by Zoe Allison
Angelique must know. It wouldn’t be something she would say by chance. But hopefully the mission would be over and Victoria safely ensconced somewhere before Vale ever spoke to Angelique and found out the truth.
Vic tried to erase Angelique’s voice from her mind, but when she did, all she could think about was Vale—and that was even worse. She subconsciously twisted the revs higher in an effort to get home so that she could report back to Priyanka and start making some plans to thwart Harvey’s army.
Her mind wandered onto what Angelique had said regarding her resentment of Valentino. No doubt she had just been trying to put Vic off asking the big questions, but something about it bothered her, probably because the issue of his unusually high level of clearance had been playing on her mind anyway. Though it had worked out in her favor, by getting her in to speak to Angelique.
Eventually the outskirts of the city came back into view. Vic decided to go straight to HQ and discuss matters with Priyanka, even though she didn’t relish the thought of that. She would just keep it to business and not mention Valentino.
Vic pulled up to the building and removed her helmet. Passing through the main entrance, she tossed the keys to Szymon on security, signaling to him to take care of the vehicle. She entered the elevator and after punching in the number for the top floor, she took a deep breath. She tried to think how to phrase her conversation with Priyanka in order to keep it as concise and on topic as possible, and also how to explain what she knew without giving away the secret about Angelique. She figured it wasn’t her place to tell her about that, because it should come from Vale. The elevator opened onto her floor and she strode out. Again the discord struck her. Vale knew about Angelique but Priyanka didn’t. Why wouldn’t Mr. X tell her? Did he trust Vale above his own deputy?
She rounded a corner and went along to Priyanka’s office. Raising her hand, she knocked and waited. There was no answer. Vic cracked the door and checked inside. It seemed Priyanka wasn’t there. Opening the door fully, she scanned the room. It was a similar size and setup to Vale’s. Vic lifted out her phone to call Priyanka. There was no point waiting for her if she was going to be a while.
“Hey, Vic.”
“I’m at your office. I need to discuss something with you.”
“No problem, I’ll be there in five minutes. Just go in and take a seat.”
Vic ended the call and entered the room, wandering over to the bookshelf. There were a few pictures there of Priyanka and various members of The Organization. She spotted one of Valentino and Priyanka and lifted it to study. Even looking into the photographic version of his eyes was painful for her.
She placed it back, wondering if Mr. X was in any of these photos, hidden by his anonymity.
Vic turned and went over to the window, passing by Priyanka’s desk, which was in front of the large glass-sided wall of the room. She peered through, remembering how the masked assailant had fallen through the glass of Vale’s office.
Vic turned and something about Priyanka’s desk caught her eye. There were a few drawers, all which were shut except the one on the bottom left. There was something fuzzy sticking out. She frowned. The office was as neat as a pin otherwise and the open drawer seemed out of place. She bent, intending to push it shut, when she realized that the material appeared familiar. A cold feeling settled in her stomach as she remembered the mask on the face of the person who she’d sent flying out of that window. Reaching out, she grasped the black material and lifted it, letting it fall into shape—the shape of a mask.
Feeling nauseated she quickly rolled it up and shoved it into her jeans pocket, shutting the drawer with her foot. She had a sudden desire to be out of the office before Priyanka got back. She needed to speak to Vale, but where was he?
Vic left the room and walked quickly away, toward the other side of the building where Vale’s office was located. Maybe he would be there, and if not, she could hole up in there to phone him.
Her heart racing in tandem with her thoughts, she rounded the corner near his office and nearly collided with him.
“Vic!” he said, relief on his face.
Despite the urgency of the current situation, the sight of him brought memories of their previous night together crashing into her mind. “I need to talk to you,” she said.
Vale smiled. “I know. I have been wanting to speak to you all day.”
She shook her head. “Not about us. It’s something else. We need to go to your office.”
He appeared deflated. Then he gestured down the corridor and led the way to his office door, opening it so that she could pass him and go inside.
She surveyed the room. It was as good as new, with the glass repaired and no signs of a recent struggle.
A thought occurred to her. “This place hasn’t been bugged?”
He shook his head. “I checked it myself.”
The Organization’s buildings were constructed especially with blocking the sensitive hearing of vampires in mind, so that people couldn’t listen in from other offices. She figured that as long as there were no bugs, they were safe.
Vic paced in front of the window.
Vale watched her. “Do you want to take a seat?”
She paused. “No.”
“What do you need to talk about?” His voice was calm. “Is it about your visit to Angelique?”
“No,” she said. “Well, yes…and no.” Suddenly she didn’t know where to begin.
He leaned against his desk. “Take your time.”
She took a deep breath. He was still infuriatingly soothing…and attractive.
Vic decided that being blunt was best. “Priyanka is the mole.”
Vale frowned. “Pardon?”
Vic moved toward him and handed him the mask. “I said, Priyanka is the mole.”
He unfolded the garment and examined it. “I do not understand.”
She pointed at the black material in his hands. “I found that in her office.”
He glanced up. “You searched her office?”
Vic’s temper flared. That was the part he was concentrating on? “No, I didn’t search it. She told me to wait in there for her. I noticed an open drawer and it was sticking out.”
His frown deepened. “It does not sound like it was very well hidden.”
She sighed loudly. “Vale, for goodness’ sake. You’re letting your relationship with her cloud your judgment.”
He shook his head. “It is not a cloud. It is clarity. I have known Priyanka a long time. She is not the mole. It must be a plant.”
Vic’s frustration grew. “I don’t care how well you know her. Everyone is a suspect.”
Vale was studying her intently. “Including me?”
She threw her hands in the air. “No, not you.”
His gaze remained steady. “Why not?”
Vic rolled her eyes. “For God’s sake! Because you were in the room with the masked person, for a start!”
He tilted his head slightly as he watched her. “No other reason? Like that you know me, and trust me?”
She stared at him. “I thought I did.”
“What does that mean?” he said, raising his eyebrows.
Vic shook her head. “You know what I mean.”
He sighed. “You have not been yourself all day. Not since…”
“Since we slept together?” She held his gaze.
Vale’s expression changed, and something flashed in his eyes. He swallowed but remained silent.
She snatched the mask back from him and stuffed it into her pocket. “I’m keeping that, until you see sense.”
Suddenly his phone started emitting an alarm, followed closely by hers. Vale had already gotten his out before Vic had managed. His face fell. She quickly checked hers. There was a central notification. Under the heading ‘security alert’, it instructed them to go to the meeting room. That was the emergency protocol for The Organization being under attack.
They looked at each other then broke into a run out of
the office, along the corridor and across the top floor to the main meeting room. Upon entering, they found Priyanka in there with Lorenzo.
“What is happening?” Vale asked them.
Priyanka was firing up the virtual screen. “We’re just finding out.”
Images came up, easily recognizable as Lower Manhattan, New York. A large building was visibly damaged and it appeared to be the work of one of the malevolents’ bombs. To anyone else it would appear that the target was an office building. However, to all concerned in the room, it was apparent that it was The Organization’s US Headquarters.
“Shit,” Victoria said.
Priyanka hurriedly made a call on her phone, while the others read the details on the screen. Reports were coming in from agents who had been in the building, regarding the blast as well as their difficulties in explaining to the authorities why nobody had been injured. Online news stories were already starting to come out featuring pictures from the general public of benevolent agents climbing unscathed from the rubble, and the word ‘miracle’ was being splashed across the headlines.
Priyanka passed her phone to Vale, who also spoke to the person on the other line. Vic heard them use the title ‘President’ when addressing the person on the call, but she wasn’t giving it her full attention. She remembered what Angelique had said. ‘He’s coming for you all.’ An icy feeling slid into her core and hairs rose along every part of her skin. A high-pitched buzzing in her ears drowned out the conversation in the room. She shook her head forcefully to dispel it.
Vale and Priyanka were discussing their phone call, which had been with the President of the United States then the head of operations at their US headquarters. She snapped her gaze up to them. “What the hell are you doing?”
They both paused, staring at her.
“Pardon?” Vale asked.
She met his gaze and lifted the mask from her back pocket. He started to shake his head.
“Don’t shake your head at me,” she said. “This needs to be discussed.”
Priyanka appeared confused. “What does?”
“Like you don’t know,” Vic said, waving the black mask in front of her.
Priyanka took it, frowning.
Lorenzo peered over Priyanka’s shoulder. “What is that?”
Vic narrowed her eyes. “Something I found in her drawer.”
Priyanka still seemed confused. A tiny seed of doubt sewed itself into Vic’s mind.
Vale took the mask from Priyanka. He glanced at Vic. “I told you. It must have been a plant.”
Vic shifted her eyes over to him. “No offense, but you’re hardly impartial on the subject.”
He frowned. “Vic—”
She shook her head and lifted her hand to silence him. “Don’t try to shut me up. If this organization is completely corrupt and can’t see the forest for the trees, then that’s it. I’m done. I’m going after Harvey myself.” She turned and headed for the door, ignoring the protests that followed her exit.
Vic got to the elevator and rode it to the main entrance. She stopped to speak to Szymon on security. “I need a car. Now.” He raised his eyebrows, obviously surprised, then gestured for her go outside.
She had to get home quickly, before any of them followed her. She would get on the next flight to New York. That must be where Harvey was.
Vic walked out of the building and didn’t have long to wait until a black car pulled up. She climbed in and told the driver to get her home ASAP.
She tried to calm her racing thoughts. Harvey was attacking The Organization—not just by destroying their physical buildings but by risking revealing them to humanity. What would happen then? The humans wouldn’t understand the benevolence of The Organization or the work that they had done over decades to protect the human race. They would only hear the word ‘vampire’ and be terrified.
She took some deep breaths. What if by the time she got to New York, Harvey had left? Maybe he was already on his way somewhere else. But she had to try.
The car arrived and she hurried out and up to her flat. Once in there, she ran through to the bedroom and started stuffing things into her case. She tried to pick only the bare minimum in order to save time, figuring that she could always buy more stuff there. She closed the case and brought it through to the kitchen, pausing by the refrigerator. She was suddenly desperate for some blood and remembered the medics saying that her need for it would be higher over the forty-eight hours post injury. She reached into the fridge and brought out a bag, choosing to drink straight from it because she was in a hurry.
“Can I get you a glass?”
She snapped her head over to the doorway where Vale was leaning against the frame. She must have left it open in her rush to get into the flat.
Vic ignored the treacherous spike in her heart rate that seeing him caused and turned away to finish the blood, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and tossing the empty bag into the bin.
He eyed her. “You should dispose of that properly. We do not want the refuse collectors discovering it.”
Vic shook her head. “It doesn’t matter now, does it? Nothing does.”
Vale came into the flat and shut the door behind him. “Why not?”
She sighed and met his gaze. “Because they know about us.”
He smiled. “All is not lost. We can work things out.”
She massaged her temples. “Why are you here, Vale?”
He leaned against the kitchen counter. “To stop you from doing something ill-advised.”
Vic walked away from him across the open-plan space into the living area and grasped the handle of the suitcase. “I’m not the one who is ill-advised here.”
Vale followed her through and closed his hand over hers on the case. “Just wait a few minutes. We need to talk first, then you can decide whether to leave for New York.”
She loosened her grip and pulled her hand from under his. “How did you know I was planning on New York?”
He shrugged. “A hunch. But I think we are better served by your staying. They will be expecting agents to leave their areas for the site of the explosion in order to support their colleagues there. We cannot fall into their trap. Plus, we need you here.”
She looked at him. He was right, and she hated that. She drew breath. “Just say what you need to say.”
He assessed her with his caramel gaze. “I need to reassure you that Priyanka is not the mole. We discussed it before I left, and she has never seen that mask before. It must be a plant.”
Vic rolled her eyes. “She would say that, though, wouldn’t she?”
Vale sighed. “Think about it. Why would it have been so badly hidden? Only if the real mole wanted someone to spot it.”
Vic remembered the genuine confusion on Priyanka’s face. The seed of doubt sprung some growth. “So who do you think the mole is?”
He rubbed his forehead. “I do not know.”
“So we’re no further on,” she said. “Unless…she deliberately made it visible? In a ploy to make it seem like a plant?”
“Why are you so keen to think the worst of her?” Vale said, raising his eyebrows.
Vic frowned. “Why are you so keen to think the best of her?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “What is going on with you? You have not been yourself all day.”
She clenched her hands into fists, her anger rising. “Don’t act like you don’t know.”
He lifted his palms. “I genuinely do not.” He paused. “Though I have been worried that I took advantage of you when you were recovering from your wound.”
She shook her head. “I heard you.”
“Heard me what?” he said, frowning.
“On the phone to her,” she said, aware that her voice was rising. “You were speaking to her this morning, telling her that nothing was going on between us and you didn’t want to be involved with me.”
His face paled.
“All coming back now, is it?” she said.
&nb
sp; He shook his head. “That was not what you think.”
“Don’t tell me what I think,” she said. “I heard you. You’re in a relationship with her and you were reassuring her that whatever happened between us meant nothing.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I am in a relationship with her?”
“Yes,” she said. “I know about you two. You’re always acting so close. She doesn’t behave like your superior, even though she is. She lets you get away with having clearance over her head.” She took a breath. “But you’re hiding it because you don’t want Mr. X to find out that the two of you are flouting his rules.”
He looked at her silently.
“Well?” she said. “What have you got to say about it?”
“I am not sure yet,” he said, letting out a deep breath. “I am still processing all that.”
She sighed. “There’s no need to process what you already know.”
He took a step toward her. “I am not in a relationship with Priyanka. That is, except for a professional one. We have been colleagues for many years.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t lie to me.”
He shook his head. “I am not lying.” He paused. “I also think that she and Gareth have been seeing each other.”
Vic opened her mouth to protest, then hesitated. She remembered what Gareth had said in Berlin about being involved with someone who had ended it with him. The cogs started to turn. All the strange little looks that he and Priyanka had been giving each other across the meeting room. She groaned. That time Priyanka had called him into her office for a private meeting… How could she have been so stupid as to miss all that?
She paused to study Vale’s expression. He appeared earnest.
“Then why did you say that stuff to her on the phone?” she asked.
He swallowed. “I was not speaking to her.”
She frowned. “Then who?”
Vale hesitated. “Hayden.”
Victoria paused. Hayden? She thought about it. At the time, he hadn’t given any indication of whom he had been speaking to. She had just assumed. She shook her head. “It still doesn’t change what you said.”
He glanced down. “You are right. I am sorry that you heard that.” He lifted his gaze. “He called and was quizzing me about you again. I did not know what to say. You and I hadn’t even had chance to talk about what was going on yet and it didn’t feel right to speak about it without your permission. What I said was the first thing that came to mind in order to get him off my case.”
