Agent 57 (Book 2)

Chapter 4

Thirteen's POV

Everybody stops in their tracks after the words leave Nicky's mouth. I've never wanted to strangle a person more than right this minute. I glare harshly at her and she shrugs.

"You did what?" Devin's voice comes out calm and even, but I know better, he's daring me, or Nicky to repeat it.

Sometimes I forget he's Zero's son. I'll have to remind myself that even though Zero's a crappy chief, he's still Devin's father.

I turn toward all of them, pointing at Jason, Chase, and Cody, "I don't want to hear anything from you three." I point at Devin next. "You can yell at me later."

"No, how about I yell at you now." His tone is low and I pick up on the anger behind it.

"What good will that do us right now?"

Devin points at me, his eyes narrowed. "Later."

I turn the corner down another hallway. Three guys trying their best to blend in stand with their backs to us at the end of the hallway. I push everyone back behind the corner. "Great," I mutter.

"Now what?" Nicky questions. "They're blocking the next set of stairs."

I shrug slightly. "Anyone got a clear shot?" I ask as I stick my head out around the corner to look at them.

"As soon as we start shooting all hell's going to break loose." Cody states.

"Give me my backpack." Nicky orders. Chase slips the backpack off his shoulders and passes it to her.

She places it on the floor and unzips it, shuffling through the contents. She pulls out an iPad.

"What good is an iPad going to do us right now?" Cody scowls at her. She gives him a cold look. I hide my smile.

Her fingers glide over the iPad smoothly and her eyebrows knit together in concentration.

"What is she doing?" Chase asks me.

"She tell you anything about her past?" I ask him, instead of answering his question.

"Only that you and your old team gave her a second chance..." He trails for. "What did she use to do?"

I smile slightly and turn to face him. "Her full name is Nicolette Moore." His eyes widen in shock and realization. I figured her name would ring a bell. "World's greatest thief and-"

"Hacker." He finishes for me. I nod. "She's also #1 on the agency's top most wanted list besides Garrett." He adds, giving me a pointed look.

I widen my eyes in mock surprise. "You don't say."

The fire alarms suddenly begin blaring to life, the loud, obnoxious ringing echoing through the hallways. Nurses, doctors, and patients begin to quickly file down the stairs and out of the building. The three men, however, don't make any move.

"Brilliant plan," Chase mutters sarcastically, Nicky just smiles.

"They just need a little motivation." She says with a devilish smile. She taps on the iPad a couple more times. "Hope you lot don't mind getting a little wet."

"Actually I d-" Jason doesn't get to finish his sentence before the overhead sprinklers suddenly come to life, water beginning to rain down on us.

"Oops," Nicky says with a shrug, "It's not like it's acid." She smiles sickly sweet at him.

I turn and look over at the three guys who are now cursing out each other and making a mad dash for the stairs. Well, they sure seem to think it's acid. I hear Jason let out a cry of pain and turn back towards everyone else.

Nicky stands over him with a glare on her face, Devin immediately points to her. Jason's on his knees on the floor his hands cupping his family jewels.

Nicky just smiles sadistically at him with the glare still intact.

"I hope it hurts." She mocks him, quoting his words back at him before proceeding to call him some nasty names under her breath.

She picks up her soaking wet backpack off the floor and struts away from us to the stairs.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Jason groans, shakily getting to his feet.

I don't meet their eyes as I stare after her. "She spent way too much time with my brother. She didn't use to be this violent."

"So I take it your brother was a violent person." Chase mutter quietly.

"Yeah..." I trail off softly. "He was."

I jog off after Nicky before any of them can say anything more on the matter. I catch up to her quickly considering she stopped in the middle of the stairs to wait.

"For the record." She starts as I walk past her and she begins to follow. "You and Cody would make a pretty adorable couple." I groan as she continues to ramble behind me. "That's the only reason he didn't get a knee to the nuts, I gotta make sure he can still have kids."

"Well aren't you generous." I bite back sarcastically.

"I'm just saying, you two should really kiss and make up. He can't be that pissed off for you up and abandoning them..." She trails off in thought. "Huh, well when it's put like that, that does sound really bad...What the hell were you thinking?"

I groan and glare at her in response, that doesn't seem to deter her.

"Running away from a guy like that? You must've inherited your brother's stupidity."

"Go to hell Moore." I scowl, using her last name.

"After you, Kingston."

"Kingston?" Cody questions as he catches up and I let it another groan turning to glare at Nicky. She just smiles back at me sheepishly.

"You said I couldn't call you by your name in front of them, Kingston isn't your name."

"It's part of it," I growl.

"Last names hardly count." She dismisses with a wave of her hand.

"You know her name?!" Devin practically screams. "What is it?! Tell Me! Tell Me! TELL ME!"

"Sorry." Nicky replies with a smirk, "I'm sworn to secrecy otherwise I won't get paid."

"You're paying her?" Jason asks me at the same time Devin yells.

"WHY?! What is wrong with you?! Do have any idea how badly I want to know?"

"Yes, I'm paying her," I grumble. "It's not like she volunteered to be stuck in your presence."

"Actually I did." Nicky states. "But I also needed some extra cash."

"How much are you getting paid?" Devin asks with curiosity. I glare at Nicky to keep her mouth shut, she sends me a smug look and as usual, does her own thing.

"Half a mil." She says nonchalantly. Devin nearly trips over his own feet along with Chase.

"Half a million dollars?!" Devin screeches and I clamp a hand over his mouth to shut him up.

Nicky shrugs as if it's nothing, before continuing to run her mouth. "It's not that big a deal." She simply shrugs. "She's paying the mercenaries 100 each."

"A hundred dollars?"

"A 100k."

"A 100K?!" Devin shouts again, gee it's a miracle we haven't been caught yet. "There was like 20 mercenaries!"

"Good observation." I retort as I push open the door at the bottom of the stairs. "Now shut up before we all get killed."

I creep forwards quietly, looking in either direction. The first floor is completely clear as far as I can see, but the doors in the front have several guys standing guard.

"Damn. I'd really rather sneak out of here without any altercations. I don't want any innocent people getting hurt, even if the mercenaries are going to be helping." I pause and look around. "Nicky, I need you to-"

"Say no more." She cuts me off and runs into one of the rooms, closing the door quietly behind her, the rest of us duck into another one.

Cody looks at me curiously as I gently shut the door. I lean back against it, trying hard to keep the pain of my arm from showing.

"What?" I finally snap at him.

"We get paid a lot as agents," He starts taking a step towards me. "But not that much. So how the hell do you have that much money to be throwing away?"

"It's hardly throwing it away."

"Just answer the question."

"I'm not stealing it if that's where this conversation is going."

"Then how the hell do you have this much money?"

"So you were going to accuse me of stealing."

"I wasn't-" He cuts off, pinching the bridge of his nose before running his hand through his hair in frustration.

It's silent for a while before he finally speaks again, his tone exasperated.

"Can you for once just give me a straight answer?" His eyes had softened considerably and he gives me a pleading look. His anger seems to melt away for the moment as his hands grab hold of mine, I wince slightly as he moves my shoulder.

I open my mouth to reply, not having any idea what on earth I was about to say when the door suddenly opens and Nicky walks in, a wad of clothes tucked under her arm.

"Am I interrupting something?" She asks.

"No." Both me and Cody reply in unison.

"Yes," Devin says at the same time. I glare at him. Cody takes several steps backward, the anger returning to his face.

"Well then..." Nick trails off before tossing each of us a doctor's coat, or a nurse's outfit.

We all quickly slip into the wet clothes. Nicky holds up a set of keys.

"What are those to?" Jason questions.

"One of the many ambulances." She swings the keys on her fingers. "Keep your heads down and let's go."

We all walk quickly through the hallway to the front door, keeping our heads down and running quickly by the guards before they identify us.

Nicky hops into the front seat of the ambulance parked in the front. "Hey!" One of the guards shouts, raising his gun at us.

"Party's over let's go!" Nicky shouts and starts the engine. Devin throws open the doors to the back and the rest of us jump in as bullets pierce the side. Several more shots echo out as several mercenaries pop out and begin shooting down the guards.

I pull one door shut and Jason grabs the other, locking it in place immediately afterward. I let out a relieved sigh.

"Where to?" Nicky questions.

I push myself up into a better sitting position, cursing under my breath as I bump my shoulder into the ambulance wall.

I close my eyes for a moment and clench my jaw, the pain in my shoulder spreading down my arm...so maybe I didn't exactly tell them how bad my arm really was...when do I ever?

"Where to?" Nicky repeats.

To be completely honest I really didn't think that far ahead. Normally I do but in this case...I really didn't think that we'd be making it out of there alive, even with as much back up as I had.

I pull my phone out of my pocket, (thankful I for the waterproof case that was given to me in the past) sending a quick text to the mercenaries letting them know that their services are no longer required. I then proceed to transfer the agreed upon amount into each of their bank accounts.

I stare at the picture on my home screen for a moment before finally responding to Nicky.

"The nearest airport." I slide my phone back into my pocket. "It's time for us to part ways."

Nicky nods in understanding. "If you need me for anything else just call."

"I will, but you do realize that you're now on Garrett's list."

She lets out a laugh. "I've been on his list ever since I tracked his whereabouts the first time and sent every damn law enforcement agency in the same state knocking at his door."

I smile. "If you ever need a place to hide out, just call."

"Back at you."

"Where exactly are we going?" Chase interjects.

I look out the back windows of the ambulance and let out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding.

"Home," I mutter just above a whisper.