Raging Fire (Guarded Secrets Book 4) Read Free Page A

can’t blame yourself, Renegade. They knew it was a possibility when they went out. They accepted it and now you have to as well.” Renegade shrugged off Night Stripe’s words as if he didn’t want the comfort they were meant to bring. If he didn’t learn to move on from the past he’d be crushed under the pressure.
    “She’s right. You should listen to her more.” I pushed past Night Stripe to inch closer to my room before meeting with Sharp Shooter to give him a brief of how the mission went. Frankly, I thought the guy being dead said enough about how the mission went, but Sharp Shooter wanted the nitty-gritty details. I often wondered if the reports we gave made him feel as if he was back in the field.
    “Hey Camo, have you seen Siren? Is she training you today or does she get a day to recuperate?” I quipped as I leaned forward to hug her.
    She laughed, letting it reverberate through her chest and through me as she hugged me a little tighter. “She’s taking the day off and telling Demon what to look for while he’s out looking for potential new recruits.”
    “I think Rum is with her if you’re looking for her too,” Night Stripe added. “Demon asked me earlier what to look for in a possible thief. I guess I get to start training soon too!” I turned to see the excitement in her eyes, but something in her posture told me she wasn’t as thrilled as she made it seem. I could feel a slight fear radiating from her as if she was worried about being replaced. She is our only thief—the star of the agency to some people—and while I’m sure she would love to train and teach a new recruit, it was obvious that she didn’t want to give up the life she had here. I wonder if she thought the trainee would replace her before she was ready to step down—if she was ever ready to step down. Either way, we had to do it. We couldn’t have what happened with Hess happen again. We had to start thinking ahead to fill positions before we lost agents who could train them properly. We can’t train all of our thieves for years before they join as Demon and Whip Lash had done for her nor could we not have an agent to pass them on to. We need experienced agents, trained in their job, to train those who would be going on missions. We got lucky that Rum had already completed her training with Hess or we would have been forced to train from scratch and make Night Stripe have to learn as she went. That would’ve been dangerous for everyone.
    “It will be fine, Night Stripe. For now, he’s just looking to see who has a chance to be a good agent. He may not find anyone for a while, you know how picky he is with new agents.” I smiled at her, hoping to ease her slightly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head to my room before meeting with Sharp Shooter. We can catch up later.”
    They each nodded in understanding and turned to leave. I noticed Renegade take Night Stripe’s hand as they walked away toward Sharp Shooter’s office. I smiled softly, allowing the first loving moment I had seen in months to warm me. It didn’t go to my core, which remained ice cold after years of bad luck and loss, but I was pleased to know they had made up. I may have teased Night Stripe about her feelings for Renegade, but Camo was right. They balanced each other out and always watched out and protected one another. Most of all, they were there for each other and that was more than most of us had in this life.
    I mentally lit a match and burned those thoughts from my mind as I lifted my bag from the ground. It’s best not to dwell on what I don’t have and what I’ve lost, especially since what I’m about to do could get me killed. I didn’t want anything to fall apart because I didn’t return, but I also wouldn’t risk another person’s life because of my desire to finish my stepfather once and for all.
    I made my way through the extensive hallways that stretched throughout CIRA, which at one point had confused me.