After I finished with the roll and sent out the notification, I made my way out of the office and headed out to the courtyard to meet with Nicole and the other members.

When I got there, I noticed that she had already gotten started on her speech to the members. I wasn't too late though, because she was still going on about it to them.

As I walked closer, I could hear Nicki's bold-speaking voice and I could see the perfect line of 50 agents and spies standing straight, side by side, listening to Nicki talk as she paced back and forth in front of them.

"We aren't here to play, we aren't here to complain and we-" she stopped in front of one of the guys who was whispering to the dude next to him, "And we are not going to get distracted!"

He jerked his head up at the elevation in her voice and stood straight, facing the front. I stopped a little in the distance to let her finish without causing an interruption.

I watched as she eyed him for an extra second then continued on, "Now..." she continued slowly, "This upcoming mission requires teamwork, dedication, trust, and a hell of a lot of planning so we need to ensure that we stay on or even ahead of schedule​... Clear?"

They nodded silently.

She nodded back slowly, scanning the line with her eyes, "Good... Today, our objective is to discuss our research and then we'll head out for some vigorous training. The rest of the week will be your responsibility to come up with a plan based on what we've found... That way I could work with a different set of members each day and by the time we all meet again, we'll look over all of your ideas... Any questions?"

Simon's office assistant, Janet, was doing a headcount and gear check on each member. She stopped at the end of the line to ask, "That's a lot of agents and spies you have to train and meet with. Do you think you'll have enough time to do all of that before heading to Egypt?"

"Good question... Like I said before, this is all teamwork. I'm not going to hold all of your hands through the whole way. We all need to pitch in and do whatever we can to find as much information on the situation in order for this to process as fast as possible. I'll explain some of these tasks at our meeting... Anyone else?"

They shook their heads and some said, "No ma'am." quietly.

"Alright. Make your way to the meeting room in 30 minutes. Grab some food if you need to, take a dump, light a cigar, I don't care as long as you don't keep me waiting." she dismissed.

I walked up to her, snaking through the leaving crowd just as she turned around and spotted me before I could say anything.

"Good, you're here. I need you to come with me to the meeting room," she demanded before beginning to walk in that direction.

I followed her into the building and into the hall, "What do you need me to do?"

"I'll show you when we get there, It's not too bad." she suddenly stopped and faced me, "Oh, and what's this about you having inappropriate content in your possession?"

I winced, "What?"

She rolled her eyes and hit the elevator button, stepping in after the doors slid open, "Don't play dumb, Jaden."

"I'm not playing dumb. Who told you that?" I asked as the door opened on the second floor and I followed her down the hall.

She didn't answer for a moment as she made her way to the meeting room door.

"Nicki, who told you that," I asked again with a more stern tone.

She shook her head then scoffed, "I can't tell you who said that. You'll only cause more problems."

I watched as she put the code in and the door unlocked, then I asked her, "What 'inappropriate content' did this person say I supposedly own?"

As far as I know, that's just a bunch of bullshit.

She snickered softly but humorlessly as she walked in and headed straight for the folders stacked in a pile on the large, round meeting table.

"What's funny?" I asked. "There's nothing funny about people spreading false rumors about me."

She looked at me with her arms crossed as I walked up to her, "Gimme your phone." she demanded.

"Wait why-"

She quickly snatched my phone out of my pocket and tried to run around me but I grabbed her, "Yo! Nicole, what the hell?"

"Don't touch me!" she yelled as I cornered her to the wall and reached for my phone but she extended her arm away from me and turned the phone on, "I want to see who this slut is, give me your password!" she demanded sternly.

I stopped, realizing what was really going on. I softened my grip on her wrist and looked into her glaring eyes. I then tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, telling her, "It's S-N-G."

For Sasha Nicole Greene.

She slapped me hard across my face, "I said don't touch me, Jackass."

I held my jaw in annoyance as I slowly moved my eyes back to her and watched as she entered the password in. She didn't even give me a chance to explain the misunderstanding.

She looked from the phone, to me, then back to the phone, "Is this the picture?"

I nodded, "Coach told you, didn't he?"

She looked at me for a moment with sorrow in her eyes then she pushed the phone back into my hand, "Dammit, Jackson." she mumbled under her breath.

"What. No 'Sorry Jaden'?" I chuckled.

She glared for just a second before her eyes softened in mine. She then put her hand on my cheek, softly caressing it with her thumb, "I didn't mean to slap you like that. I was being a bitch." she sighed before dropping her hand to her sides.

"You're not. Just... Don't assume next time. I would never do anything to hurt you." I told her, remembering my conversation with Coach.

"I would hope not." She said as I kissed her cheek.

"I promise I won't," I confirmed, playfully moving my lips to her neck, making her chuckle.

"Alright, alright I believe you..." She said as a cue for me to let her go but I only held onto her tighter.

I know you do...

I continued to shower her in kisses, slipping my hand into the back of her shirt as she let out more snickers and undemanding protests until she suddenly gasped, flinching in my arms and instantly snatching my hands away from her.

I widened my eyes at that as she gazed back to me, terror panicking in hers. She just kept her eyes on me speechlessly, her face reddening and her hands slightly trembling as they gripped my wrists.

Huh...?

Did I... Did I hurt her...?

I hardly even touched her.

I tilted my head at her and, with hesitation, asked her, "Is... Is something wrong...?"

She kept those petrified eyes on me, her jaw clenching as she swallowed silently. It wasn't until her grip finally loosened up and her eyes peeled away from me that she decided to speak, "Just b-behave yourself."

I gaped at her, not able to respond with words because I just didn't understand... I didn't understand why she just suddenly became paralyzed with terror.

She's done this before... Twice.

I remembered her having a similar reaction from my touch before... That night I visited her house for the first time. I had only laid a finger upon her back and she jumped the same way before moving my hand from her...

This morning too... I noticed that her breathing hitched in her sleep and her eyelids closed tighter when I simply placed a kiss on the back of her shoulder. I didn't think anything of it then. Thought it was just a reflex but it seems as though it was something more, something about me touching her bothered her.

Maybe... Maybe she's just not used to being touched.

No... That wouldn't make sense, she didn't have this reaction last night and we were doing much more than hugging and kissing.

I sighed and just gave her a small smile and responded, "Alright, I'll be good..." I removed one of my hands from her gentle grip, pulling her closer with the other, "Just leave me with a simple hug so I can be able to focus."

She didn't fight when I wrapped my arms around her, her hands already resting on my chest to get ready to push me away when she needed. I put a gentle squeeze on her body, noticing that she remained completely calm.

She's not doing it...

I furrowed my brows as I snuck a hand to the bottom of her shirt, gently bringing it under so I could feel her skin and, just as I expected, she quickly shoved me off.

"That's enough!" Her voice was nearly a shout before she quickly contained herself, "Th-that's enough..."

I don't understand...

I shook my head, my chest aching as I looked down at her, "Why do you get like this when I touch you?" I asked. "Do you think I'm trying to hurt you?"

"No, I..." She looked away, confusion and leftover fear on her expression as she tried to think of something to say. Instead, she left me with nothing as she just told me, "I just have a lot going on... We don't have time to play games."

Right...

I bit my lip as she shook her head and made her way around me, my gaze following her as she walked towards the table. I looked over my shoulder at her with more rising questions filling my mind and making me apprehensive of what those reactions could possibly mean... What it means about her feelings for me.

Am I moving too fast with her? Maybe she's scared that I dropped the L Bomb on her last night...

I should have waited...

No... I'm sure it isn't anything bad... She's just stressed.

I gave myself an assuring nod. She's just stressed...

I looked back at the folders and made my way over to them, soon asking her, "What did we need to do anyway?"

She picked up a few folders and opened them on the table, "All of the picture evidence will be spread out on the left side and articles and written documents on the right. We're going to try and find patterns and fill in the blanks to the issue."

I nodded, "Easy enough." I began sorting out the documents neatly on the desk.

She joined in and helped me sort them out with a small smirk as she did and, for once, a little hope gleamed in her eyes. I smiled to myself at that. The fact that she's found the strength in herself to keep her dedication to finding Simon alive made me proud. It wasn't shocking to me because she has never been one to give up easily but I knew that if it were me in her position, this search wouldn't have gotten anywhere...

I wasn't even capable of finding my own family after I abandoned them years ago...

I turned my eyes back to the documents and continued sorting them. Nothing could make up for what I did and I could never forgive myself for it but, at least I could help Nicki find who's important to her.

"We're going to find him..." Her soft voice whispered, breaking the silence.

I looked at her and gave her a small smile, "He's a smart man. I bet he's already thinking of ways to contact us."

"If he has the chance to..." she sighed. "There has to be a reason why he just agreed to leave with this woman. Okay, so me and the USSCI is a target, but what good does it do to go and confront this powerful woman by yourself when she would probably kill you once you step foot in front of her?"

"You're right... There has to be a reason." I told her. "Maybe we're not even supposed to get involved."

"We are getting involved and we will fight until we win... Until Fire Catcher is eliminated from existence."

I smirked at her as she continued with the documents, "Sometimes I see a little bit of Simon in you..."

She only shrugged sadly.

That should've been a compliment to her. Look how she's already got the whole squad to listen to her and climb on board this mission. She's a born leader and I love that about her.

"You know..." I said sitting in one of the chairs, "When we get married and have kids, you'll be a true inspiration to our sons and daughters."

"Jaden..." she rubbed her forehead, stressfully. "Don't talk like that."

I snickered, "Why not?"

Her face reddened and she shook her head, "Just don't... Besides, you don't even like kids."

Eh... She wasn't entirely wrong about that but I also didn't believe in love before I met her.

I smiled at her, "I don't like other people's kids." I corrected her. "It'll be different if it's ours."

She rolled her eyes, "Enough, Jay..."

I chuckled, "You don't want to have a family?"

"No... It's not like... I mean, now's not the time to talk about stuff like that. Don't stress me out more than I already am." she continued on the folders.

"Right, got you." I smiled. I went back to helping her but I couldn't help but find myself looking back to her. I knew she had strong feelings for me but she's just so good at masking that when we step foot into headquarters. I wonder how she learns to be so tough after all she's been through in her past. Questions suddenly began to flood my mind, making me think out loud.

"Where did the scars come from?"

She side-eyed me, "What?"

"Uh... The scars. There are a few small ones on your back, near the foot of your tree tattoo." I remember seeing them again last night and I always wondered about it.

She turned her attention back to what she was doing, "Why are you asking?"

"Just curious."

She nodded, "You know you just can't go around asking people about everything you're curious about."

I groaned a bit to myself. Seems like she's not going to tell me... Not now, I assume. "Am I at least allowed to be curious about your tattoo? What made you get it?" I asked.

She sighed, "You'd just like to know everything, don't you?"

I shrugged with a small chuckle, "What can I say?" I smiled. "The more we know about each other, the better."

She shook her head with a soft snicker, "I see your point..." Her smile slowly began to fade, "The tattoo... I got it to free myself from my past."

"Ah..." I nodded, remembering parts of her childhood story, "So like... A symbol of rebellion. Something to remind you that things will be different."

"Well..." She turned her eyes to me. "It's more of a symbol of resurrection. A start of a new beginning." She said as she crossed her arms, turning her full attention to me now, "You remember that little story I told you about my babysitter...?"

I nodded feeling my heart ache at the sound of her name, "That bitch who abused you."

"Yeah, that one... She's the one who gave me the scars. It was in the summertime and I was told to hunt some animals so she could finish making home decor and jewelry as she always does so she could sell them in town... Well, I had already been starving and weak with dehydration. I could hardly even carry myself but she promised me a meal if I just caught her one more animal. Specifically, a deer." She sighed, "So, as you can imagine, I took the easy way out. Instead of catching a full-grown animal, I found a young one so I could be able to carry it and that's what I had brought back to her..."

I nodded as I listened to her continue, "She was upset with that. Furious. She thought I did that out of disrespect so she..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "She whipped me... She whipped me 'til I bled and... It left scars." her voice trembled slightly and I noticed her fingers beginning to shake a bit as she set the folders down beside her.

I clenched my jaw as I watched the pain in her expression. She still remembered that day like it only happened yesterday. She soon told me after taking a moment of containing her emotions, "She made me hideous and every time I looked in the mirror, the memory of my worst beating would haunt me. The tattoo was Simon's idea. He allowed me to get it as soon as I turned 15 so I could cover up all the scars. So I could be reminded of the person I am now rather than who I was before."

So that's what she meant when she said it freed her...

"Oh, shit..." I whispered as I realized, "That entire artwork... It's a mask for your scars..."

She turned her back to me to continue organizing the folders with a small nod, "Pretty much..."

I frowned at the tone of her voice. The sadness in it. I almost chose to ask her how it felt getting that tatted on her but I knew the answer to that would most likely make all of this darker than it already was. Instead, I attempted to lighten the mood, "Well it was a good choice." I told her as I made my way up to her. "Because I still think it's sexy." I sang playfully as I hugged her from behind. "I'm glad you told me about it, Nicki... I won't bring it up again."

She let out a deep breath and gently moved my hands away, "I know. I'm fine, really. I don't blame you for being curious." she walked over to the whiteboard at the front of the room and began to draw a chart on the center, "Could you just get the door?"

I raised an eyebrow, "For what?"

"For them," she said, just as someone knocked on the door.

I winced and then walked over to go open it, "How did you do that?"

"I heard them coming down the hall," she smirked.

I chuckled, letting our members in, "Take a seat wherever." I told them.

Everyone settled down with their things and glanced over at the documents on the table.

I heard Nicole take another breather to herself then she turned to them and began by saying, "Okay, this first meeting will only be about brainstorming. No idea is a bad idea unless... It's a bad idea."

She made a loud clap and turned to the large board, "So. Here's what we know so far... Fire Catcher and Simon will be meeting up in Egypt in approximately 2 to 3 days. That's not nearly enough time for us to plan and get out there so he's going to have to see her regardless... But that's okay. According to the phone calls, she doesn't plan on killing him anytime soon."

A blond named Arnold raised his hand, "Why don't we just ambush Fire Catcher? It'll be quicker."

"That'll be stupid." she narrowed her eyes at him. "She's not going to be alone and that's quite evident. We know she's expecting us to come for Simon and she knows we're going to attack. We need a plan that'll take her and her team on by surprise, a plan that is organized and well-executed so that we will achieve our goal."

He nodded and looked away.

I noticed D.T looking over at the pictures closely. He narrowed his eyes and scratched his chin with a look that seemed like he knew something.

"Did you find anything?" I whispered.

He nodded and whispered back, "Yeah... I think so..." he looked at Nicole, "Hey, there's a weird pattern here..."

Nicole walked over to the side of his chair to look, "What is?"

"This symbol... It's in all of the pictures and flyers. I've also seen it while doing some research on her entertainment history."

I looked over to see the symbol and Dylan took one of the photos to see for himself as D.T continued.

"You see? It's in their tattoos, it's on the building, the props, and Freak Show's license plate... Do you think it means something?" He asked.

She nodded, "I do... The question is, is it important or not?"

Dylan huffed, "Weird... I searched the symbol but I keep getting pictures of an old showgirl squad."

A girl with thick curly hair cleared her throat. I remember asking her out once but she rejected me. Her name is Madison. "Well, she is a performer..." she said. "So is Freak Show. That was probably from one of the shows they did before she was a circus performer."

"Maybe we could find out more about who she really is with that information," I suggested. "What was her name at that time?"

"It doesn't say... Just says, 'Top 10 Showgirl performances'. It doesn't even say what their group name was."

Madison raised her hand with the tour dates in the other, "Have you guys noticed that all these are canceled except for the shows in the same locations as our other headquarters?"

"Yeah​. We've noticed." Nicole answered.

"Well... If we can get our spies there to find some of Fire Catcher's performers and keep an eye on them, they could provide us with information we need to help catch Fire and find Simon... She's in Egypt so we can start there. That way, we can find out exactly who we're dealing with and come up with an effective plan quicker."

"Look at you!" I praised.

Nicole grew a smirk on her face, nodding slightly, "Madison... That's genius! I could kiss you right now..." She eagerly walked over to her journal and wrote herself a quick note. "I like it... It's safe, it's smart, it's efficient... And now we're officially making progress." she smiled.

"Great! Now let's see that kiss." I joked, making everyone laugh and Nicki roll her eyes.

Madison giggled, shaking her head, "I'm married... And straight."

"So?" Tyler said, clasping his hands.

We all laughed some more at that. Even Nicole couldn't help but crack a smile at his stupidity.

"I'm not," Dani said in a low voice.

Only me and Tyler heard her and we both exchanged looks before Tyler turned to her and asked, "You're not what! Married or straight?"

"Yes." Was all she said.

Oh?

"Learn something new each day..." I pursed my lips, turning back to the front.

No wonder she didn't seem that interested in me even after sharing a night together...

Nicole slapped the pen down on the desk for everyone to be quiet, "Listen, everyone! Let's keep up the progress. The more ideas we get quicker, the more physical training we can get done which will make us ahead of schedule, got that?"

"Yes ma'am!" we all said as we went back to digging deeper into our resources.