“This is crazy.”
“We’re a much more sophisticated group than in the beginning,” Slash continued, “and super tight. It’s definitely fam. You’ll fit right in.”
Excitement swept away the last remnants of fear and anxiety. Yes, it might take her a hot minute to find her footing, but she would. An entire organization rested on her finding The Bomb Maker and she would not let them down.
The convoy veered off the main road, then made several turns, finally driving onto a dirt road. They stopped at a large NO TRESPASSING sign. Five minutes passed before Slash’s phone rang.
She answered, put the call on speaker.
“We’ve been cleared by Hawk,” Dakota said.
All four vehicles continued onward. The woodsy area cleared and the dirt road turned into a paved one that led to a warehouse-looking building similar to ALPHA HQ, sanswindows. Slash followed Dakota around back and stopped in front of a large hangar door. When everyone had rolled in, the giant door rose, revealing an oversized garage with a fleet of black SUVs. One by one, the vehicles pulled into the empty left lane. The drivers killed their engines, and the ALPHA Ops exited.
This moment felt surreal. Simone had imagined returning to ALPHA dozens of times, but she wasn’t sure she could muster enough inner strength.
But I did, and I’m back.
Despite feeling elated, sorrow tinged her heart. She wouldn’t be there if Frederica and her team were still alive.
The team made their way toward the entrance. One by one, they stood in front of the scanner. Each time the light flicked from red to green.
When it was Simone’s turn, Dakota extended his hand. “Welcome to BLACK OPS, Red. It’s great to have you back.”
As she shook his hand, a sense of allegiance filled her soul.
“We’ll scan your retina,” Dakota explained.
Simone stood in front of the scanner, the light flashed bright, then went dark. After Dakota keyed in information on his phone, the door swung open.
She stepped out of the way while the Ops filed past, pausing to introduce themselves or welcome her into the group. There was a brief second when she wished she’d returned sooner, so she could have worked with Fred again, but that wasn’t her path.
My time to return is now. I’m going to hunt down the monster I was too terrified to search for then.
The group moved as a pod, surrounding her like a newborn. Their faith in her buoyed her spirits. Iftheybelieved in her… she had better believe in herself.
As Brit made a pot of coffee, Providence gave Simone an unexpected hug. “Welcome back. We’ll do whatever we can to ensure your success.”
“Thank you,” she replied.
Cooper Grant joined them, welcomed Simone with a warm handshake before addressing Providence. “Did you bring a chip?”
Providence unearthed a small plastic container and a hypodermic needle, and Simone’s pulse shot up. She hated needles.
“Is that for me?” Simone squeaked out.
“We might have a rabbit,” a man called out as he approached, and everyone laughed.
“Nicholas Hawk.” He shook her hand. “We got you. It’s not gonna hurt a bit.”
Addison joined them. “Red, welcome back to ALPHA. We arenotinjecting you with a chip in the middle of the break room.” She shot her husband a smarmy look. “Troublemaker. We need her to solve this case, not run screaming from the building.”
The group laughed as Slash put a comforting arm around her. “Let’s head to the locker room.”
As she and Slash made their way down the quiet hallway, Slash said, “This is the Black Site, also known as the Safe House. Down that hall are several private suites with bathrooms. There’s a fully-stocked working kitchen and a rec room. Offices and two conference rooms are housed on the opposite side of the building. You’ll see those later.”
Slash stopped in front of the women’s locker room. “Let’s suit up for practice.”
“Was the needle a joke?” Simone asked as they walked in.
