by Rylee Swann
He would break her, but since she had gotten the ear of an assassin like Shawn Paros, he would not underestimate her. She might prove to be quite the tricky nut to crack.
10
Rayna paced in the small windowless room. She’d been separated from Shawn over an hour ago, and terror for his safety—and hers—squeezed her heart into a painful pebble that pinged like a pinball in her chest.
Furnished like a bedroom and tastefully appointed, the room contained a long dresser and matching headboard that could be found at any Levitz Furniture Store. The beige carpeting seemed new, matching the bland and unassuming wall art, the firm mattress, and the clean white sheets. Regardless, she cringed at the thought of having to sleep here.
A Rubik’s cube with only the green side complete mocked her from the top of the dresser.
The door was locked from the outside. She’d knocked, called out, but no one answered. There wasn’t a bathroom, and she worried what would happen if she had to relieve herself. Then worried that thinking about it would cause her to have to go. So, she tried to stop thinking about it with no success.
Which led to her resolving to bang repeatedly on the door until someone let her out.
She raised her hand, ready to rap her knuckles on the wood until they bled, but the door opened before she could make contact. Startled, she stumbled backward. She thought to scream but it caught in her throat.
Agent Alec Connor stood in the doorframe. She stepped back and he entered the room.
She kept backing away, until the backs of her knees hit the bed and she fell into a seated position. Alec put out a hand and she popped back up, not wanting to be on the bed. That felt wrong, made her too vulnerable.
“Hey, I’m sorry about all this.” He grinned, which made him look boyish and less threatening. “There’s not much I can do about protocol, so here we are.”
“Where’s Shawn? I want to see him.”
Alec’s face took on a sad expression. “I’m sorry. That’s not possible right now.”
“Protocol?” Rayna said with a sneer.
“Yes, but why don’t we make the best of it for the time being? I can order whatever you want for dinner. And, here, look.” He stepped over to the closed hutch and opened the doors to reveal a television. “The TV works. It has a built-in VCR too.”
Rayna stared at him aghast. “How long am I going to be here?”
“Any movie you want to see, I can get for you. Even some that are still in theaters.” He chuckled as he searched inside the hutch. “One of the perks of the job.”
“You didn’t answer my question.” Her voice rose in pitch. She was losing it, about to panic, and took a deep breath to try and stave hysteria off.
“Ah, here it is.” He picked something up and turned to her. “I knew there was a remote for the TV. So, you won’t have to get up to—”
“How long am I going to be held here!”
Alec’s smile disappeared. With deliberate movements, he returned the remote to where he’d found it and leaned a shoulder up against the corner of the hutch. He regarded Rayna with calm, almost colorless gray eyes.
Rayna found nothing threatening or angry in his demeanor, but Shawn had warned her not to trust this man. That whatever he might say could be a lie, part of the spy game. And, Shawn had said Alec was a damned good spy.
“I...um…” She faltered, not liking the silence.
“I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, Rayna. You’re not being held here.” He motioned to the door. “You can leave any time you want.”
“What?” Rayna blinked at him, stunned.
Alec nodded and lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Just say the word and you’re out of here. Although, I had hoped to get to know you a little better before you left.”
“But the door was locked.” Confusion clouded her brain. She didn’t know what to do with her hands, so she put them on her hips. That didn’t feel right, so she clasped them in front of her and stood there awkwardly.
“Of course. You need to be escorted out of the building so you don’t stumble into any off-limits areas.” He shoved away from the hutch and put his hand on the doorknob, turning it. “It’s not locked now. Are you saying you want to leave, Rayna?”
She made a frustrated sound in her throat and brought her hands up to her head. Held them there like her head might explode if she didn’t hold on to it. Don’t trust him, Shawn had said.
A thought struck her, and she lowered her arms, placing one hand on her hip and pointing at him. “What’s the catch?”
A small smile touched Alec’s lips but he otherwise remained serious. “It’s not really a catch. If you leave now, you can’t come back. Staying here while I work with Shawn to decide what happens next is a one-time offer. Although, I should remind you that you did agree to cooperate throughout this process.”
“Oh.” She stood there for a minute like an idiot with her index finger jutting out at him, as her thoughts raced. It was a catch, had to be a catch.
She wished with desperate need she could talk to Shawn. He’d know what to do, how to handle this. She was far out of her element, like a fish out of water. Which was probably how Shawn felt most of the time. Laughter bubbled up in her throat, but she didn’t let it escape, fearing she would sound too crazed.
“Hey, Rayna, what’s your favorite food? Are you hungry? We have a great on-staff chef here who can prepare almost anything.” Keeping his eye on her, Alec moved away from the door and took a seat at a small writing table.
“Is that where people sign their confessions?” She nodded to the table.
“After a guy like me beats them almost to death?” He shook his head, looking like a charming young man again. “You’ve seen too many movies. If you must know, this room and a few more like it are where agents, like myself, get a chance to rest up after long assignments.”
Rayna sat down on the edge of the foot of the bed, ready to jump up if Alec stood or moved closer. “Agents? Like you? So, you’re what? An American James Bond?”
He shrugged, titling his head. “Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment although I’m not anywhere near as suave as Mr. Bond.”
She made a tsking sound of annoyance. She hadn’t meant it as a compliment but didn’t dare say so. “But I am a prisoner here. If I leave, I can’t come back. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“No, you haven’t.” He spoke in a soothing, gentle tone. “You’re not a prisoner. You can leave if you want to, as I’ve explained. However, if you’re saying you want to go out and come back, I can arrange that for you too. Would you like to have dinner out? Or see a movie? Maybe a show on Broadway? Just say the word. The only catch is that I’ll accompany you.”
“So, I can’t go alone. I can’t come and go as I please.” She worried what she’d gotten herself into. She’d only thought about how this could help Shawn, and not what it might do to her. Would she never become a nurse? Worse, would she never regain true freedom? “You’re full of fancy semantics, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, maybe it seems that way to you. I’m just trying to ease you into all of this. I imagine dealing with clandestine government agencies is new to you. This is a new world you’ve placed yourself in. We don’t play by the same rules you’re used to.” He sighed and spread out his hands. “Look, it’s part of my job to get to know you. And, I do honestly want to make your time here as pleasant as possible.”
“Why?”
“Because you strike me as a nice person.”
“No, I mean, why is it your job to get to know me?”
“Ah, because you’re the reason Shawn Paros is here.” He regarded her with kind commiserate eyes that she didn’t trust.
She nodded her understanding. The reasoning sounded so simple when Alec put it that way. She felt herself starting to like him and battled with herself, remembering that Shawn had warned her about him.
“I need to ask you something, Rayna. Knowing who and what Shawn is, it weighs on me, conce
rns me a great deal.” He leaned forward, balancing his forearms on his knees, worry etched into crevices in his forehead. “Has Shawn forced or coerced you into doing or saying anything? Know that this is a safe space, Rayna. If that’s the case, I can protect you. You’ll have the power of the United States government behind you.”
She shook her head emphatically, but Alec pressed on.
“Shawn can be charming, and plays a hell of a good game. No one would blame you, especially not me. I’m only concerned with your well-being, your safety.” He used the same tone as before, so gentle it was almost hypnotic. “Maybe he told you things that persuaded you to believe what you wouldn’t otherwise. Perhaps, he’s convinced you that he’s been doing the right thing all along. That the people he kills deserve death. That they’re sanctioned. Righteous. Have you been with him long? You can talk to me.”
She stared at him for a beat then laughed, the sound so unexpected that Alec startled.
“You’re asking if he brainwashed me?” She laughed harder, bringing her hands up to her mouth. “No, that’s crazy. Just...crazy.”
Alec sat back, a slow smile forming on his face. “If you had been, how would you know for sure?”
Still laughing, she pulled her hands back to speak. “Then why ask me at all?”
He half shrugged, his demeanor changing. His voice no longer hypnotic, but normal. Like a regular person having a conversation. “To put the concept in your head so you could think about it. I’ve dealt with his kind before.”
At that, she sobered. “You don’t know him at all.”
He chuckled. “That’s what he said to me too. And, you do? Know him? Really know him?”
“Yes.” She spoke without hesitation. She did know Shawn. All, or at least many, of his secrets and what made him tick. She’d studied Shawn, his habits, his career long before she met him. And, now that she had, what they shared was special. Insane, unbelievable. She knew a lot of things about him except how this was going to end. “He did not brainwash me. I know it. I know him.”
Alec nodded, keeping the pleasant smile on his face. “Okay, so tell me about him.”
Oh, Alec was a very tricky man. Shawn’s warning had not been in vain. She was not going to fall for Alec Connor’s mind games.
She stood in a quick, determined motion. “I want to see Shawn. Now.”
Alec sighed, and Rayna thought his display might be genuine. Either that or he was a better actor than she’d given him credit for. “You can’t. It’s out of my hands.”
“But—”
“How about if I try to get you in to see him tomorrow?” He held out his hands in a placating gesture. “But I’m afraid today is out of the question.”
Small pinpricks of heat rose in Rayna’s cheeks, anger curling her hands into impotent fists at her sides. “And then tomorrow you’ll say the same thing, won’t you? It’s out of the question.”
“Look, I feel for you. I’m not without empathy. You’re out of your element, don’t understand what’s going on. Even though this was all your idea.” He said the last part slowly, hammering the point home so hard she thought her head might split open. He rose from the chair and moved back to the door. “Clandestine agencies tend to work on a quid pro quo basis. Part of my assignment is to get to know you. To understand this...unusual situation from your standpoint. You haven’t been making that too easy.”
He opened the door and offered a kind smile to Rayna. “I’m sure Shawn told you not to trust me, but I’m one of the good guys. Remember that. You brought him here. To us, to me. Knock on the door to let us know what you’d like for lunch or if you want to talk. Someone will answer this time, I promise.”
He started out the door.
“Wait.”
He turned back to her. “Yes?”
“You already know a lot about me, don’t you? I mean…”
“Yes, of course, I do. Your entire life is in a neat eight-by-ten manilla folder. That’s nothing to be afraid of. We had to know if you were Shawn’s partner, you understand.”
“Partner in crime, you mean.” She spoke in a whisper, unable to make her voice work better. She’d often found that when someone said not to be afraid, that was the exact time to be terrified.
“Right, but nothing like that showed up in your history.” He took a casual stance, leaning against the open door. “But, like I said, it’s my job to add to that file. We need to develop the best possible picture of this situation in order to make the right decisions. I hope you didn’t think this would be easy. That Shawn would walk in and we’d happily give him a job?”
Rayna shook her head, chewing on her lower lip. She didn’t know what she thought anymore. “Cobb salad.”
She’d caught Alec off guard. “What?”
“For lunch. I’d like a Cobb salad.” She emphasized each word with newfound determination. “Join me if you like.”
Alec tipped an imaginary hat at her and left.
He came back a while later with a room service cart laden with plates covered in stainless steel lids, silverware, and linen napkins. He grinned as Rayna stood from the bed and turned off the TV with a click of the remote. “Ready for lunch?”
“Yes, I guess so. There’s no clock. I don’t know what time it is.”
She approached the table and Alec held up a finger, signaling her to wait a minute. He stuck his head out the door and murmured something she couldn’t make out to someone in the hall before returning to the cart. He pulled up the sides to make it a round table and brought over a couple of chairs from the writing table on the other side of the room.
Motioning to one of the chairs, he waited until she sat down before sitting in the other. “We have a feast. I hope you don’t mind. When I told the chef you only wanted a Cobb salad, he said that wasn’t enough.”
Rayna sat in stunned silence, her eyes moving from plate to plate, and back to Alec. She chewed on her lower lip, making no effort to pick up a napkin or untie the silverware from its twine bow.
Lifting the lids one by one, he breathed in the mouthwatering aromas. “Chef makes a mean bacon cheeseburger. You’re going to be sorry you have a salad.”
A knock on the door interrupted them. Alec opened it and bent to pick something up, returning with a small brown paper bag.
“For you.” He smiled and placed it into Rayna’s hands.
Opening the bag, she peered inside, her eyes widening. Reaching her hand in, she pulled out a small black rectangular clock radio. “I...um…”
“It has an alarm and it’s digital.” He beamed at her like he’d made it in shop class.
Tears pricked the backs of Rayna’s eyes. She didn’t quite understand the reason for her emotional reaction but, at the same time, she didn’t want to be that girl. The one who was always crying over everything and nothing at all. She abruptly stood and took the clock to the bedside table and plugged it in. It flashed 12:00 in red numerals.
To her back Alec said in a quiet voice, “I’m one of the good guys, okay?”
Still not facing him, she said, “I’m beginning to see that,” while in her head she heard Shawn’s voice over and over saying Don’t trust him. “What time is it? So I can set the clock?”
“It’s 12:17.”
She pressed the sequence of buttons to set the time, taking a moment to gather her wits. When the time was set and she felt she was no longer about to break into hysterical tears, she returned to the table.
Alec had already started eating but put down his burger and half rose as she sat, contrition on his face. “Sorry about not waiting.”
She waved it off. “It’s okay.”
Picking up her fork, she moved a piece of lettuce around on her plate.
“Chef didn’t know what dressing you’d want, so there are a few choices.” Alec pointed to three small containers. “He also insisted on dessert. Strawberries, chocolate cake, and apple pie. Your choice.”
Rayna surprised herself by smiling. “This is all so weird.”
Heat rose in her cheeks and she focused on her salad.
“Yeah, I guess.” He took a bite of his burger and chewed thoughtfully. “So, you grew up on Long Island? Did you go to college?”
“Yes, born and raised.” She examined the dressing containers, picked one labeled French dressing, and poured the contents over the salad. “I went to nursing school.”
“Oh? What school?” He picked up a bottle of Perrier, indicating that she had one too.
“Briarcliffe.”
He took a sip of water, and then nodded. “I hear that’s a good one. It’s in…?”
“Huntington. But you already know all this about me.” She laughed self-consciously. “This has got to be the weirdest conversation I’ve ever had.”
“Let’s pretend I don’t. It’s kinda creepy otherwise.” His dimples showed, and Rayna admitted to herself that Alec was an attractive man. This so-called good guy. “Besides, I’d rather hear about you from you. It’s not weird. I’m ahh...enjoying your company.”
And, she was enjoying his. Not that she’d tell him, not yet anyway. She still had to make sure that he wasn’t just buttering her up, playing mind games so she’d speak more freely.
By the end of the two-hour lunch, they were chatting like old friends. Although, ninety percent of the conversation revolved around her, as was to be expected she supposed.
Meal finished, including two bottles of Perrier, she dared not look at Alec as another blush exploded on her face. “This is, um, embarrassing.”
His hand hovered above the dirty dishes that he’d been piling on top of each other. “What is? I think by now you know you can tell me anything.”
“Yeah, well. This is still embarrassing.” She went silent as he resumed cleaning up, silverware clinking and clattering. Into the small cacophony, she said, “I need to go to the bathroom.”