Thanks for being so patient guys! As a thank you for your support, here's a nice (relatively) long chapter! I hope you enjoy the read!

Like track runners at the fire of a gun, Zane, Olivia, and Valerie dashed in the predestined direction of their mission. Nole followed close behind, surprised by their haste. He was told to watch and learn, but had no idea what that entailed. Sticking around the errand wasn’t part of his plan anyway. Before leaving the apartment complex, Nole had made the decision to look for Caden above all else.

Despite the early hour, they heard Enforcer sirens going off in the distance. Must be because of the fountain. Nole looked to them for any sign of retreat, but they didn’t hesitate. Looks like they’re going all in, he thought. A part of him questioned abandoning the errand for fear Betty would lash out and put Suri on the streets, but he stuck with his instinct and put more faith into his plan.

The idea was, he would pursue the job with Zane, Olivia, and Valerie, but separate from them when they didn’t notice. When he searched for, and found, Caden, he would head back and say he got lost. Not a great excuse, he admitted, but at least we’ll have Caden back. Just as he finalized his decision, the runners came to a screeching halt. Although they had been running at a rapid pace, they had only gone a couple of miles at most.

“Let’s stop here,” Olivia announced. Reaching into her back pocket, Nole instantly remembered the pepper spray she had whipped out from the same pocket during the fight at Murphy’s shack; but to his surprise, she pulled out a folded piece of paper. Kneeling on the ground, she unfurled it to reveal a detailed map of the central part of Nova.

After Valerie and Zane crouched beside her, all three of them stared at Nole until he joined them.

“What is all this?” he asked, frustrated that he was being kept from his plan.

Preoccupied with the map, Olivia mumbled something to herself. With her preoccupied and Zane obviously ignoring him, Valerie spoke up.

“She’s strategizing an approach for the job.”

“Strategy? Is it really that complicated an errand?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” she answered with a smile and a shrug. Although he didn’t show it, he felt worried that the anxious girl was being left in charge of the analytics.

“You going to fill me in on what we’re doing?” he asked. Before Valerie could respond, Olivia cut in.

“We’re going to infiltrate the Octas territory,” the redhead explained. Her voice lacked the shaky anxiety it usually carried. She must be more confident when she’s in her element, Nole reasoned. She’s like a different person.

“What was it that Betty wanted?” Valerie asked.

“A folder,” Zane answered, analyzing the map.

“Right,” Olivia added. Placing a finger on the map, she followed a drawn path before her. “This is where the core hideout is.”

Nole was beginning to feel lost with the lingo. “Core?”

“As in, there’s a big probability that the head of the Octa gang is there,” Olivia clarified.   

Nole didn’t know what shocked him more: that Betty actually knew the hideout locations of one, and quite possibly more, of Nova City’s Great Eight Gangs; or that they actually planned to infiltrate it. Facing a gang, even gang leader, is one thing, but fighting them at their headquarters, their home turf, was another. Unfamiliarity with the area is one thing, but a massive crowd of readily available gang members is another; even if they weren’t top three.

Of course, Nole didn’t share his logic, because he was planning on secretly withdrawing from the mission. As Olivia relayed the rest of the directions, he followed along quietly, even nodding his head now and then to not arouse suspicion. I should go back around Murphy’s shack and see if anyone near there saw Caden the day he went missing. “Splitting up is the most efficient way,” Olivia went on. “Zane and Valerie, you guys go by the eastern streets. By the time you get there, we’ll be in position for the distraction. From there, Zane goes in, gets the folder, and gets out clean.”

Distraction?

“Alright,” Valerie said in a serious tone.

“Hey,” Zane called, looking in my direction. “Don’t screw this up.”

“Shut up,” Nole spat. “I have plenty of experience with these gangs.” Zane grunted in response, cuing the end of the small argument.

“You’ll be with me,” Olivia instructed Nole.  “Let’s go.”

With that, Zane and Valerie took off as Olivia led Nole in the opposite direction. Although he hadn’t known of the Octa’s hideout, he had been in the area before. In fact, he knew the current location wasn’t far from Murphy’s shack; at a fast pace, he could get there in fifteen minutes.

Jogging for a few more minutes, Olivia and Nole arrived to a rusted five-story building. “This looks to be the entrance. You go by the right end and back me up if something goes wrong,” she directed. “Since, this is your first real job with us, you can watch.”

Now’s my chance.

Since they were closer to the City Square, the sirens had only grown louder. Although the idea of getting caught by Enforcers was on his mind, he knew he couldn’t turn back. “Get in position and we’ll give Zane another ten minutes to get in place.”

“Okay.”

“And be careful.” Surprised by her thoughtful comment, Nole turned to see her scampering off to her position. Setting up in a location that was hidden from view, he seized the opportunity to make a break for it. Successfully avoiding being seen, he managed to escape the perimeter of the area and headed toward Murphy’s shack.

As a wanted man, he was especially cautious when walking around in public; especially with Enforcers scattered throughout the confines of Central Nova. Even though the sun was only just beginning to rise, law enforcement had started their shift some time before the mandated schedule. Betty was right about the Chief not messing around.

To avoid drawing attention to himself, Nole forced himself to walk leisurely when trekking the inhabited roads. He even made his way passed several Enforcer vehicles, keeping his head down all the while. When he finally reached the alleyway that would lead to the shack, he hightailed it down the empty path.

Darting through the alley at full speed, he didn’t bother watching out for gangs. Although he learned the hard way that gangs were out and about at all hours, he knew he wouldn’t have to worry about them at that moment. Not even the dumbest gang members would be causing trouble during this chaos, he reasoned, listening to the ceaseless echo of patrol car sirens. Every Enforcer seems to be on duty today.

The previous night, he had pressed Suri for information regarding where Caden disappeared. According to his sister, they had gone to a roadside food cart before Caden instructed her to wait while he, as Suri quoted, “Check something out.” It was after a few minutes of being alone when the Pents took Suri. His imagining the situation still sent shivers down his spine. Suri’s safe, he reminded himself. And Caden’s alive.

Despite the risk of being seen, Nole wouldn’t allow the opportunity to slip away when the cart came into view. He considered himself lucky that no one else was around while he approached the desolate vendor, who was adjusting an unappetizing rotary of breakfast sausages. It wasn’t until Nole was one yard away when the man finally acknowledged the potential customer.

“Good mornin’,” the vendor greeted enthusiastically. Unsure of whether or not the man recognized him, Nole kept his head turned away at a slight angle to maintain anonymity.

“Hi.” Through his periphery, Nole saw the man’s pudgy face turning in the direction Nole was looking. “I have a quick question for you.” The words made him face Nole immediately.

“The sausage is forty and the biscuit sandwich is sixty.”

“Not about food,” Nole clarified, his tone a little frantic. He jammed his fists in his pockets in an attempt to remain calm. Though he was couldn’t tell exactly, he imagined the man had a rather confused expression. “A couple of days ago, there was a murder about a block from here.”

“You mean that doctor fellow,” the man confirmed as he tinkered with the rotary. “What a shame. He was a good man.”

“You knew Murphy?” In his surprise, Nole whipped his head toward the man. They made eye contact briefly before Nole turned away again. “On that day, did you remember seeing a little girl here?”

At first, Nole thought the man hadn’t heard him, but when he glanced out of the corner of his eye, he saw the vendor analyzing him with arms crossed. “It’s really important,” Nole urged, trying to regain the man’s attention.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke up. “You’re talkin’ about the girl that was taken by those Pents, aren’t ya?” Nole restrained his burning curiosity until the man finished. “How could I forget? Those animals came outta nowhere and grabbed the girl,” he sighed and slammed his hand on the cart with a loud thud.

Startled by the sudden outburst, Nole faced the man fully. His fist was still clenched against the hard metal surface, the rotary spinning on silently. The thick brown mustache trembled as he struggled to continue, and although he was pressed for time, Nole didn’t push. “I didn’t do anything. She started cryin’ and screamin’ for her brother, but I couldn’t do a damn thing. Not just me either, everyone else was as scared, but that’s no excuse.” His voice maintained a sullen, yet angry tone. “Because of those damn gangs, no, because I couldn’t do anything, that girl-”

“She’s fine.”

The man raised his head, revealing a tear-eyed gaze of confusion. The expression made him look older. The wrinkles formed when his eyebrows scrunched together and when his mouth took the shape of a top half of a circle made him look a full decade older.

“What do ya mean?” he asked, clenching his jaw to hold back his tears.

“Listen, there was a boy with her. He was a little older, with blonde hair. He left right before the Pents showed up.”

The man hesitated, his eyes squinting slightly when looking at Nole’s face. He knows, Nole deduced calmly, yet the feeling of urgency grew inside him. He tapped his foot restlessly awaiting an answer. I can’t run. I have to know.

“Yeah,” he finally answered to Nole’s relief. Wiping his face with his forearm, the man pulled biscuits out from behind the cart and served them alongside the glistening cuts of sausage.

Although the food looked less than desirable, the delicious aroma was enough to make Nole instantly ravenous after going without breakfast. “She came in with a boy that ordered a couple of the sandwiches. He took off after a bit afterwards, and that’s when…”

“The Pents.” Nole finished. The man gave a solemn nod. “Did you see where the boy went?”

“He walked down that way.” He pointed down the empty street.

“Did he come back?”

“No.”

Nole clenched the hands in his pockets into fists. Had he abandoned her? The mere thought angered him beyond words. Caden didn’t even come back to look for her. He wouldn’t do that. The man must have just missed him.

Nole knew he had to persist. This was his only lead. “Are you sure?”

“It was a pretty slow day, so I’d remember if he came back.”

So that was it. This is the information Nole was dying to get. The knowledge of his brother walking out on Suri when she needed him the most; after he’d specifically told them to stay together. Despite Caden’s apparent guilt in the situation, Nole couldn’t completely push the blame onto his younger brother. In a way, he too had abandoned them when he stayed behind at the shack.

No. That was different. I was, I was, he couldn’t muster the thoughts to excuse himself. What he’d done was selfish. All he could do now was fix the situation.

“Thanks,” Nole said, turning to leave. “I appreciate the-“ He stopped midsentence as his eyes befell the patrol car parked on the side of the road. Two Enforcers exited the vehicle before Nole whipped his body back toward the cart. He ignored the vendor’s puzzled expression as he racked his brain

“Did ya change your mind about buyin’?” the man wondered confusedly.

Ignoring his words, Nole angled his face away from the incoming guests. Did they see me? They’re walking casually, so it doesn’t seem like they’ve recognized me. If I run now, they’ll chase me down easily, and there’s no way I can get away with all the Enforcers on duty right now. “Mornin’ Captain Hadley!” the vendor greeted, interrupting Nole’s thoughts. “What’ll it be?”

I have to wait.

“Hello Graham,” a female voice chirped. “I told you, you can call me Quinn.” She placed a sleeved elbow on the corner of the cart. “And the regular is fine.”

Just one? Where’s the other?

“You know I can’t do that on account of your promotion,” the vendor, Graham, coaxed as he prepared a few biscuits. Nole loitered as if awaiting an order while anxiously picking at his cuff, trying to look occupied.

“Doesn’t feel like much of a promotion with that one around.” Nole noticed her glance back over her shoulder at the car, where other officer stood watching. “He treats me like one of those dime a dozen rookies,” she sighed.

“You shouldn’t take it,” the vendor continued, wrapping up the sandwiches of the woman’s order. “You’re of equal rank after all.”

She let out a long breath. “Honestly, I can bear with it because he’s having a rough time. Considering what happened with his uncle, I’m surprised he isn’t more of a grouch than usual.”

The words sent a shutter down Nole’s spine. Uncle. He stopped toying with his jacket’s cuff and focused all of his thoughts on the person behind him. Of all the Enforcers, and all the breakfast carts, is the guy behind me Murphy’s nephew? The man who’d sworn to find his uncle’s alleged murderer, me, is standing mere yards from where I’m standing. There’s no way. But she’d said it. She’d said ‘his uncle’. It’s no coincidence.

He didn’t dare turn his head to confirm he identity of the other officer. In truth, he was frozen with fear, because if he were discovered there, it would all be over. His silent panicking was disrupted by the woman’s voice. “Caught you.”

“W-what?” Nole stammered, wide-eyed and petrified.

“I said, did I cut you?” she asked him again. He looked up to see that she was giving him a concerned look, but then glanced away instantly remembering that morning's paper.

“N-no, I was just leaving.” Keeping his head down, he slowly moved away from the cart. He was aware that he was acting suspiciously, and that the Enforcer was still watching him as he left, but he maintained his pace.

“Hadley!” the other officer called. “Disturbance at West Central. Let’s go.” To Nole’s relief, he heard Captain Hadley bid the vendor goodbye, followed by the sound of footsteps walking swiftly away from him.

That was too close, he chastised himself. Against his better judgment, Nole snuck a peek back at the patrol car, instantly recognizing the Captain Enforcer featured in the newspaper article depicting Murphy’s murder. That’s definitely the nephew, Jett Maddox.

The woman slid into the front seat beside Captain Maddox, who wore such a serious expression, that it completely contrasted the easy-going one on his partner’s face. For an instant, he could sense the grim intent of the man; his stern eyes were dead set ahead, as if he were the only one around; his mouth pressed into a thin line, further accentuating his protruding jawline. He looks more intimidating in person, Nole noted. I have to steer clear of him.

While backing the car into a U-turn position, Maddox’s eyes briefly swept over Nole before driving away. When turned the corner, Nole finally felt like he was able to relax. I totally lucked out. Good thing for that disturbance. As the thoughts crossed his mind, he recalled Maddox’s report – West Central… He couldn’t mean…

Without giving it another thought, he dashed back in the direction that he’d come.

That vendor was my only lead. I’m back at square one with finding Caden. What am I going to do? His train of thought led him to a reasonable plan, but he didn’t want succumb to such a scheme. There’s no other way, he finally decided.

Leaping over obstacles in the alley, he knew it was his best option. With the constant paranoia of trekking through the city as a wanted man, he was going to need help in finding his brother. He needed their help. As if eating a mouthful of sour candy, the idea of asking Betty and Zane for help brought a disgusted expression to his face; but he was out of options.

When he arrived back at the alleged Octa hideout, a sea of Enforcers flooded the place. Nole took cover by and adjacent building before any of Enforcers spotted him. Scoping the area, the only people he saw out of uniform were the few Octas that were being apprehended. So it was the Octa hideout.

The sound of creeping footstep behind Nole made him hold his breath. Preparing to flee, he readied himself by scanning a getaway route given the current Enforcer situation. Ready to put the plan to action, he was surprised when he was grabbed from behind and shoved against the brick wall of the building. Squinting from the brute force of the impact against the wall, a forearm pushed against his windpipe, making it hard for Nole to breathe.

“Zane!” he heard Valerie’s voice shout. His blurring vision focused enough to make out Zane’s face, a foot away from his own.

“Where were you?” Zane snarled, increasing the pressure to Nole’s throat. Even though Nole desperately tried to release Zane’s grip, he wasn’t strong enough to do so.

“Zane! He can’t breathe!” Valerie shrieked. Whether it was because her words were true, or the fact that her voice was about to alert the surrounding Enforcers, Zane released Nole. Dropping to the ground, Nole coughed and clutched at his sore neck.

Normally, he would be lunging at Zane in retaliation, but given his plan on using their help to find Caden, he decided to restrain himself. As much as he hated to admit it, he would even need Zane’s help.

“I-I was hiding from the Enforcers,” Nole lied. “When they got on the scene, I stayed out of sight. They still think I killed Murphy, so they wouldn’t hesitate to apprehend me; even with all that.” Nole nodded in the direction of the Octa hideout.

Zane gave him a dirty look. “I think you were gone longer than that,” he muttered. Before Nole could defend himself, Olivia spoke up.

“He was here up until when the Enforcers showed up.” She spoke from behind Zane, her arms crossed and gaze even. “It was smart of him to leave before they connected us to him, or even worse, our job to him.”

The logic made sense; what didn’t was why she was blatantly lying for Nole. Surprisingly, Zane scoffed and gave Nole a dirty look before turning his back to all of them, indicating his dropping the subject. As he walked away, Valerie rushed to Nole’s side and wondered about his condition and the status of his breathing.

It occurred to Nole that Zane was a loose cannon. Despite his working together with Valerie and Olivia, it was clear that Zane didn’t consider them friends, or even acquaintances. The thought made him wonder about Betty, and the nature of her relationship with Zane.

Nole couldn’t decide if it was the perplexing questions, Valerie’s persistent worry, or his delirious condition that gave him a headache, but regardless, he stopped worrying about Zane. Politely declining a shoulder to lean on, Nole thanked Valerie and completely recovered a steady rhythm of breathing. Getting on his feet, he caught Olivia’s lingering gaze just as she jogged off to catch up with Zane.