by Zoe Allison
“Right,” Vic said, pulling out her spear again. “If you won’t talk to us then you can speak to the interrogators at our HQ.”
As she shifted her weight to lift the spear, the man took advantage, throwing Vic off to land a few feet away. Vale moved to cover the door. Vic was back on her feet within seconds.
Vale blocked the exit. “You cannot escape.”
The man spoke for the first time. “I know.” And with that, he slammed himself in the chest and crumpled to the floor.
“Shit!” shouted Vic. The second man was now decomposing just as the first had.
Vale shifted closer to watch and Vic came to stand next to him. It was exactly the same process. The facial features changed before decomposing, until only ash remained.
Vic dropped her spear and it clattered to the ground. “What the hell is going on?” She glanced at Vale.
He had never seen anything like it before. How had these malevolents changed their facial appearance? And which was their true face—the one that melted away or the one underneath?
He looked at Vic. “We need to get out of here and call it in before any more of them arrive.”
She touched his arm. “Hold on.”
Vic disappeared under the floorboards and a smashing sound echoed into the room. She reappeared at his side within seconds. “Dismantled, just in case.”
With the building now being deserted, they used their vampire speed to zip out into the night air. They easily broke through any locked doors and their speed meant their images couldn’t be captured on CCTV.
As soon as they reached the outside, Vale called in to the Sydney HQ to get the CCTV and security systems hacked and allow agents access to clear the building of the malevolents’ activity, plus restore any breakages prior to the humans returning. It didn’t take long for those agents to stealthily appear, clad in black. Vale briefed them in a secluded area a little away from the building before they proceeded.
Vale and Vic made their way back to the garage to collect the motorbike. They had been silent since leaving the opera house and Vale was trying to block out the tension that had developed between them just before the malevolents had arrived. He could tell that Vic hadn’t appreciated his comments about Gareth—and he didn’t blame her.
Vale handed Vic her helmet then placed his own on his head. He reached for the bike but she stopped him. “Remember the deal?” she told him.
Vale gestured for her to climb on first. Once she was in place, he sat behind her and she started the engine. He put his hands behind him to steady himself.
Vic turned her helmet-clad head to speak to him. “You can hold on to me, you know, I’m really not that repellent.”
What is that supposed to mean? He lifted his arms and hugged them around her waist, ignoring the now-familiar surge in his heart rate.
They drove out of the garage and toward Darling Harbor. The wind whipped Victoria’s hair over Vale’s visor and he lifted it to allow her scent to reach him. What on earth am I doing? She accelerated and he pulled himself closer into her back.
He no longer had to suppress his worries regarding their last, tense exchange, because his senses were all distracted by her proximity. As they arrived in the hotel parking area, he found himself reluctant to let her go. After prying his arms away from her, he climbed off the bike. Vale removed his helmet and tried not to stare too much when she took hers off and ran a hand through her hair. He balled his hands into fists in an effort not to lift them and join her in smoothing her stray blonde locks.
Vic looked at him. “We’d better debrief.”
He followed her up to the lobby, where they caught the elevator to their floor. Vale let them both into his room and went to pour them a drink while she took a seat at the table and opened the laptop, bringing up the information they had assimilated earlier.
Vale sat next to her and passed her a glass. She took a long drink, watching him over the rim.
“Have you ever seen anything like that face melting shit before?” she asked. Her fingers seemed to be trembling a little..
“No,” he said, leaning back. “Never.” He glanced at her. “It was very unnerving.”
Vic shivered. “You can say that again.”
He set his glass down to lean in. “But at least it gives us a breakthrough regarding Erik and that body.”
She frowned. “It does?”
“Yes,” Vale said. “If the malevolent can change their features, then it may be linked to the fact that Erik’s body was in the morgue with someone else’s face on it.”
Vic mirrored him, leaning in as they spoke. “But Erik was human.”
“I know,” Vale said. “However, it surely must be connected.”
“You might be right,” Vic said slowly. “But it still doesn’t piece together properly, especially since the body’s DNA didn’t match Erik’s—at least not on our test. We need to figure it out fully.”
Vale pulled the laptop toward him. “Let’s check the latest DNA results. Maybe we will have a match after all.” He scrolled through the information from Priyanka and his heart sank.
“What is it?” Vic asked him.
He hit the table in frustration. “The results are the same as our last run. The body’s DNA doesn’t match Erik’s.”
Vic sighed. “It makes no sense. So the lab in Berlin made an error in their test, then? That’s why they got a match?”
Vale rubbed his eyes. “It certainly appears that way.”
They sat in silence for a few seconds.
“What next?” Vic said. “Head back to London tomorrow and try to put it together?”
The mention of London caused ice to gather in Vale’s gut. “Yes…I think that we need to pool information there…in person.”
“With Priyanka, you mean? And Lorenzo and Catarina?”
“Yes,” he said. “And…and Gareth.” His mouth went dry as he said his name.
Vic frowned. “Why do you give me that look whenever you mention him?”
“What look?” He glanced away, his heart rate rising.
She sighed. “I can tell that you aren’t enjoying working with me as much anymore and you won’t tell me why…”
He snapped his gaze back up. Had she figured out his conflicted feelings?
“But,” she carried on, “if part of that is your stickler-for-the-rules attitude then you needn’t worry. I haven’t broken The Organization’s guideline on relationships. Nothing happened between Gareth and me in Berlin. You heard him proposition me on that recording, but what you didn’t hear was me knocking him back.”
A wave of relief washed over Vale, which only served to further confuse him.
Vic continued, “Anyway, once we’re done with the mission, we won’t have to work together again. You can just put a request in to Mr. X for us not to be paired, then it’s sorted.” She stood.
Vale’s anxiety rose again. She had misinterpreted his discomfort. “No, Vic, wait—”
She walked over to the door. “I think we should get some rest. I’ll get us booked on a flight as soon as possible. We’ll get back ASAP and plan the next move. We can even work separately during the rest of the mission, if you prefer.”
Vale stood. “That is not what I want.”
Vic opened the door and went through it. “See you tomorrow.” The door closed behind her.
Vale considered going after her, but the problem was he didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t been upset with her for breaking the rules, but he couldn’t explain what his real reasons were for acting so strangely about Gareth. Or maybe I can explain them, but I do not want to admit to them. He sighed. Perhaps it would be for the best if they put some distance between them, because whatever he was feeling was inappropriate. He would try to settle things between them tomorrow on the flight.
He got changed, then climbed into bed. When he closed his eyes, he found it difficult to switch his mind off, so he tried a meditation technique that Amber had taught him. Eventually he set
tled to sleep and into his recurring dream.
Chapter Ten
Vic adjusted her earphones and shifted in her seat. It would be time to land soon, thank goodness. She had ended up travelling to the airport and checking in alone so that she could be seated away from Vale. Luckily it was an overnight flight, so he hadn’t been able to come up the cabin to speak to her.
It wasn’t that she was the sort to be moody or hold a grudge. It was just too painful for her to discuss why he was uncomfortable around her when her feelings for him were so strong. She had a significant connection to him, in addition to finding him immensely attractive. She needed to distance herself and cool it off. That was the ulterior motive for her suggestion that they didn’t work together anymore. It would be for her benefit as much as his, because it would give her the space to get over him. Then maybe one day they could be friends again.
She gazed out of the window into the clouds, sadness enveloping her. It would mean not being able to see him for months and maybe even years. The thought of that was like a knife in her gut.
She snuck a glance at him. He was at the rear of the section, listening to an audiobook and rubbing his neck, a troubled expression on his face. She wished she could soothe away his torment and whatever discomfort he was clearly in. However, it wasn’t her place. He had made that clear. She looked away. He didn’t want to work with her, never mind confide in her.
Once they’d landed, Vic hurried off the aircraft and through security, managing to keep her distance from Valentino. After getting her bags, she thought she’d made it without seeing him, but then, just as she was passing through customs, he caught up to her, taking her arm gently. “We need to talk.”
She glanced at his hand and tried to ignore the fact that his touch was causing a slow fire to burn through her body. “Maybe it’s best that we don’t talk anymore. Let’s just get on with the mission and only discuss work-related business.”
He searched her with his caramel gaze, and she had to lock her knees because they were weak. “Is that really what you want?”
She nodded, her mouth dry.
He released his soft hold on her arm. “As you wish.”
Their car pulled up. Vale gestured toward it. “You take this one, and I will organize another.”
“Thanks,” she said, unable to directly meet his eyes.
She climbed in and forced herself not to look back as the car drove off.
When Vic arrived home, she entered her flat and attempted to distract herself by tidying her things away then getting a drink of blood from the fridge. She sat on the sofa and tried to concentrate on the mission but kept thinking about him instead.
She swirled her drink around the glass, watching the red liquid coating the inside of the tumbler creep back to meet the fluid level. Vale held himself to such a high moral standard and she really admired that about him. He was too good for anyone, especially her. It was best that she forgot about him and moved on, but she couldn’t escape the feeling that he needed help, someone to lean on and confide in. He seemed weighed down by whatever he was carrying, and from what Amber had told her, hadn’t even unburdened himself to his sister or best friend.
Was it to do with the mission or something else? Did Priyanka know? Probably—they seemed very close and Vic still thought they could be involved, though that wouldn’t be in keeping with guidelines. Maybe that was the weight he was carrying—a secret relationship. He wasn’t the only one in that position, however, and he knew that. She leaned back. It would likely bother him more if he broke the rules, rather than other people doing it, knowing how he liked to play by them.
That could be at least part of the reason he was keeping her at arm’s length. He’d figured out her feelings for him and he wasn’t interested because he was involved with Priyanka, but he wouldn’t be able tell her that because he didn’t want to admit that he had disobeyed the guidelines. She took a sip of her drink. That would make some sense. Though why would he then be annoyed if he thought she and Gareth had broken the rules? Vic rubbed her forehead. She was so confused.
She finished her drink. One thing she wasn’t confused about was the fact that even if he wasn’t seeing someone else, she would still never be good enough for him, so it was best that she detached herself and got over her feelings.
Vic lifted out her phone to check for messages from Gareth. She had been trying to contact him on the way to Sydney because she needed him to cover for her. She didn’t want Vale finding out that the Sydney link had come from her and not Gareth, because then she would have to explain her connection to Harvey.
She dialed his number, and this time he answered.
“There you are!” she said. “I’ve trying to contact you about a million times. Where have you been?” With a stab of guilt, it occurred to her that her repeated attempts to contact him would have fueled Vale’s suspicion that something romantic was going between her and Gareth.
“Well, it’s lovely to know that I’m in such demand,” he said. “I was doing my digging around through Glassmarsh’s past. Why?”
“You could’ve answered your phone,” she said.
“I tend to get embroiled in my research,” he replied.
“Anyway,” she said, “I need to ask you something. Have you found any links between those names and Glassmarsh yet?
“A little,” Gareth said. “But I was planning on updating you and everyone else at the meeting.”
“What did you find out?” she asked.
“Not too much,” he said. “Glassmarsh was originally Australian, born in Sydney. He had a few aliases before he ended up being Lord Glassmarsh, but I don’t know what his original name was yet, and so far, I haven’t found out any particular links with those names.”
“Okay,” she said. She took a deep breath. “Vale and I are just back from Sydney and I need you to tell everyone that you gave me the Sydney link before we went.”
He was silent for a moment. “Why?”
Vic didn’t want to put him in a difficult position. “I’ll tell you later.”
“What’s going on, Vic?”
She took a deep breath. “I promise I’ll speak to you about it, but right now I just need you to trust me.”
He paused again. “Okay.”
She sighed with relief. “Thank you. I’ll see you at HQ.”
They signed off the call and Vic sank back into the cushions for a few seconds before getting up and jumping into the shower.
* * * *
Vic rode the elevator up to the meeting room level and wondered how long Vale would have been there already. She smiled to herself. He was always so early for everything.
The elevator door opened just as Lorenzo was passing. “Hey, Vic.” He stopped to wait for her. “What’re you smiling about?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly. They set off along the corridor together.
“Great work in Sydney,” Lorenzo said.
She shrugged. “It was down to Gareth, really. He gave us the lead.”
“Still,” he said, his hand on the door handle to the meeting room, “I’m really impressed and it’s great to have you on the mission.”
Vic smiled. “Thanks.” At least someone was happy to be working with her.
Lorenzo opened the door and let her through first. Priyanka and Catarina were nearest the door, with Vale and Gareth across from them. Vale’s gaze was on her as she sat on the other side of Priyanka, but she forced herself to keep her eyes off him. Was he sitting next to Gareth to prove some sort of point?
Lorenzo took a seat next to Vale. “Great job,” he said, squeezing his shoulder as he sat. “You guys were awesome.”
“I cannot take credit.” Vale glanced at Vic. “It was all down to Vic. She deserves the thanks.”
“Absolutely,” Lorenzo said. Vic didn’t respond.
Priyanka had a report prepared for them on the virtual screen. “Okay,” she said, “we now know that the malevolent have acquired some sort of ability to chang
e their faces, but that upon death, it reverts back to its normal form. Our intelligence shows that the faces these two men wore were those of humans who worked at the Sydney Opera House. Those people are missing, presumed dead. We surmise that’s how the malevolents have been able to infiltrate buildings and plant explosives, using the cover of employees. They are stealing the facial appearance of humans.”
Vic let out a deep breath. “How do they assume those people’s faces? And how does it link with the outstanding Berlin issue, that we have a dead human whose features do not match the DNA of the only person still missing from that explosion—Erik Weber?”
“Those are still unanswered questions,” Catarina said.
“The other big question,” said Lorenzo, “is how do we find out the next target? Did you discover any other links apart from Sydney, Gareth?”
Gareth glanced at Vic. “Not yet.”
She chanced giving him a tiny nod then shifted her gaze around the room. No one seemed to have noticed except Catarina, who was giving her a cool stare. Vic looked out the window.
Everyone was silent for a few moments.
Priyanka scrolled through some pictures of various agents from the Organization’s international database. “We have agents in every major city, keeping watch on the buildings which meet the brief.”
“Good,” Lorenzo said. “It does leave our resources rather thinly spread, however.”
“Yes,” Priyanka agreed, “but needs must. I’m hoping that there will be a positive marker soon, then we can pull back our resources.”
Vale seemed to come out of his thoughts, and he shifted in his chair. “The biggest unanswered question is not what their next target is,” he said. “It is, what is their overall objective? What is the purpose of these attacks, and why are they draining hundreds of people in one fell swoop?”
Vic was nauseated at the thought. “There must be some greater plan… He wants something…”
Vale was watching her. “The same thing his brother wanted?”
Vic met his eyes. “Maybe.”
Vale continued to hold her gaze for a few more seconds, causing her heart rate to spike, then he shifted it onto Priyanka. “Basically, we have to hypothesize until more information comes through from intelligence.”
