Raging Fire (Guarded Secrets Book 4) (3 page)

My gaze followed the words on the page as I found a name and a photo; Harley Sánchez. I scoffed at the name, but the photo was unmistakable. His hair had greyed slightly since I last saw him, but his cold eyes still sent fear through me even in a photo. He must have changed his name, that’s why the information had run out and I couldn’t find him anymore with the CIA or FBI databases. He had avoided anyone keeping tabs on him, even me. Yet, somehow someone had learned that he was taking over a cartel.

With this new knowledge he was putting himself on CIRA’s list, and now I’d have to face him sooner than I planned. There was no way in hell I’d let anyone else fall victim to him. I just wish I knew how Night Stripe found out who he was and his new name. I had tried too hard to keep my search quiet. So someone else had to know, and that’s who I needed to find.

Chapter 2

I scanned the file for as much information as I could during the short time I had. According to the file, Harley was currently in Washington State, but once again it didn’t give me an exact location. I needed specifics, but of course nothing was ever that easy. That’s probably why Sharp Shooter was reluctant to send anyone out after Harley. Sharp Shooter had no way of knowing where they were going or what they’d walk into. He liked to have as much of the information as he could before he sent agents on a mission, especially one that would cause a mass panic in the agency. He cared for us and wanted to give us the best chance of surviving as possible, but sometimes missions just didn’t go as planned. We couldn’t win them all.

This would be one of them if he sent agents out too early.

By now the Cardoza Cartel had to know most, if not all, of CIRA’s tricks. Harley had a front row seat to us taking down the Cardozas, and he’d also had Camden supplying him with information before I took care of him. Knowing Harley, he’d be prepared. He’d be waiting for us, and I had given him the perfect tip off that we were onto him. He’d get a surprise though, CIRA would come for him, just not with the amount of agents he expected.

One person could cause a lot of trouble, and make his life difficult while setting up the cartel again. Though he had seen that before with Renegade’s undercover work. Maybe Harley even worked with Renegade on occasion so he’d be alerted if anyone new showed up. I’m not sure how I would get in, but I would find a way. Even if it meant hiding in the shadows and waiting for my time to strike. He had used Camden to bait me into finding him and now he’d get his wish—a father-daughter reunion. For that I needed time and time wasn’t on my side thanks to Night Stripe’s pushing. 

No matter how much she wanted out of the mafia business, Night Stripe wouldn’t let the Cardoza Cartel go until she was sure they were gone for good. I often wondered what pulled her back to the Cardozas or if she even knew what it was. I doubted it. I knew my desire to fight them came from my stepfather because he had been involved with them when I was younger and his involvement had taken my family away from me. I always knew if I worked against cartels for CIRA then I’d run into him again, but Night Stripe’s desire came from something else. I just wasn’t sure what.

“Sorry about that, Spit Fire.” Sharp Shooter’s voice dipped slightly just before the door shut, indicating his return. I shut the file quickly and turned to meet his dark green gaze and accompanying smile. “Seeker got word from one of our undercover agents and it couldn’t wait. Had to figure out what to do quickly or he would have been at risk of compromising himself and the mission.”

“Who was it?” My voice sounded tight and my chest compressed slightly with my words. I hoped Sharp Shooter hadn’t seen me looking at the file, but judging from the concern in his eyes, all of his thoughts were on the undercover agent. If I wanted to get out of here and find my stepfather, I couldn’t give Sharp Shooter a reason to doubt me.

“An old friend of yours actually.” He smiled brightly as if he remembered how much he admired the agent. “Sandstorm has been undercover for a while, actually since he met you. He’s been very patient, but I think his assignment is coming to an end soon. So you can see him again, if you want.”

Sandstorm was the one who recruited me when my mom sent my siblings and me to the Middle East to be with my father for a little while. My mom thought it would be best if we all went together. In hindsight, it couldn’t have been a worse idea. Thanks to Camden I knew Harley had forced her to send us away while she dealt with her divorce from my first stepfather. That man was abusive to me, and only me, since I protected my siblings, but Harley suggested to send us all away together 
just in case.
 I wouldn’t have put it past him to have paid the thugs to kill us all; a robbery gone wrong. Then the blame would be put on my real father and my mother never would have forgiven him. She would have stayed with Harley
 
and been married to him so he could run the cartel. I guess she wised up to his plan and fought him because he killed her a few months later.

I cringed at the memory. I had been so willing to run after watching my siblings die that I took Demon’s offer of a new way of life, which led me straight to Sandstorm. 

Both of them were on a mission at the time. Sandstorm was undercover and used me to finalize a few parts for his entry into a weapons trade before shipping me off to CIRA, while Demon had been passing through to offer assistance. It was clear from how Sandstorm talked to me that he was glad to have someone around who understood how he felt. He must have been so lonely. While he didn’t say much about what brought him to CIRA, he had explained how he joined CIRA two years prior to meeting me and his cover for his disappearance was that he had been killed in a car accident along with a few of his friends, who were also recruited as new agents. According to the cover story, two cars had collided on an isolated road after a night of drinking with his friends and he had been undercover ever since. Mass recruitments weren’t out of the ordinary, but I couldn’t help but wonder how CIRA made it seem as if five people had lost their lives. Whether it was in a boating accident as Demon, and a few other new recruits, had done, or in a house fire like in Whip Lash’s cover story. Car crashes were the easiest to pull off, and were fairly common so they didn’t draw a lot of attention, but they also needed a lot of effort and timing, which made them seem impossible.

“He’s still undercover?” I questioned with a sigh. I hadn’t thought about Sandstorm since I left him to finish his mission about seven years ago. 
Seven years. 
In all that time he hasn’t stepped foot in this building, met any of the new agents, and he most likely didn’t know who we lost. Hopefully he’s excited to finally get out and see what the agency is like now and experience other types of missions. I can’t imagine being undercover for so long and coming back to see all of the changes, the new faces, and then learning some of my friends had died while I was gone. My heart ached momentarily as I thought over the last part. It always hurt to remember lost friends, but it also reminded me why I fought so hard. I did it for them.

“Yes he is, but back to you. Tell me about the mission.”

“Can’t you just ask Rum when she gets back? She’s coming back in about an hour, if she isn’t back already.” I glanced back toward the file on his desk. I had more important things to do. I wanted to talk to Night Stripe and figure out exactly what she knew and who told her about Harley. Then I needed to find him and end this before anyone else could be hurt. “Rum and Siren are going to tell you the same exact thing.”

Sharp Shooter glared at me. “That’s the point, Spit Fire.”

“Fine.” I leaned back against his desk as I went into detail about the mission. “We went to California to find the guy the FBI lost track of—you know, the one who was killing all those families last summer. We spent weeks tracking him down in hopes of catching him before he could kill again. Then the CIA got involved, and with their combined resources we managed to find him before anyone else got hurt.” I paused for a moment as I suddenly realized how to get out of CIRA for a few weeks to track down my stepfather. It could work, if I was lucky.

“And?” Sharp Shooter prompted.

“We had to kill him when he tried to attack us. With the threat eliminated we each decided whether or not to stay. Siren and Rum stayed to do some cleaning up, but I was pulled aside by the director of the CIA. He said he may need me for another mission soon and I should come back to rest for a few days. I told him I needed some time to gather a few things before taking another mission and he seemed understanding. He said he would call me when he needed me and give me the details.”

Sharp Shooter glanced me over as if waiting for me to fold. “What exactly do you have to do before taking another mission, Spit Fire? What are you looking for?”

“I’m not looking for anything.” I made sure to keep my face stoic as the lie left my lips before continuing. “It’s a family matter I have to deal with.”

Sharp Shooter raised an eyebrow in curiosity. He knew my family was mostly dead, except for my father and stepfathers, because I had explained to him what happened after Demon and Sandstorm recruited me. Why else would I have been so willing to give up my life? No one would abandon their life, everyone they knew and loved, just to start a new one here without a reason. They were always trying to get away from something in their past. Something pushed them in this direction, and I’m sure Sharp Shooter had agents looking everywhere for possible recruits with something ready to push them over the edge. How else could Demon and Sandstorm have found me so quickly? Someone must have seen that I had nothing left to live for and called it in. Hell, maybe even Demon saw it himself and thought I would make a good agent. They took me in, found out what my strengths were, and worked with me on them until I could be turned into a weapon.

“What kind of family matter?”

“I heard my biological father passed away. I just want some time to figure out if it’s true and if it is I’d like to take a day and pay my respects.”

I could see the disbelief in Sharp Shooter’s eyes. In the seven years I’ve been here, never once had I mentioned my father to him. Frankly, I didn’t care whether he died or not because I partially blamed him for our family’s deaths. If he had watched out for us better, then maybe my siblings would still be alive. But if I had been more vigilant then maybe we wouldn’t have walked into that trap. It wasn’t right to blame him when my stepfather was the one responsible for sending us away, but it made me feel better to think it wasn’t entirely my fault. I couldn’t live with the guilt.

“Are you sure that’s all that’s bothering you?”

My gaze didn’t falter. I held his incriminating glare until he relented. Whether he believed me or not, I wouldn’t tell him the truth until everyone was safe from Harley and the remaining members of the Cardoza Cartel.

“You can have all the time you need, Spit Fire, but I want to be kept up to date on it. Tell me when the director calls, what’s going on, and I want updates during the mission. As for your father, you can request a day of leave should you wish to visit him.”

I nodded, waiting for more to come but it didn’t. We stared at each other in silence. His steady gaze seemed as if he was attempting to intimidate me into telling the truth, but if that’s what he wanted he was out of luck. I had my story and I’d stick with it until the end. I waited patiently to receive an order and eventually he gave in.

“You can go now, Spit Fire,” he said with a quick flash of his gaze toward the door. “Thanks for coming in, and I still want a report when you get back from working with the CIA.”

“Great.” The word lingered in the air longer than usual, showing my distaste for these useless meetings. At least this time I got something out of it—a cover story. I raised my hand as a quick goodbye before turning to leave the room, trying not to give him a chance to call me back. I wasn’t fast enough though.

“Oh, Spit Fire.” Sharp Shooter’s voice picked up a few notches, as if he had suddenly remembered something. When I turned back I saw a familiar knowing smile that told me he knew what was really going on. “Night Stripe was in the team room with Renegade before they followed me in here. When you finish talking to them, send them back to me. I know they aren’t done talking about this.” He shook the file lightly in his hand. I noticed he didn’t mention the contents. He didn’t know I already looked inside, and thankfully he wouldn’t know that I intended to hold off their mission to Washington for as long as possible.

I nodded again. “Thanks, I’ll send them right to you when I’m done talking to them.” I quickly left, pulling the door shut behind me. Thankfully this time I made it out. If I spent too much time talking my lie could fall apart before I was ready. I could mess up my story and I didn’t want to let that happen. The less I said, the better, at least until I had finished and could tell them what I’d actually done.

Chapter 3

I looked for Night Stripe in the team lounge, but didn’t find her. I couldn’t even find Renegade to ask where she was. I was sure he would know where his girlfriend had escaped to. They seemed to keep pretty accurate tabs on each other while in the building and on missions, but they may not know
exactly
where the other is during the day. I had to find her before I ran out of time. I tried not to worry. This building was only so big and she hadn’t ventured through most of it. I knew she hadn’t taken a mission, otherwise she wouldn’t be pushing Sharp Shooter so hard about going after the Cardoza Cartel. She must be going stir crazy from being locked up in the building for too long and was looking for something to do. If Rum was back early then she’d be training in anticipation for facing the cartel again. They had caught her once and I knew she didn’t want it to happen again.

I followed my instincts and went to see if she was training. She usually spent the day training with Rum whenever her mentor was around. Even when she wasn’t, Night Stripe still spent time keeping up with her training, but not as intensely as when Rum was here to keep her motivated. They had become close friends despite Rum’s initial reaction to having to train Hess’ replacement and Night Stripe’s knee-jerk reaction to waking up here.

I remember seeing her running through the halls on her first day. The sheer panic on her face as she rushed passed agents, who looked at her in complete confusion and distaste, still made me laugh to this day. It had taken me a few moments to figure out why she was running until I saw Demon and Sharp Shooter chasing after her. I didn’t blame her for trying to escape. Demon and Whip Lash could have handled her recruitment better than kidnapping her. That would terrify anyone. A majority of us had known what we were getting into, while she was just thrown into it.

Meanwhile, Rum was still in pain over the loss of her mentor. She hadn’t expected to lose Hess, and then being forced into training her replacement didn’t make things easier on her. Rum talked about it so often I understood how she felt, but it couldn’t have been easy on either of them. She cared for Night Stripe, but refused to show it at first; just in case she didn’t make it back from her first mission. Even after the mission, they had a rough relationship. Though as I entered Rum’s training space I knew they had worked it out to a point. 

Night Stripe crashed to the floor, most likely taken down by a move Rum had learned while training with monks, before Rum helped her friend back to her feet. Frankly, I wasn’t sure how much of Rum’s story I believed. I hadn’t bought the monk story from the moment I joined, but whether it was true or not didn’t affect me. It didn’t change the person she was or how I saw her, but if I had to guess I would say she made it up because she didn’t want to talk about her
real
past and figured making up a story would be easier than telling the truth.

“Hey, Spit Fire. What brings you here?” Rum didn’t even look in my direction. She was too distracted watching Night Stripe brush the dust off of her clothes and inspect the bruises present on her arms from their close combat training.

I wasn’t sure how she knew it was me, but at least she wasn’t yelling at me to get out as she usually did to anyone who interrupted her training. I’ll take what I can get. “I’m here to speak to Night Stripe. Then after, Sharp Shooter wants her back in his office to discuss whatever is in that file she left on his desk.”

Night Stripe waved her hand dismissively as she turned to get water. “He doesn’t want to talk about it until I have more information. Plus, Renegade will be needed for that debate. Otherwise, I’ll just end up on house arrest again.”

I didn’t argue with her. I’m sure Sharp Shooter had only told me he wanted to see her so he could let me know that he knew I was up to something. “More information on what exactly?”

The question affected Night Stripe more than I had expected. She tensed and seemed slightly reluctant to answer as she looked toward the ground instead of at me. Sharp Shooter’s words must have gotten to her about starting a panic within the building. I knew she cared deeply for everyone in this building, as we all did. We looked at each other as family because that’s what we were, and we were all we any of us had left. Though Night Stripe wasn’t usually the type to hold back when talking to a friend. I noticed she quickly cast a glance in Rum’s direction as if to ask approval before speaking, maybe Rum had told her to keep quiet as well.

Usually, I would be more delicate on how to handle this, but I didn’t have time for these games.
There had to be a way to rush through this. 
As soon as the thought crossed my mind I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. I knew how to get Night Stripe to talk, but pulling at her loyalty to other agents and the loss of life was low, even for me. 

That didn’t stop me though.

“Night Stripe, I already know it’s about the Cardoza Cartel. I was there in Sandtown when we lost agents and I could have been one of them. I have a right to know if they’re back; everyone does. You can’t hide it from us and act like you’re protecting us. What good will that do?”

“It doesn’t do any good to tell you before we know everything either,” Rum interjected instantly, stepping up to protect her mentee. My assumption was right; she
had
told Night Stripe not to say anything. Now she wanted to keep me from asking for more information. “We don’t have all the information yet, and telling everyone with only bits and pieces will only make things worse. It’s best just to wait. You’ll find out soon enough.”

“But why do you both get to know what’s going on? How is that fair?” The words came out harsher than anticipated, but I couldn’t help it. I had to push them. Eventually, one of them would give up and I’d be on my way. I’d feel bad about hurting them later, but in the long run I was saving them. 

Another pang of guilt rushed through me. I would be doing the same thing Night Stripe and Rum were trying to do. I was going to hide what I knew in order to protect them and hope for the best. I mentally shook myself. I would actually do something about the cartel. I would stop the cartel before they could kill more agents. I wouldn’t hide the information and stay in CIRA waiting for the right time to strike. I’d go now and end it myself.

“I’m not allowed to talk about it.” Night Stripe’s voice came out stronger than before. As if she was ready to argue the matter with me before I snapped at one of them again. She had a strong will and when angered she would fight, whether it was worth it or not. Maybe that’s what I needed.

“That’s never stopped you before,” I retorted.

Night Stripe’s eyes turned to slits; angered by me pushing her so roughly. Her mouth twitched as if she wanted to say something but was forcing herself not to reply. She opened her mouth, most likely to respond with a smart-ass remark, but Rum placed a hand on her shoulder and told her to relax. Soon after, Night Stripe turned to walk away, but I wouldn’t let her until I got what I came for. While there must be a punishment in place if she spoke about it, I didn’t care. I 
had 
to know what she knew so I could save them.

“Night Stripe, don’t turn your back on a friend. Hasn’t this job taught you anything? Shouldn’t you be loyal to those you work with and protect them as fiercely as you do others?”

“I am protecting you,” she yelled as she turned back to face me. “I’m doing what I’m supposed to. I’m looking into it. I’m gathering all the information I can, then I’ll tell people and together we will form a plan. We are going to do this safely and that takes time. I don’t want to lose more agents than we have to.”

“Time is something we don’t have if they are trying to assemble again, and this time, they’ll know we’re coming.”

“You think I don’t know that? You think I want to sit here and wait for them to prepare for us? I’d rather have them kill me now than risk your life or Renegade’s or some new recruit’s who is on their first mission.” Her words cut me like a knife. She knew better than most about the Cardozas and what they were capable of. She wanted them gone as badly, if not more, than anyone in this building. “I’m pushing Sharp Shooter as hard as I can, but I don’t have all of the information. Demon is currently in Russia with Katya trying to collect everything she has. She’s the only reason we know anything about this guy. He’s trying to start trading with her as the Cardozas did with her father, and she’s taken the offer to help us. She’s acting as a double agent for us and risking her life and the lives of her people if he finds out and decides to retaliate. I can’t risk her, her people, and us on a whim. I need a plan.”

“You could have others who would help you with that!”

“That’s why they already know. I know you have something against cartels and mafias, Spit Fire, and I may not know exactly what it is, but I can see it’s already clouding your judgment. You don’t normally act like this. Something is wrong. It’s clearly triggered you, and if you want me to tell you what I know, then tell me the truth. Just remember Rum will know if you’re lying.”

Night Stripe smirked, knowing she had caught me. I didn’t want to tell them what I was planning. I turned to Rum in hopes she would help me. We've been friends longer than her and Night Stripe, but Rum flashed me a smirk similar to her pupil’s. I actually missed when they were at each other’s throats. This would’ve worked out better for me.

“Fine, long story short, my stepfather was in charge of a mafia. He was planning on marrying my mom and then taking control, much like Camden’s plans with Danielle. Well, he caused a divorce between my first stepdad and my mom, so she sent my siblings and I off to live with my dad while she sorted everything out. While over there, my brother and sister were killed. After she married him she figured out what he did and she died shortly after. I blame him for my family’s deaths. I’m trying to find him and I want to know what’s going on with the Cardozas because he used to trade with them.” I glared directly into Night Stripe’s eyes as I added, “You of all people should know about wanting revenge.” I hoped by adding that statement it would prevent Rum from realizing I hadn’t given them the whole truth.

And I was right.

Rum nodded to Night Stripe, giving her the OK to tell me. Though still reluctant, Night Stripe explained what she knew, which wasn’t much. “As I said, Katya is the one working on it now with Demon. I’ve been looking into it as much as I can, but I can’t find much on the new leader. He must have changed identities at one point, or changed his name at the very least, so I don’t have a full record of him. I know where he was as of yesterday when he called Katya to make a deal to meet with him, what he did for the cartel previously, and his past to a point.”

“To what point do you have information on him?” My voice tensed, I heard it and so did they. I could see Night Stripe becoming inquisitive the more I asked. Soon she would start to connect the dots from my story to the man she was after. I could see a sparkle in her eyes every time she thought she figured something out. The slight glimmer in her blue eyes that said she was working out the truth.

“His name is Harley Sanchez; he was a lower level man in the top ranks Cardoza Cartel. He would only come to power if the unthinkable happened; both Miguel and Camden were disposed of. Well, that happened and now he’s taking control. Honestly, I think it was his plan all along. For him to be in the top ranks he must have come from another mafia. He doesn’t seem to be related to the Cardozas so that’s just a guess
for now
. It would explain how Camden passed on his information though, Harley would be close enough to talk to Camden and gain information. Did Camden say anything about it while you interrogated him?”

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. Night Stripe had figured something out. The way she emphasized ‘for now’ told me she’d be looking into something later on. I just wasn’t sure what exactly. “Camden said someone would eventually take over and he had discussed it with whoever it was, but never gave a name.”

She smiled. Whatever she thought she knew, I had just confirmed. “That means Harley be expecting us when we finally go after him. Camden and him were able to talk while he was in prison.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“He’s currently stationed in Washington somewhere, but I could find an exact location given a few days with Katya’s help. I just haven’t been able to yet. I don’t want to spook him before we are ready to head there ourselves. I don’t want him running off and having to track him down again. So for now, Sharp Shooter is waiting on more information before he sends us in. He doesn’t want a repeat of Russia or Sandtown.” A dark shadow took over her eyes as she thought over her sentence. While one had been disastrous with loss of life, Russia had caused her to lose the leadership position Sharp Shooter had entrusted her with. She made the choice to go back for Renegade and they both ended up captured. She ended up being punished for her choice. Both missions were hard for her to swallow.

“Thanks for telling me, Night Stripe. I didn’t realize we were missing so much information. Sharp Shooter is right, we should wait.” I paused for a moment to allow her to reply, but she didn’t. I could see the darkness vanish from her eyes as she started focusing in on me. I had to get out of here before she figured everything out, if Rum hadn’t already. When she was silent it meant bad news. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to report how the mission went to Sharp Shooter, I ducked out before I finished.”

I turned to leave when Rum spoke up. “I’ll take care of it, Spit Fire. You’ve been working on that mission longer than I have. Take time and recuperate.” She approached me with a warm smile and leaned down to hug me before adding, “I don’t know what you’re planning, but you better be careful. You’re going to have too much attention on you if you’re not. I don’t want to lose someone else.” She released me and quickly turned back to Night Stripe to call an end to the training so she could talk with Sharp Shooter.