I start to doze off, but can’t quite find sleep. I have no idea how long we have been driving at this point, but my butt is numb, even in these cushy leather seats. Mina is out like a light next to me, but I can’t seem to get Nickolas’ words out of my head.
‘I have a bad feeling about this mission, I have since it started.’ I know that I trust my wolf’s instincts, Osiston is the same way. I know we train so hard to get better and be reliable, but out in the real world, trusting your gut can sometimes mean the difference between coming home alive or dying on the battlefield. If his gut says this whole thing is going to go wrong, it probably will and we need to be ready for that.
I know he’s great at what he does, it’s why he has been in and out of Elite training since I have been here. He never misses a whole day, but he is constantly being pulled for information and insight. Osiston is the same, he’s just scheduled with us only once a week, maybe every other week if he’s on something important for Alpha Reggie.
We finally pull to a stop near a few other SUV’s that look exactly like this one. So at least we weren’t the only ones who drove in. That would have been helpful information for my bad mood when we started this journey. I fight another eye roll.
Mina stirs awake now that the constant hum of the car has stopped. We both stay silent climbing out of the same side, staying as close together as possible. We follow Nickolas silently to a cluster of tents set up military camp style literally in the middle of nowhere.
“Wh…” Mina starts to ask a question, but Nickolas just shakes his head and looks at both of us, giving a silent instruction not to talk for now.
We walk towards the largest tent and head in while Nickloas holds the flap open for us. It is not what I expected at all.
The outside looks just like a giant canvas tent you would see in an old war movie, but inside it looks like a computer nerd’s wet dream. There are tables everywhere covered in computer screens. Some look like they are running themselves as words scroll down, others are clearly camera feeds. There are only a couple of people here though. There’s no way the two of them monitor all of this.
They seem to be watching buildings and sidewalks, but I don’t recognize any of the locations from anything I’ve seen here on the Royal pack lands, but I haven’t been very far either. I’m lost in thought, checking out all of the camera feeds, my brain trying to memorize notable landmarks so I know where camera angles are when they finally send us out when there’s a tap on my shoulder.
I look over and Nickolas has a small smirk on his face, then he rolls his eyes and tilts his head wanting me to follow. It’s the first sign of humor I’ve seen in a while from him and at all today.
We walk behind a row of computers and come to a stop. Nickolas reaches to a portable keypad nestled in the mess of cords on the table behind the computers and punches in a quick code. It was too quick for me to get the whole thing but it’s five or six digits and the first three are 769.
As soon as the code is in I hear a thunk and Nickolas reaches down to pull open a trapdoor, just sitting there in the ground. What?
The hydraulic hinges make the six inch thick hunk of metal pull up like it weighs no more than a piece of paper. Nickolas ducks and starts walking down the metal steps, so we follow. As soon as we get to the bottom he hits another button and the trap door shuts with a small hiss and we are plunged into darkness for a second.
My breath catches. This is just like when Kaley had her goons take me out to be whipped. I was pulled into that dark closet and had a bag thrown over my head, instant darkness. I can feel my breathing pick up and my heart is racing. I know this is different, but the panic is fighting to come out. My wolf is trying to calm me down too, but it sounds like she’s trying to talk to me through water. I can’t understand and she’s getting further away.
“Hey. HEY! Breathe Midge, you have to get control, now!” I feel a grip on my shoulders, they are strong and demanding, but they don’t hurt me. “Take a deep breath and open your eyes.” The deep, gruff voice is softer now with a hint of concern. “What was that Midge?”
I open my eyes and look at Nickolas and he reminds me of Sam a bit when he’s this close. I blink a few times and just shake my head. “I’m good, I’m good. I just wasn’t expecting that.” I try to step out of his reach, but he won’t let me go and he’s bent down to get eye level with me.
“Have you talked to anyone?”
“Huh?!”
“Have you talked to anyone, professional I mean, about what has happened to you?”
“Umm…” I look around for anything else to talk about. This is not what I want to discuss at all right now.
“You know we all have to go through evaluations after every mission, right? You’re going to have to talk to someone to make sure that sh*t…” He points at the door. “Doesn’t happen on a mission.
I close my eyes and nod. What else was I supposed to do? If it’s required, it’s required and I will probably get benched from every mission from here on out. But, I will not be sidelined yet. I look past him.
“Where to now, boss?” When he says nothing, I look him dead in the eyes.
“So, that’s how it’s going to be, huh? You know I have to report that.” He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, rubbing his hands over his face then turns. “Let’s go.”
