Betrayal Codes

Chapter 10: Cole

I slow down my breathing as I walk into the hotel. After I ran away from Libby, I continued circling the building just to calm myself down. I was getting more and more tired with every lap and after the last one, I gave up.

As I walk into the lobby, I'm greeted by a doorman who looks dangerously hyped on caffeine. "Hello, sir! Good evening! Welcome! Can I help you in any way?"

"No, thank you."

"Alrighty then! Have a great evening!" he replies, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"You too. And dial down on the coffee," I can't help adding.

"Yes, sir!" he calls as I enter the elevator.

Inside, I lean against the wall, making my cold shirt stick against my damp skin. The moisture in the air was mixing with my sweat and making me much hotter than I should be after a short run in the freezing cold. I am really out of shape.

The elevator drops me off at my floor and I drag my feet to my room. The second I open the door, I can sense the tension. Aiden gets cut off in the middle of his sentence when I walk in. Tucker is sitting, defeated, in an armchair by the back window. "What's going on?"

"Well, Cole, thanks for your concern. And for finally showing up," Aiden snaps. "We were just chatting about your future supervision rules."

I'm taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"Aiden wants to have a babysitter follow you everywhere from now on. Because you were gone so long," Tucker explains.

"No way," I argue. "Nope, nope, nope. I'm a grown man. I can handle myself just fine."

"Oh, really?" Aiden shoots back. "Because from what I just saw, you walked off — into the middle of a pitch-black forest — with a girl who may or may not be trying to kill you."

"She's not trying to kill me," I mumble.

"Then you come running back like the trees just caught fire," he continues, ignoring me. "And then you disappear again. For another hour. An hour, Cole. What the hell were you doing?"

I gesture to my now-drenched T-shirt. "Going for a run. Do you not see the shape I'm in?"

"At midnight. Sure, okay," he replies sarcastically, twirling his wrist like a teenage girl.

"Aiden, please, could you not do all of–" Tucker begins but is cut off by a phone ringing in a backpack. Aiden shoots me a we're not finished look before hunting for the phone.

"Hello?"

A voice speaks on the other end. Tucker and I can't make out what they are saying or who they are, but watching Aiden's expression harden, we know. Peter.

"Yes, sir. All here." A pause. "No, sir. Everything is going according to plan, no complications." At that, Aiden shoots me another look. "Sir, are you sure? Okay, then." The phone is passed to me and the others walk into the other room to give me privacy.

The device is supposed to feel light but knowing who's on the other end of the line makes it heavy, a burden I don't want to carry. Slowly, I raise it to my ear. "Hello, sir."

"Ah, Cole," the man says, acting like he wasn't the one who requested to speak to me. "Aiden and I were just chatting about the gala tonight. Did the plan work?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. So I assume you're still following his orders?" Peter asks, not wanting any answer besides yes, which I give. "He only has your best interest in mind, remember."

Yeah, right. "Yes, sir."

"Excellent! Now, put me on speaker for the others." I oblige, waving the others back into the room. "I will arrive at your location at noon tomorrow. Make sure none of the agents are near. We will discuss our next steps at that time." He pauses, allowing us to write down his instructions. As if. "Do not fail me, boys. Remember why I chose you. Keep each other in line and help each other succeed."