Page 7 of ForeverMN

Ciaran

Eyes turn to me, signaling to make the call without hesitation. I nod my head. My fingers grip the image that was laid in front of me a little too tightly, but in many ways, I feed off of the anger it ignites in my gut. Anytime I see an image of an innocent life that has been snuffed out, it keeps the fires burning inside of me, only reaffirming that the work is worth it. It’s even worse when the image is of a child.

“I put the face through imaging to see if we get a hit. Erika is going to check with her representative in the Child Abuse Awareness campaign as well,” Silas informs us. I can tell by the stiff tone of his voice, that this one hurts him too.

“I’m assuming he isn’t going to be a hit in our systems, just judging by the location, so also put out the information to our contacts in Central America,” Kai adds.

I just keep nodding along, because what else can I do? These kids are either lured in for the appeal of working for money, or they are forced to be mules by family members who need money. “And we’re sure this is the right group?”

“Reed was able to confirm the mark on this kid’s arm with a group he ran into a few months ago. The location we were given is where the drugs should be located. We can make the bust, inform local law enforcement, and then get the kids out of there,” Silas explains.

I lean back in my seat and drum my fingers on the table. We could leave tonight. Texas is a longer flight, and I’d like to drive the rest of the way by morning. It’s been two weeks since we got back from our failed mission, and while tensions have been strained, we’ve also learned from this incident . More importantly, we are not giving up. Reed’s current side project is helping find the ritual killers. Even though Rogue is in a good spot to go, I did have a few houses lined up to look at this weekend, and Saylor wanted a date night. She’s been overly preoccupied with worrying about her sister one second, then also defending her sister against their mom the next. Saylor is confused, I’m sure as hell confused, and I know she just wants a night to unload. No matter how many times I tell her Mila is fine, and she shouldn’t worry, it doesn’t seem to matter.

“Let’s get wheels up tonight. Can we be ready by 20:00 hours?” I glance at Kai.

“I see no reason we can’t be. I’ll notify air traffic control, and we can leave then,” he answers.

We all stand up to head out, and I take my time, making sure to grab the folder of houses. Asking Saylor to look at them while I’m gone feels like a fight waiting to happen, but maybe it will get her interested if she has to go do it.

I try calling her cell phone, but it goes right to voicemail. I drive my truck through town, and over to where her work is, noticing right away her car isn’t in the parking lot. I try calling one more time, but it goes to voicemail again. Her phone has to be off. Pushing down the panic that is rising in my chest, I gun it down a little harder than necessary to get to her mom’s place.

No matter how much time passes, I will always worry about Saylor and her safety. I almost lost her a few years ago. Even though her step-father is dead, many people still remember what he did. I will never forget the way she looked when Matt first brought her here, or the sound of the night terrors that usedto keep her tossing and turning. Even these days, without the constant threat looming over us, I know she still remembers as well. I know I can’t be with her every day, all the time. We both have work and responsibilities now, but at times like this, when I can’t find her, the old fear creeps back. I need to see her to know she is okay.

When I get to the house, Saylor’s vehicle is not here either. Grabbing my phone, I race up to the door and let myself in, like always. Mila is sitting in the living room, and her brow lifts when she sees the look on my face.

“You okay?”

“Have you seen your sister? She should be home by now, and her phone is off,” I ask, trying to keep panic out of my voice.

“Mmm, She texted me earlier that she might be late for dinner,” Mila looks at her phone, “And that was an hour ago.”

“Why would she turn off her phone then?” I feel the tension ripple across my body. Why does it feel like she’s hiding something?

Mila’s shoulders shrug, “Can’t you track her on that little chip Reed gave her?”

I nod, “I don’t want to activate it if I don’t have to. It’s a last resort type thing–”

My sentence gets cut off when tires on the pavement can be heard from the open screen door. I stalk over, and sure enough, Saylor is getting out of her parked vehicle. I let out a breath of frustration, and relief, at the same time. I can’t even imagine what I would do if she hadn’t returned. I watch from the doorway as she walks up the path to the front door. She has her phone out, and she hasn’t seen me yet.

“Shit! You scared me. Why are you standing guard at the door?” Her voice is strong and she doesn’t appear hurt.

“I tried calling you, but your phone was off. Then I went past your work,” I tell her. Internally cringing at how creepy thatsounds, then dismissing it instantly because we’re Rogue, and knowing where she is at all times make me feel sane. Saylor’s whole family used to be targets, and in my mind she will always be one, whether we work together or not. I will always want to protect her. She is the most important person in my life and to some that might also make her my weakness.

“I just took a longer route home.” She shakes her head, smiling as she steps in front of me, “I needed a mental break for a second.”

My eyes dance over her brown ones, and I can see the small tension crease on her forehead. My fingers come up to her face, cradling it, and smoothing the skin on her forehead. “I was worried.”

“I’m good,” She tells me, giving me another small smile, but I can feel the weight of her words. It’s then I remember Mila is home, and she probably can’t tell me much right now. Instead, I take her hand and lead her to the stairs.

“We just need a minute,” I call to Mila, who I can hear pretending to gag.

“Turn some music on please!”

Saylor and I laugh, but I keep moving us. I need my girl alone for a minute. She ushers me inside her room and closes the door. “What’s going on?”

I sit on her bed and pull her into my lap, my arms wrapping around her waist while I breathe in her scent and feel her body against mine. “We have a new assignment. If we leave tonight, we have a better chance of catching up to them.”

“So no date night this weekend?” She turns and looks at me, over her shoulder.

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