Revealed

by Zoe Allison

  Vic ran a hand through her damp hair and opened the bedroom door. She then became aware of the sound of his voice. The noise of his kitchen-based tasks had fallen silent, and he was speaking to someone. She hesitated, not wanting to interrupt him if he was on the phone. Then she heard him say her name and she tuned in to his words.

  “Yes, she’s here now,” he said. “In the shower.”

  A pause. “No, nothing happened between us.”

  She frowned.

  “I told you before that I do not think of her in that way. We are just friends.”

  Nausea washed over her, and a sharp pain stabbed at her heart. She tried to stop listening because it was clearly supposed to be a private conversation. But she couldn’t help herself. Was he speaking to Priyanka? Trying to convince her that he only had feelings for her, and not for Vic?

  “Okay, listen. I will speak to you about it later, but my feelings on the matter will be the same. I am not interested in a romantic relationship with Victoria.”

  Vic let out a big breath. She had heard enough. She opened the bedroom door and padded into the living area to pick up her jacket and shoes from where she had deposited them the night before, pulling them on.

  “Morning,” Vale called from the kitchen area, but she didn’t answer. Trying not to make eye contact with him, she walked into the kitchen, toward the door.

  He caught her arm gently. “Hey,” he said, “where are you going?”

  She looked into his eyes and instantly regretted it. His beautiful, soft caramel gaze penetrated her soul and his handsome face appeared concerned. If it weren’t for his own voice betraying his real opinion a few moments earlier, she would have sworn that he had some feelings toward her.

  She cleared her throat, trying to drag her gaze from him but unable. “I’m going home.”

  He frowned. “I thought you might want to stay for breakfast? We could talk some more.”

  She glanced away. “I don’t think there’s anything left to say.”

  His frown deepened, confusion flashing in his eyes. He clearly hadn’t realized that she had heard what he said to Priyanka. He must have been planning on letting her down gently, over breakfast.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  Vic broke their contact and went to the door, opening it and moving out into the hallway. She turned her head slightly over her shoulder, without making eye contact. “Don’t worry, Vale. I’ll save you the trouble of telling me how you really feel.”

  Blinking back tears, she shut the door behind her and got into the elevator to make her way out of the building and home.

  * * * *

  Vic collapsed in a heap onto her sofa. How could she have been so stupid? She should have known better than to let her emotions run away with her. Valentino had given no indication that he thought of her in a romantic way up until the previous day, and sometimes she thought that he might not even like her as a friend anymore. She should have realized that whatever had happened the previous night wasn’t real, just another weird spur of the moment thing borne out of the pressure that they were under in their roles at The Organization. She pursed her lips and blew out slowly, berating herself for being so dense.

  It had only been a release for him. They had been discussing his tension and his need to let go, then she had gone and made a move on him. Of course, he would have ended up going along with it, but for him it was just a way to let off steam and there weren’t any feelings involved. And after hearing the way he’d spoken about her on the phone to Priyanka, it was clear that not even that purely physical aspect of their relationship would be continuing.

  Vic kicked off her shoes, not bothering to note where they landed, and sank further into the sofa. It wasn’t as if it was a new phenomenon. Casual hook-ups did occur between agents in their line of work and she was sure it did with humans in high-pressure roles as well. It just wasn’t her style and certainly not with someone she might be developing deeper feelings for. She groaned and rubbed her face. What a fool I am.

  Vic started to think about Vale’s role in it and her resentment sparked. Everything aside—including the fact that she had been in the wrong to instigate something between them when her feelings for him ran deeper than his did for her—his being in a relationship with Priyanka meant that he shouldn’t have come anywhere near Vic, or anyone else for that matter. It had been him who had kissed her in his office the previous day. It was a crappy, unfair thing for him to do and she felt betrayed by it, even more so because it was against his usual nature. She’d had him on a pedestal of the highest moral integrity, and now he had come crashing down and it pained her.

  Vic sat forward. There was only one way out. The mission needed to be concluded. She had to get the job done, catch Harvey and put the demons of the past behind her. Then she could leave The Organization and get away from Valentino forever.

  She had to figure out how. What should be her next step? She’d have to take it alone, of course. She couldn’t be around Vale right now. Vic glanced up at the view over London, trying to fathom how to anticipate what Harvey would do next. That had always been an impossible task at the best of times. She needed someone with knowledge of him, someone who had worked with him. If only they knew who the mole was, they could have questioned him or her.

  An answer came to her, and the thought of it made her groan. There was someone else, but the idea of going there again wasn’t something that she relished.

  Vic’s phone started ringing and she realized it was Priyanka. She stiffened and for a moment considered not answering, but then decided that was a foolish idea. She picked it up.

  “Morning, Vic. How’s the shoulder?”

  “Fine, thanks.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. Just checking in to see how you are. If you’re not up to it, you don’t need to come in today.”

  Vic frowned. It must be some sort of sympathy move, Priyanka trying to make amends for winning the man. Victoria had no right to resent Priyanka. After all, Vale’s relationship with her predated her own. However, her emotions were anything but rational. “That’s okay,” she told Priyanka. “I don’t need any special treatment.”

  There was a pause. “Okay…no problem.”

  “Have you heard from Gareth?” Vic asked, aware her tone was clipped but unable to control herself.

  Priyanka sighed. “No, unfortunately not. It’s starting to vex me, to be honest.”

  “You should ask whether Vale has heard from him,” Vic told her.

  “I’ve already spoken to Vale,” Priyanka replied.

  Vic let out a small laugh. “Of course you have.”

  “Pardon?” Priyanka said.

  “Never mind,” Vic told her. “I’m going to check something out, then I’ll be in later.”

  “Oh. Okay,” Priyanka said. “Well, I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

  “Thanks,” Vic replied, and hung up.

  Afterward, she started to feel a bit guilty. Jealous behavior was not her style. Valentino’s breach of trust was bringing out the worst in her. Her train of thought shifted back to where it had been prior to the call from Priyanka, and she resolved on her course of action.

  She lifted her phone again and now registered three missed calls from Vale. Steeling herself, she called his number. He answered immediately.

  “Vic, I am glad you called. We really need to talk.”

  “I’m not phoning to speak about us. I need a favor.”

  He was silent for a moment. “What favor?”

  “I need you to get me access to visit Angelique,” she told him.

  “Angelique?” he said. “Why?”

  “There’s some stuff I want to ask her.”

  “Okay…I will accompany you then.”

  “No,” she told him. “I want to go alone.”

  He took a deep breath. “You mean you want to go alone, or you do not want to go with me?”

  “Both.”

  There was silence again. “I do not under
stand what is going on.”

  She sighed. “Yeah, you do. I don’t like being used, Vale. Sorting this for me is the least you can do after that.”

  He didn’t say anything.

  “Well?” she said. “What’s the verdict? Can you do it or not?”

  He sighed. “Yes.” His voice was quiet. “Consider it done.”

  “Thanks,” she said and ended the call.

  Vic sent a message to organize her transport then changed her clothes and grabbed a couple of belongings. She headed out of her flat and down to the apartment block exit. Scanning the street, she spotted the motorbike waiting for her. Traveling by bike was very much suiting her nowadays.

  She placed the helmet onto her head and climbed on. Revving the engine, she then roared off along the street, following the path she had memorized from her previous trip with Valentino.

  As the built-up city faded away to countryside, Vic found her inner turmoil rising to the surface. She had to get the mission done, and the need was even greater than before. In addition to righting the wrongs of the past and saving everyone’s future, she now had to create a path to escape her feelings for Valentino. Twisting the accelerator, she rode faster and harder toward her destination.

  Soon the large prison building appeared over the horizon and Vic closed the distance to its gates within minutes. Skidding to a halt, she lifted her thumb to the panel on the gate side. “You’d better have come through for me, Vale,” she muttered.

  The gate opened, but her momentary relief was immediately quashed by dread at the thought of having to speak to the vile woman contained within the building. She rode up to the entrance, got off the bike and decided to keep her helmet on. It was probably best if no one except Vale knew she had been there.

  The guards waved her into the building, and she strode along the corridor to the elevator, trying to pretend that she was as confident as she appeared.

  It traveled down the floors, opening to the familiar long corridor with the door to Angelique’s prison viewing gallery at the end. Vic pressed her thumb to the panel and the door opened. She moved slowly over to the window, not quite trusting the fact that Angelique couldn’t see or hear her yet.

  She peered into the room. Angelique was sitting at her desk, writing something in a notepad. “What the hell is she writing, her memoirs?” Vic whispered. Why am I whispering? She shook her head and went over to the panel that controlled two-way conversation between the gallery and Angelique’s cell. Studying the controls, she tried to remember the settings that Vale had inputted. She pressed a few buttons and waited.

  “Who is that?” Angelique asked.

  Vic walked over to the glass.

  Angelique was gazing up at the window. “Who are you?”

  Vic remembered her helmet and reluctantly pulled it off.

  Angelique smiled. “Well! What a pleasant surprise. What brings my newest friend back to visit?”

  Vic leaned against the glass. “I’m sure you can guess, Angelique.”

  “Yes,” she said, “I probably can. After some more tidbits of information, are we? You’ve realized now what Harvey’s name is and probably encountered his mole. But you are no further on than that.”

  Vic shuddered. She hated how accurate Angelique was, and how she was clearly playing games with them.

  “How come Valentino isn’t with you? Usually he’s my only visitor.”

  “He’s busy,” Vic said.

  Angelique sighed. “Yes, he’s a very busy man, isn’t he? Mr. X’s golden boy. That always did get on my nerves, him having lots of special privileges. I’ll bet he even knows who Mr. X is, despite that information being meant only for his deputy.” She shook her head. “One rule for one, another for another. That’s The Organization all over—an organization of hypocrites.” Angelique looked at Vic again. “You should follow my lead and get out while you can.”

  “Why did you get out?” Vic asked her.

  Angelique frowned. “I would have thought that was perfectly obvious. I freed Harvey and escaped. The timing was right.”

  Vic watched her through the glass. “How come you ended up without him? After going to all the trouble to free him, he abandoned you, didn’t he?” He was always good at that.

  Angelique’s expression darkened. “That is of no consequence. My only objective was his freedom, so that he could continue his work. I wanted him to succeed in his mission against The Organization and against humanity.”

  Vic raised her eyebrows. “Mm-hmm.”

  Angelique glared at her. “Baiting me won’t help your cause.”

  Vic shrugged. “Maybe not. But it is true.”

  Angelique rolled her eyes. “Well, soon after that, I found his brother Charles and joined his cause instead. And the only reason that failed was due to that little Impervious bitch—not golden boy Valentino and not Mr. X.” Angelique shook her head, appearing as if she had momentarily forgotten that Vic was there. “I don’t even know why Priyanka was chosen as deputy. Valentino was the front runner for the job and it’s clear that he holds all the cards anyway, despite not having the title.”

  Vic ignored Angelique’s attempts to change the subject. “Speaking of Amber, you do realize that she has the power to destroy you if you don’t comply with our requests?”

  Angelique laughed. “They wouldn’t do that to me. Too much of a goody-goody outfit.”

  Vic shrugged. “One rule for one, one rule for another, remember? Nobody even knows you’re here.”

  Angelique’s face fell. “Of course they do. Valentino knows and Mr. X…and you.”

  “Yep,” Vic said. “And that’s pretty much everyone. If you turn out to be useless, we can very easily send Amber in here. I’m sure that when she sees you, her instincts will take right over—what with you trying to murder her boyfriend and ethnically cleanse her entire race.”

  Angelique turned away, but Vic spotted fear in her eyes before she did so. Angelique fiddled with the pages in her diary. “I’ve cooperated so far. I gave you Harvey’s name.”

  “Disguised in a riddle.”

  “Nonetheless, you have his name.”

  “What about the name of the mole?”

  Angelique seemed anxious. She turned to Vic again. “I don’t know the name of the mole—only that there is one.”

  Vic narrowed her eyes and examined Angelique’s face. Something told her it was the truth. “What’s his master plan?”

  Angelique laughed, but there was a nervous edge to the sound. “To take over the world, of course! Isn’t that every master criminal’s plan?”

  “But how?”

  Angelique hesitated. She cleared her throat and took a drink of water from a glass on her desk.

  “Fine,” Vic said. “I’m done here. And once Amber arrives, so are you.” She moved to the control panel and adjusted the sound and vision so it wasn’t within Angelique’s perception anymore.

  “Wait!” Angelique called.

  Victoria did wait, silently, in the gallery for another minute.

  “Victoria! Don’t go!”

  Vic turned the perception filter back on and returned to the window.

  Angelique was staring at the glass, a wild appearance to her expression. “He’s amassing an army.”

  Vic rolled her eyes. “That old chestnut. Glassmarsh did that one already.”

  Angelique shook her head. “This is different. He was working on something, back when we captured him. A way to enhance our powers.”

  Vic frowned. “By kidnapping and killing humans? Not exactly a new project for you lot.”

  Angelique rolled her eyes. “You don’t understand. It wasn’t meaningless maulings. It was mass drainage of a large number within a short time period.”

  Vic stayed still. That was a familiar scenario. “What was the outcome of it? What special powers does it give them?”

  Angelique glanced away. “I don’t know. We parted company before I could find out.”

  Vic raised her eyebrows.
“Parted company?”

  Angelique snapped her gaze back up. “Fine. He abandoned me without telling me any more. Satisfied?”

  Vic smiled. “Anything else you can tell me?”

  Angelique shook her head. “I don’t know anything else, except that he’s coming for you all.”

  “Thanks, Angelique.” She headed back to the control panel and turned the perception filter back off.

  Vic made her way out of the gallery.

  “Thank you for the visit,” Angelique called from the cell. “Please do come again—and tell Valentino that his new henchwoman is very effective.”

  Vic rolled her eyes as she moved along the corridor toward the gallery door.

  “Not surprising really, knowing your background.”

  Vic froze.

  “Oh yes, I know who you are. And perhaps I can tell Valentino the next time he visits.”

  Vic lifted her helmet and shoved it back onto her head, practically punching the door panel in an effort to enter her thumbprint. The sound of Angelique’s laughter rang out for a split second before the door closed, silencing her.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Vic strode to the elevator and up to the ground floor before hurrying as fast as she could without breaking into a run, out of the building and onto her bike. She skidded along the driveway and through the gate.