Into the Fire (Flame in the Shadows Trilogy #1)

18. Tommy

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

TOMMY

Cait’s not one to be late. Ever. And yet here I am, waiting on her.

I lean against the newest vehicle in the garage, a sleek black Kia Telluride, and watch the door coming from the caves into the garage. Timeliness is important on missions, even missions as simple as supply runs. If we want to hit all our stops today, we need to leave now. Cait knows this.

So where is she? Is she truly angry enough to disobey orders?

I shift, too restless to stand still. My friendship with Cait has been rocky ever since our fight in the CCTV room four weeks ago. We’ve been through squabbles before, but we’re always speaking again within a few days.

Not this time.

At first, I tried to talk to her, but she slipped away every time she saw me coming. She even went so far as to trade all her shifts so she wouldn’t have to go on patrol with me.

I’ve missed her more every day, but I don’t know how to fix the space between us without ditching Mel. Mel doesn’t deserve that, and I enjoy our time together too much to want to give it up, anyway.

I glance at my watch. I’ll give Cait ten minutes. If she’s not here by four a.m., I’ll hunt her down and drag her out myself. Lisa was very clear: Cait and I are supposed to use our time together on this supply run to make up, and we’re not to set foot back in the caves until we do.

“A team is only as strong as its weakest link,” Lisa told us. “We cannot afford vulnerabilities, especially now.”

If Cait weren’t so concerned about her status as team lead, I’d consider today’s undertaking doomed. As it stands, I can only hope her loyalty and ambition win out over her determination to punish me.

Tomorrow we set off on the most dangerous assignment our team’s ever been given. We can’t let our fight affect the mission.

At long last, Cait appears in the doorway. I push off the SUV and walk forward to meet her.

“Cait,” I say with a touch of impatience.

“Tommy.”

Sighing, I force my irritation aside. One of us has to play nice first.

“I’m sorry, okay? I know you’re having trouble with Mel being here. I should have, I don’t know, listened to you better or something.” I wave a hand vaguely.

Cait crosses her arms and pops a hip, fixing me with a flat gray stare. Then she rolls her eyes and shoves me aside to climb into the Kia, driver’s side. Fresh annoyance frays at my patience, but I bite it back, silently taking my place in the passenger seat.

We pull out into a dark maze of trees, the camouflaged garage door rolling closed behind us. It’ll be a while before we find the road, but Cait navigates the thin, winding path with skill.

As we bump along, I struggle to leash the temper that simmers under my skin. Her mouth is set, eyes hard. She’s not trying. At all.

Pigheaded, cantankerous, obstinate…

Like she can hear my thoughts, she throws me a scathing glare. “Guess who I saw this morning?”

Her tone instantly puts my back up. “This morning? It’s four a.m.! No one’s awake but us and the guards.”

“Your girlfriend is.” The word sags with disgust.

“Ugh. I don’t have a girlfriend. Mel is my friend, just like you. And she’s not a spy. Give it a rest already.”

I lean my head back and cover my face with my hands. Yeah, I spend a fair amount of time with Mel, but I’m with Sam and Vik almost as much. Mel and I are just friends. Nothing more.

She’s gorgeous, of course. Alluring even. Every time we spar, I light up like a live wire, her touch electric on my skin. And there’s a depth to her, a depth that calls to me. She’s sweet. Kind, yet a fire burns within, coloring everything she does with vibrant passion. She’s fiercely competitive and curious and intelligent. Sometimes, after training, we sit and talk for hours. She understands me in a way no one else ever has, or ever could.

Yes, Mel’s … enchanting. But as much as I might want to, I won’t let us get anywhere near that invisible line. Mel deserves more in a partner than I could give her. Plus, if she were to commit to me like that, I’d have to tell her everything. And then I’d lose her.

Cait’s snort snaps me back to reality. “Oh yeah? Not a spy? How do you know?”

Suddenly, I’m bone-tired. How many times will we go through this? “I know because I know her. If you got to know her too, you might figure it out for yourself.”

“I don’t have to get to know her. I know what I saw this morning.”

Cait’s calm. Too calm.

I peek sideways at her. “Well? Spit it out.”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I was lying in the lounge, in the dark. I heard someone moving out in the hall, and it kind of sounded like they were trying to be quiet, but not doing a good job. I thought it must be Mel, and I was right. I followed her, hoping to figure out what she was doing.”

My stomach tightens.

“Turns out, she was trying to break into the library. The library, Tommy! I waited to see whether she’d stolen a key or something, but she hadn’t. So, I let her know exactly what will happen to her for crossing us.” Cait’s voice slips into a low growl.

“What does that mean?” A hundred scenarios chase each other around my mind, each worse than the last. “Tell me what happened. You what, threatened her?”

Cait slams on the brakes. The soft glow from the dash paints her face as she stares at me, incredulous. “Did you even listen to what I just said?”

“What happened, Cait?”

A vicious smile spreads across Cait’s face, her eyes sparking like twin storms. “I put my dagger to her throat and told her she’ll get what’s coming to her. I’m still deciding whether to tell Lisa today, or whether I should find out more first. This is my chance to make up for not catching June, but I need Lisa to believe me. Proof would help.”

With a groan, I press back into my seat and close my eyes.

This is bad.

I thought my warning had gotten through to Mel, and she’d given up looking for answers, at least for now. If Cait brings this to Lisa’s attention, Mel’s finished in the Resistance. What would that mean for her? Will Lisa lock her in a cell? Toss her out, leaving her at the mercy of the Organization?

Unlikely. She knows too much.

What, then? Something worse?

Swallowing my pride, I face Cait and clasp my hands in front of me. “Please. You don’t understand. She thinks finding out what happened to our parents will heal her. That’s why she wanted to get into the library. I’ll talk to her and make sure she knows she can never do something like this again, but don’t turn her in. Give her a chance to learn what is and isn’t acceptable. Crucifying an innocent person won’t make up for shit.”

Cait appraises me coolly. “Well, lucky for you, I’m sure Mel won’t own up to what I saw, and Lisa’s soft on her because of Reyna. I’m worried it’ll continue to affect Lisa’s judgment.”

I wait for her to continue, fiddling with my bracelet. Crickets and frogs sing in the forest around us; the night is alive outside the car.

At length, Cait goes on. “I need you to help uncover Mel’s true motive. Use your friendship with her. Ask questions. See if you can find out what else she could be after, whether she’s truly as innocent as she seems. If you want me to stay quiet, that’s the price. Help me.”

It’s the tiny note of desperation in her voice that gets to me. Everything she’s done has been to protect us, the people she loves.

I could ask Mel a few questions. It wouldn’t hurt, especially if I’m honest with her about what I’m doing and why. But I doubt it would put Cait’s fears to rest. The animosity between them will only get worse when I fail to uncover an ulterior motive.

“Please, Tommy.”

Maybe I can break through Cait’s preconceived notions instead, help her understand Mel better. If Cait would give Mel a chance, I bet they’d even end up friends. Win-win.

Using my gentlest tone, I ask, “Will you hear me out before I give you my answer?”

Cait’s eyes tighten, but she nods.

“You know what my parents’ murder has done to me.”

Cait opens her mouth, so I hold up a hand. “You promised.”

She snaps it shut.

Holding her gaze, I try again. “You know the scar I bear. You know how bad it is, and it’s never really gotten better. Mel’s fighting the same battle. My demons are different from hers, but it doesn’t mean hers aren’t just as real, just as agonizing in their own way. She’s fixated on learning the truth about what happened that night and why. I’ll admit, I did tell her a little bit, but she wants more. She craves a release from her pain, and she thinks knowledge is the way to find it.”

I pause, frowning. “June betrayed us for a reason. She would’ve done anything to save her dad. Mel has no reason, Cait. She’s not a spy. She’s just a lost, desperate girl, trying to escape an all-consuming grief.”

I search Cait’s face, seeking any softness, any trace of mercy. All I find is cold resentment.

“You’re wrapped around her little finger.”

Fury sears under my skin. “Stop and think. Think. Why would the Organization send some green novice to infiltrate us? Listen to what I’m saying. You’ll see I’m right, that it makes sense?—”

“I’ve heard enough.” Cait’s words whip out, bitter and disdainful. The rest of my argument dies in my throat.

Shifting the car into drive, she hits the gas. I can’t tear my eyes from the hate simmering in hers. She’s beyond sense.

Maybe if I relent, if I ask Mel the damn questions, Cait will back off long enough for me to figure out how to reach her.

“All right. You win. I’ll go along with your plan.”

Cait’s lip curls. “No, you won’t. Not really.”

She flashes me a quick, hurt look. “I’m going to Lisa as soon as we get back. It has to be done, before Mel causes more damage than she already has.”

I stare at her again, at a total loss. How did this happen? I couldn’t have alienated Cait more thoroughly, right before the most dangerous mission we’ve ever attempted. I don’t know how we’re going to patch things up before tonight.

And Mel’s in danger. Serious danger.

If she’d tried to break in anywhere but the library, I’d have hope. But there are too many parallels between what June did and what Mel’s doing now. If I stand with her, if I argue her case, if I refuse to let anyone touch her…

“We can’t let this affect the mission,” Cait says.

I’ve never heard her sound so cold.

“No.”

“I will work with you until that’s over. Then I don’t want you near me. You will transfer to another mission team and will not speak to me again. I don’t want an apology. You made your choice. Live with it and leave me alone.”

Hurt and fury spike in my chest. All the pranks we’ve pulled together; terrorizing the other Resistance members, laughing until we cry; a hundred adventures in the sun; quiet moments and love and solace and tears. Cait’s smile. Her warm hand guiding me through my darkest night.

She’s the truest friend I’ve ever had, and she’d rather throw it all away than listen to me about Mel. She won’t even try.

“Fine.”

A shadow passes over Cait’s face, her furious mask cracking, but the sadness in her eyes is gone so quickly I’m not sure it was ever there.

My anger shifts to dread as darkness consumes my friend.