Diavolo

twenty nine - parties and war

I watched 12 as she drove us out of Virginia, heading South-West towards New Orleans. The lack of sleep slowly catching up to me. "Are you even old enough to be driving?" I muttered rested my head on the window with my eyes closed.

"I'm 17," She chuckled keeping her eyes focused on the road. She was so young. She should be sneaking out to parties and having fun but here she is helping me escape from the CIA.

"Ana got an alert that the Agency had you in custody," She said breaking the silence. "I came as fast as I could." 

I smiled placing my hand on her shoulder, "Thank you."

***

It wasn't a luxurious mansion or a manor. It was just a house, two floors, two bedrooms and one bathroom. I guess you could call it a safe house. 

"Make yourself at home," I said flatly at Twelve whilst moving towards the stairs which descended down to the basement. Dust covered the worktops and sheets of paper were scattered everywhere, I blew the dust off the rugged laptop. 

Hesitantly I hovered my finger over the touchpad. Who am I supposed to contact? Who was I supposed to trust right now? 

"Zara."

I jumped spinning around to find Twelve leaning on the wall with a slice of toast in her hand, "You should contact Zara." She repeated with a mouthful of food.

She was right. I need to contact Zara, my fingers danced over the keyboard as I sent the message. "You shouldn't speak with a mouthful," I muttered.

L - Убежище в Новом Орлеане, приходи один (Shelter in New Orleans, come alone.)

Her reply was almost instant. 

Z - на моем пути (On my way.)

"I think it'll take her a while to get here from the manor," I said walking Twelve back up to the living room. "What do you fancy doing?" I paused throwing myself down onto the couch, "I need to stay off-grid for a while." 

"I heard about what happened to you in Russia." She mumbled quietly, taking me by surprise.

I nodded, "Yeh...79."

Her face twisted in confusion before it clicked. Her hand flies to her mouth, "you...you did 79?"

Most people did one mission a week, meaning one kill a week. But Dimitri had me hired to do missions every day. They weren't easy but they paid well, I still wonder what they did to him when they found me. 

"I try not to think about it. It haunts me enough at nights." I confessed with a shrug.

"So you remember everything now?" She whispered daring to look at my blank face. 

I sighed, "It slowly came back to me. I think the more time I spend with them, the more I remember." I pressed my lips into a thin line, "I still have a few blank gaps here and there."

I felt a warm hand squeeze mine, "I'm sorry for what happen to you." Her brown eyes glistening as I looked at her young face.

I smiled squeezing her fragile hand back, "I'm sorry you had to grow up the way you did." Twelve didn't reply instead her eyes glazed over as she slowly laid her head down on my lap. I could hear her silent sobs and the vibration of her staggered breathing. "I'm going to protect you...no one will ever hurt you again," I whispered brushing her soft short hair out of her face.

That was a promise. 

***

"I'm so glad you're okay," Robin spoke, throwing her arms around me. Instantly I hugged her back relaxing into her warmth. "I thought I lost you again." I rested my chin on her shoulder not wanting to move away just yet. "Tell me what happened."

I gritted my teeth thinking how I could be so stupid, he's an agents. He lies for a living yet I let him waltz into the manor like it was no big deal, I let him in on all the missions and all the secrets, "That son of a bitch." She placed her palms on my shoulders slowly pushing me away from her warmth, although she kept her grip on my shoulders. She tried to look calm but panic slowly seeped into her blank face, her eyebrows creasing at the centre whilst she squinted her eyes at me.

"Who?" She asked curiously her eyes determined. 

"Roman," I replied as her body goes stiff, her hands fell from my shoulders and folded themselves across her chest. "He had CIA arrest me at the manor," I continued not daring to meet her eyes as I said the next sentence. "He drugged you."

Almost by pure instinct her hand flew to her bo-staff which rested on her hip, she clung onto it for comfort, "He played us." She said with a small voice I could hardly hear her. Then with lightning speed her head flew up as I scanned her concerned face I tilted my head to the side questioning her worried look. "Gabe." She said, "Gabe is still with him."

I shook my head dismissively, "he'll be fine." Of course, he will, he's a Navy SEAL - he would figure it out if he hasn't already done it. They say blood is thicker than water but not in this case. Gabe might share the same blood as Roman but he wasn't Roman, I knew where his loyalty lies.

Robin nodded although she had an uncertain look on her face, she glanced over to the couch where twelve laid peacefully in a deep sleep. "How is she?" She asked walking over to sit on the couch by Twelve's feet. 

"She saved my life," I stated looking at the young girl. 

Robin threw a quick glance over her shoulder, "I'm glad she did. Someone had to."

"Get some rest," I insisted throwing her a blanket. "I sense a war brewing."

***

Director Miller couldn't sleep that night, in his head a killer had escaped from his custody. She didn't even make it to the transport car. He couldn't get her words out of his head.

He's a murderer, Miller. He killed one of our own.

One of your agents ratted us out to the Colombians.

I hope you find your mole Director.

He didn't believe a word she said. More to the fact, he didn't want to believe a word she said. But something in her eyes told him that she was telling the truth and if she wasn't the mole then he had a huge problem in his hands. Now that he thought about it, the last time he properly closed a case was six months ago.

He began to question his priorities, has years of chasing LeToya De Rosa distracted him from what was going on in his own Agency? Was he really chasing the wrong mole?

He didn't think about his conversation with Roman, about how he ordered him to betray her trust and arrest her. He remembered Roman telling him that she was harmless, that she didn't commit crimes but prevented them and how she kept the peace. It all sounded like a string of lies to the director, she's an assassin. He saw it himself - the killer eyes she had, they were cold and held no signs of humanity. 

And for a second he had her, right under his nose and now she was gone.