21 - Olive
I sit up in bed , the memories of sex with Brose still fresh in my head, but I’m not in our room at the estate. I’m in Collin’s house. In his guest room.
I just sit there in bed like this, propped up and looking at the window, trying to put the dream behind me. Not because I was afraid, though it was a bit frightening, but because it was so real.
I felt him.
I heard him.
It was real.
So real, I start looking around for Brose.
Did he follow me here? Shep is gone, so maybe Brose somehow broke in?
It’s a ludicrous idea. I’m in the Edge Security compound. He would never be able to sneak in here.
It was just a dream.
I get up out of bed, reaching for my pants, which are strewn on the floor, and pull them back on.
What just happened?
I don’t know.
But then I remember something.
My vow. My promise. My reason for living.
My mission is him and his mission is me.
And then the next part. The part he didn’t need to remind me of in that dream.
He thinks for me, I act for him .
“Brose,” I say, whispering his name out loud. “Where are you?”
Voices from outside startle me back into reality and I go completely still, listening.
Collin, Shep, Amon. And then another voice. They’re on speakerphone with someone. I carefully walk over to the bedroom door, which isn’t fully closed, and tap it open so I can peek into the living room down the hallway.
They’re outside, not in here, so I creep out, trying to hear what they are saying. Whoever the woman is they are talking to, she says my name.
I walk faster, all the way over to the front door, and press my ear into the crack between the door and the wall.
“Who is this partner?” Collin is asking.
There’s a pause, and then the woman on the phone says, “I don’t have confirmation yet, but this came from a trusted source. His name is Ambrose Sinclair.”
Brose! This woman just told my brother my biggest secret! We’ve been made! Our cover is blown, the mission is bust, and… and… well, I don’t know what happens next, but Brose put everything on the line for this mission. He put everything on the line for me .
And I fucked it all up—again—by running to my brother. That’s what my dream was about. You ran right to him, Olive , Brose said. Everyone’s unhappy .
CORE is gonna take us out of service. Our first real mission and we’ve blown it. It’s over. And I did that.
“Ambrose Sinclair,” Collin says, snapping me back into the conversation outside. His voice is low and threatening. “Where might I find this Ambrose Sinclair?”
“Oh, shit!” I say. “He’s mad. He’s gonna kill him!”
“No, he’s not, Olive.” I startle, looking over to my right, and find Brose sitting in a chair. “Your brother hasn’t got a chance in hell of killing me now.”
I… I’m so confused. I don’t know what to think. “Brose?” I whisper. Then I blink a few times, trying to clear my head. “Am I still dreaming?”
“Don’t be silly,” he says. “Look at yourself. You’re not in bed. You’re here. You’re walking around. You’re real, Olive.”
“Well, of course I’m real. But you… how did you get here?”
He smiles at me. “I followed you, of course.”
“They know,” I say, pointing at the window. “Some lady just told Collin about you. They know about us, Brose.”
“Yep.” He nods, seemingly unconcerned. “They know. But it doesn’t matter anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“You did it , Olive.” He stands up, walks over to me, places both hands on my shoulders, and beams a smile down at me. “You did it. We’re here.”
“They know !” I say.
“Who cares?” And then his hands slide up to my face, holding me as his lips connect with mine. His kiss is soft, and long, and perfect. “You’re in,” he whispers. “It’s going well. We’re all proud of you.”
“Proud of me? But in the dream?—”
He pulls back, angry now. “This isn’t a dream. It’s real .”
“But I was dreaming. I was sleeping. And you told me that I was bad.” I pout a little here, making my lips all puffy.
“Well, of course I did, darling. You like punishment and I wanted to make you feel good. You LIKE it, remember ?”
He yells this last part and I panic, looking out the window, because surely Collin heard that. But the three of them are still having their phone conversation.
“Look at me ,” Brose says, jerking my head to the side. “This is very important, Olive. We are the first successful entanglement. You’re in. Congratulations. But now is when the job really starts and I need you to focus.”
“But…” I shake my head. “None of this makes sense. How are you here? How?—”
He grabs me by the hair with both hands, fisting it as he shakes me. “Listen to me. We have two more objectives, OK? There isn’t time to explain. Remember our promise? Hmm?” He softens again, leaning down to kiss my lips. “Do you remember?”
“My mission is you and your mission is me.”
“That’s right,” he coos into my ear. “That’s right. We are the mission. And what’s the other rule? Hmm? Can you say it so I know you’re here, and present, and willing to work?”
He takes his kiss to my neck and my shoulders relax. “You think for me, I act for you.”
“Yes. You’re so perfect,” he says. And these words slide right into my ear, making a chilling tingle shoot through my whole body. “I’m gonna fuck you so hard when I see you again.”
For a moment, I’m confused. When he sees me again? I’m standing right here. He’s kissing my neck. His hands are wandering over my body. One gripping my breast, the other sliding right between my legs.
I’m about to come undone standing a few feet from my brother, with only a wall between us. So what does that mean, when he sees me again?
But before I can articulate this question out loud, the front door opens and I turn, startled, looking straight into Collin’s unnerving eyes.
He blinks. Smiles. “Olive. You’re awake.”
I look at Brose, panicked. “I… he… he’s my friend.”
Brose is shaking his head at me. “Shut up, Olive, don’t say anything.”
“What?” Collin asks, looking around the room. “Who’s your friend? Shep?”
This is when I see Shep and Amon behind him. I turn back to Brose as he says, “Kill him, Olive. Right now. You just gave away our secret and now you need to kill him.”
I hesitate.
But then Brose is kissing me again, squeezing my breast and pumping my pussy. And all the while he’s kissing me, he’s whispering, “I think for you, you act for me. And I want you to kill him . Kill him, Olive. Kill him right now!”
Then Brose turns me around and pushes me towards the door, forcing Collin to open his arms to catch me. His eyes are filled with confusion. “Olive? Are you OK?”
I reach for his gun, snap it out of the holster with practiced accuracy, point it at his face, and pull the trigger.