The Bearing

7. The Call

It's been a few days. An enormous pit of guilt forms in my stomach after hiding the coordinates from Gray, but I have a strange inclination that they were for my eyes only. I still remember them somehow, even though the paper got lost after I fainted.

32.5 N, 117 W.

The smart thing to do would be to map them out geographically, but that would require technology, and the URA would then discover the obviously secret information.

"You're pacing again." Gray walks into the bedroom, donning a crisp charcoal suit and a red tie. "I'm on my way to work. I'll see you later."

I nod my head, still pondering. "Ok, thanks. Bye." I cannot look him in the eyes because they'd tempt me to spill my heart out.

He sighs, resigned. "After last night, I thought you would be like my wife now. I guess not." He reaches to rest a hand on my shoulder but jerks it back quickly. "Aren't you going to work?"

"I wasn't sure if I'm allowed back. I'll call after you leave."

"Whatever happens, it will be okay." As if it's habitual for us, he leans over, kisses me on the cheek, and exits the room before I can question him.

I hear the front door open and shut.

"Goodbye, Mr. Bear," the house says.

My phone sits on the bedside table but feels as if it's hovering over me, about to drop onto my head and shatter into a million pieces.

I pick it up.

"Call Robert Richards." I bark the order with a bitter taste on my tongue.

He answers almost instantly. "Leah Heartbeat, or should I say Bear now?" He chuckles maliciously. "How are you? I saw the wedding. It was marvelous. You looked beautiful."

That word from his mouth is a poisoned arrow striking right into my chest.

"Hello, Chief Richards. I am well. Thank you for asking. I wanted to inquire about my position. Do I still have a job at the URA, or am I terminated due to my recent actions?" I cross my fingers, but I'm not sure if I'm crossing them to keep my job or be fired from it.

"Ah, I was waiting for this. Unfortunately Leah, as much as I would love to have you as my assistant, because of the recent trial, I cannot. It would be bad for my image, you see. As for the Optics Division, which you were fantastic in, don't get me wrong...you cannot work there either. The URA has to let you go. I suppose you could travel to the Chinese or Russian sectors, but even then, given your criminal record, you most likely won't be able to find work there."

I exhale loudly and realize I was holding my breath that entire time. "Oh, Chief, I'm sorry to hear that. Thank you for letting me know. It was an honor serving you." I wince at my last words. Honor. Ugh.

I hang up the phone and wander around the empty house. All there really was, though, was the bedroom, the bathroom, and a guest room, which I'd never been in before.

I enter slowly as if intruding on an invisible guest. The door creaks open. It hasn't been occupied in quite a long time, and dust has accumulated on the decorative bookshelf and bedside table. The room isn't as pasty white as the majority of things are. One of the walls was colored a muted beige, which was a slight improvement. The white comforter and bed sheets have a matching beige stripe running across them, horizontal to the beige pillows.

I run my finger along the dusty nightstand. Maybe I should clean. That's what housewives do now, right? Many houses nowadays have a self-cleaning

option for families who are too busy to do it themselves, but Gray's clearly doesn't. He doesn't even have the vacuuming robots that clean the floor for you.