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She would have made a good bird.
But I don’t let her performance stop us from moving through the minors to halt our exit. “There’s always one who doesn’t progress to the next level. To be a bird, you have to be able to pull your weight like the rest of these recruits. You don’t see these birds crying, do you, Poppy?” My voice is stern, bordering on yelling at her.
And to drill it home even more, she bursts into full-on sobs. Snot runs down her face, and the other girls stare at us with disgust. They stare at Poppy—knowing full well if you’re banished from The Nest, it’s because you’re weak.
From the performance Poppy is giving, she is anything but weak.
But I willnotlet her grow up here.
Not for a second longer.
As I race us through the hall, the other recruits scowl at her while she practically begs them to help her. They all ignore her, some even turning their backs on the fallen recruit. I pull her into the hallway, closing the door behind us, and I lock the door for good measure. Then I turn to Poppy to make sure she’s okay.
She stands tall, wiping her eyes and clearing her throat. “So? How did I do?”
I let out a small, satisfied laugh while shaking my head. “If I wasn’t trying to get you out of here, I would say I was impressed. But you don’t belong here, and you donotbelong in The Nest, Poppy. But, for what it is worth, I amveryproud of you. Now let’s get the fuck out of here before Vulture or Crow find us.”
Poppy smiles wide, nodding in agreement. “Thank you. Thank you for getting me out of here.”
I tilt my head. “We’re not out of here just yet. Let’s keep moving.”
I pull her to me while I make our way into the halls for the higher levels of birds. There’s much less foot traffic up here, so we’re less likely to be seen, and with the facility’s cameras currently in a loop, detection is unlikely, but we still need to haul ass.
We’re carefully making our way through the halls when, up ahead, I spot Crow. I reach out, grab Poppy, and pull her to me, backing us up against the wall. We stop dead still as Crow walks toward us, her high heels click-clacking. My heart rapid-fires thecloser she gets. When she’s about to round the corner, which will make us vulnerable, Vulture steps out down the other end.
“Crow, can I talk to you? I want to run a new training regime over with you?”
Crow stops just before she reaches us and turns to face Vulture. “Sure. I hope it’s something tough and demanding. Those minors are a little soft for my liking.”
I glance down at Poppy, who is biting her bottom lip. I grab her shoulders and lead her down another hall to take a different route. We step down the fire escape leading to the parking lot, and I open the door, then I look in all directions, leading Poppy out. “Okay, run!”
We take off, racing for the van. There’s no one around. We’re in the home stretch now, and the last thing we need is to get caught. Upon reaching the back of the van, I help her up. “Okay, cover yourself in that tarp, make yourself small, and stay down until I tell you it’s all clear. Don’t move or speak. Not for anything. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
“All right, go.”
She jumps in, shoves her backpack under the tarp, and slides under. I tuck it over her, making it look the least suspicious as possible. Then I close the doors and walk back around to the driver’s side. Jumping in, my heart races so fucking fast, I can barely breathe, but now is the most critical time of all for me to keep calm.
We’re almost past obstacle one—I just have to play it cool before any alarms sound.
I reverse the van from where it’s parked and start the drive out of The Nest. Swallowing hard, I approach the checkpoint, I slow my breathing and act as neutral as possible.
The guard steps out when I pull up to the gate. “Leaving so soon?”
“Just received some updated files for my mission.”
He nods like that makes sense. “Good luck out there, Blue Jay.”
“Thanks, Steve. See you soon,” I tell him with a curt wave, and he lets me through.
I don’t drive fast as I head out into the Tijuana streets. I reach for my phone and discontinue the security loop so everything will be back to normal in The Nest. My eyes focus on the rearview to ensure I’m not being followed.
The coast is clear, allowing me to let out a relieved exhale.
Now we just have to make it to obstacle two—the United States/Mexico border.
***
