. The sun had full set by that point and the sky was consumed by darkness. Even though the street lights were on, the alleyway wasn't lit in the slightest and I could barely see forward. I stopped as soon he walked in, not feeling sure or safe by what he was doing. It was a dark alleyway after all.
He turned around noticing me stop. "Come on, it's fine." he tried reassuring me. I wasn't quite sure whether or not I was willing to believe him considering we didn't know each other that well at all. Regardless, I followed him into the alley slowly.
A felt a big gust of wind blow through and I shivered, wrapping my arms around my legs to try and gather up any warmth I could. It didn't help that we were outside. I had expected us to be inside a warm Chinese restaurant not a dark alley for some unexplained reason.
"Seriously Brad," I said, my tone firm. "Where are we going?"
He crouched down on the ground near a drain, causing me to take a few steps back out of caution. He looked up at me with a grin. "Welcome to Venom Pulse."
Before I had another moment to question him, he forced the drain open. Booming music and loud chatter filled my ears. I peered forward, looking down the drain. All I could see was flashing strobe lights.
"An underground club?" I questioned in shock as I tried to get a better look, leaning closer.
"Only the best one out." he responded proudly.
I stared at him for a moment with my arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. "And it's in Seaville?" I didn't understand why there would be a hidden underground rave in the quietest town for miles.
"Pretty amazing cover right?" he laughed. He hopped off the ground and extended a hand to me. "Ladies first?" he offered.
I continued standing where I was with my arm crossed suspiciously.
"Or..." he began as he noted my expression. "I guess I could go first and just help you down?"
I bit my lip as I began thinking. The things I did for this case. I nodded towards him and watched as he walked over to the hole and slowly lowered himself in.
"See you on the other side." He grinned as he climbed down the ladder. I watched him disappear from sight and into the dark underground.
I stood there for a moment in silence as I was left alone. Was I really about to do this? I thought about how dangerous the club might be. But then again if it was, I probably would need to find out so I could report it back to the RUA. Was I really about to do this? I released a deep breath as I tilted my head back.
I really needed to stop following strange guys to unknown underground locations.
I gripped onto the ladder and slowly began my descent downwards. The music grew louder and I was suddenly blinded by the flashing lights as I blinked rapidly. I felt my feet reach the last step of the ladder and as I jumped down, Brad caught me, his arms grazing my legs briefly.
I got my footing as he released me and stared around in awe. The entire place looked like an actual nightclub with people dancing, a bar that sat in the corner as well as a DJ on a stage near the front. The poor lighting took a moment to adjust to it.
"What do you think?" Brad called out to me over the loud techno music.
"It's really...something," I yelled back as I struggled to gather my thoughts in the loud environment. I already knew I was going to have a bad headache later that night.
"I'm going to go get us some drinks," he told me and before I could say anything, he walked off.
Reluctantly, I stood by the ladder entrance as I watched him dive through the crowd of people. I didn't want anything to drink and I definitely didn't want to be left alone with a bunch of strangers that were probably drunk.
I could feel my anxiety raising as I studied the scene further. There were a few couples making out in different corners as well as a lot of inappropriate dancing happening in front of me. I shifted my eyes uncomfortably as I noticed a group of men looking over at me. Was this really Brad's idea of a date?
The words of whatever song was playing could barely be heard due to the loud booming noise of the bass coming from the speakers beside me. I suddenly wanted nothing more than to climb back up that ladder and leave. This definitely hadn't been how I pictured the night going.
I started to worry more when I realized it had been a few minutes and Brad still hadn't returned. I looked around but couldn't see him at all through the large groups of people dancing. I grabbed my phone to look at the time. It had definitely been a good ten minutes.
Sighing, I decided to finally move and look around for him. I stayed near the walls, making my way around the massive group of people. I would occasionally brush shoulders and bump into people, not bothering to mutter apologies to them. They all seemed too out of it to even notice I was there.
Brad was nowhere in sight and as I scanned the bar, I couldn't find a single person that looked friendly enough to ask if they'd seen him. The urge to leave the nightclub was only growing stronger as I thought more about it. This club definitely had to be illegal. There had been no proper entry or anyone checking ID - not to mention it was hidden underground.
I decided to go back to the ladder and escape the chaotic environment. As I pushed open the drain, I felt the cool air on my face and instantly felt better at the peacefulness. I climbed out carefully with both my hands placed firmly on the ground as I pulled myself back up. I quickly shut the drain to be rid of the noise and sighed in relief. I could still hear the distant noise and feel the slight vibrations on the ground but it was a massive improvement.
The night had grown even colder and I found myself shivering as I stood alone outside. Had Brad ditched me? Maybe he had just gone to get drinks and I hadn't seen him or he'd lost me in the crowd. Either way, I didn't want to leave without telling him.
I reached for my phone and found his number. After hearing the ringing noise a few times, I sighed in frustration when he failed to answer. I scrolled through my contacts and stopped at Eric's name. I battled with my thoughts on whether or not I should call him. I didn't know what he would make of any of this and I didn't want to drag him away from any of the work he was doing. I debated returning to my bike and just riding it back home or to headquarters.
The sudden movement of the drain startled me as I jumped back. It was pushed open with a pair of hands and a moment later, I saw Brad hop out.
"There you are," he spoke as he saw me standing a few meters nearby. Something seemed off about him but I didn't look into it.
"Sorry," I apologized automatically. "I couldn't find you in there."
He nodded in understanding as he kicked the drain lid back over the hole. "I went to go get something."
"The drinks right?" I asked. "Sorry, I meant to tell you before you walked off that I don't drink." It wasn't legal for either of us to be drinking anyway.
He looked at me oddly for a moment before something dawned on him. "Oh right, I didn't go to get drinks."
I looked at him in confusion, waiting for him to elaborate. But when he didn't explain any further, I opened my mouth to respond. "Then what-"
I was cut off by the sound of the drain opening again, this time, another man stepping out. He looked a few years old and had a rugged beard. I tried to get a closer look at him but the lack of lighting made it hard.
"Brad." the man spoke to him, his voice deep. "You still owe me for that batch."
Brad didn't look phased and instead, raised an eyebrow. "What batch?"
"Don't give me that kid, I saw you take the bag." the man spoke angrily. "Those drugs are expensive and I want them back."
My eyes perked up at the word and I suddenly felt myself grow weak in the knees. I considered running off but was worried the strange man might try and stop me. Instead, I continued watching the two and pretended like I was invisible.
Brad laughed lightly. "Look, I've already taken a dosage so unless you want to force your hand down my throat-"
Before he could respond, the man leaped forward in an attempt to punch Brad. Instead, Brad quickly grabbed the man and slammed him against the wall.
"Brad!" I called out in shock. For a moment I was frozen in shock and didn't know how to respond. Brad continued holding the man's head against the wall and began throwing punches at his stomach.
I realized at the rate he was going at, he might actually kill the man. I stepped forward, yelling at Brad to stop. He failed to acknowledge me, a glazed look in his eyes and anger on his face. I reached out to grab his arm to stop him and suddenly, he turned on me.
"Don't you touch me!" Brad screamed at me, his voice so loud that I jumped in fright. Brad's arm that had been punching the man was now directed towards me. The man took that opportunity to break free of his grip and stumble away down the alley.
Brad however, didn't seem to notice or care but instead was focused on me. It was at that moment I was suddenly worried for my own safety. I took a step back.
"Brad." I began slowly. "You need to calm down. You've taken something and-"
He cut me off as his voice boomed down the dark alleyway. "Shut up! Just shut up!"
I stopped speaking as I looked at him in fear. In all that time I'd been waiting for him in the club, he must have gone off and taken something. His face was red and he was showing his teeth towards me. He looked as if he was ready to hit me or push me firmly.
I tried to slowly edge away from him and keep a distance, but he reached forward and grabbed me by my shirt, pulling me forward.
"Let me go!" I growled at him but his grip never loosened. I tried pulling myself away with as much strength as I could. If he was on drugs, there was no telling what he would do.
Suddenly I felt his hand pull away as someone grabbed him and pulled him off me. Eric was standing there and looked even angrier than Brad did. Brad attempted to reach at Eric but he was too quick and had already begun punching him.
I stood back and blinked for a moment until I registered what was happening. With each swing Eric took at Brad, I saw Brad growing weaker.
"Eric!" I shouted.
"Eric stop!" I screamed louder as I watched him continue to punch him. Eric stopped and turned to me, still holding Brad with a firm grip.
"I think he's on drugs. He's defenseless against you." I breathed.
Eric grabbed his spy device out of his pocket and shone it in Brad's eyes. Brad stayed still, too stunned and weak to react. Eric let go of him, letting him fall to the ground where he stayed, out of energy and strength to stand back up.
"Come on," he said as he grabbed my wrist and helped me walk out of the alleyway, leaving Brad to stay on the ground.
We continued walking once we exited the alley but as we turned a corner, I spun on my heels to face Eric.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him, feeling my voice grow in anger.
"I was nearby, just keeping an eye on things. I heard you yelling." He replied simply.
I let out a loud sigh in frustration as I pulled at my hair.
"What? I saved you didn't I?" he asked confused.
"Yes, but you shouldn't have!" I almost yelled. "I should have defended myself! If I was just a normal person without some nearby spy ready to save me every minute, that would have ended a lot differently!" I was yelling at this point.
"So it's my fault for saving you?" he said, starting to get annoyed too. "Do you want me to go back to headquarters and get you another RUA agent who doesn't care?"
"You don't care about me!" I snapped, silencing him. "All you care about is this stupid case getting it solved so I can get out of your life! I'm just some stupid idiotic teenage girl that you've had the burden of dealing with over the past weeks and you just want me gone! Out of your life so you can continue with your real cases. You.don't.care.about.me." I repeated, gritting my teeth. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.
I turned around to walk away from him but was stopped when I felt him grab my wrist and turn me around. He pushed me up against him so our bodies were touching. He pushed me against the wall quickly but gently. He released my wrists and placed his hands on each side of the wall beside me. He brought his lips right up against my ear.
"I do care about you." he whispered.
And before I knew it, his lips were against mine. His hands were now cupping my cheeks as I let mine fall back against the wall. He kissed me desperately like he couldn't breathe without me. I could feel my breathing become irregular as his kiss consumed me. I felt his sharp intake of breath as he let his hands travel down to my waist, gripping it firmly. My whole body felt alive.
His kiss began to travel down my neck.I titled my head back so I was looking up at the starry night sky as I felt him trail kisses along my collarbone. I accidentally let out a soft moan and tried to cover it, but knew he must have heard it as his paced quickened. It was crazy to think that just a moment ago I was getting held by a guy against my own will that I had no intention to be near ever again but now, I was with someone else that I couldn't have been any more happier to be with. He pulled away suddenly, still keeping his hands against my waist as we both tried to control our breathing again. His kiss had left me dazed but I felt more alive than ever.
"You know how I feel now," he said in between breaths. "But," he paused again, catching his breath before he continued, "You know we can't be together."
I tilted my head back against the wall in frustration. "Why?" I asked as I finally regained control of my breathing again. I was too dazed at first but then I suddenly felt anger surge through my whole body.
"Because it's wrong. We're both working together on a mission, this is unprofessional."
I thought about telling him about Cassie and Turner but then decided against it. They were my friends and I wasn't going to sell them out just as an excuse for Eric and me to be together. Even though I wanted to so badly if it meant I could have another moment like this with him.
I took my hands off his shoulders slowly and he released my waist, leaving us just standing there for a few minutes. The only sound that could be heard was our breathing. I stayed leaning against the wall in frustration and mainly confusion by everything that had just taken place in the last five minutes.
"We should get back to headquarters," Eric said finally.
I sighed knowing he was probably right but I wanted to stay in this moment for a while longer. I wasn't ready to accept the fact that we couldn't be together. I knew I liked him. I'd spent so much time trying to deny it to myself while working n this case but the kiss had changed everything. Because now I knew he liked me too. But he'd just told me that it was all basically pointless and we'd never be able to be together.
I clenched my jaw tightly as I tried to distance myself from my thoughts. The last thing I wanted to do was tear up in front of him. I was still in complete shock from everything that had just happened and was trying my best not to shake.
"Come on, I'll give you a ride." Eric sighed as he started walking towards his car at the end of the road. I took a step forward still feeling dizzy after everything but followed him to his car, wandering a few steps behind him as we walked off into the darkness of the night.
----
A/N: Are you screaming? I'm screaming. That chapter was hectic af. Also, fun fact: I was on a coffee high when I wrote this chapter bc I hadn't slept the night before and was trying to stay up the whole day to get back into normal hours. It literally only takes one cup of coffee for me to get jittery (weak af, I know) but I think I had like 4 strong cups so...yep. This was a weird day. I was also in exam block and had the day off school and should have been studying but NOPE. #priorities. I need to go to like a writer's rehab or something.