Hiding Pandora (8 page)

“I used to be, too,” he says.

“How did you get over it?” I ask.

“Truthfully, I’m not over it,” he answers. “But there are worst ways to die than in a plane crash.”

“Your parents... what happened to them?”

“They were on an assignment in Iran and they were caught,” Damien answers. “They were tortured for seven days before they were beheaded.”

“I’m sorry,” I tell him.

The truth is I worry about my dad a lot. Something bad could easily happen to him. I don’t know what I would do without him. He’s the only parent I have left.

“I know your mother was killed,” he says. “So you know how loss feels.”

“At least I still have my dad,” I say. “So, that is why you joined the CIA?”

“Yes,” Damien says. “I found my parent’s killers, and I took care of them.”

“Is Damien Olsen your real name?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “No. I have a cover story, just like you. Though, what I just told you is the truth.”

I nod, understanding. I know the CIA has their secrets, and I only know a few of them. Not enough to make me a target. Though, someday, I will join the CIA. I wonder if I will have to do torture training.

“So, where are you taking us?” I ask.

“I can’t answer that,” Damien says. “But you will be in America, somewhere underground. I am taking you to Agent Kim, and she will be taking you guys to the final location. I know that you worked closely with her this summer.”

“Yes,” I say. “You won’t be coming with us?”

“No. I have to get back to work. My job is to help your father. We are going to take this terrorist group down, once, and for all. I promise you, Layla, one day you will be safe,” he says with conviction, and I know he’s telling me the truth. Or, he thinks he’s telling the truth. He truly believes I will be safe one day. I hope he’s right.

“Thank you,” I tell him.

He grins, and I lean back in my seat. I feel better after talking to him.

He’s right—there are
much
worse ways to die.
 

3 p.m.

Together.

Damien dropped us off with Agent Kim somewhere in Washington State. From there, we got in a car. The windows in the back were blacked out, so I had no idea where we are going. We’ve been in the car for two hours now, and we are showing no signs of stopping.
 

“I’m sorry I dragged you into this,” I tell Winston.

“It’s not your fault,” he says. “I wanted to know. I was the one who pushed you.”

“Yeah, but I knew better than to tell you. I could’ve gotten you killed.”

“But I’m okay,” he says. “If I wasn’t here with you right now, you would be alone. I hate that you’re in this situation, but I’m glad I can be here with you.”

“Do you still feel like you’re in a Bond movie?” I ask.

He laughs. “Well, I definitely don’t feel like James Bond, right now. Somebody else is protecting us. If anything, your dad is James Bond.”

“Don’t let him hear you say that. His ego is big enough.”

Winston looks at me, with a big smile on his face. “To be honest, this is all kind of exciting to me. I like being here with you. I know that we only just met, but I’ve never felt like this before.”

I feel my face grow warm. “I like you, too.”

“You and I are in this together.”

“Together,” I agree.

Maybe being stuck in a secret underground facility won’t be so bad. At least Winston will be there. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t ask for a better “prison mate.” And who knows, maybe Damien is right, and this will all be over soon. Then I can finally have a normal life.

Well, as normal as it can get for a CIA agent’s daughter.

Tuesday, September 24

Damien Olsen.

I step into the CIA headquarters early on Tuesday morning.

I am not surprised to learn that I was right, the terrorists did come back to New Haven Academy. A kid is missing, though I’m sure he’s dead by now. I fear this is just the beginning. These terrorists won’t hesitate to kill everybody in that school.

“Damien,” I hear my name, and look up at my superior, Christopher Scott. “We have a way for you to get into the school.”

I perk up at this.

We are working on getting a few agents into the school. We found out that one of the teachers at New Haven Academy has a past in the porn industry. It will be easy for one of us to fill that position. But it’s different for me. I’m only nineteen, and I need another way in. We don’t want to make it obvious, because that might scare the terrorist group away.

“Preston Rivera’s daughter is attending New Haven Academy,” Christopher explains. “Jinger Rivera. Apparently, the kid that went missing came to her before he went missing, and we believe that she may be the next target. Conveniently, Preston Rivera came to us looking for a bodyguard for his kid. You are going to be her bodyguard. We are planting you in the school as a student. Only Preston and Jinger Rivera know that you’re really her bodyguard, and they don’t know that you’re a CIA agent. You already know your cover story. Your job is to get close to this Jinger girl and find out everything she knows about Brody’s disappearance.”

“I can do that,” I say, confidently.

“Jinger is sixteen years old. She’s had a pretty rough life, despite having a billionaire father. It might take her a while to trust you, but I know that this assignment will be easy for you,” he says.

Babysitting a sixteen-year-old girl? It’s a piece of cake compared to some of the assignments I’ve been on.

“You can count on me,” I tell him.

Finally, I am going to bring this terrorist group down.

Christopher Scott helped me take down the terrorists who killed my family, and now I am going to do the same for him. Besides that, his daughter, Layla Scott, deserves a normal life.

I am ready.

The end.

The next book in the series,
Fighting Fate
, coming soon!

As an indie author, I rely heavily on my readers to get the word out about my books.
If you loved this story, it would mean the world to me if you left a review where you purchased it!

If you’d like to keep up to date on my newest releases, sign up for my newsletter:
http://goo.gl/50RvNj
 

Books by Mercy

New Haven Academy:

Losing Grip

Wasting Away

Hiding Pandora

Fighting Fate

Kihanna in College:

The College Life

I’m Over It

Moonlit Hills Series:

Fallout

East Wood Prep Series:

Char

Ali

Dirty Secrets:

Season One

The Rock Star Trilogy:

Jaded

Faded

Hated

The Kihanna Saga:

The Fab Life

I Hate Goodbye

Stranded in Paradise

It’s So Obvious

I Need You

Stand Alones:

Don’t Tell

You Got Me

Acknowledgements

When I went online and asked everybody “what book do you want next?” I had an overwhelming amount of “New Haven Academy” responses. Which is awesome! I love writing this series so much, and I’m glad you guys enjoy reading it! So, as always, my readers, THANK YOU. Because without you, Layla/ Lee Suel Ri/ Pandora and Jinger’s story would just be in my head. I’m glad that I get to share it with you guys!

Shane, my husband, thank you for helping me plot. And for helping me with the car chase scenes. I’m pretty sure your love of action/spy movies has rubbed off on me. Maybe someday, this will be turned into a movie ;).

Thanks to Janet, my WONDERFUL editor. I love working with you, and I continue to learn from you. Without you, my books would be a complete mess. Thanks for helping me polish them!

Joanne Levy, THANK YOU for all of your hard work. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am now. <3 I will be eternally grateful to you! C.L. Stone, I have loved working with you. Thank you for considering me! Nikki Godwin, thank you for all our Facebook chats. Thank you for all your wonderful advice, and for just being my friend. You rock!

<3
Mercy

Find me online:

Website:
http://www.mercyamare.net
 

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/authormercyamare
 

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MercyAmare
 

Instagram:
http://instagram.com/mercyamare
 

Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6464549.Mercy_Amare
 

Email:
[email protected]