Stay Sharp

Pete opened his mouth as he stared at Sam, but it took several seconds for any words to come out. "I... you can't do this..." He looked back at Aaron who was even closer to the street now, then back to Sam. "My head is gonna roll for this too if I don't do something, just because I'm here."

His eyes begged her to pick another option. Even if they had to drag Aaron in kicking and screaming, at least their jobs would be saved and they would have done the right thing by the Elite. But then he recalled the other night again and how human Aaron was. Almost friendly. He was a victim...not the enemy. And he understood the conflict in Sam's gaze.

His hand slowly relaxed, and he kept his feet from moving. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "And... if my head rolls too... so be it." He nodded his surrender.

Left alone to keep walking, Aaron couldn't help his surprise. He fully expected Sam to come after him and try talk him out of it. He expected Pete to physically force him back inside. But neither happened. He only heard Sam's words which went straight into his heart, just adding to the pain that was already there. She was wrong - he had no friends. But yes, she'd been the foolish one to fall for his begging earlier. He'd set her up and she'd taken the bait - hook, line and sinker. That's what feelings did - they made people weak. Trust made them weak. Caring made them weak. And he was not going to be a part of something that was making him weak, too. 

Reaching the street, he paused. The fact that still no one was coming after him just felt wrong. It wasn't what was supposed to happen, and it made him nervous. He finally glanced over his shoulder. Sam and Pete were still back by the building. Why weren't they coming after him? Why weren't they calling for someone else to come get him? Why? 

Pete glanced at Sam, confused. "What's he waiting for?" 

Aaron finally looked back out at the street. Freedom. Exactly what he wanted. Exactly what he'd been trying to get from day one. Except now... without the Agency... without a home...
His gaze turned into a glare. The weakness had already crept in, and he would not tolerate it. Ignoring all of his inner emotions, he stepped off the Elite property and turned, disappearing around the corner. 

Pete sighed deeply and looked at Sam again. "Well... I guess we better face the music." There was a very good chance that as soon as Reese was informed, he'd send out others to hunt Aaron down, and it was very obvious that Aaron couldn't get far on his own. 

Turning, he went back to the door and held it open for Sam. Once inside, he walked with her straight to Reese's office. Upon entering, he stepped to the side and looked to Sam. She was Aaron's handler and he would let her report however she wanted to before saying his own piece. 

Reese looked up from his desk expectantly. They seemed awfully serious. "Yes?" 


Dylan got out of the car and came around to lean back on the hood next to Scarlet. He grinned a little at her explanation and looked up at her out from under the brim of his ball cap. "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to cross you or Eli." Even if Eli was unpolished, Dylan had felt how strong he was today as he'd been slammed into the mat during their session with Garret. And Scarlet? She held herself with confidence and a look in her eye that warned she wouldn't pull any punches or tolerate bad behavior. At the same time though, Dylan could feel her gentle spirit and hear the fun in her voice. 

Eli had parked his bike just a short distance away where he could see a little better where the three were going to come from so he could communicate with them if need be. "Okay guys... I've got a pretty good vantage point. Looks like they're getting ready to start. Thunder's in his car and sneaking around to the back of the pack. My guess is he's gonna shoot out with the rest of them, then play dirty to get in front before they even reach the bend. Stay sharp and stay safe." 

Jett was clear on the other side of the crowd, mingling with the normal onlookers as he usually did so as not to draw attention to himself. He'd parked closer to the front of the line this time though, and took up his place standing in the bed of his truck again so he could see better over the people. 

"Hey, Shrimpy! Need a ladder?!"

He glanced down and smirked at Kade. "No thanks. I'm good." 

The biker snickered. "Do you sit in a highchair at the dinner table, too?" 

Jett simply turned back to watch the cars line up, hoping Kade would just get bored and leave him alone - which he did a few seconds later. Ignoring the jabs usually worked better than arguing. 

Within minutes, a shot rang out and the line of novice racers kicked up such a cloud of dust, it was hard to see who took the immediate lead. Eli was right though. It was only a matter of seconds and Thunder had already forced one car off the route completely, and had caused another one to spin out, giving him the room to shoot ahead of the pack. 

Eli watched through his binoculars and his blood boiled. "Go get 'em, guys. He's exactly where we want him." 

Hearing Eli's signal, Zan threw his car in gear and gunned it. They'd been just over a small rise where no one could see them, and now shot into full view. Even though it was dark, their headlights made it clear that they were storming the race. Speeding across the route, Zan kept a steady hand on the wheel, gritting his teeth. He could see the cars taking the far turn and just like they'd practiced, he aimed diagonally into their path. 

Watching Zan's headlights out of the corner of his eye, Hunter kept focused on his own task. "Alright, Babe... let's help him out." He dared a glance to the side where Ryan was keeping up with him, knowing it was time to split up and flank Thunder's car. 

Still watching, Eli's whole body tensed. "You're right where you need to be... keep it steady... Zan, you're coming in a little hot."

And he was. The racers were going faster than anticipated, and Zan had been forced to speed more than at practice. Coming up onto the route, he had to turn more sharply than he'd planned. 

"Let her slide!" Eli shouted. "Don't spin out!"

Zan could feel his car starting to skid in the sand, and for a second, his body anticipated the spin and roll. But between shifting gears and letting the car glide, he slid right in front of the pack, his back bumper almost coming into contact with Thunder's front bumper. Immediately he took his speed down a notch, forcing Thunder to either slow or go around him.

Hunter gunned it and came around to Thunder's right, keeping him from going around Zan, and looked over to make sure Ryan was on the other side. 

Watching from the crowd, Jett was now standing on the roof of his pickup and shouting along with everyone else. No one was quite sure who was out there, but everyone could tell what was happening - three drivers were boxing Thunder in and letting the race proceed as it should with the novices.