Glazier

by Bri Clark

  But I couldn't put so much pressure on her to remember anything. Not only could it be counterproductive, but it was a subject we rarely talked about, so I wasn't really sure how she'd react.

  Standing outside Abram’s office, the muscles in my jaw spasmed as I clenched and unclenched my teeth. How I detested these little meetings. Since Marie came into my life, it became all the harder to bear working for a sod like him. He would be a formidable foe but not someone I feared. He was a powerful, wealthy and shrewd man, but I did know his one weakness, and it was Glazier.

  He was obsessed with knowing all he could. He funded his obsession by sending me and other “special operatives” on missions gathering intelligence for different governments and powerful groups. Which ones I didn’t know, didn’t want to know. Concealment and secrets were his talent. I was on a strictly need-to-know basis. That is the way I preferred it. They paid him and he did as he pleased. They asked no questions, because he would answer none.

  Clients came to him for the most dangerous intelligence and he always delivered, and they always paid. Or else. Since I was the one who usually did all the delivering, I was well compensated. But money was of no concern to me. Leading Abram on a paper trail, I let him believe that my means were well below what they really were. Abram paid for all my expenses so I hardly ever took anything out therefore I had a buildup over the years.

  As calm as I could possibly get, I entered his office without knocking. He sat at his expensive desk engrossed in his laptop as usual.

  “You wanted to see me, sir?” I asked. He looked up from the screen.

  “Where’s Marie?” That was always his first question. However, since she pinned him in the arena, I sensed a healthy fear when he asked now.

  “Resting in our quarters, sir.”

  “How’s her training going? Still progressing I hope?”

  “Very well sir.”

  “Does she remember anything?” I could hear the covered alarm in his question.

  “No sir, Glazier appears to still be suppressing everything.”

  Abram smiled his egotistical little sneer. His attitude before never bothered me. But now he irritated me beyond words.

  “Is this what you called me down here for, sir?” The sudden juvenile urge to roll my eyes was tempting. He knew all these answers, because I sent weekly reports about Marie. The order was unnecessary, but I followed through, staying awake in our room reporting while she slept.

  Yet another reason why I didn’t deserve the trust she once gave me.

  I did, however, keep certain things about her training to myself. Telling him just enough to have it considered obeyed. A soldier was something I had been my whole life, from a wee lad till well into my manhood, and I was taught from day one…follow orders. But when Marie came into my life, that all went chaotic. The burning need to protect her was much more powerful.

  “I have a task for you two.” I immediately picked up on the edge in Abram's countenance by his squinted gaze and his deep look.

  “What kind?” I probed.

  “It’s a different than any other. It’s not just intelligence gathering. You two are going to have to go undercover to get the intelligence. It's in the possession of a dangerous man. His name is Ahmad Abbass. He is an Egyptian Ambassador. We have done sweeps of all his known properties and businesses through satellite. No one can get inside. It’s going to require yours and Marie’s special talents and resources to find what we are looking for. I know that this is different from what she has done before. The pay is exceptional, I assure you,” he added nonchalantly, as if money was something to me. Of course, he didn't know what I chose to hide, especially when it came to Marie’s safety. “I trust you can keep things under control and that you will be creative enough to get the mission completed.” He was all too confident in me and in himself.

  “Sir, what if something goes wrong?” I asked through gritted teeth leaning down over his desk to look him in the eye.

  “Henry, you can handle this. She is a prop, your beautiful wife. Just think of it as a test. If she can do this, she can do missions that are much more interesting. We could see what she is really capable of.” He had a viscous gleam in his eye and spoke of her like a pimp did of his call girl. The disrespect made me want to launch him across the room.

  On the bright side, it would give me a chance to get her away from this awful base and maybe have a little fun. I wanted to see her smile like she used to. I hadn’t seen her smile in weeks. My main concern was that Marie was no prop. She would be against any insinuation of that, insisting on being an equal participant.

  “What are the specifics?” I asked, anxious to get out of there, missing Marie’s soothing fragrance.

  “You and Marie have ten days. The ambassador is having a special celebration for his family, the one-hundredth male heir, and it will go on for two weeks. He has invited several dignitaries and people of royalty as well as people of questionable job practices. We think it’s a cover up for something else. We aren’t sure what. We just know that the questionable guests range from terrorists, to crime bosses to gunrunners. You and Marie are to go as a married couple from England. The Rathbones.” He handed me a file.

  “Your cover is solid. You will leave in the morning. I know this is short notice, but we didn’t have a choice. You will fly out first for England, then to Egypt.”

  “Is that all, sir?” I asked. Staring at his laptop again, he waived me away.

  My steps came slow and heavy but not from a desire to be away. The desire to be prepared slowed my progress. I needed to cover all possible scenarios in order to protect Marie. I had already read the file twice, having memorized it by the time I got to the room. Marie was lying across her bed asleep. Lately, watching her sleep was not something I enjoyed like I once did. She was always so still and cold...very similar to her blackouts. I could recall two times that I saw her sleeping peacefully, and both times she had been in my arms.

  After the night at the cabin, I couldn’t allow myself to let our relationship get out of hand. She only tried to talk about what happened once or twice. I ignored her. I knew if we talked, I would cave. I was too weak to deny her.

  After the first attempt, I actually ran from her back to the roof where I used to find solace. Only now, it was a pleasantly painful reminder of her. The stars were too similar to the crystals that shined in her eyes. Whenever she would cry in her sleep, I couldn’t stay away.

  She didn’t cry often but when she did, I always ended up with her in my arms. When she settled I would reluctantly pull away. Tonight I took a deep breath, inhaling her fragrance.

  That was the closest I could get until Glazier released her memories.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Marie

  At base preparing to fly

  My shower cries always left me emotionally and physically drained so I had fallen asleep before Henry returned. Next thing I knew, his hands shook me awake.

  “What’s going on?” I asked yawning and stretching as I sat up.

  “We have a job.” His eyes spoke of the urgency and straightened my back.

  “Why such a hurry?”

  He relayed the orders from Abram. For the first time since the cabin I felt something more than numbness.

  “When do we leave?” I asked. He answered as formal as ever.

  “We got about an hour. Equipment and supplies are packed. All we need to bring from here is any special accessories we might want.”

  Going to my closet, I pulled down a couple of black cases that housed my blades and holsters. My equipment for training was different from what I used in the field.

  Putting on a warm sweater and jeans, I was prepared in no time. We were on a private jet bound for England within the hour. Henry explained we would land there and make our way to Egypt, already in cover. Reading up on the characters we would play was a welcome distraction from the uncomfortable silence that took up the majority of my time with Henry now.

  Our cov
er identities were Henry and Marie Rathbone, wealthy English diplomats. We would keep our first names. Knowing Abram or Henry for that matter, these aliases had been concocted well before the need arose. Henry’s cover loved hunting and gambling, perfect considering Abbass, the target, was obsessed with hunting as well. His compound in Egypt was vegetated and populated with animals not usually found in that country, so he could literally hunt in his own back yard. Henry's cover owned several companies and real estate holdings. He loved to travel with his beloved wife, Marie.

  Marie Rathbone wasn’t a socialite like most women at their status of English society. She was American, which I was grateful for. I didn’t have to fake an English accent. Henry already had one so he was safe. She also loved to travel, go to the track, and hunt which was how she met her husband. She was intelligent and had a weakness for horses. Henry and Marie Rathbone were private and reclusive. A fact that would work to our advantage, since merely attending the celebration would mean the ambassador would be paying personal attention to us. There was some information on hunting, gambling, and England I committed to memory, then I set the file down.

  “So seems pretty easy. But why don’t you give me a rundown of what our plan is?” I asked, breaking the silence between us.

  “We basically pretend to be married. We attend the events at the ambassador’s celebration. At night, we will do some spying around the place and see what we can find. We need to get the ambassador to befriend us so he will get comfortable enough to slip up and give us a lead. Abram said at this point that they are fresh out of ideas. They are desperate to retrieve whatever data he has. This is the last shot, and we are the only hope.”

  I was used to hearing that. We were always the last resort. People were either in a hurry or desperate when we were brought in. I found myself taking a long hard look at Henry. He scowled into the file. However, his eyes seemed unfocused as if he wasn’t reading the words, that all too urgent need to comfort him kicked in, forcing the words out my mouth before I had time to stifle them.

  “Henry what’s up with you? Why are you so anxious?”

  “I am worried about you. This is going to be hard, and it will be different. You will be in a totally different environment.” He answered without looking up. Then as soon as he finished, his eyes met mine. He looked as shocked as I was. He had been cold and distant ever since the cabin, so why should he care now? I rolled my eyes and laughed. His eyebrows shot up at my reaction.

  “Henry, don’t worry. I will be fine. I am not helpless.” I said with every ounce of enthusiasm I could. He glared at me. Retreating from his intense gaze, I concentrated on a cloud I didn’t really see. I would usually glare back in defiance, but his expression was livid, and I wouldn’t be able to run to the shower to cry later, so I ignored him. We were quiet the rest of the flight.

  Finally, landing in England found me practically running off the plane. The tension between Henry and me made it hard to focus. I took a deep, cleansing breath when we got off, but to my dismay, it didn’t soothe me. At least not the way the air of his scent did saturated in the closed cabin. I sighed. We immediately boarded another jet. We were now on our way to Egypt as the Rathbones.

  This jet was more luxurious and larger with a walk-in bathroom. We had to look the part, so Henry went in the bathroom and changed. When he emerged, he was stunning, wearing a light blue suit with a white shirt and blue silk tie. Even in this all too human attire, he looked like the heaven’s warrior I cared so deeply about. Nevertheless, he had made it perfectly clear his interest in me now was merely professional. Defeated, I exhaled.

  When will I ever accept this? Henry’s eyebrow arched. I almost ran to the bathroom to prevent him from seeing the traitorous tears threatening to spill out. I considered myself a master of hiding my emotions from him.

  Taking my time, calming myself by deep breathing, I told myself I didn’t want splotchy skin when I met the ambassador. Hanging on the back of the door, I found a dark green dress with straps that secured behind my neck leaving my shoulders exposed. Putting it on, I added a white cardigan, heels and matching dark sunglasses with white frames. Examining myself in the mirror, I felt ridiculous. Buttoning then unbuttoning the cardigan, I finally just left it off. The glasses however were a nice touch…easier to hide behind. When I stepped out of the bathroom, Henry was sitting on one of the couches waiting. I would settle for the Henry before the cabin. However, I couldn’t deal with who he had become much longer.

  In a sudden burst of confidence, I twirled and place my hand on my hip in front of him.

  Waiting for a chuckle, a sarcastic remark, or even a rebuke I resisted the urge to tap my foot. But nothing came, just silence. Clearing my throat and looking over my glasses, I arched a brow waiting. He sat there staring, “Henry? Is it that bad? I can change you know.” I asked, my voice’s high pitch betraying my uncertainty.

  He cleared his throat and shook his head “No you look…” He trailed off as his gaze trailed my length. Then he smiled, “Great. I guess I will have to get used to seeing you like this. You obviously can’t be in uniform all the time undercover, huh?”

  Hiding behind the safety of my new glasses, I turned on him and sat on the opposite couch looking, but not really seeing the clouds again. It had been a long time since he had complimented me. Unprepared at how much I missed it until I found it again silent hope strained in my heart but I refused to face him. Feeling his eyes upon my back, I resisted the urge to sense him. It wouldn't do any good now anyway. We had a job to do.

  We landed in Egypt at a private airstrip near the ambassador’s compound. We would travel by escort. The compound was several hundred acres, heavily guarded with multiple buildings in addition to the main house. We were some of the few select guests invited to stay at his personal residence, another advantage to being the elusive Rathbones.

  Before we stepped off the plane, Henry grabbed my hand as we walked down the stairs. My heart fluttered at his touch, even though I knew it was just part of the cover. The ambassador was waiting at the bottom with two large men in suits at each side, obviously his personal guards.

  He introduced himself with a gracious bow. “I am Ambassador Ahmad Abbass. You grace my house with your presence. Welcome.” He addressed both of us, but his eyes assaulted me.

  Henry put his arm around my waist as he used to when we were at Elias’s, only it was more aggressive, possessive even. The ambassador extended his hand to me. I held mine out in return, and he lifted it up ever so lightly and kissed the top. He let his lips linger longer than necessary. Henry cleared his throat, and I felt his fingers tighten into my hip. Glazier stirred under all the anxiety happening around me.

  Everyone watched me. I still hadn’t acknowledged Abbass “I am so sorry Ambassador Abbass for my rudeness. I am not used to being in this type of climate. It’s not like this in England, and I am actually quite jet lagged. I do apologize again. Thank you so much for your hospitality.” I put my hand to my forehead for dramatic effect. Moving quickly, Abbass began barking out orders in Egyptian and snapping his fingers, he told his servants to get our luggage and take them to our room.

  “I will show you to your room so you can unpack and rest. I understand how different climates can affect a lady. They tend to need special treatment.” His words seemed to imply something else. Special treatments please, if he only knew I could disarm both his guards and have him on his knees before he saw it coming.

  Out of nowhere, I felt a wave of red-hot anger saturate me. My knees started to buckle under the stress, and I shook my head trying to clear it. Leaning into Henry, I tried to figure out where the rage came from. Looking up, I was surprised at Henry. All color was completely gone from his face while his arm encircled my waist in a vice grip. Another wave hit, hot fiery rage poured down on me like scolding hot water. Abbass moved as if to catch me when my knees finally did crumple. However, Henry beat him as his hand left my waist and he lifted me up into his arms.

  “I apolo
gize for my wife. She will be fine I am sure after a little rest. Can we please go to the room now?” Henry explained.

  Locking eyes with Henry, the man was a head shorter, but that didn’t deter Abbass from glaring up at him. A dark car awaited us. I made the mistake of trying to get down. Henry gave me an icy look; I knew that look so I didn’t push it. Resting my head against his chest instead, I played the part of the weak female. This was the closest I had been to him in months. His sweet scent filling my senses made my head spin. I was unsure of why he was acting this way or why I became so weak, but I enjoyed it for the moment.

  We were at Abbass’ main house in no time. His servants moved around us as if we were royalty. Abbass himself showed us to our suite. Henry had held me against him on the ride there and carried me into the house as well. I didn’t argue because I didn’t know how long it would be before I would be this close to him again.