Before he had found him, years ago, Marc had thought he would forever be trapped inside his old gang. The gang had taken him in when he was young, and brought him up, but they’d fed him drugs and laughed when Marc did stupid things under the influence. They forced him to be the underdog, and when he worked his way up in the ranks, he grew to hate himself and the things they did, until he couldn’t feel anything anymore.
It wasn’t until Marc worked beside Axel and the others that he realized the truth. Axel and this Academy family were completely different. The gang he’d been involved in controlled him through threats on his life. Axel and the Academy weren’t like that.
Axel sat on the coffee table now. His face was stern. Marc recognized this look. Whenever one of his team members was out on some dangerous assignment, he wore this expression. Since all of the team members were here and accounted for, he knew that face was now for Kayli.
Axel coughed to get their attention. “The Academy is unhappy with what we’ve done. First the camera was stolen, which we were able to get back, but there’s no telling how much information Mr. Fitzgerald got out of it and possibly could have shared with Coaltar. And now we’ve shown ourselves to not only Coaltar and his crew, but also to a member of the cartel. We’ve exposed ourselves.”
“Did you explain we weren’t in the lead? We were just following her?” Raven asked.
“It doesn’t seem to matter,” Axel said. “We still broke protocol. They understand and they sympathize, but they can’t allow members to be persuaded by an outside source to break the rules. We got lucky this time. They only docked us a few favors.”
“Should we appeal?” Brandon asked, frowning and sitting back.
“I don’t think we should fight this,” Axel said. “I think we’re getting off pretty lightly.” A small smile crept onto his face. “But when were we ever the type of group to follow the rules?”
The boys laughed at this. Marc did, too.
“We shouldn’t have done this at all,” Kevin said, his deep voice grumbling. His fingers ruffled through the tight curls on his dark head. “I can’t believe you let her steal a boat. You helped her crash a multimillion dollar yacht, and she shot someone.”
Marc shrugged. “She was upset.”
“What happens next time she’s upset?” Kevin asked. “What’s wrong with you guys? You’re giving her excuses for firing a gun at someone?”
“It was an accident,” Raven said.
“You’re all insane,” Kevin asked. “If it were any one of you guys...”
“We’ve all done it,” Axel said. “Yourself included.”
“I’ve never shot someone!”
“But we’ve all made mistakes,” Axel said in a sharp tone. “You were no different than her when you first started.”
“Why are you talking like she’s coming back?” Kevin sat back and shook his head, frowning. “The job’s done. We can ask the Academy to send a scout team to monitor for trouble. We’ve tagged Coaltar and we’ll keep an eye on him, too. The Academy will help Kayli get the job we promised. We don’t have to be involved anymore.”
“I promised her I’d help her brother get into college,” Corey said.
Kevin shrugged. “That’s nice of you, but you should have made him do it himself. He shouldn’t be handed anything.”
“Like we weren’t handed things?” Brandon asked as he stared at the leg of the coffee table.
Kevin rolled his eyes. “That’s different. We work for what we’re given.”
“Which doesn’t mean he won’t,” Corey said. “I’ve seen his transcripts. He’s good.”
“Well transcripts don’t tell us anything about him. He could be a shithead.”
“Enough,” Marc barked at them. He turned on Kevin. “What’s with you? We agreed to help her. We can’t just go back on that.”
“I just don’t want another accident involving us,” Kevin said. “I’m trying to protect us. We worked too hard to be making these kinds of mistakes.”
Marc frowned. He wanted to argue the point with him. Maybe it was a mistake, but Kayli didn’t know any better.
Personally, he doubted if even the Academy could have held her back. He saw that determination in her eyes. She was going to hunt Coaltar down to the ends of the earth if it meant she could spare someone’s life. She didn’t even know the village Coaltar was headed to was abandoned except for the very worst of outlaws that had taken over, determined to overthrow one of the major cartels in Mexico. But he was glad they did it. There was no telling if an innocent woman or child may have drunk that water from the well, and poisoned themselves. Even if they’d just gotten sick, something like the JH-14 could have killed a little kid. Marc may have never known for sure. Schrödinger's cat.
But now, he didn’t have to wonder. Kayli found a way to stop it. Despite her tough outer shell, she was all heart.
Axel shook his head. “We need to come to terms with this, guys. She’s seen a lot of what we do. She’s a lot like us.”
“I don’t know,” Kevin said. “Why not send one of the girl teams to make friends?”
“You know how picky they are,” Axel said. “And we’re her first contact.”
“Are we looking to bring her into the Academy?” Brandon asked.
“I don’t know,” Axel said. “She expressed interest. She has some potential.”
“But we don’t know if she’ll fit in,” Kevin said. “Right now, she’d never pass registration, let alone the extensive testing. She’s too wild and angry.”
“Right,” Axel said. “And there’s a chance she’s simply not interested. But at the same time, she’s a useful tool.”
“Is that what we’ll think of her as?” Corey asked. “Something useful to use?”
“Aren’t we?” Axel replied. “We work together because we offer different talents. Maybe some of you don’t want to hear it, but she jumped in and worked with us pretty well. I haven’t seen someone blend in with our group as quickly since Marc.”
“You can’t be serious,” Kevin said. “You’re talking like you want her to join with us. I mean our group.”
“I wouldn’t have a problem with it,” Marc said.
Kevin slapped a palm against his forehead. “That’s ridiculous. We can’t have a girl on the team.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s against Academy rules.”
“Not it isn’t,” Corey said. Marc had to hide his smile at Corey knowing policy. The Academy had very few actual rules to follow. Everything else was just strong suggestion.
“Okay, it isn’t a rule,” Kevin said. He held out his hand. “But they don’t want us to work like that. I mean, let’s assume she’s a good match and she joins our team. What am I going to tell Mindy when one day she spots me out with her on a job? How am I supposed to explain that?”
“We’ll work it out,” Marc said.
“No.” Kevin stabbed his finger at his thigh as if trying to make a point. “This is exactly why a single bird doesn’t join a team like this. I’ll admit, she has talent. I don’t mind adopting her for her own protection. I’d even let Corey help get her brother into college, but I have to draw the line somewhere.”
Axel sat back on his hands, and sighed. “You’re probably right.”
Corey perked up. “Well, if she joins a girl team, she’ll still be around, right?”
Marc shrugged. “How often do you see girls on other teams? I don’t think I’ve worked with one in the past year. They’re so short in supply, so they get asked on assignments all the time.”
“Which is why the Academy would be interested when they find out she’s as talented as we know she is,” Axel said.
“But we’d be her contact,” Brandon said. “We’d be her initial adopted team.”
“And we’ve fucked with her a lot,” Raven said, grumbling. He tightened his arms around his chest, sitting back and glaring at the floor. “Once she met up with the other teams, she’d probably find a bird
team she liked better.”
The team grew quiet. It was true. Now that the initial threat around her was gone, she was free to pursue whatever road she wished. If she did express interest in the Academy, if the Academy investigated closer and decided they want to put her into a test team, more than likely she’d pick one of the girl teams. Wouldn’t she? The Academy would encourage it, and she’d be so busy that they’d never see her. With everything the Academy provided and did, it would probably win her over and she’d do anything for them. Just like they’d do anything for the Academy.
“Then again,” Axel said. “She may not care to do it at all. She might go for college, or a normal job.”
“Do you really believe she’d go for any type of normal job?” Marc asked, eyeballing him.
Axel shrugged. “She could surprise us. I don’t think she would, but she’d be the one to do it just to throw me for a loop.”
Raven huffed. “I don’t think she’s the normal type. More like crazy with a side order of insane.”
“She is a lot of fun, though,” Corey said.
Marc grinned. He had to agree with that. “We’ll have to find her work where she’ll be happy. Maybe that’ll be the answer. Something crazy on her level. She’ll stay in town. Maybe we’ll work together outside the Academy. Who knows?”
Kevin nodded. “I could live with that. Look guys, I don’t want to cut you off from a new friend. She’s certainly got the spark. She’s got a whole lot of talent. I just don’t want you all setting your heart on her joining the team when it’s likely not possible, or is never going to happen.”
Marc sighed and then sank down beside Axel. “Too many what ifs,” he said.
Axel rocked his head back. “But she will come back.”
“We should adopt her,” Corey said. He perked up with that goofy smile that made Marc chuckle every time. “Her and Wil. Let’s adopt her and then we’ll get her a cool job. Like a bounty hunter. Or private investigator. She’d like that.”
Kevin shrugged. “Sure. We can do that.”
“Make it a closed adoption,” Raven said.
“That may cost us a few favors,” Axel said.
“We found her first,” Raven said. “We’d be team lead. We could monitor if anyone is interested and warn them about her craziness. They may back off.”
“You don’t want to hurt her potential Academy career,” Kevin warned.
“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Axel said. “Let’s adopt her, and go for the closed adoption. We can spare a few favors for her. I’d like to monitor her progress anyway. Chances are, we’ll urge her into a challenging career and we can still work with her if we want. I think private investigation may be right up her alley. Or forensic science.”
“Once she learns to follow the law,” Kevin said.
Axel shrugged. “Or bend it once in a while.”
The boys continued their discussion for a bit, and Marc fell quiet. He didn’t have a problem guiding Kayli into what sounded like a great career. Although he wondered if Kayli could settle into anything like that. Even as a private investigator or bounty hunter, and with the full support of an Academy backing, she was a pretty wild girl. Marc thought if she ever discovered the true and full meaning of the Academy, she’d probably want in.
But even that was uncertain. And at the thought of Kayli entering the Academy, he wasn’t so sure he’d want her working for a girl team so he wouldn’t see her. Other Academy guys would show interest in her, too. Some who may have the opportunity to treat her better than they’d been able to. Kidnapping her and practically holding her captive hadn’t been the best sort of introduction.
But his lips burned with the memory of her kiss from before she’d left. It had the underlying promise that she’d be back, and when she did, she’d be coming back for him. At least that’s what he hoped. He’d never felt so out of himself before with a girl. Before he’d met Kayli, he’d wanted to take a break from dating, especially with the recent disaster with the crazy girl who hurt herself for attention. He didn’t want to deal with another crazy girl like that.
But Kayli was a different kind of crazy. Those emerald green eyes. That dark hair that contrasted with her fair skin and made her eyes nearly glow in sunlight.
He felt a zap at his butt and the buzz of vibration before the ringing started.
It was an emergency signal. Kayli.
He launched himself up off the coffee table, and started heading away to answer it down the hall.
Ideas floated through his mind. She walked into that hotel room and changed her mind. Maybe she took one look at that drunk father and realized quickly she didn’t have anything to stay for. Maybe she told Wil to pack a bag. Maybe she was calling to let him know they were going to another hotel room together. He’d tell them to come back. They’d keep them here until they could figure out another solution. And he knew he’d do whatever possible, cook her a hundred different breakfasts, and even put on his best manners. He’d do what Axel taught him. He’d try to convince her to stay this time.
But even as he thought all this, something nagged the back of his mind. This was Kayli. If she was anything like him, she wouldn’t have called so soon. Something was wrong.
He sensed the others quieting as he answered. They’d known him too long. They knew something was up.
“Kayli?” he asked into the phone.
“He’s gone,” her voice quivered on the line like she was trying to hold herself together.
“Who’s gone? What are you talking about?”
“Wil. He’s gone. He left the morning I did. The day that old man caught me and you ... I mean since that day. He hasn’t been back.”
“What do you mean?” Marc asked, his brain flew to find an answer for her, to help her. He had to be around. He must be with a friend or maybe stepped out at the wrong time. She was just on edge because of the past couple of days. “He had to have been there. Axel asked around.”
“He’s not been back,” she said. “There’s... I don’t know how to explain it but I know. He’s missing.”
“Could he be with a friend? Could he have...”
“I don’t think so. I don’t ... I...“ Her voice broke, and he was sure he heard her sob. “I don’t...”
His spine stiffened. “Where are you now?”
“I’m at the hotel.”
“Stay there,” he said. “Just stay where you are. You hear me? Hang on a second.” He glanced at his friends and then he went back to say to her, “I’m going to pass the phone to Corey. I’m on the way but he’s going to get some information from you about Wil. We’re on it, okay? Just hang on until we get there.”
At this, everyone stood up at once. Corey turned to Marc expectantly, his hands out. Marc tossed the phone to him and Corey took over, heading out the door, talking to Kayli and asking pertinent questions.
“What’s going on?” Brandon asked. His fists clenched and knocking impatiently against his thighs. Raven mimicked him, the same determined look.
“Wil’s missing,” Marc said. He dashed for his bedroom, grabbing a pair of boots, and then tossed them aside for a pair of sandals since those would be quicker. He grabbed for his keys and another phone. “We need to go. Brandon, come with me. Raven, you should...”
“I’ll head toward the school district,” Axel said. “If he’s checked in there, I’ll see if I can’t find any of his classmates that might know where he’s at. Brandon, come with me and we’ll scope out the neighborhood and ask around. Raven, you should go with Marc and help Kayli. She may try to panic and run all over the place. Keep her calm. Bring her back here if you have to.”
Kevin looked like he was going to say something and stopped. He plucked out his own phone from his pocket and answered it. “Hi, baby,” he said. “Hang on, it’s not a good... What? Oh. Yeah, uh...” He grimaced. “Hang on.” He covered the phone with his hand. “Guys, it’s Mindy.”
“We’re a bit busy,” Axel said.
“Sh
e’s ... look, I have to go.”
Marc reeled back a step. “Kevin, her brother is missing.”
“Yeah, I know, but,” he said, looking conflicted. “She needs me right now.”
Marc wanted to punch him but he didn’t have the time. He knew it was panic talking and he tried to calm himself. This wasn’t Kevin’s fault and it wasn’t Mindy’s. The Academy had warned them that as they grew older and got girlfriends, sometimes they needed to plan accordingly. Family first, and Mindy was part of Kevin’s family now. He had to respect that. “Okay.”
“If you need me,” Kevin said, looking pained by this. “Really, I mean I’ll come if you need me. I don’t know how else I could help you guys.”
“No,” Axel said. “We’ve got it covered.” He clapped a hand on Kevin’s shoulder and held it firmly. “You’ve been away for a while. Go to Mindy. We’ve got this.”
Kevin didn’t look too happy about the decision. “Call me with updates?”
Marc nodded, but didn’t say anything.
“We’ll call you,” Axel said, confirming.
Kevin sighed. Marc turned from him, heading out the door, with Raven, Brandon and Axel in tow. Kevin lingered back in the apartment, talking to Mindy and assuring her he’d be there soon.
Marc waited until the elevator doors were closed and he was alone with Raven, Brandon and Axel. “I can’t believe he’d do this now.
“Let’s not think like that,” Axel said. “After all, we didn’t even ask what was wrong with Mindy, or ask if there was something we could do to help.”
Marc frowned. He was right.
“Probably nothing we could do,” Brandon said. “She’s getting more clingy. She’s asking more questions.”
“They’re in love,” Axel said. “She’s naturally curious about where he spends all his time. And when he’s gone overnight on assignment, it’s going to keep getting harder. We don’t have parents, or school work, for the Academy to hide behind any more. Now that he’s telling her he’s working at the Academy full time, she’s going to look for some consistency. We all knew it would happen someday. Kevin wanted her in the dark as much as possible so she wouldn’t worry, and this is the price you pay for it. We can’t all date Academy girls. We’re lucky if we get a girl that can know about the Academy at all.”