Chapter Twenty
We’d done it. We’d really done it. Ian Keller was no more, the Tren de Cobra headquarters was a pile of ash, and by some miracle both Charlotte and Dixon had gotten through their suicide mission mostly unscathed.
A broken rib and a few scuffs were pretty inconsequential when considering the craziness of that plan.
Theo had gotten us out of Venezuela and a strange cathartic silence had overcome us.
It had seemed like such an impossibility we would come out the other side of this, and yet here we were, heading back to London.
Our troubles weren’t over yet though, and everyone knew it.
Instead of celebrating, our minds turned to the next hurdle. Dixon.
He had been pivotal in our success, and yet the harsh truth was that he was an outsider.
He knew too much about The Guild, too much about Aquarius and our operation.
He wouldn’t be permitted to survive knowing what he did and that was like a block of ice in my chest. I hardly knew the guy really, and yet thrown into this suicide mission as we had been, I felt like he was one of us now.
I didn’t want to see him neutralised and I knew I wasn’t the only one.
Charlotte had been uncharacteristically subdued since we had all been reunited.
Usually at the end of a successful mission, she was like a bottle of pop.
This time? This time she was still and silent and I knew the issue with Dixon was weighing heavily on her.
I didn’t want to see the other man lose his life over this, but I couldn’t imagine how Charlotte was feeling knowing she would be the one The Guild asked to do it.
Would she be able to? For the first time since I’d met her, I doubted her ability to follow through.
The flight back to London was quiet and uneventful.
For the first time since we’d started this mission, we were due to land back in the UK in the daylight, just after midday, and as such Stapleford was not a suitable touch down spot.
Instead, Theo was dropping us at Manston Airport in Kent, an abandoned site where it would be easier to play off the jet’s landing as some sort of RAF demonstration should any locals spot us.
I’d keep my eye on social media for the next forty-eight hours and make sure to quash any suspicions.
Though the takeoff in Venezuela had been rough, landing back on British soil had been far less eventful and my stomach was grateful. That being said, I was still eager to get my feet back on solid ground and when Theo heaved the doors open, I practically threw myself out of them.
“Doing okay?” he asked, eyeing me knowingly.
Damn it, it should be criminal to look so sexy when being so fucking smug. I was torn between wanting to punch him and kiss him.
“Fine, thank you,” I replied tersely. Unfortunately, that just made Theo smirk harder, and I turned my back on him. “Make yourself useful and get the kit out of the cargo hold.”
“Yes, boss.”
God, I hated him… Sort of.
“I’ve already arranged a car for us. It should be parked up in a layby just outside the airport,” I said, tapping my thumbs against my phone screen as I used it to triangulate the car.
“Everyone grab a bag,” Theo said, heaving the heaviest holdall up onto his shoulder. His eyes slid to Dixon. “Well, maybe not you.”
“I can drag a suitcase,” Dixon replied.
“Alright, but take it easy, hm?” Charlotte said, sidling up beside him.
I blinked. I’d seen that soft expression on her face before.
Charlotte cared about Agent Dixon. A conflicted mess of emotions rocked me.
I was happy for her. I knew she didn’t trust easily and I was sure her feelings for Dixon were just making the knowledge of what she would be asked to do all the more agonising.
Yet there was the sharpness of envy too.
Up until now, I had been the only one she’d ever gazed at like that.
Against my will, my eyes drifted to Theo, taken aback to find him watching me.
Just as every time we locked eyes, there was a distinct hot intensity that made my heart pound.
Perhaps Charlotte wasn’t the only one who was beginning to branch out.
Fuck, did I have feelings for Theo outside of lust?
I ran a hand through my hair, deliberately turning away.
“Let’s get going. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m looking forward to a shower and something to eat that isn’t fast food or from a vending machine.”
A murmur of agreement came in response, and the group grabbed all their belongings, suitcases rumbling across the tarmac as we made our way to the waiting car.
“Here. You look like you need this.” I held out a glass of wine for Charlotte.
“Thanks, baby,” she murmured. Though she smiled, it didn’t reach her eyes.
My chest ached, desperate to find a way to ease her suffering.
I might have been the intelligence, but this time even I was stumped.
I couldn’t see a way forward where Dixon got to keep his life, and I knew that’s all Charlotte wanted.
It was the worst feeling, knowing we were helpless.
After leaving Marston, we decided between us that Dixon shouldn’t return home.
None of us knew what was going to happen next, but him sticking with us was definitely the safest option for now.
Not one to be left out, Theo had tagged along.
It was early evening now, and the small, trendy London apartment Charlotte and I shared was filled with attractive men. It set me on edge.
“Can I get you guys anything?” I asked, looking between Theo and Dixon. “A beer?”
“Have you got anything stronger than beer?”
The group looked at Dixon with surprise. It hadn’t taken long for us to figure out he was a strait-laced, healthy-living sort of guy, but then again, I supposed perhaps if I’d been staring down the barrel of Charlotte’s gun, I might have thrown my morals to the wind too.
“Sure, I’ll see what we’ve got,” I replied, heading back into the kitchen.
I was just digging through the cupboard where we kept our spirits when Theo appeared in the doorway. For a big guy, he certainly moved quietly.
“I thought you might need a hand,” he murmured, leaning a wide shoulder into the doorframe.
“I’ve got it,” I said, pulling a bottle of vodka out, rolling it in my hand as I appraised it. There wasn’t an awful lot of choice, but I was sure this would do.
Ignoring my refusal of help, Theo began opening up cupboards. “Where are your glasses?”
“Top right.”
Theo pulled four tumblers out, taking one at a time over to the fridge to use the ice maker whilst I twisted the cap off the vodka with a crack. I poured a generous tot over the ice.
“What are we going to do about Dixon?” Theo closed in, his voice low. “We can’t just sit here and let The Guild snuff him out.”
“I don’t know,” I replied, swallowing thickly. “I’ve been going over and over it and—” I put the vodka bottle down and leant my behind against the counter, rubbing my temples.
To my surprise, Theo closed in and I let him press his body against mine, pinning me against the counter with his weight and resting his arms either side of me.
“There has to be something we can do, right? This feels so…”
“Wrong.”
We gazed at one another for a long moment. It made me feel a little better knowing Theo was also troubled by this. Charlotte was too close to this to be objective, and I was guilty of empathising with her because I loved her. Theo agreeing with us drove home just how fucked up this situation was.
My turmoil must have been obvious on my face. I felt Theo lean in and when he pressed a kiss to my lips, I softened into him immediately. When had this man begun to affect me like this? A couple of weeks trapped in a hotel room having hot sex and I was getting mushy for him. How embarrassing.
“We’ll figure this out,” he whispered, stroking my nose with his own. “If anyone can, it’s you. I’ve got your back, you know that, right?”
I nodded, not sure I could find the words I needed to express my gratitude.
Theo kissed me again, but this time I felt his tongue against the seam of my lips.
I opened up eagerly. I wasn’t sure how long we had been kissing, but it felt like a moment later we were springing apart as someone cleared their throat.
“I was wondering what was taking so long,” Charlotte said, smirking. “But I get it now.”
“Sorry,” I muttered, fighting away from Theo. Thankfully he backed off and let me squirm free. I grabbed two glasses and held them out for Charlotte. “That’s just straight vodka right now, but if anyone wants a mixer, I’m sure we’ve got—”
“I’ll ask Aaron what he likes.” Charlotte turned, glancing back over her shoulder, her eyes jumping between me and Theo. “As you were, boys. Don’t let me interrupt.”
I groaned, scrubbing a hand down my face. Theo chuckled, the deep, rumbling noise of it setting me alight.
“Come on,” he said, leaning over me perhaps a fraction closer than was truly necessary. “Maybe we can continue this later, yeah?”
I stumbled over my words, choosing instead to just nod my head, earning myself a sultry grin. I watched the pilot’s wide frame disappear back into the living room and sagged against the counter with a sigh. Fucking hell…
With my own glass in one hand and the bottle of vodka in the other, I joined the others back on the sofa. I watched as Dixon threw back the straight vodka, hissing through his teeth as the spirit burnt his throat. He pushed his empty glass towards me across the coffee table.
“Keep them coming.”
I did as he asked without complaint. With no solutions, drowning our sorrows seemed like the next best plan to me. If you couldn’t throw caution to the curb in circumstances like these, when could you?