Chapter 8

They say that sometimes it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. To Kat, it was more than just a saying. She had lived it, but to her, it meant that her heart had been ripped out and stomped on. The pain in her shoulder was a constant reminder that Hale was gone. She wanted to find him, but the risks had doubled. She knew she wouldn't be able to talk her way out of it. She didn't want another brush with death.

The view from her window showed her a world that she could never be a part of. She knew that her life would never be normal. Kat supposed it didn't matter anymore. She had tried on countless occasions to leave the family business. Only to get pulled in deeper with ever return she made. Now she dealt with bad guys she'd never work with. In her attempts to straighten out she fell into the shadows.

The night had settled in and the sun had hidden below the horizon. The colors of the sky had blended from orange to pink and from purple to black. The stars made their presence known and they brightest lit up the sky.

"Kitty Kat, are you alright?" Gabrielle asked as she stepped into her cousin's room.

Kat kept her sights out to the sky, "Can you believe how nice the sky looks?"

"What?"

Kat looked at her cousin, "Did you know that Stacy loved the sky?" She looked out the window once more, "Sapphire told me."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm tired but I couldn't go to sleep. I have too much on my mind."

"Is it because of Silver?" Gabrielle glanced back at the door and stepped closer to Kat, "Because he's creepy and he's taken complete charge of our plans."

"He seems to think that Stacy and Hale are actually after us."

"But we have no more to go on."

"They did try to kill me." Kat looked at her cousin, "I think Taccone is trying to mess with us."

"We have no proof that he has them."

"Who else will?" Kat frowned, "We all saw that explosion. No one should have survived and yet they're still alive. Taccone has a motive...He was there."

"So why is he attacking random people?"

Kat's frown deepened, "Maybe they aren't random people. Maybe they're more important than we think."

"Simon has been looking into it, but he hasn't found much. They really covered their tracks."

Kat looked up from her hands, "So why did they leave that footage of them?"

The cousins shared a glance between each other, "They wanted you to see them."

"They wanted us to look for them… They'll send another clue. They didn't kill us, so maybe it was some kind of threat."

"A threat?" Gabrielle placed her hands on her hips, "Aren't most threats meant to warn you from looking for them?"

"Actually," Silver said as he stepped into the room, "It seemed more like they already knew you were looking for them. They found you two first. I believe they're playing with the both of you. Tormenting you both."

"Then we must stop them before this gets worse."

"Better yet, I think that we should play along."

Gabrielle and Kat looked at each other in wonder. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"We won't get anywhere if we don't." Silver crossed his arms, "If they're out there, they're looking for us. This place won't be safe for long. So we lead them elsewhere. Make them think we're somewhere else. It's simple really."

"That can't be as simple as it sounds."

Silver shrugged, "No diversion is ever simple, but the best ones often are."

"What do you want us to do?" Kat asked.

Silver grinned, "I'll need you girls to play bait."

"Bait?" Kat frowned, "For what?"

"We're going to capture Stacy and the boy."

The idea seemed more ludacris than impossible. Kat knew it wouldn't be easy. She knew that Stacy would put up a fight. She also knew that her family was not the fighting type. Kat looked at Silver and frowned at his smug expression. He enjoyed the fact that Kat couldn't do anything but go along with his plan. It made Kat's skin crawl and her body to tense.

The only way she knew that she would be safe from Silver was to create a plan of her own. She sighed and said, "So what do you have in mind?"

It didn't take Silver long to boast about his genius plan. It was simple and a risky but any plan with bait was always a risk. Kat wasn't a stranger to plans like these but they always made her think every possible thing that could go wrong.

They had walked back to the living room. Kat walked at a slower pace as she wondered if she'd ever get Hale back. She sighed as she made sure not to lose focus. It wasn't the time to freak out. She had already mourned his death, so she knew all she could do was hope for the best. Gabrielle walked beside her cousin as they followed Silver.

When they approached the door a group of men nodded to Silver. The man closest to the door opened it for him. As the girls walked through the door, Kat looked at the tall guard. He seemed unfazed; as if he'd seen weirder. Inside the living room were three more men off to the side. They worked to assemble a computer set up; a base. Black cases filled a quarter of the room.

"Are those guns?" Gabrielle gasped.

Silver waved her comment away, "When dealing with a violent and trigger-happy opponent, one must be prepared."

"We don't use guns."

Kat looked over at an open case. "I can." She looked up at Silver, "I've got the training, but I don't think it's necessary. It could make us seem harmless if we went without any weapons."Well, I don't like this. We could get shot." Gabrielle looked at her cousin, "You could get hurt."

"Um, I don't mean to interrupt but I've got a visual on Hale and Stacy." Simon said, "They're near the warehouse where the car blew up."

Gabrielle walked over to Simon. She peered over his shoulder, "Why would they go back there?"

"They're looking for something. They brought others with them and are heading into the building."

"You mean to tell me that they're hiding in plain sight?!"

Simon nodded, "Looks like it."

"Or they're trying to draw you out again." Silver added, "Quite smart actually."

"But why?" Kat shook her head, "This doesn't make any sense. Taccone wasn't the type to play mind games." She looked at Silver, "But you are."

"You think I would have my own daughter shot?"

"I wouldn't put it past you."

He scoffed, "insolent child. You know nothing."

"I know enough about you to know that you're capable of planning something this crazy."

He towered over Kat, "I'm also the only chance you have at capturing Stay and the boy without anyone dying in the process. So if you want to see that boy again I suggest you keep your silly little comments to yourself."

Kat stood her ground, a risk she was willing to take. He wouldn't intimidate her into submission, no she would stand up for herself and her crew. "The only reason you remain here is that Sapphire is upstairs. We can find other methods of capture that don't include you."

"How cute, you think that by standing up to me you're proving to me something?" His expression hardened, "It's not." He turned on his heel and said, "I suggest you girls get ready we leave in an hour."

AN: Hope you enjoyed this short chapter!