The Cracks we Hide

WARNING: Some possible triggers: Kidnapping, Coercion, and Threats of Violence.

The old abandoned shed by the docks smelled of salt and ozone. Seagulls were heard squawking in the distance, and the familiar toll of the bell echoed in the distance as a ship began to leave harbor.

Cole yanked the sack from Ben’s head, restoring his sight once again. His head spun slightly from the sudden movement and the brightness of things around him. The shed was small, its entire structure illuminated by a bright light mounted on the ceiling. There were three—no, four?—people surrounding him, and also a smaller boy sitting on the floor, a computer in his lap, typing furiously. He risked a few slight glances at Ben, but none of them lasted more than a second.

Cole, seeing Ben’s gaze wander, grabbed the collar of his shirt, forcing him to look at him. “Well, look what the cat dragged in,” he said, his voice low. He glanced at the boy on the computer, who was still typing. “And to think we have the rat to thank for it.”

The boy didn’t respond, and he kept typing.

Ben, still trying to open his eyes without getting overwhelmed, managed to get a reply past his lips, his throat dry. “What do you want?” he said, his voice hoarse. He winced at the sound of it.

Cole tilted his head, still keeping a tight grip on Ben’s collar. “What do I want?” He moved his grip from his collar to the back of his head, tugging at his hair. “I want the info. All of it. About the meetings, the payment, everything. And you’re not leaving until I get it.”

Ben scoffed. “I’m not telling you anything.”

The typing ceased for a second, then resumed. Cole’s face darkened, and he pulled Ben’s neck back. “Everyone cracks. Eventually. It’s only a matter of time before you crack, too.”

He ran a long finger down the column of Ben’s neck, making him squirm. “I know what you’re thinking. ‘How’d an eighteen-year-old like you manage to kidnap an Opal Agent?’” He paused and took his finger off Ben’s neck. “It wasn’t hard, really. All it took was some bait, and all the fish came running.”

Ben paused, opening his eyes to look at Cole. “You. It was you who planted those files.”

Cole smirked. “Finally, you catch on.”

“But, they were almost flawless forgeries—”

“What makes you think they were forgeries?” Cole loosened his grip and moved back from Ben, studying a scuff on the rotted floorboards. “I stalked the agents out. Found their weaknesses. Put them in, what would you call it?—a tough spot.” He looked back at Ben. “Everyone has one, you know. A weakness. Even you do. Remember that girl from the cafe?”

Ben froze. “Mila.” He pulled at the ropes around his hands and feet, trying to get free and making the computer boy jump. “What’d you do to her?!”

Cole chuckled. “Nothing yet. We’re keeping her in another safe house, at the edge of the city. She’s safe and sound for now.”

Ben let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, making the edge of Cole’s mouth quirk up in a smirk. “See? Everyone has a weakness, even if they won’t admit to it.”

Cole stepped closer to Ben again, crouching down to be face-to-face with him. “Now. The information. Or poor, innocent Mila will have to deal with a few...problems.”

Ben felt his loyalty to the agency begin to snap in half as he had to choose between the two things he valued most in life: His job and his best friend.

Cole saw the hesitation in Ben’s eyes, and something else—sympathy?—was visible in his for a moment. “I won’t harm anyone,” he said, his voice softer than it had been before. “Not majorly. I just want to get a little bit of... vengeance. Delete the files, hide them on a hard drive, place some clues to their location. Show them who they’re dealing with, in a manner of speaking.” He paused. “The program. For the recruit agents. They hurt my sister. Messed up something with her brain. No one really knows what's going on. Even though they won’t admit it, and say it’ll ‘wear off’, I know they don’t know. I can spot the lies. Just like I can spot the lies in the company.” He pulled a photo out of his pocket and showed it to Ben. “The head of the agency. Raz ShadowWood. He knew my father. Talked to him a couple of days before he ‘disappeared.’ This is all connected. I just need to find a way to prove it. If I can show them I’m a threat, show them I know—they’ll come for me next. Try to do what they did to my father and my sister to me.” He put the photo back in his pocket, now looking at Ben more softly. “So please. The information.”

Ben hesitated before he nodded. “Alright. I’ll give it to you. But first cut me out of my ropes.”

Cole let out a slight sigh of relief. He nodded, standing up straight again. “Of course.” He whistled at the computer boy. “Jax. Cut his ropes, will you?”

Jax looked up from his computer and set it aside before he got up and grabbed a pocket knife. He went over to Ben and cut the ropes, one by one.

After they were all cut, Ben flexed his hands and then stood up, grabbing a recorder out of his pocket. “I kept a recording of all my conversations with Raz, and they’re all on there. Hopefully, that can get you the information you wanted.”

Cole grabbed the recorder from Ben, nodding his head slightly. “It should.” He paused, before grabbing his phone and typing something into it, before putting it back down again. “They should release Mila in less than an hour. I’ll have a car go drop you off at her location.”

Ben nodded, heading for the door of the shed. “That would be fine.”

Cole slipped the recorder into his pocket before he spoke again. “Thanks,” he said. “For the information. I’ll make sure you’re not included in anything I use.” As he saw Ben heading for the door, he cleared his throat. “Oh. Since this is a secret safehouse of ours, we’re gonna have to...blind you again.”

Ben turned back to Coal. “Oh. Alright.”

As they slipped the sack over his head again, Ben let a small smile creep onto his face. He knew exactly where he was: The docks west of the city, by the bridge that always creaked when something went over it. The time was sunset, and the weather was cloudy and humid. That boy was Cole Romano, brother of Jax Romano, and son of Greyson Romano, who was the founder of the agency.

But he wouldn’t tell them that.