codanpcĀ·:
agentbrunhildeĀ·:
the horror dawns on her face like a tidal wave. it doesnāt take more than four words to strike fear into her heart in a way that she thought she had left behind. lena believed that if sheād left the kids back in the safety of the little refuge with a trusted babysitter then maybe she could put it all out of her mind for just a week or two. not that she wanted to forget them, it was just easier to be a spy when there were less strings attached. but itās not her worry or her horror that is important now.Ā
she looks him dead in the eyes,Ā āweāll find it. if no one took it itāll be at the coat check. if someone took itā¦weāll track them down. itās going to be alright. weāll get it back,ā she assured,Ā ācoat check first, okay?āĀ
as if on cue a man in a sharp fitted suit steps into veiw, the wallet in his hand. he extends it towards noah, and offers a flicker of a smile. it is supposed to look polite but it seems forced. the expression on the manās face is neutral and there is something hollow about his eyes. the faded traces of bruises around his throat are visible and his knuckles look like they are recently bloodied. but the injuries which are healing now donāt seem to impact his straight and strong posture.Ā
āmr. and mrs. jones,ā he says, with a small bow,Ā āi am glad i found you. this was on the floor and when i asked miss clare what to do she pointed you out to me. very fortunate that you have so many friends here or else i fear i never would have found you.āĀ
the words are jovial but the tone is thin and strained, as if he is a mouth piece speaking a stunted script,Ā āmiss clare also asked me to invite you to the after party. the jet is boarding in fifteen minutes. i understand you have children that may need to be tucked in, but sheās assured me sheās already sent over a fantastic babysitter.āĀ
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā the wallet that comes into view is held by a hand with bruised knuckles,Ā Ā a redness that poorly fades against regular skin tone.Ā Ā noah recognizes it immediately.Ā Ā his chest relaxes for all but one second because the next his brain is realizing that the stranger handing it to him mustāve looked inside in their attempt to return it to its rightful owner.Ā Ā everything is happening so quickly that noah doesnāt even have time to panic about the photograph, it becomes apparent that this stranger knows more than he should when he begins talking.
noah doesnāt think he has ever tried to hold an expression with as much strength as heās currently using to keep from falling apart.Ā Ā he wants to fall apart,Ā Ā he feels a surge under his skin,Ā Ā urging him to use force and break out in violence.Ā Ā his blood is boiling,Ā Ā his fingers shake when he takes his wallet back.Ā
the name clare doesnāt sound familiar,Ā Ā and while it presses into his skull,Ā Ā all he can think of are ben and harper and some stranger with them.Ā Ā he feels dizzy.Ā Ā he wants to throw up.Ā Ā noah isnāt even sure if he can talk,Ā Ā or if he can move any more than he already has without snapping.Ā Ā
jesus,Ā Ā how did it get this bad without anyone noticing ?Ā
he needs to force himself to talk.Ā Ā noah feels like heās taken a stab to the chest,Ā Ā hearing the man speak made his ears feel like theyāre bleeding,Ā Ā but they need to see the end to this,Ā Ā just a glance of it,Ā Ā if theyāre going to get back to ben and harper.Ā Ā he has never felt such a desperate urge to save somebody.Ā Ā heās willing to die right here one-hundred times to make sure that theyāre safe.Ā Ā it seems that itās too soon to die,Ā Ā though.Ā Ā thereās a party to go to,Ā Ā which sounds a lot like dying anyway,Ā Ā but it also looks like a glimpse of the end.Ā Ā noah squeezes lenaās hand tightly.Ā
Ā Ā āĀ would it be too much to ask,Ā āĀ Ā his voice is tight,Ā Ā he knows itās too much to ask.Ā Ā theyāre using ben and harper to force them into doing anything.Ā Ā still,Ā noah thinks itās worth getting information,Ā Ā āĀ Ā for one of us to decline this invitation ?Ā Ā we donāt trust just anyone with our children,Ā āĀ Ā his eyes are icy cold,Ā Ā nearly penetrating.Ā Ā his hands are still shaking.Ā Ā being forced to remain collected feels a lot like going insane.Ā Ā Ā āĀ our hiring process for babysitters is rather thorough,Ā Ā you see.Ā Ā āĀ













