Chapter 7: Sneak Out

“What are we supposed to be doing right now?” I whispered, looking around in the dark room.

I am so damn excited!

“Be in bed, I guess.” Lucas answered in a hushed voice as we hid behind the couch. 

Ha! I feel like a kid in a huge candy shop!

“We’re supposed to be getting the rest we need to work efficiently the next day.” Thea spoke in a deep voice, trying to imitate Archer’s voice.

Ha! 

That’s definitely something he’d say… 

“And why exactly aren’t we doing that?” A 16-year-old, Oliver, asked. 

Oliver was a new recruit from what I knew. He wasn’t really a recruit though. He was following into his father’s footsteps who had been working for Archer and before him, for his father. 

So he was basically getting an advantage here because everyone already trusted him. 

“Because we’re defying our boss. We’re trying to show him that there’s more to our lives than work and workouts.” I told him.

I mean, working and working out are the only two things I’m doing other than eating and sleeping. 

And bathing… and brushing my teeth… And basically any other necessary stuff… 

“We’re being the rebels!” Lucas grinned. 

He’s such a kid! 

But he’s cute. 

“Mr. Knight is going to kill us when he finds out.” Oliver mumbled. 

“Why would Archer’s dad kill us for sneaking out for some fun?” I frowned. 

“He was mentioning Archer only.” Thea told me. 

Oh… 

“Don’t worry. He told me a while ago that he protects his people. He won’t kill us.” I reassured the boy.

I am sure that he won’t kill them but he might just kill me… 

I am not exactly his favourite person… 

Well, after being under observation while doing boring stuff all day besides a bit of regular torture in the gym room, I had had enough. 

So, I rallied the only people I have managed to befriend in this place and we decided to sneak out tonight to go watch a movie.

But we forgot about the security. There were two guys with guns that were roaming around in the dark living room and gods how many outside. 

The good thing was that according to Thea, we just had to make it to the garage.

She had already had a little chat with the guys at the gate so they would let us out.

That’s why we were all crouching behind the couches, waiting for an opportunity to make a run for the door as soon as the two bouncers in the house were distracted enough.

“He might torture us though.” Lucas shrugged. 

“Oh god! Why are we even defying him then?” Oliver panicked.

And they want me to believe that these people are a part of the mafia? 

“We’re just going to the movies, Ollie!” Thea huffed. “You seriously need to work on your reassuring skills.” She glared at Lucas.

“I wasn’t lying!” He shot back. 

“Lucas!” I hissed when I saw Oliver starting to shiver in fear. 

“Archer won’t kill us, bud!” Lucas smiled at Oliver. “I promise.” He added. 

I rolled my eyes at the doof before peeking out from our hideout to look for the guards. 

“They’re both still here, Thea!” I whisper yelled in frustration. 

“I know just what to do. Relax.” She huffed as she stood up. 

“Thea!” The three of us whisper-shouted at her but she just smiled as she sashayed her way to the two men. 

I peeked from the side of the couch to see Thea talking to the two men. The three of them were laughing as if remembering old times. 

But then, suddenly, Thea moved like the wind and she was suddenly hitting them on their pressure points, making them pass out. 

“Okay, if Archer kills us, it’s not on me!” I clarified as I stood up. 

“I’ll happily take the blame.” Thea chuckled. 

“But I don’t wanna die!” Oliver exclaimed. 

The poor boy was shaking like a leaf now. And for a second, I almost pitied him. 

But then I remembered that he needs to learn how to be a rebellious teen. That’s a phase you need to go through in your life. 

I mean, if you don’t have anything that you really regret doing in your life, you haven’t actually lived! 

“Now, who needs to work on their reassuring skills?” Lucas gave me a look. 

“It’s going to be fine.” I wrapped an arm around Oliver’s shoulder as I led him to the back door. “Just think of this as an adventure. This will make you more suited to take your father’s place when it’s time.” I told him. 

“She’s right!” Lucas grinned. “I can’t believe I’m getting out of the house after curfew!” He squealed. 

I turned to Thea and raised an eyebrow in question. 

“Let's just say that he was the good boy and I was the rebellious one.” She grimaced. 

“Gee! I would have never guessed!” I said sarcastically as we walked out the back door. 

The area was full of guards but we managed to stick to the shadows and make our way to the garage. 

“Which car do you wanna take?” Thea asked me. 

“Any of them would work.” I shrugged as I looked at the six cars parked in the garage. 

I wasn’t going to pretend like I knew exactly which car it was and which model it was. 

I was rich but that didn’t mean I actually cared about knowing what car I was travelling in. 

Just till it looked classy and I knew it was expensive, I was fine with it. 

“Guys!” Lucas’ tone made me look at him to see him frozen. “I left my phone behind the couch.” He whispered as he looked between me and his sister. 

“You what?” Thea, Oliver and I yelled in unison at Lucas. 

“You idiot! What were you even doing on your phone?!” Thea hissed. 

“I was just looking at the security footage to see if anyone was coming into the room we were in when we were hiding behind the couch.” He pouted.

“Two people were already in the room! They were the ones we had to deal with!” Thea grunted. 

“I was just trying to be thorough!” Lucas defended himself. 

“You-” Thea started to make her way to Lucas but I stopped her by standing in front of her brother. 

“We can’t leave his phone there. It might ring.” I said. 

“Yeah. Archer has a habit of calling me whenever he feels like it.” Lucas commented. 

Ugh! 

“Well, you guys get the car ready. Be ready to leave at any second. I’ll go in and get the phone.” I sighed. 

“Why are you going?” Oliver asked me. 

“Because if we send you, you’d be too scared to come back out.” I chuckled. 

“And if we send my idiot brother, he’ll get caught while trying to be thorough.” Thea added. 

“Then why can’t you go?” Lucas asked his sister. 

“Because she’s going to be our getaway driver.” I shrugged. 

This was it. 

I was going to have to do this for my team. 

“If you’re not back in five minutes, I’ll call. And if you don’t pick up, we’ll know that you were caught.” Lucas nodded at me. 

“And what will you do if I get caught?” I frowned. 

“Somehow sneak back to our rooms.” He shrugged. 

Gee! 

And this was the team I was getting ready to take the fall for! 

“All the best! Hurry now!” Lucas smiled at me as he pushed me towards the door. 

I glared at him before I made my way out of the garage. I managed to again avoid getting caught by the men patrolling outside as I walked in through the back door. 

I walked silently to the living room only to find Archer sitting on the couch with Lucas’ phone in his hands. 

“Going somewhere?” He asked me. 

Damn it! 

“Why would I even try to go somewhere when the job I have here is so amazingly interesting and the people here are so kind. They all treat me like a family.” I smiled sarcastically at him. 

Archer rolled his eyes as he got up and walked closer to me. 

I crossed my arms, trying to look at least a little intimidating in front of the tall handsome guy who was my mean boss. 

“Lucas and Oliver? Are those the two you’re going with?” He asked. 

“Their lives are just as interesting as mine. They didn’t even need much persuasion.” I shrugged. 

Archer stared at my face for a while, not saying anything. He then sighed. 

“It’s okay for you but none of you will be safe if someone recognized Oliver or Lucas. I’m coming with you.” He told me. 

Wait… What?! 

Does this guy really have a heart?! 

I would have never guessed that!

“You can’t…” I sighed. “Oliver is scared to even hear your name. And if he gets caught the first time he tries to sneak out, he-” I started explaining but Archer knew what I was going to say. 

“He will never gain any confidence.” He completed my sentence. 

“Yeah…” I muttered as I looked down to my feet. 

“But I can’t let three of you be unprotected.” He shook his head. 

“Thea is with us.” I told him. 

He looked up at me, directly into my eyes. 

“Be safe.” He said as he handed me Lucas’ phone. “I’m trusting you.” He whispered. 

His voice wasn’t loud but his words were.

He was trusting me… 

Archer turned around and started walking back upstairs to probably go to his room.

“Does this mean that I’m a part of the team?” I grinned at his retreating figure. 

“You will be, once you meet the whole team.” He called over his shoulder. He stopped and turned around to look at me. “We’re going to have pizza tomorrow. My treat.” He smirked as he turned back and walked up the stairs. 

Great! 

I scored a second date with death! 

I wonder if this time he’d take to some place that has never heard the word hygiene and is probably filled with dead rats… 

I mean, that’s the only thing I can think of that’ll be worse than that burger place! 

But that burger was delicious! 

Yet even after a whole week, I’m still concerned about my health because of it… 

I walked out the back door and silently in the garage. 

“I almost thought that you got caught!” Oliver exclaimed, hugging me. 

Okay… 

What do I do in this situation? 

Pat his back and say ‘there there’? 

“I didn’t walk into a mine-field, Ollie.” I chuckled, pulling away from him. 

I handed Lucas’ phone to him. 

“Did you run into someone?” Lucas asked. 

Yeah… Just our boss… 

But he told me to go ahead with the plan… Well, in a way he did… 

And then he told me that I’ll be a part of the team when I meet the whole team… Whatever that’s supposed to mean… 

I mean, I’ve met everyone that’s been here since I came here. Everyone knows me. 

Does he want me to remember everyone’s name now? 

Because I can’t do that! 

Heck! I don’t even know the name of the guy that works in the IT room with me and Lucas! 

I am not good with names! 

I used to call everyone as ‘hey you’ in school! And that was not me being intimidating or insensitive or a bitch. That was me not being good with names! 

I can’t do this if they really expect me to remember names! 

“Did you run into someone?” Thea asked, concerned, which made me realise that I haven’t said anything since Lucas asked me that same question. 

I glanced at Oliver. 

“Nope. The living room was empty.” I smiled. 

Thea and Lucas sighed in relief at my reply. 

“Let’s get out of here before we actually run into someone!” Thea said , opening the door of a car. We all followed her, taking our seats. 

“We’re gonna have lots of fries!” Lucas grinned. 

“I’m not.” I said. I turned to look out the window. “I have a feeling that I’m gonna have to eat pizza soon.” I sighed.