Welcome to episode two of the Behind the Scenes series on my blog, where I feature a free sample from one of the Perception and Deception: A Spy Series books and give a few fun facts about it! I reached out to some amazing readers and asked what their favorite scenes were from any book in the entire series. This particular scene was chosen by Josie Miller. Thank you Josie! If you have a favorite scene you want featured, just email me at tesoroseries@gmail.com!
God bless your week!
-Andrea Hintz
About the Scene:
Faith is a secret agent for the Real Life Immersion Program, an organization the FBI calls upon to assist in the most complicated of cases. Faith, her husband Ashton, and field partner Juro, have been tasked with going undercover as restaurant caterers at a high-end family reunion. Why? Wolf’s teenaged grandson, one of their own, has been kidnapped, and they have reason to believe he may be attending this event against his will. The catering company is partnering with our agents and seem more than willing to assist in this operation. But with a family of criminals attending, things are likely to get pretty dicey. On top of that, the family reunion is taking place in a mansion located out in the middle of a California vineyard, far, far away from the public. The agents are all connected via their earpieces and ready to do whatever necessary to save this boy. This is one of Ashton’s first major undercover moments in the series, so Faith and Juro are taking extra pre-cautions to keep him close as they navigate this heart-pounding scene.
This reading passage starts with Faith hanging around in the kitchen, prepping for the guests to arrive. And she has discovered something rather unnerving…
Behind the Scenes:
I thought of this scene for a long, long time before writing it. So when I finally got to this section, I typed faster than I could think. I ended up writing around 10,000 words in one weekend - a record for me. I’m not gonna lie, book three is my favorite book in the series. It was my favorite to write and still my favorite to re-read (yes, I read my own books, don’t judge lol). A lot of my readers feel the same way, so if you’re new to the series, I just want to let you know that it’s perfectly acceptable to start with this third book. In fact, through word of mouth, a lot of fans actually started this series with book three, then read books one and two after to give it an “origins” storyline effect. 3, 1, 2. I lovingly call it The Deception and Perception order (*nerdily chuckles to myself as I type this up*). But I have to say, I might be passing that prestigious “favorite” title on to the upcoming fifth book…it’s pretty competitive. We shall see. This scene was really special, because I feel like this was Ashton’s very first true mission he got to participate in. To see all three agents working together in perfect sync was thrilling for me.
***DISCLAIMER: This scene is the climax of book three, so does contain spoilers. But as the author, I feel it won’t ruin the book to read on. The scenes in this posting have been mildly altered to improve understanding for new readers.
-Enjoy the Scene!-
Chapter 40
Faith
I turned my gaze to a metal tray setting on the countertop filled with place cards that still needed to be placed. The little white cards were handwritten in elegant, cursive writing.
But then I noticed something that stood out to me. I counted three place cards that had the name “Stefano.” I felt my heart jump into my throat. That was the same name as the owner of the catering company helping us out with this operation…
I held my arm up and discreetly took pictures of each of the place cards with my watch, quietly sending them to Wolf. Several of the names on the cards were Italian sounding. An Italian family ordering Italian catering didn’t seem that out of the ordinary. But seeing that name several times still unnerved me.
My earpiece crackled. “What did you just send over, Faith?” Wolf asked.
Ashton looked over at me and then quickly looked away so as not to draw attention.
“Mmm,” Wolf said. “That’s not good.”
“What?” I heard Juro ask quietly.
“Faith found some place cards here,” Wolf replied. “Multiple cards have the name Stefano on them.”
I looked around and didn’t see anyone nearby except for Ashton.
“You guys ran background checks on these caterers, didn’t you?” I asked quietly.
“The catering people?” Wolf said. “Absolutely. They didn’t have anything that stood out. But just because we didn’t find anything doesn’t mean you still shouldn’t be careful.”
Ashton elbowed me.
I looked up just as Josefina, the co-owner, approached me. “It’s time. We’re going to start sending out the servers. What’s your plan?”
“Unfortunately, I can’t disclose the exact plan,” I replied. “For safety and protocol reasons.”
I already chose not to trust Josefina or anyone with the catering company at this point.
Josefina nodded. “I understand. Let me know if you need anything.” She leaned over and picked up a plate with little pieces of bread. “Would you two like to sample this?”
“No thank you,” I replied. “You should save that for them.”
“Please, I insist,” she said. “Try these two on the end.”
I took a napkin and picked up the two pieces of bread. “Thank you so much. That’s very kind.”
Josefina nodded and walked away.
“Don’t eat that,” Wolf said quickly. “Toss it.”
I was thinking the same thing.
I folded up the napkin and dropped it into a waste basket nearby, throwing a few extra napkins on top to hide it, and followed the crowd of servers walking out toward the double doors. As we walked down the hallway, there was a young man holding a box with black server books so we could write down orders. Ashton and I each grabbed one and I grabbed an extra for Juro.
I entered the grand hall and was shocked to see how many people were there and how humungous the place was. As I walked past the bar, I set one of the server books down for Juro in case he needed to go walking around.
Ashton and I were going to have to separate.
“Keep an eye out for Paul,” I said.
“Good luck,” he told me quietly.
I nodded and quickly walked away. My eyes searched hard for Paul. I’d only seen photos. All I knew was that he was a teenager with blond hair. There were teenagers here with their families, but none matched Paul’s description.
I did see one familiar boy in particular at a table just a few feet away from me.
Apollo. Ugh.
Of course he would be here. It was his family reunion. It still startled me to see him. I hadn't recognized him immediately because he didn’t have his beanie on, revealing his short, dark hair. Just as his face was about to turn toward me, I quickly turned my back on him and acted as though I were walking toward another table.
“Apollo is here,” I muttered.
“Stay away from him,” Wolf said. “You’re disguised. He won’t recognize you as long as he can’t get a good look at your face.”
I noticed a few people looking at me as I scattered about the room without actually taking any orders, so I went to a table that hadn’t been waited on yet. They all ordered the steak. I went back to the kitchen and quickly came back with their food on a platter.
Just as I set the last plate down in front of a woman, I noticed the door to the front of the hall open.
A tall, middle-aged man with thick, brown hair, thick eyebrows, and a mustache, walked in with another man about the same age, and a woman. Trailing close behind was a teenaged looking boy with blond hair. He wore a tuxedo like the other two men and seemed to be incredibly shy, not making any eye contact with anyone. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets.
I walked away from the table and started heading back toward the kitchen with my platter.
“Is that him?” I whispered.
My earpiece filled with their immediate responses.
“Where?” Juro asked quickly.
Ashton cut in. “You see him?”
“Look at the group of people mingling by the front door,” I said quickly and then stopped talking as a waiter walked by.
“That’s him,” Ashton confirmed.
“It is,” Juro said quietly.
“You see him?” Wolf asked, sounding breathless. “You see him?”
“He’s here,” Juro said. “Faith, watch where they go and get to their table before another server does.”
I quickly dropped the platter on a pile in the kitchen and went back out to the hall. I discreetly watched. Juro was still working behind the bar, making drinks. Ashton was taking orders from tables.
I saw a man guide Paul’s group toward an empty table, which was only three tables away from the hallway where I was going to make my escape with Paul. I speed walked over to their table. Just as they hit their chairs, I was ready to take their orders.
“Hello everyone!” I said. “My name is Silvia. I’ll be taking care of you this evening. Can I start you off with some drinks?”
“I’ll have a glass of your finest merlot,” the man with the mustache said.
“Harry, maybe you should start off with some water and save the merlot for later,” the woman said.
Mustache man was Uncle Harry.
“Alright, I’ll start with a water,” he said.
The woman piped in. “Waters for all of us please.”
“No problem,” I said.
Paul didn’t look up or make any eye contact with me.
I walked up to the bar.
“Four waters,” I told Juro.
Juro began filling stemmed glasses with ice and water and setting them on a platter for me.
“When do we start the plan?” he asked.
“Wait until they have their food,” I whispered. “We can’t jump in too fast or they’ll know something’s up.”
I took the water glasses to their table.
“Have you had a chance to take a look at the menu for tonight’s main courses?” I asked.
The woman looked up at me. “I think we need a few more moments. Thank you.”
“No problem,” I said. “Anything else I can get you before I leave?”
Paul finally looked up at me and made eye contact. His green eyes looked sad. I could see a resemblance between him and Wolf. I just wanted to scoop him up right there and get him out of here. But I had to be patient. Seeing him gave me an even stronger determination.
Paul slightly furrowed his eyebrows momentarily as we held eye contact. I could tell he was trying to think of where he’d seen me before. He'd seen photos of me. I’m sure the disguise was throwing him off.
“We don’t need anything yet, thank you,” the woman said.
I nodded and walked away. When I glanced back a few moments later, Paul was watching me with intensity while the adults around him were engrossed in their own conversation.
I went over to the bar and stood near Juro. A few moments later, Ashton showed up too.
“One white wine and a water,” Ashton said.
Juro began filling the glasses. The three of us stayed together for a moment, even after Juro had finished pouring the drinks.
I noticed Paul look over his shoulder again and look at me. Then he studied Juro and Ashton. He knew the two men well.
His eyes suddenly widened.
“He recognizes us,” I said quickly. “He shouldn’t be looking over here. They’ll notice.”
Juro discreetly put his fingers to his eyes and then pointed down, telling Paul to look downwards. Paul quickly turned forward and looked down at the table.
“Let me know when you’re ready for me to spill the drinks,” Ashton said, taking the tray and walking toward one of his tables.
“I’ll go take their orders now,” I said.
Juro nodded.
I walked toward the table. “Are you all ready to order now?”
“I think so,” Harry said. “I’ll have the lobster.”
When I got to Paul last, he looked me in the eyes. “I’ll have the chicken.”
Something caught my attention and drew my eyes down. His hands were moving below the table. He folded them together so tightly I could see the whites of his knuckles. His fingers were folded, but instead of putting one finger after the other…he kept the pointer and middle fingers on each of his hands together.
The way he looked into my eyes seemed meaningful.
“Sounds good,” I said. “I’ll be right back with that.”
That hand gesture was RLIP code for, “stay away for your own safety.” Usually used when the captive person was being used as bait.
He couldn’t have possibly known what that signal meant, could he? Maybe it was just coincidence he was holding his hands like that. I stopped by Juro for a moment on the way to get their food.
“Juro,” I said. “Did you or Wolf ever teach Paul any RLIP gestures or codes?”
“I never did,” Wolf said.
“I showed him a few,” Juro replied. “During some of our sessions.”
“Did you show him the signal for staying away?” I asked.
“Yes, I did."
I took a deep breath and swore a barely audible word.
“What?” Wolf asked quickly.
“Paul just gave me that signal when I was at the table,” I said.
Juro pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Are you sure?” Wolf asked. “You have to be certain about this. It could just be a mistake.”
I was quiet for a moment. “Juro, did you show him the signal that instructs him to check for secret messages?”
Juro nodded. “I did."
“I have a plan,” I replied.
“Just be careful,” Juro said. “Don’t get caught.”
I nodded and then headed for the kitchen. The pre-made plates were setting on the countertop with servers quickly dishing food and making more.
I took the pen out of my notepad and tore a small paper off.
I wrote:
Stay away or proceed?
I looked through some of the drawers in the kitchen and found a tape dispenser. I tore off a small piece and stuck the paper to the bottom of his plate.
I brought the platter of food out to their table and set their plates down in front of each of them. The signal for giving a secret message was to place my hands straight down and fold them in a relaxed way. Super discreet.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” I asked, placing my hands down and folding them.
Paul briefly glanced down and then looked away.
“No, that’s it,” the woman said.
I nodded and walked away. I headed back toward the bar. Most of the tables were now served, so the servers were standing to the sides of the hall, mingling amongst each other. Ashton was standing near Juro at the bar.
“What did you do?” Ashton asked.
“I taped a message under his plate,” I said. “And used a gesture to let him know it was there. I hope he finds it.”
“He will,” Juro stated. “He’s a smart kid.”
We waited quietly. I tried not to look at Paul, but I did pretend I was looking at someone at a table nearby and kept an eye on him using my peripheral vision. I looked away for a moment to see Josefina walking about the hall, guests talking to her with…familiarity. I noticed another woman put a hand on her arm as she walked by and give her a big smile.
“Josefina knows the people here,” Ashton commented. “I’ve seen several people interact with her now.”
“It could mean anything,” Juro said. “They might’ve used the catering services before. But it’s still best to keep everyone at arm’s length.”
I looked over toward Paul’s table. The adults all turned their heads to look at a piece of art hanging from the wall nearby and were pointing at it. Paul quickly looked underneath his plate and snatched the paper off.
“Yes!” I whispered. “He found it.”
“He found it?” Wolf said. “Thank God! I hope he’s discreet. Please, please stay discreet Paul.”
Paul studied it in his lap momentarily and then folded it up. He grabbed his water glass and gulped down the remainder of his drink quickly.
“Go take his water glass,” Juro said.
I quickly walked over, and Paul saw me approaching. He held his water glass out to me.
“I’ll get you some more water,” I said. The adults all turned their gazes toward me. “Anyone else need a refill?” I asked.
They shook their heads.
As I took the glass, I felt Paul tuck the paper into my sleeve. I was amazed at how discreet he was. He would make fantastic RLIP material.
I went back to the bar and went behind it to fill the water glass myself. While my hands were down where nobody could see them, I pulled the paper out and opened it quickly.
I felt my heart sink. Right underneath the stay away wording…was a little tear.
“He wants us to stay away,” I muttered.
“Why?” Wolf asked. “I don’t understand!”
Juro sighed and Ashton looked down.
“I don’t know what to do,” I said.
“Trust him,” Juro replied. “He knows this is one of his only shots to get free and he wouldn’t tell us to stay away unless he knew for a fact we were going to be in danger. He’s the bait. They’re luring us in.”
“I’m not leaving here until we have Paul,” I said. “We can’t just leave him here.”
“I don’t want to leave him here either,” Juro replied. “And we’re not going to. We just need to figure out where the threat is and eliminate it.”
“Wolf, talk to Mr. Harrison,” I said.
“I agree,” Wolf replied. “I’ll be back.”
I heard the click of Wolf going offline and we stood silently.
A few moments later, Wolf returned. “Mr. Harrison says to move forward with the plan. But he’s calling for back-up nearby to get closer so they can get involved if necessary.”
“Why does he think it’s safe enough to proceed?” Juro asked.
“Because they don’t know what our plan is,” Wolf replied. “They couldn’t have planned for it.”
“Listen, I have a bad feeling about these catering people,” I said. “I’m worried about the catering van being ready for us, and I’m worried about sneaking him past all the people in the kitchen.”
“I agree,” Wolf said. “Check out the van they wanted you to use.”
Juro walked away from behind the bar and headed for the kitchen. Ashton and I looked at each other.
"This is getting tense," Ashton said, looking a little pale. "I'm getting a little nervous here."
"Just breathe," I told him, putting a hand on his arm. "Everything's going to be ok."
My earpiece crackled. “Tires are flat,” Juro said, panic rising in his voice. "We don't have a getaway car and we're out in the middle of nowhere."
Ashton put a hand to his chest. "I can't breathe."
“Wolf, we don’t have a way out of here,” I said. “Get someone from back-up to be our getaway driver. Is there anyone close by?”
“There’s an RLIP agent driving about ten minutes from there,” Wolf replied. “I’ll tell him to be ready. Find an alternate route out of the building that isn’t by the vans.”
I only knew of the front door and the back door outside of the kitchen. And windows in the hall, but we couldn’t exit through those.
“Listen,” I said. “Juro, on your way back, check the bathrooms and see if there are any windows we can get out of.”
"Got it," Juro answered.
"Ashton, are you ok?" I asked.
He nodded quickly. "I'm ok. Don't worry about me."
“There’s a window that opens in the men’s room,” Juro said. “It’s a single restroom though, so we need to make sure it’s available when we need to get out.”
“Can you wait inside and keep the door locked?” I asked quickly.
“No problem.”
I waited about seven minutes before I started filling glasses with drinks and setting them on a serving tray.
“Wolf,” I said. “Is our driver nearby?”
“He is,” Wolf answered. “He’s in a silver minivan.”
“Tell him to park alongside the northeast corner of the building and wait there if he can,” I said.
“I’m on it.”
I handed Ashton the tray of drinks. “Showtime."
He looked me in the eyes and took a deep breath. “Be careful.”
“You too,” I said. “See you on the other side.” I spoke into my earpiece. “Wolf, Juro, we’re about to move forward. Juro, I’ll knock five times on the bathroom door when I have Paul. Two fast knocks, three slow ones.”
“You got it,” Juro said.
Ashton started walking toward Paul’s table with the full tray. I’d saved one glass of soda and took it with me as I walked toward the hallway and stayed there, watching from a distance.
I slightly smiled as Ashton did a perfect display of getting the front of his foot caught on the tile floor. He fell forward and managed to drench Paul from head to toe in various drink mixtures. I’d tried to choose beverages lacking in color so as not to humiliate him as much.
I turned around and dumped the soda in my hand on the floor near the bathroom door, pulled a rag out of my apron, and then waited by the edge of the hallway again.
I saw Harry get up and take Paul by the arm, walking him toward me. I quickly got down on the floor by the mess I’d just made and wrapped one of my tranquilizing syringes in the rag, acting as though I was cleaning the floor.
“Your driver is ready,” I heard Wolf say.
I saw the shadow of the two of them engulf me as I looked up.
“Excuse me,” Harry said, holding onto a drenched Paul. “We need to get into the restroom.”
"Sorry about that," I replied. "I'll move."
As I got up, I quickly jabbed the syringe into the side of his neck and injected it. He let go of Paul and grabbed my arm with both hands, but it was too late for him. His eyes grew heavy and he quickly let go, dropping to the floor.
Paul looked down at him, shocked.
I grabbed his hand and quickly knocked on the bathroom. Looking over my shoulder, I was relieved to see Ashton standing right behind us. I didn’t know when he had arrived, but I was glad.
The door instantly opened and Juro hurriedly guided us in, locking the door once we were all inside. Juro opened the window.
“I’ll go out first and make sure the coast is clear,” Juro said. “Paul, do not let go of Faith. Ashton, once we’re out, you stick with me.”
Paul spoke up quickly. “Guys, they know who you are! Don’t! I told you to stay away! You’re all going to get killed! They let the air out-”
“-of the tires,” Juro finished. “We know. We have back-up.”
“No, this whole thing is set up,” Paul said, sounding desperate. “They brought me as bait. The catering company…the owners are related to Harry. They’re watching your every move. They’re planning on killing you!”
I felt my heart beating fast, but I stayed calm externally.
“We have a driver out there,” I said. “We made it this far. We have to at least try to get you out of here.”
“I don’t think we’ll make it,” Paul said.
Juro placed a hand on his shoulder. “We will.”
Paul’s face fell and his eyes started to water up.
“You’re ok,” I said, pulling him close and holding onto him tightly. “Remember how smart you are. You helped Ashton here find me. These guys are trying to trick you into thinking you can’t get out of here. But we’re one step ahead of them. This is what we do for a living. We come up with back-up plans in the midst of adversity. Do you trust us?"
Paul took a shaky breath and then nodded.
Juro picked up a backpack off the floor he’d brought with him. He opened it up quickly and pulled a bullet-proof vest out.
“Help Paul put this on,” Juro said, handing it to Ashton. “I’m going out to check for our ride.”
Juro opened the window and hopped out.
Ashton and I worked together quickly to tug Paul’s jacket off. We didn’t have much time, so we strapped the vest on right over the top of his drenched, white dress shirt. Paul had a bowtie on and yanked it off, throwing it on the floor.
Just as we finished tightening the last strap, Juro peered in through the window.
“The van isn’t there,” he said uneasily.
“But Wolf said it was,” I replied.
“It isn’t,” he insisted.
“Wolf, is he parked on the northeast corner?” I asked.
“Let me check,” Wolf said quickly.
“Are you talking to my grandpa?” Paul asked.
I’d almost forgotten. RLIP had issued me another ear and mouthpiece set to give to Paul once we found him so he could be communicated with and tracked.
I dug into my apron pocket and pulled it out. “Paul, put this earpiece in. This other piece is going to fit over one of your back molars.”
Wolf came back online. “The car isn’t there. He’s not answering my calls and he’s driving in the opposite direction based off of my tracking system.”
An uneasy feeling was overwhelming me, but I still didn’t show it. I glanced over as Ashton helped Paul finish fitting the ear and mouthpieces into place.
“Grandpa?” Paul said quietly.
“Paul!” Wolf answered back, sounding emotional and relieved. “Oh, I’m so happy to hear your voice!”
I thought I saw a brief flash of light off in the distance outside…almost like somebody with a flashlight. Juro stood with his back to it, facing us through the window.
“Juro, get back inside,” I said urgently.
Suddenly, an arm wrapped around Juro’s neck from behind and pulled him into the dark.
Ashton gasped and went toward the window, but I held my arm out.
“Paul, stick with Ashton and don’t leave this bathroom unless I tell you it’s safe,” I said.
I grabbed the handgun from my holster and jumped out. I heard a struggle in the darkness of the night but couldn’t pinpoint what was going on. I felt tempted to use the light on my wristwatch, but I knelt down in the shadows instead and crept closer.
As I approached, I could see there was a huge man sitting on top of Juro, choking him. I grabbed out one of my two remaining tranquilizer injections and jumped on top of the man from behind, injecting him quickly.
It took a little longer for him to go unconscious, but when he did, he released his grip on Juro’s neck and fell to the side. Juro instantly gasped for air and then started coughing.
“Are you ok?” I asked quickly. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m good,” he said weakly.
I grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet.
“Is there anybody else out here?” he asked.
“I can’t tell,” I said.
“Wolf, what do we do?” Ashton asked through the earpiece.
“I-I’m working on contacting our n-nearby drivers,” he said, stuttering. “They aren’t answering. I…I don’t know what’s safe for you to do right now…”
For the first time since I’d met Wolf, he sounded entirely unglued. And it was no wonder. He had so much at stake. We were all blind to the situation around us.
“Juro?” I said. “What do you think?”
“I-I don’t know either,” he replied.
I took a deep breath. I needed to come up with a plan.
“Guys, someone is trying to break through the bathroom door,” Ashton said nervously.
Juro and I rushed toward the window and peered inside. Someone was hitting the bathroom door with something and seemed to be making quick progress.
“Get out of there now,” I said urgently, holding my arms out.
Ashton let Paul go first and we all helped him through the window. Ashton nimbly hopped out behind him.
“Let’s head for the fields,” I said. “Wolf, keep trying to contact our back-up. Until then, we need to find a place to hide out.”
Ashton kept his face composed, but I could tell through his eyes when he looked at me that he was panicking.
“It’s our only option,” I said. “We’ll do what we can and stick together. Let me lead the way.”
Ashton nodded.
I grabbed Paul’s hand. Juro and Ashton positioned themselves behind us.
“If you hear gunshots, keep moving,” I said. “It’s harder for them to hit a moving target. We go on three.” I paused, waiting for them to nod. Once they did, I continued. “One, two, three!”
We took off running toward the field. I heard a couple of scattered gunshots that made my heart leap from my chest, but we kept running. We made it into the fields, surrounded by tall grapevines that kept us somewhat hidden and heard the gunshots getting farther and farther away. Paul started to slow down at one point and looked back.
“Keep going,” I urged. “Don’t stop.”
We ran quite a ways into the field, and even though the gunshots eventually stopped, I knew we needed to keep moving. They would be sending people out to find us.
“Are you guys ok?” Wolf asked.
“We’re good,” I said through heavy breaths. “Everyone is safe and accounted for. Gunshots have stopped.”
“I don’t know what’s going on,” he said. “RLIP can’t get into contact with our drivers and back-up.”
“Sounds like a communication breach,” I said. We finally slowed down and stopped out in the middle of the field. “Everyone, get down,” I commanded, taking a seat in the dirt. “They’re less likely to see us out here. Backs to each other.”
Everyone quickly dropped to the floor and sat in a circle, facing away from each other with our backs touching so we could watch our surroundings.
“I have your location in my system,” Wolf said. “But there’s a chance we could get cut off if they’ve already stopped our communications with our back-up. Where are you planning on going if we lose connection?”
I thought long and hard. There was hardly anything out here except for a few other vineyards miles away.
“The only place we can get to on foot would be a surrounding vineyard,” I said.
Wolf didn’t say anything, and for a moment, I feared I might've lost him. But I controlled my fear and stayed patient. He was probably thinking.
I tried to focus on the situation. We’d been running for a long time. I could hear the heavy breathing of everyone around me. It was a tense situation. It was also my duty to keep everybody safe.
How come Wolf wasn’t saying anything?
“Wolf?” I croaked.
“I’m here,” he replied.
I sighed in relief. My watch suddenly lit up.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Those are the directions to the next closest vineyard,” he said. “I’m going to run background checks on the owners, but that will be your best bet. It's straight east.”
I nodded.
“Faith?” Wolf asked.
“Sorry,” I said quickly. “Yes. We’ll go east.”
“Grandpa?” Paul whispered.
“Yes, Paul.”
“I’m sorry all this happened,” he said. “It was my fault. I should’ve stayed away from Apollo. I’m so sorry…I’m so-”
I reached back and placed a hand on his arm. “It’s ok, Paul.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Wolf said. “They lured you in. That’s what they do.”
I thought I heard one of the plants nearby rustle.
“Shhh,” I hushed quickly, tapping Paul’s arm.
He stopped talking. Wolf stayed quiet too. I could feel him holding his breath through the earpiece, even though I couldn’t hear it.
The sound could’ve been caused by the wind. But I didn’t want to be careless in this situation. I heard another rustling sound.
Everyone jumped to their feect, keeping their backs to each other. Paul backed into me particularly tight and I aimed my gun out into the darkness. I reached back and pushed Paul into the middle of the three of us so he would have protection on all sides. Ashton stepped closer to me to close the gap in the circle.
All guns were drawn. Breathing became shallowed.
There were no more sounds, and we just stood there, playing the waiting game.
Chapter 41
Ashton
Oh no, Ashton thought to himself. Oh no. What have I gotten myself into? We’re all going to die. This is it.
Ashton kept himself composed on the outside as he’d seen Faith doing, but he was a mess on the inside. The silence burning through the vineyards was killing him. He felt as though he couldn’t breathe for fear of giving away their position.
They stood silently for a full five minutes, which obviously felt more like an hour. They kept their guns pointed and didn’t make a sound.
Ashton suddenly heard something that sounded like…whooshing through the air.
He looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Faith turn her head to the side in the direction of the sound. She’d heard it too.
Faith reached down and pushed her hand against the side of Ashton’s leg so he would step to the side. She wanted to turn the circle so she could get a better view. He started to move, bumping his right shoulder into Juro’s. Juro got the hint and moved.
As Ashton thought about it more, she probably made him move so that he wouldn’t be near whatever was making that strange sound, and he suddenly wanted to move back into his original position to protect her, but when he tried to move back, she wouldn’t budge.
He suddenly heard the sound again. A soft whooshing through the air. It was a terribly familiar sound.
That’s when he realized what it was, but by the time it finally connected in his brain, it was too late. He felt Faith suddenly sway into the side of him and he caught her. She dropped her gun on the ground and the rest of her bodyweight went down with it.
“Faith!” he whispered, and then caught himself.
He shouldn’t speak.
Juro turned around and gasped when he realized Faith was on the ground and so did Paul.
Ashton had his arms underneath hers from behind, holding her up in a sitting position, but her head just bobbed forward. She was completely unconscious.
Tranquilizers, Ashton thought, panicked.
Was she going to be ok? They needed her! She’d been leading this whole thing and knew exactly what to do, and now she was gone!
Juro quickly stepped in front of Ashton and Faith, pointing his gun toward the source. Ashton heard the sound again, slicing through the air.
“Juro, get down!” Ashton hissed.
Juro ducked briefly, but when he stood back up, he touched his neck and pulled a very small dart out of his skin. His strong stance began to falter.
Paul grabbed onto Juro’s arm and tried to steady him to the ground.
“Juro!” Paul said, panicked. “No, no, no! We need you guys! Please!”
“Run,” was all Juro could manage before he tipped over completely with a heavy thud.
Ashton wasn’t going to leave Faith and Juro out in the field.
“What’s going on?” Wolf asked tensely. “What’s wrong with Faith and Juro?”
“Grandpa, they’re unconscious!” Paul said. “I don’t know why! Help!”
“Tranquilizers,” Ashton added, sounding more at ease than he felt. “Paul, shhh. Don’t panic.”
“Paul, stay quiet,” Wolf urged.
Paul took a deep breath and stopped talking.
“Ashton, start shooting toward the source,” Wolf commanded.
Ashton carefully laid Faith down on the floor the rest of the way and stood in front of all of them, pointing his gun into the field. He fired three bullets into the foliage but didn’t know if he hit anything.
“Come out!” Ashton yelled.
He reached down and grabbed Juro’s gun, handing it to Paul behind him.
“I said come out where I can see you!” Ashton shouted.
Still nothing.
“Listen,” Wolf started. "Ashton, here’s what you need to-”
His voice suddenly stopped.
“Wolf?” Ashton said.
Nothing.
“Wolf!” Ashton’s voice was officially panicked sounding now.
Paul couldn’t contain himself. “Grandpa! Please! Come back!”
Their connection was dead.
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