by Zoe Allison
Amber stared at him for a few seconds. “Maybe that’s a question you need to ask yourself, not me, because clearly you’re rattled by it.”
Vale didn’t have the energy to argue. “I heard the two of them on the audio from the mission.”
She frowned. “Heard them doing what?”
He took a deep breath. “The recording was of a romantic nature.”
“Oh, okay.” Amber studied him. “And how did you feel about that?”
He met her gaze. “Fine. It is none of my concern.”
She sighed. “You taught me to be true to my emotions when I was trying to hide from my feelings for Hayden. I’d like to repay the favor.”
Vale rubbed his forehead. “This is entirely different.”
“Is it?”
They looked at each other.
Vale cleared his throat. “The mission will hopefully conclude soon, then I can move on.”
“Move on with her…or without?”
He hesitated for a second. “Without.”
“There’s nothing stopping you if you do want to be with her, you know.”
He shook his head. Of course, there was. The leader of The Organization couldn’t be in a relationship with one of his operatives. It was a conflict of interest. And anyway, he didn’t have the personal resources for being involved with someone. He had too much to do, too much responsibility. But he couldn’t tell his sister any of that. It wasn’t as if Vic showed any interest in him either—and now she was involved with someone else.
He sipped at his drink, his mouth dry. “I’ll tell you more about the mission once we have some additional information,” he said, trying to change the subject.
“Okay,” Amber said, clearly aware that he wanted to end the discussion “Call me anytime.”
“Thank you,” he said.
She smiled. “Night.”
Vale hung up and downed the rest of his drink. He decided to call it a day, not wanting to be alone with his thoughts any longer. He strode to the bedroom, keen to be in bed and asleep as soon as possible. He stripped off his clothes and uncharacteristically left them on a chair rather than folding them and putting them away.
A few minutes later he was lying in bed, trying to shut off his mind. What was wrong with him? Quieting his thoughts had always come so easily to him, but tonight there was a maelstrom swirling in his brain. He took a deep breath, trying to understand it. Whatever went on between Victoria and Gareth was nothing to do with him. Sure, he was their boss, albeit unbeknownst to them. However, they were independent adults and could make their own choices. Was it his responsibilities that were weighing on him? It had never felt like a problem in the past, but that was before he had started repetitively dreaming about the day he’d taken on the role of Mr. X. Perhaps that was it. He was jealous that other people in The Organization could please themselves to an extent whereas he couldn’t, not with his duties on his shoulders. He shut his eyes. That must be it.
Eventually he settled into an uneasy sleep and found himself on that same corridor again, entering the room to speak to the shadowy figure of the previous Mr. X.
As he sank more deeply into slumber, the familiar images of people came into his mind, except this time they were joined by a faceless man.
Chapter Seven
Victoria walked into her flat and flopped onto a chair. She sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted. The flight home had been fine, and Gareth had been great company as usual, even if he had continued to behave a little cryptically. When they had said goodbye, she’d told him she’d see him at HQ to debrief with Vale and Priyanka, and he had replied with some strange comment about hoping Vale wasn’t too stressed. Vale never got stressed.
So why did she feel so exhausted? Her emotions had been threatening to overcome her multiple times of late and that was probably why she was tired, but she didn’t have the heart to analyze the drive behind those emotions.
Just then, her phone started ringing. It was a video call from Amber.
Vic answered, smiling. “Hey, snail’s pace.” She liked to tease Amber about being slower than the vampires on the team.
Amber laughed and raised her eyebrow. “Watch it, Blondie.”
Vic grinned. “Great to hear from you, mate. How’re things?”
“Really good,” Amber said. “We’ve been touring around a bit. It’s gorgeous and really peaceful.”
Vic sighed. “Sounds awesome.”
“You okay?” Amber asked. “I thought your mission would’ve been done by now, and Vale refuses to tell us anything about it.”
“He does?” Vic asked, frowning. “How come?”
“He doesn’t want us to worry that it’s getting complicated,” Amber said. “I think he’s concerned that we might come home to help if we knew the extent of it.”
“Well, if that’s the case,” Vic said, “you won’t get anything out of me either.” She smiled. “So don’t get any ideas, if that’s why you’ve called.”
Amber smiled back. “You got me. Anyway, Vale said you’d been back to Berlin? Don’t worry… I won’t ask for details about why.”
“Yeah,” Vic said. “Bond and I went to do some interviewing.”
Amber leaned back. “Vale said you’d gone with Gareth.”
“He did?” Vic raised her eyebrows. Why was that the sole detail he had divulged to Amber?
“Did he live up to his rep?” Amber asked.
Vic laughed. “Weirdly, yes, in that he requested to add me to his list of adoring women. I said ‘no’ though. He’s not my type.”
Amber smiled. “Nor mine. Though I think we’re the only two who think that way.”
“We should make our own club,” Vic said. “The ‘neither shaken nor stirred’ club.”
Amber laughed. “Why did you say weirdly? I don’t think there’s anything weird in him trying his luck with an attractive blonde.”
Vic smiled. “Because we’ve actually been friends for a while, and I’d been pretty sure up until now that our relationship was purely platonic.”
Amber shrugged. “Maybe he changed his mind?”
Vic shook her head. “He didn’t seem bothered when I knocked him back. It was as if it were a token gesture.” She checked her watch. “Listen,” Vic continued. “I’d better head out because I need to get ready to go in. But as soon as Vale is comfortable, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know about the mission.”
“Thank you,” Amber said. “And could you do me a favor?”
“Course, anything.”
“Can you keep an eye on Vale? Make sure he’s okay? I’m a little worried about him.”
Vic frowned, her heart rate picking up. She hated to think of there being anything wrong with Vale. “You are? Why?”
Amber paused. “He’s just not himself. Distracted. I can’t put my finger on it exactly.”
Vic mulled that over. She’d noticed it too but had assumed it was to do with her presence bothering him, that he’d realized how she felt about him and was uncomfortable with it. But why would that make him act strangely with his sister as well? “I’ll keep an eye on him,” she told Amber, “but I’m probably not the best person for the job. I feel like he’s distancing himself from me.” Maybe she shouldn’t have said that. She didn’t want Amber guessing that she had feelings for her brother.
“I think he’s distancing from us all, for some reason,” Amber said. “Anyway, thanks for the chat. Hopefully I’ll see you before too long.”
Vic signed off the call then set about unpacking and getting organized to go into HQ. Why would Vale tell Amber that she had gone to Berlin specifically with Gareth, when he had refused to tell her anything else about the mission? It must be a sign that he thought of it as a very unimportant detail, one that he didn’t mind giving away because it was of no consequence.
She grabbed her bag and exited the apartment.
During the walk to HQ, a nervous anticipation overcame her. She would see Vale again face to face. Seeing him al
ways made her excited, but this time she was anxious, because on the previous occasion she’d been in his presence, he had clearly been reluctant to be paired with her for the second Berlin trip. It would be mortifying if he’d figured out the extent of her feelings for him.
Vic arrived and made her way up to the usual meeting room. Vale and Priyanka would both be there early because that was their way, another respect in which they went together well.
She knocked the door and entered. Sure enough, they were both sitting there, but no Gareth. She got the feeling that they’d been having a clandestine conversation right before she’d arrived.
Vic made her way past Vale to sit next to Priyanka. He seemed to be avoiding making eye contact with her as much as she was with him.
Priyanka smiled. “How was the flight?”
Vic smiled back. “Fine, thanks.”
Priyanka brought up the relevant information on the virtual screen. “Gareth will be here in a moment, and Lorenzo and Catarina are also meeting us.”
“Cool,” Vic said.
There was a brief silence that Vic found a little awkward, then there was a knock on the door followed by Gareth’s presence. He strode into the room, past both Vale and Priyanka and pulled up a chair next to Vic. He leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Lovely to see you again after so long, Victoria.” He nodded at Vale then Priyanka, his gaze lingering a little longer on Priyanka than it had on Vale.
Vic laughed. “You’re so weird.”
Gareth grinned at her. At that point, Vic stole a glance at Vale. He was concentrating on the screen in front of him, a stony expression on his normally placid face. Obviously not in the mood for any jokes.
“So,” Priyanka began. She cleared her throat, seeming slightly flustered. “We’ve had a chance to check through the recording and images of your visit. Thank you for gathering it all.” She brought up the transcripts of the conversation at the Webers’ and also images of the family photos.
Vic leaned forward. “The photos of Erik bear no facial resemblance to the cadaver Vale and I saw in Berlin.” Even saying Vale’s name felt odd now.
“However,” Priyanka said, “you thought that the birthmark on Erik’s torso matched the one on the body.”
Vic nodded, as did Vale, simultaneously. They made eye contact briefly then looked away again.
“Therefore, the question is,” continued Priyanka, “is that a coincidence or not?”
Just then the door opened and Lorenzo entered, followed by Catarina. Lorenzo smiled at the group and, unlike the previous two entrants, took a seat next to Vale. “Sorry to interrupt,” he said. “Please continue.” Catarina sat next to Lorenzo, the usual solemn expression on her face.
“I have the results of our own DNA analysis,” Priyanka said. “As you know, the test run by the Berlin authorities concluded there was a match and that the body was Erik’s.”
Vic leaned in farther and noticed Vale mirroring her.
Priyanka brought up a file on the virtual screen. “Our report contradicts the Berlin one. It says that there isn’t a match. The body isn’t Erik but an unknown person.”
Vic sat back again, mulling that over. It made sense, but then again it didn’t.
Vale shook his head. “In that case, how can we explain the fact that Erik is still missing? And who is the body?”
Gareth clicked his pen on and off. “Also, it is rather a coincidence that they have the exact same birthmark.”
Lorenzo placed his elbows onto the table. “I could organize a re-run of our test, just so we can be sure?”
“I think that would be for the best,” Priyanka said, “taking into account that we have two tests with differing results. A third test would help us to conclude the matter.”
Lorenzo typed some details into his phone. “I’ll organize another run and let you all know the outcome ASAP.”
Vic’s mind was fit to burst. What possible explanation could there be? They were no closer to the truth.
Vale rubbed his neck. “It seems we take one step forward and two steps back.”
Vic watched him as he echoed her thought processes.
“Not only have we not gotten to the bottom of this issue,” he continued, “but we still do not know what they might do next.”
There was silence for a moment. Unease grew in the pit of Vic’s stomach. Should she tell them the name? But how could she explain that she knew it without giving herself away?
She glanced up. Vale was watching her, but he didn’t look away when she made eye contact. “What is it?” he asked her.
Her insides turned to ice. She didn’t want him to know what she was worrying about. “Nothing. I just can’t work out what our next move should be.”
His gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, his expression softer than before, but then he shifted his eyes toward Gareth and it hardened again. What’s wrong with him?
Catarina cleared her throat. “I have managed to gain some ground in my investigations of the other sites, however.”
“Good work,” said Priyanka.
“I checked the minutiae of the intelligence from the Glassmarsh sibling’s previous activities,” Catarina said, pushing her glasses up her nose, “from when we were tracking him prior to his capture a decade ago.”
“What did you find?” Vic said.
“I believe there’s evidence that he was linked at some point to all the areas which have been bombed,” said Catarina.
“Of course,” Vale said, leaning forward. “He had been active in Europe in the years prior to his capture.”
Hope flourished in Vic’s heart. “Were there any additional sites mentioned? One that could be his next move?”
Catarina shook her head. “Sadly not. He’s attacked all the places that were referred to.”
Vic rubbed her forehead. “I wish we’d realized before The Shard. We overlooked the attacks because we thought they were a human matter.”
Vale shot her a sympathetic look, and she knew he was thinking the same thing.
Priyanka closed the virtual screen. “I think we should take a recess and come back together tomorrow. Lorenzo, can you hurry through the DNA analysis and results for then?”
“No problem,” Lorenzo said. “I’ll get on it now.” He patted Vale on the shoulder and got up to leave the room.
Vic watched Vale as he rubbed his neck again. Gareth had been correct about him being stressed. The mission was clearly getting to him.
“Okay,” Priyanka said, “you guys should try to get some rest for the remainder of the day and we’ll come at it fresh tomorrow.” She shot Vale a pointed glance. She had no doubt noticed how harassed he seemed. She turned to Catarina. “Let’s study the other European targets and see if there are any links that might give a clue to the next potential attack.” Catarina stood, following Priyanka to the door. Priyanka seemed to briefly make eye contact with Gareth prior to exiting the room.
Vic gathered her belongings into her bag and stood, Gareth following suit. He touched her arm. “I hope we can get a repeat of Berlin soon.”
She stared at him, confused. A repeat of what? Working together on an assignment? She noticed Vale forcefully shoving some items into his knapsack before scraping his chair back across the floor.
“All right there, Valentino?” Gareth asked.
Vale stopped what he was doing and gave Gareth a searing stare. “Yes. I am very well, thank you.” He then stood and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Vic frowned. “What on earth is his problem?”
Gareth smiled. “Jealousy.”
She raised her eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”
He met her gaze. “He’s jealous, because he thinks something went on between us in Berlin.”
She shook her head. “He must be upset because we’re stalling on the mission. Why would he think something went on between us? More to the point, why would he care?”
Gareth sighed. “It’s really very obvious that he’s intere
sted in you, even though you can’t see it yourself.”
Vic hesitated, not knowing what to say. She huffed out a breath and headed for the door. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I may have had something to do with perpetuating his jealousy,” Gareth added.
She paused, her hand on the door handle. She turned to face him. “Go on.”
Gareth shrugged. “Perhaps I accidentally turned the microphone back on in my hotel room, just before I propositioned you.”
Vic frowned. “Why would you do that?”
He came toward her. “I told you that I’m in the habit of giving people a gentle shove in the right direction. Sometimes you don’t realize how much you want something until someone else has it.”
She stared at him. “Vale doesn’t want me.”
“Of course he does. And you want him too.”
Vic tried to deny that, but her mouth had gone dry.
“Look,” Gareth said, opening the door for her. “Just because I’m not currently searching for love, doesn’t mean that I don’t believe in it for others—and maybe one day for myself also.”
Vic met his gaze. “What’s going on with you? You don’t normally go around trying to fix people up. It’s definitely you who’s the enigma.”
He laughed, his dark eyes twinkling. “Takes one to know one.”
Vic stared at him. “You’re seeing someone, aren’t you? That’s why your attempt to proposition me was halfhearted. You didn’t really want me to say yes.”
Gareth pointed at himself in mock disbelief. “Me? A halfhearted proposition? How dare you.”
She narrowed her eyes. “It’s true, isn’t it?”
He continued to smile, but it had faded slightly. He shook his head. “Yes and no. We aren’t seeing each other anymore.”
Vic frowned. “Who was it?”
Gareth glanced at the floor. “I’ll tell you another time.”
She watched him, trying to decide whether to press him for the information. But then she figured it wasn’t really fair when she’d been just as reluctant to tell him about her love life—or lack thereof. “What would you have done if I’d said yes?” she asked.
He met her gaze with a smile. “I knew you wouldn’t. We’ve known each other too long.”