The song ended and the radio station took a commercial break, causing Arielle to lower the volume as she continued down the freeway like a drag racer.
“I didn’t realize that driving was one of your strong suits,” Martin said. “Do you have any actual weaknesses?”
“I love driving, and no I do not,” she replied with a soft chuckle. “After I lost my family, I dedicated my entire life to the Road Runners and being the very best. We don’t have any certifications because we don’t believe in that sort of stuff, but we get graded, us agents. Sort of like power rankings. I’ve been number one for the last two years, and was number two behind Alina until she started taking fewer missions to work on bigger projects. My scorecard shows no weaknesses either. I’ve earned perfect marks in driving, running, strength, stealth, espionage, shooting, bombs, combat, and a whole bunch of other categories I can’t keep track of.”
“Christ. And you were trained under the Road Runners like anyone else?”
Arielle nodded. “Yes, the program is great. What you put in is what you’ll get out. I’d skip days off and do more training on my own. When sessions ended, I stayed and worked in private with the instructors. And I don’t want you to think that the rest of our agents are lazy or don’t care, they’re all fantastic—I just wanted so much more out of it. Training became like a drug for me, it gave me a high. Then when I graduated from training, missions gave me a new high. Then it was the agent rankings, and I wanted to climb all the way to the top. I literally can’t get enough of this work.”
“So driving me two hours is pretty boring work for someone like you?”
“Not at all. There is no higher honor than working on a mission for the commander. And this one is working with the commander. It might not be as physically grueling as other missions, but it’s definitely the most important mission I’ve ever been assigned.”
“You’re an impressive young woman,” Martin said. “When I was your age, I was drinking every night in college, just trying to get by with C’s to graduate. Even with what you’ve been through you know exactly what you want out of life and how to get it. I am curious, though, where do you go from here? You’re the top-ranking agent, so what is left to achieve for Arielle Lucila?”
“I honestly don’t know. I’ve enjoyed being the top agent and I definitely want to do it a few more years. I’m aware that one day I’ll no longer be the best, but until then I’m going to enjoy every minute of it. I don’t see myself ever entering a leadership type role—I need to be out in the world, not calling shots from behind a desk. Maybe that will change once my body has taken the abuse of this job, but maybe not. Right now, it’s hard to imagine doing anything else.”
“I wish I understood. It seems for me that what I’ve wanted out of life has constantly been in flux. I never imagined myself here, but there’s no turning back now.”
“I believe we are always right where we need to be. I’ve never questioned that for a moment. At some point in our lives, we are called to fulfill our destiny. Most people shy away—it’s the spectacular ones who step up. It’s important we never doubt ourselves.”
Martin had never considered anything about his life to be spectacular, but the sentiment still managed to consume his thoughts as they sped along. He didn’t respond, and Arielle seemed content letting her remarks linger as they continued without further conversation, the radio playing softly and Martin coming to terms with fulfilling his own destiny.
Chapter 26
Arielle was skilled in several categories, as she had mentioned. Relaxing a flustered person was nothing difficult for her, even if it was the commander of the Road Runners. She’d found herself in plenty of scenarios, as a group leader, having to rein in the erratic emotions of her team as they embarked on extraordinarily risky missions, lives teetering on the brink of death for each grueling second.
Commander Briar fell more on the charts as a man who couldn’t get out of his own head. He put up his own roadblocks of doubt as the mission progressed from its initial days as a mere idea.
Arielle didn’t care. Her job was to get the commander safely to Angle Inlet where he’d wander into the woods on his own. Safely was the key word, and that also applied to his mental capacity. If he were to have any fighting hope of actually bringing down Chris Speidel, no matter how weak all reports claimed the monster to be, he needed a clear, focused mind. Arielle had stalked Chris for nearly the entirety of his life as they sought to learn his vulnerabilities as the Keeper of Time. She was perhaps the Road Runner with the most knowledge of what Chris was capable of. She knew his burning desire to keep his power and status, a willingness to stop at no costs to protect it. He had even admitted in a private conversation with his lifelong friend, Duane, that he would indeed kill his own daughter if it meant staying in control.
She had no way of knowing what Chris was up to at this exact moment as they drove through the middle of the
