Fly Trap
Fiona
There has to be someone in this room who will stand up to Max and help me find my friend.
There is one person…but currently he’s lost his mind.
Vex…Will he help? Or will he throttle me to death before we get outside?
The man doesn’t hate you. He’s just terrified for his sister.
Could we team up?
There’s only one way to find out…you walk into the lion’s den. I lift my gaze to him and wait.
My breath catches when his meets mine almost immediately.
The pain he must be feeling…it’s unimaginable.
Can he read my mind? Because if I utter a single word…
His eyes shift to the door.
Vex understands. Without acknowledging him, I lower my gaze to the floor and wait for an opportunity to present itself.
“That won’t work. He’ll see us coming from a mile away and disappear.” Maddox paces across the room.
Now, just get up and walk out like you have to go to the bathroom. If you look calm, they won’t even give you a second glance.
And they don’t. The room is focused on finding a plan to get The Spider that doesn’t involve me. I let out a sigh of relief as the elevator starts to close.
A man’s hand slides in, and the doors open. Vex and Payne step in.
How did they walk out without anyone noticing?
Payne hits the close door button while Vex reaches into my soul to decide if he can trust me.
After a chin lift, he starts talking. “We’re going to walk straight to the helicopter. On the way, we’ll discuss an actual plan. You know where to go for him to find you.”
I lift my eyes to the camera that no one bothered hiding in the elevator. “Yes.”
He nods. “We’re going to walk calmly but directly. Be prepared if things get interesting. I won’t let them stop us.”
That’s what I was hoping…now, I’m a little worried. “I love him.”
Vex smiles. “There won’t be much blood involved.”
That isn’t encouraging.
Maddox’s men are watching for enemies from the outside. They aren’t looking to stop friends from leaving.
We walk out without incident.
Canyon waves from his post on the corner.
I give him a friendly smile and a wave, continuing to walk, not run, towards the chopper.
My hand touches the door Payne is holding open to climb in when Everett comes running over.
He’s not going to stop us.
“Ignore the kid.” Vex opens his own door.
“Max won’t be happy.” Everett stops two feet away, huffing and puffing.
“I’ll get rid of him.” Vex moves towards the boy.
Everett is brilliant. Brains like his… “Everett could be useful.”
Vex doesn’t hesitate. He walks over and picks up the boy, tossing him over his shoulder. “Inside now.”
Canyon can’t see us on this side of the chopper. But every second is a risk. I jump in, and Everett flops in half on his side, half on his back, before Payne climbs in.
“Headphones. If you like the idea of hearing in your sixties,” Payne shouts over the engine starting.
Everett scrambles up off the floor, tugging on his headphones and then buckling up. “What are you guys doing? Why isn’t Max going with you?”
“Because Fiona is going to rescue my sister, not talk ‘til she’s blue in the face like they are doing right now back in Maddox’s place.” Vex starts lifting us off the ground. “Why did we need the kid?”
“Because he’s a genius. A literal computer genius. And if I’m walking in there with only a tracking beacon on me for protection, I want to know someone like him is behind the controls.” This might be the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life.
“We have trackers.” Payne reaches under the bench and pulls a little bag out of a duffel. “They’re state-of-the-art.”
Everett swipes the bag from his hand, digging into it. “What is state-of-the-art? If she goes more than ten feet underground with one of these, she’s going to disappear. Fiona will be dead, and your sister will vanish again.”
“You got a better idea, genius?” Vex doesn’t do tact.
“I might, but you’re going to need a scalpel and some thread. Numbing cream would be nice too.”
“We got that. We even have a doctor. How long will it take?” Vex makes a hard turn, and my belly swishes around with the chopper.
“Thirty minutes. Twenty if the doctor is fast.” Everett looks a little green around the gills.
“Barb doesn’t fool around.” Vex needs to learn how to drive this thing nice and smooth. “What do you require? Other than an outfit.”
“A few johns. Preferably ones that won’t rape me.” But if that’s the worst thing that happens, the night is going to go better than expected.
Vex chuckles. “I don’t actually want Max to kill me.”
“You know he’s going to.” It’s only fair that I warn Vex.
“It’ll be worth it to save my sister.”
Yeah, it would be.
“You do know I could tell Max where we are.” Everett doesn’t seem to have many brains in his head today.
“Figured you could, Kid. I figure you’re also smart enough to know this is going to happen regardless of what you do. So, you can help keep her safe, or I can dump you somewhere and keep on going. You pick. But do it now, because I have no qualms about choosing my sister over you or anyone else.”
Would Vex dump Everett out of the helicopter? Probably not. Dahlia didn’t marry a heartless man.
“Understood.” Everett nods.
I reach over and take the boy’s hand, offering him some comfort.
***
“You have a secret lair.” Everett spins around, staring at the walls full of weapons.
Half of which, I don’t even know what they are.
“We don’t have time for you to gawk. Show Barb where to cut Fiona.”
Everett shakes his head. “She has to cut it out of me first. Then we can put it on Fiona.”
“What?” Vex stalks up to the kid. “You have a tracker on you. I thought we had an understanding.”
“It’s deactivated. I’ll activate it before we insert it into Fiona.”
Vex nods, stepping back.
“But I should warn you. It might bring along some visitors that want to kill me.”
What trouble has this kid gotten himself into?
“We’ll take care of your visitors.” Vex glances over at Payne, who seems to be loading up like we’re about to fight a zombie horde.
Does he really need that many hand grenades?
“What is that?” I squeak when Payne lifts a long tube off the wall.
“Rocket launcher.”
I’m going to die.
I’m so going to die.
“Who do you need me to cut open?” Barb stomps in. “Fiona…what are you doing here?”
Saving the world…based on the amount of weapons Payne seems to think we need. “It’s a long story.”
Barb nods. “Gotcha. Let’s make this quick. I’m in the middle of a debate. And if I’m gone too long, they're going to think they’ve stumped me.”
Do I even want to know? When it comes to Barb and her strange hobbies…probably not.
“You need to cut me.” Everett pulls off his shirt and turns around. “One-inch incision middle of my back, right next to the spine. You should see the scar.”
“Cutting next to a spine can be tricky.” Barb walks over to the sink. “Sounds like fun.”
Ten minutes later, she pulls out a pair of tweezers with a little plastic-covered chip pinched inside. “Is this what you’re looking for?”
“Yeah. It needs to be sterilized. Then hand it to me.” Everett pulls the phone Max gave him out of his pocket. “I’ve got the jammer already set up.”
“You can’t put that in my body. They’ll see the fresh wound and go looking for it.” It’s going to get me killed. Why did I think they were going to put it in a piece of jewelry or in my shoe?
“No, but if we’re trying to hide it, I could stick it under your scalp. Your hair would hide the incision. It would hurt way more, though.”
What’s a little pain? “Let’s do it!”
***
They say that clothes make the woman. And they’re right.
Payne picked out an outfit that said, ‘look at me…now pay me’. I haven’t worn this little in a very long time. Mixed with the right blend of makeup, I could have been turning tricks for the last ten years. The only place it’ll fall apart is if they look too close at my skin.
Hopefully, they’ll be too busy staring at other parts of my body to notice.
I zip the thigh-high boots and square my shoulders.
It’s time to see if I can pull this off.
The first test is right outside those doors.
“What do you think, boys?” I step out with more bravado than bravery.
“This is a really bad idea. Max is going to kill us all.”
“You’ll do. Let’s go.” Vex has such a way with words.
I saunter over to his wall of goodies and pull out two throwing knives. “Louisella would approve.” After sliding them into my boots, I follow Vex out.
***
It’s cold. I forgot just how cold it is in the middle of winter when you have to walk down the street barely clothed.
Two blocks ago, I dropped the jammer into the trash. In a few steps, my future will be determined. All it’s going to take is one or two ‘tricks’ before someone notices the brand and spreads the word.
You aren’t weak. You aren’t afraid…
That’s the worst lie I’ve ever told myself.
Saving your friend is more important than fear or cold.
I hunch a little and add in the walk I’ve seen done since I was small.
“Wrong corner. Pick a different place to work.” A woman walks up to me as soon as I arrive. She’s in the standard uniform.
“But I like this spot. It’s a free world, and I think I’ll stay. At least for a little while.”
“You’re playing with fire, little girl. Go find somewhere else to make your money tonight. You don’t want to mess around here. He ain’t playing.”
No, he isn’t. And I’ll remember the kindness. “I like playing with fire.”
An SUV pulls up. “Any of you ladies up for a party?”
“Always.” I sashay up to the window and lean in, making sure my brand is in eyeshot of them. One of the benefits of being half naked is it’s hard to miss… “Partying is my favorite. As long as you got what I need.”
“Sure do.” He flips up a hundred-dollar bill in a smiley-face money clip. The sign of a safe ride.
“See you all later.” I give them a fake wave before hopping into the warm vehicle.
He turns the temperature up as we drive away.
“Drive around for ten minutes, and then you can drop me back off.”
“There’s no need to insult me. Let’s make it fifteen. My name’s Fly.”
“Nice to meet you.” I lean against the vents, trying to absorb all the heat I can.
“Vex warned me that you’re taken. But I gotta ask, are you taken in the forever kind of way, or could I tempt you with a ride on my motorcycle when this is all done?”
Like there’s going to be an after for me…If there is, will Max forgive me? “I’ve never ridden a bike.”
“There’s nothing in the world like it. There’s a blanket in the back if you want to use it.”
“Thanks.” I reach into the back and pull the soft throw around me. It’s so much like the ones Max got me…
“Oh, and Maddox sent a message.”
WHAT? No! I reach for the door handle.
“There’s no need for that. I’m not kidnapping you. Though it was discussed. He told me to tell you that Max is coming for you. Be ready and don’t die.”
“No promises.” Does that mean he’s decided to help?
Men and their cryptic messages.
***
“Thank you for the party.” I take the money he holds out and stuff it in my bra as we slide to a stop in front of my new friends.
“We’ll have to do it again soon, beautiful.”
The cold hits me as soon as I step out.
“Why didn’t you tell us you were his?” The unfriendly one comes and gets in my face. “Is this some kind of test?”
“No test. I’m working the same as you.”
“But you’re not the same. No one knows who you are.”
A van pulls up.
Vex said nothing about a van.
“The Spider wants to see you.”
Those are the last words I hear before I’m tossed in the back of the van and the world goes dark…