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

27. Mel

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

MEL

I rip the door out of my way and crash into the hall, straight into a solid, muscular body. Cold metal bites into my temple. The click of the gun’s hammer is loud in my ear.

I freeze, not daring to breathe as a second person steps close. Small, deft hands twist my arms behind my back and bind my wrists.

Cait.

Of course. She’s had it out for me all along.

She put the folder in my room.

She framed me.

“What the hell are you doing?”

I can’t see him, but based on the sound of his voice, I can imagine how frightening Tommy must look. Dark and dangerous and beautiful. Has he put the pieces together too?

“We’re bringing this traitorous piece of shit to justice.” Bill Accetta’s words cut through me like shards of ice.

“Drop the gun,” Tommy growls.

“Watch yourself, Williams. You’re in enough trouble as it is.”

Careful not to move too fast, I glance up at the man who holds my life in his hands. Bill glowers over my head, presumably at Tommy. His expression is so ugly I cringe away without thinking. The gun presses harder into my skin.

From the corner of my eye, I can see Tommy now, arms crossed, shoulders tight. His narrowed eyes burn, his mouth a hard line.

“Check the room,” Bill orders, and I catch sight of Cait’s long blond ponytail as she shoves past Tommy.

He watches her go, then turns to stare at me, the glow gone from his tan face.

“Yup, they’re here,” Cait says. “Not just the keys. Wow. Top secret files too, right out in the open. She must think we’re complete dolts.”

Ugly names spring to the tip of my tongue, but I press my lips together, my stomach tense. Cait knows what she’s doing. I won’t play into her hands.

“Move,” Bill snaps, and shoves me down the hall.

Like a criminal, I’m marched through the stone passages, Bill’s gun glued to my head. Rage is still sharp, still hot in my chest, but now it’s mixed with a fear so powerful my limbs shake. Will Bill take me to Lisa? To a cell? Or outside to be … dealt with?

I don’t dare turn to check Tommy’s expression, but I can feel the anxiety rolling off him as he walks beside me. My breaths start to come faster, my heartbeat staccato. We pass the cells. The front door.

Soon, we turn into the mess hall.

I’m flung, stumbling, into the wide room, where the entire Resistance waits around the outer edges, Lisa alone at the center. I scan the crowd, searching for any hint of the acceptance I earned last night. There’s none to find.

Almost everyone glares at me with the same hard resentment. There are three exceptions.

Sam, whose bloodless face is a mask of horror; Vik, whose tawny eyes are sad; and Lisa, whose stoic expression gives nothing away.

When my eyes fall on her, my blood boils with a fury so bright I can taste it.

She developed the code. She ordered Mom into Sullivan’s house.

She’s responsible for what happened after.

Bill hurls me to the ground so violently I don’t have a prayer of staying on my feet, but I don’t crumple. Tommy’s arms, solid around my waist, prevent me from crashing to my knees. I scramble to find my balance, his embrace the only thing keeping me upright.

Once my legs are under me, I meet his gaze. What I find there shocks its way through the wrath throbbing in my head.

Dread. Fear. Despair.

I’m being accused of stealing classified documents. Who does Lisa think told me where to find them? If Tommy defends me now, he’ll incriminate himself.

I’ll be damned if he goes down with me.

“Go,” I whisper through numb lips. “Get out of here.”

Eyes hard, he shakes his head. “No way.”

“Now.”

Tommy flips his knife open, cutting my wrists free and taking my hand. In front of everyone. “No.”

With a harsh scowl for Tommy, Bill addresses Lisa. “We’ve confirmed the keys were in Snow’s possession, along with several top-secret files. Cait was right.”

Nose in the air, Cait tosses a fat stack of papers on the table in front of Lisa.

Horrible, manipulative bitch.

Lisa is solemn. Unreadable. “Melanie Snow, you have been accused of treason against the Resistance, and have been found in possession of stolen keys and top-secret files, which were taken from the Organization years ago at great cost. If the Organization were to recover the information within, it could help them revive a dangerous plot they had no choice but to abandon when we stole it. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Before I can gather my thoughts, Cait steps forward, her arms open to the crowd. “Why should Snow get to speak? Her actions are loud enough. She’s always asking sensitive questions, and I caught her trying to break into the library two days ago, to steal these documents, I’m sure. If that’s not bad enough, last night she practically gave Tommy to the Organization. What would’ve happened then? Would he have held up against their tactics, or would we be drowning in Organization minions right now?”

There are a few scattered grunts of agreement, a few nods.

“I made the choice to stay behind all on my own,” Tommy snaps, leveling a venomous glare at Cait. She doesn’t see it though, doesn’t look at him as she returns to her parents’ sides.

I ignore them both. “Lisa, I didn’t take your keys, and I didn’t steal any files. I don’t know how they got into my room.” I glance over at Cait, whose expression darkens, pure loathing in her stormy eyes. “I have a guess. Still, I can’t prove anything. In the spirit of full disclosure, I did read them. I learned a lot I’m not supposed to know.”

Tommy squeezes my hand. A warning. I squeeze back, an acknowledgment, and an apology.

My voice is stronger, harder, rising passionately as I go on. “I know what happened to my parents, and I know why. What I want to know now is, why have you allowed the Organization to continue to exist, to hurt and maim and kill? You can stop them. All of you.”

I sweep my gaze over the faces in the room. “You know what the Organization is doing, and you let it go on. They are taking innocent lives.”

I train my focus back on Lisa, and my words burn with recrimination. “It’s your fault the code exists.”

“That is top secret.”

“It’s your fault Mom and Dad died. Now it is your duty, our duty, not only to stop the Organization from passing weapons to terrorists, but to raze them to the ground .”

A few whoops from the crowd, a smatter of applause, but also hisses and boos. I hold Lisa’s sharp, suddenly pain-filled gaze.

“There is much you don’t know or understand about that time. You are right. I am responsible. But to bring down the Organization … it is not so simple. I have done my best to make amends and save lives.”

She clears her throat, cuts a glance toward Cait before looking back at me. “I know you did not steal the files.”

She knows! She knows it was Cait?—

“Accetta.”

Cait stiffens.

“Your father might be blind to your deceit, but I am aware it was you who put those documents in Mel’s room.”

A matching wave of fury crashes over both Cait’s and Bill’s faces. The crowd shifts, restless as Lisa goes on.

“I never imagined you would stoop to something so treacherous, so dangerous to our family. You are hereby stripped of your position as team lead.”

The proclamation clangs through the room.

“Excuse me?” Bill’s hands rest on his daughter’s slender shoulders, his expression murderous.

My attention drops to Cait’s face. She’s gaping at Lisa, anger sparking in her eyes, but her skin is milk-white under the golden freckles. Bet she didn’t expect her plan to end up like this.

“Cait’s judgment is currently compromised.” Lisa’s tone is pure steel.

Bill’s cheeks redden. “And how do you presume to accuse her of such a blatant act of treason? She’s proven herself time and time again, while Snow was caught in possession of the keys and files. I saw her myself.”

“Lisa,” Cait starts, but Lisa holds up a hand to silence her.

“Cait has fought against Mel’s presence here from the beginning. As a team lead, she is one of the only people who had access to both the library to steal the documents and to my bedroom to steal my personal keys. Not to mention she’s the best among a select few skilled enough to do so unnoticed while I slept. Or do you mean to tell me you think Mel was able to sneak in without waking me up? There was a tiny window of opportunity between when I placed them on my bedside table last night and when I woke to find them gone.”

Bill’s jaw works as I fidget, embarrassed by the insinuation I wouldn’t be stealthy enough to do so, even if Lisa’s one hundred percent correct in her assumption.

Silent tears begin to streak down Cait’s cheeks. “Lisa, please hear me?—"

“You may not speak.”

For the second time, Cait’s mouth snaps shut. After a moment, Bill says, “Williams obviously helped Snow. Cait’s worked damn hard, and?—”

“Enough,” Jess barks, so much colder than I’ve heard her before. “I went to check on Cait last night and found her room empty. I assumed she had gone to the bathroom, or to get more painkillers from Aaliyah, but if she has let her judgment become so clouded she would do something like this, then she should not retain her position. We cannot let her get away with it.”

“You are letting your bias interfere with your sense, Bill,” Lisa adds with a touch of regret. “Have you not paid attention to Cait over the last few weeks? To her reactions during this trial alone? Mel’s and Tommy’s too.”

I glance up at Tommy. The shock and betrayal emanating from him are palpable, second only to the hatred lining his sharp features as he glares at Cait. The crowd rustles, ill at ease. Bill’s only response is an ugly grimace for his daughter.

Poor Cait. I never thought I’d feel sorry for her, but the day has come.

Lisa appears unmoved. She holds a hand out. “Keys.”

Head held high, Cait pulls a pair of keys from her pocket and walks forward on shaky legs to drop them in Lisa’s palm.

With a nod, Lisa says, “I must impress upon all present how serious this security breach could have been. Cait will be reassigned to the maintenance team as she can no longer be trusted in the field, and she should be damn glad her punishment is not worse. Her team will meet with leadership tomorrow to restructure roles. Dismissed.”

“Wait.” I frown at Lisa, ignoring Cait’s silent return to her parents’ side. “What about the Organization?”

“What about them?”

“What do you mean, what about them?” The horrific ire that plagued me minutes ago rises again, burns hotter. I want the monsters who murdered my parents to suffer. I’m thirsty for it. “They need to be exposed.”

Lisa’s dark eyes narrow. “You’re right. The Organization must be stopped, now more than ever. They are mere weeks away from launching an assault on the American people that will kill thousands. Maybe millions.”

Horror prickles over my skin.

“If we could reveal them, if we could deliver the justice they deserve, we could save those lives and prevent not only this assault, but all future Organization attacks. However, they have too many moles in important places. If we try to go to the police, to the feds, to anyone, all we’ll do is bring their wrath down on us. That is why the Resistance must take a different tack. That is why we oppose them as we do, and not more boldly.”

The Organization can’t control everyone though. We need to show the truth to the right people.

“What about social media?” I dare to ask. “We could make a video that will expose the Organization to the public. Let’s go over their heads, over law enforcement. If we show the masses the truth, the government and Mara Levett won’t be able to ignore the evidence anymore. We should gather footage, proof of the Organization’s crimes. You can hack all the major social platforms. Make sure our video floods them all.”

Wicked satisfaction curls through me, and I smile fiercely. Beside me, Tommy twitches, his palm slick in mine.

Lisa tilts her head. “It’s a good idea, and one I have considered, but it would be an exceedingly dangerous mission with a very slim chance of success. I cannot gamble on a crapshoot with my people’s lives as the price.”

A faint glimmer of regret shines in her eyes.

I get it. Truly. The Resistance are more than undercover agents. They’re a family. Especially knowing her role in her best friend’s death, I can see how Lisa would be unable to stomach the risk.

But the Organization is weeks away from launching a major attack that will kill thousands. We need to stop them.

I need to stop them.

I don’t have anything left to live for besides my parents’ legacy. What better way to honor their sacrifice, to make them proud, than to finish their work and protect the people they cared about at the same time.

“I’ll take on the risk. You have families, lives, reasons to stay safe. I have nothing. If I’m the one to lead the mission and speak in the video, you can continue your work in the event I fail. None of you will be exposed.”

Tommy leans in close, his warm breath tickling my ear. “What are you doing? That assignment is a death sentence. We’ll find another way.”

“I have nothing left,” I murmur, still caught in Lisa’s gaze. “I want this.”

The room watches in silence as Tommy takes my other hand and pulls me around to face him. His eyes glisten. “What about me? Us? You said it yourself. The pattern is repeating. What happened last time? Don’t sacrifice yourself like an animal for slaughter. Please.”

He swallows. Squeezes my hands. “We’re worth living for. Don’t do this.”

My heart fractures at the pain, the fear in his voice. “I have to.”

“No, you don’t. Revenge isn’t worth it.”

Thousands will die if the Organization goes through with their plan. They’re why Mom did what she did, and why I must too.

“It’s not only about revenge. This is the right thing to do.”

Guilt floods my chest as grief ripples across Tommy’s face. He drops my hands, backing away toward the door.

“Wait.” I jolt forward, my fingers extended.

He shakes his head, then turns and shoves through the crowd. He’s gone before I can move.

I take another step, but I can’t deal with him now. We have only weeks until the Organization’s attack. There’s no time.

The fissures in my heart weep and throb, but I turn to face Lisa, who frowns and crosses her arms.

“I admire your commitment to doing the right thing, I really do, but I don’t think I can allow you to take on such a dangerous task. Even if you live, once you expose the Organization so publicly, they’ll hunt you for the rest of your days. It won’t be like it is now, with them satisfied to have you quiet and out of the way. They will not rest until you are made an example of.”

“With all due respect, that isn’t your choice to make. I’m doing this with or without your help.” Never mind that my plan hinges on her hacking prowess. Or that she could toss me in a cell and throw away the key with one word.

The seconds trickle by. Lisa chews her lip. No one so much as twitches a finger.

Finally, she blows out a breath, gives a curt nod. “Then I will assist you.”

Something deep inside me unclenches. “Thank you.”

“Lisa,” Bill growls, Cait pale and hollow at his side. “I am honor bound to register my opposition to this course of action.”

“Opposition noted and overridden,” Lisa says. “I have warred with myself over attempting this sort of attack on the Organization for too long, and with the BioAgent delivery on the horizon, it’s time.”

“Then assign someone else.”

“I refuse to order anyone to publicly out the Organization. Mel has volunteered. If another would like to take her place, they are free to do so.”

Nervous energy buzzes through the room like a swarm of bees. It sets my teeth on edge.

Lisa ignores the unsettled atmosphere and returns her attention to me. “You will need information.”

“Let’s start with this plan of the Organization’s,” I say, determined to ignore it too. “What are they trying to do? How much time do we have?”

“You are aware I needed the bill of lading for something called BioAgent 313, which is a biological weapon the Organization, or rather the extremists they serve, plan to unleash on the public. It is taking an indirect route across the country now and is slated to arrive at Levett Tech in one week’s time.”

One week? My heart buckles.

Lisa’s still talking. “We will have to expose them soon, with enough time for the public to put pressure on the government to investigate before they deploy it. That leaves us a very small window in which to produce this video.”

“Can you elaborate more on BioAgent 313? What will happen when it reaches Levett Tech?”

Lisa hesitates.

I narrow my eyes. “No more secrets. I’m taking an awfully big risk. I deserve to know. We all deserve to know.”

With a sigh, Lisa says, “It is a genetically engineered pathogen. A highly communicable, deadly bacterium the terrorists plan to leak into the water supply of several major US cities. If they are successful, it will infect thousands and spread quickly from there.”

Shit. This is worse than I expected.

“I thought the terrorists wanted a microchip. A computer virus, not a real one.”

Lisa scowls, a hand on her hip. “That sort of detail is classified and is neither here nor there.”

My only reply is a tilt of my head, a twitch of my lips.

“Lisa,” Bill warns.

Lisa huffs another sigh. I don’t miss the twinge of sadness that flashes behind her gaze, quickly stifled. “If we do this, Bill, everything will come out anyway. There is no longer any reason to hide the extent of the truth from our own.”

Training her attention back on me, she says, “They put many years and countless dollars into that computer virus, and in the end, they’ve got nothing to show for it. They gave up on it, for now, anyway, and pursued a different route to achieve their end goal.”

“And what is their end goal?”

“They believe society has gone sideways, that the First World, and the technology that fuels it, is inherently evil. They will stop at nothing to cleanse humanity of it.”

Lisa adjusts her glasses before going on. “They grew slowly, over the span of many years, born of our own American people. As consumerism and high tech have grown, so have they. The spread of their diseased ideas was gradual. Quiet and insidious, on the fringes and in the echo chambers of the internet. Still they’re growing, turning greater numbers to their cause, increasing their power.”

I shift my weight.

“Their ultimate goal is to find a way to cripple our civilization, and to use the resultant chaos to their advantage, swiftly and violently staging a coup. Then they plan to use the might of the US military, in addition to their own homegrown armies, to lead a bloody crusade against the rest of the modern world. They want to establish a dictatorship with themselves at the helm, to eradicate what they perceive as a blight large enough to ruin not only everything good we humans can be, but our ability to survive long-term on this planet. The code, and now the pathogen, are different means to this end.”

Holy shit.

“They want to fight for the good of mankind by killing untold numbers of innocent people?”

“The most ravenous are convinced our consumerism and self-absorption will be the literal end of the world and feel any means to avoid it are worth the cost. The less enthusiastic often find themselves pulled in too far, unable to escape.”

Oof. We need to act fast. “I’ll get started today.”

Lisa scans the room. “You will need a team to help gather evidence, but again, I will not order anyone to take on such a perilous assignment. I wouldn’t even consider condoning it at all if the stakes weren’t so high, but as things are, if any are willing to pay the price…”

Her eyes linger on the faces of her family. “I can only say to those who have given so much already: do what you feel is right. Melanie’s mission could save many lives, but more than likely, it will end hers, and yours.”

I turn toward the others, prepared to beg, to get down on my knees if I have to. “I can’t do this alone. I know my plan is risky, but what if it works? Please. Help me.”

Another wave of agitation shivers through the room. No one steps forward. No one says anything. Until…

“I’m in.” Sam’s pale as a sheet, but his brown eyes blaze.

I smile, even as part of me shrivels. I don’t want to lead Sam into danger, but this is his decision. He knows what he can handle.

“I would recommend limiting volunteers to experienced field agents,” Lisa says flatly to me. “You need skilled teammates.”

“Sam is skilled.”

“Yes. But he has a gentle heart and no on-the-ground experience.”

“Neither do I, and I survived last night. Sam has worked so hard, yet you’ve always passed him over. A kind heart is not a weakness.”

Sam throws me a grateful glance.

Lisa’s mouth twitches, her eyes unhappy. “So be it. I will not take away his choice in this.”

My stomach flips, but I give Sam a nod. He’s up to the challenge.

Vik steps to his side. “I’m in too.”

I tamp down my surprise before it can show on my face. Vik’s an experienced field agent, unlike Sam and me. Their help will be invaluable.

With an expression like he’s chewing sour dirt, Hunter appears at Sam’s other shoulder. “And me.”

My heart stutters, and this time I’m not fast enough to hide my confusion. Hunter hates me. He must be doing this for Sam.

I wait, tense. No one else volunteers.

“Thank you.” I give my new teammates a small, shaky smile.

“Melanie,” Lisa says tightly, “be in my office in one hour to strategize. You can coordinate with your team after. I would join you, but I need to concentrate, to make sure I’m ready for the hack when you are. Vik and Hunter are used to working together, and they are both experienced and intelligent. Use them.” She pauses, then adds, “Perhaps you should check in with Tommy too. He’s one of our best.”

My sore heart throbs. I won’t pressure him to take part in something that hurts him so much, but I can at least ask for his support. He just needs to remember what’s at stake.

I nod. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Good.” There’s a beat of silence. Lisa looks past me, to the crowd. “Show’s over. Clear out. Sam, Vik, Hunter, you are excused from daily tasks until further notice.”

“Meet me in the lounge in two hours,” I add, working to inject a note of authority into my voice. I’ve never been in charge of anyone before.

They nod and file out with the crowd. The terrible rage in my heart has cooled. In its wake, prickles of doubt needle at me. So many lives hang on my ability to lead this mission.

Including my best friend’s.

“Thanks for sticking up for me,” Sam says, and I start. I thought he left with Hunter and Vik, but he’s right here. We’re alone in the empty mess hall.

Despite the barrage of emotions treating my heart like a sparring mat, I grin. “Of course. There’s no one I’d rather have by my side.”

“This mission is going to be very dangerous, especially for you. I’m glad I get to have your back through it.”

The tightness in my chest eases a little. I can breathe better, knowing I’ll have Sam with me. I give his hand a squeeze. “I appreciate you, Sam.”

He ruffles my hair affectionately. “Same.”

“I’ll always have your back.”

“We’re officially a team. Can’t get rid of me now.”

I snort, then frown. “I need to find Tommy. I didn’t explain myself very well before.”

Sam’s smile falters. “Yeah. Not gonna lie, that scene between you two was bad. Check the summit. Tommy likes to go there when he’s having a hard time.”

I nod, the fissures in my heart smarting. There must be some way I can fix things between us, make him see my plan is the best way forward.

And I only have an hour to figure out how.