Double Agent

Clarity

"You found him?" I gasped, grabbing the screen and quickly scrolling through the sea of surveillance images.

"Yep. He's hiding out a few towns over. Remote place, top of the range security systems, and an army of men carrying heavy weaponry on guard round the clock. Orders are to buy time, keep it under wraps until we have a plan in place."

I couldn't believe my eyes, or ears. How on earth they'd managed to locate him so fast was beyond me, given that we'd had nothing up until now.

"How did you manage to find him so fast?" I asked, slamming the laptop closed and perching inside the car.

Henry winced and scrubbed his fingers through his hair. To most people, his actions wouldn't seem relevant. But to me, I knew better. I'd known him long enough that I could pick up on his little quirks and tell when he was hiding something, exactly like he was right now.

"Henry? What did you do?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and narrowing my eyes, fixing him with an unwavering glare.

"What makes you think that I did anything?" He replied in a high pitched tone, one that did nothing to shake my conviction of his guilt.

"Maybe because I know you. We dated, remember? You had this exact same look on your face that time I caught you trying to fish my mother's ring out of the sink after you knocked it down the plughole." I laughed. "Now spill."

He chuckled softly, taking a seat next to me and staring pointedly ahead.

"Do you remember Vince?"

I mentally trawled my mind for any past mentions of the name, before it finally clicked into place.

"Horton? Your contact in the CIA?"

"That's the one." He nodded. "I asked him to do me a favour, dig into Hartel's finances. Property paperwork, business records, everything he could find, and run down some possible leads. He pulled some strings and got me a couple of likely locations, one was on the money, clearly."

"Inter-agency cooperation? Sure Elmsworth will be cool with that?" I asked, knowing full well that he wouldn't be.

Henry's smile faltered, but he shrugged his shoulders regardless and let out a sigh.

"Why did you do that?" I groaned. "Who knows what he'll want in return. You and Vince aren't close for a reason, remember? This won't come cheap."

His eyes locked onto mine, and the emotion in the glittering, green depths reminded me of when we were together, making it clear why he did it.

"It'll be worth it. I hate knowing that you're in that house, that you're in danger and on your own." He explained, "I'd do anything to keep you safe Nikki, I still love you."

"Henry." I breathed, blushing in the intensity of his gaze and getting to my feet feeling at a loss for what to say or how to react to his announcement.

"Nik, wait." He said hastily, leaping to his feet and coming after me, grasping my arm, forcing me to face him. "Listen to me."

The feeling of his arms on mine brought a soothing warmth into my body. It was the security of something both familiar and comforting, and I longed to melt into his embrace and let go of all the stress and anxiety that was plaguing me about Dash and the others. But no matter the temptation, I held back, my body remaining rigid as though his confession was an invisible barrier, keeping me a safe distance away from anything that could give the wrong impression.

"I'm not saying that to get back together. It's not an invitation or a plea. It's just a fact." He said clearly and firmly. "I need you to know it because I need you to trust me. To understand that I'm on your side, and that it's safe to talk to me, to tell me anything."