Smoke and secrets | 18 +

XXII

"Yeah it was held up here for a while." I forced a chuckle out to her.

She dried her hands and looked around the bathroom. There wasn't anyone in here except us and the one person who seemed to be stuck in there for a long time at the very end of bathroom entrance.

"I wasn't exactly sure how much I could tell you over the phone." Anna said in a low tone, fixing her hair as she spoke.

"About what?" I asked confusedly.

"Arman is getting impatient." She turned her body fully to me. "After two weeks of you being gone he told us all what the next steps would be once he started receiving information from you. But it's been almost two months and you haven't pulled through." She said.

"What are you—"

"I'm here to help. Of course he sent all of us to help. Rev is talking up Danica so he's closer to an attack schedule. I'm here to rub elbows with anyone who's willing to talk and well Grey...he's here for you." She said and I looked at her dumb founded.

"We're working with Killian now. He's become our biggest alliance. He has this meeting in two weeks with the French and I'm going too, if you hurry up and get arman what he wants, you could come with me." She added.

My head was spinning, there was so much to take in at once. Of course I knew about the French meeting but about Arman going against his biggest alliance isn't something I expected.

Wasn't him using me already enough?

"Anna I don't understand how this became so much bigger than me. Why?"

"Belle, we're here to help you so don't worry. If you've met Tori already, keep doing what you're doing. And if not, find her and do something because we're expecting you home in a month. I'm sick of the Italians taking everything." She said.

"I don't understand why this is bigger than me. This isn't a mission you send someone on alone." I said to her.

"This isn't about you Belle." She sighed. "After the last person Arman sent for this died.Your parents were first choice but they retired too soon so our best assassins are gone therefore we needed to kill Tori from the inside out, couldn't you see that?" She said in a matter of fact tone.

The toilet behind us flushed and Anna washed her hands once more, dried them and turned to me. "Come back quick. Danica ordered this huge dessert we could all share." She smiled and walked away.

And just my luck out walked Malia.

She looked me dead in the eye, then to my hands. "Your hands are blue." She said flatly.

"Yeah. They'll warm —"

"Why? Why are you doing all of this?" She asked me, tears filled her eyes.

"Malia—"

"My sister doesn't like a lot of people. She's not used to new people. But you, she likes you. She's going to ask you to be her girlfriend tonight. She had me set up these little things, do you know how hard it is to get fireflies in Sicily? And you do this?" She asked me as stray tears fell from her eyes.

I was shocked. I didn't know any of this. To be honest I never even thought of me and Tori ever being anything. It's light years away. It's too complicated and I was sent here for a mission so leaving would hurt her and I don't want to do that.

"I—"

"You tell her. Everything. Everything you've ever given him, everything you've told him and then tell her all of this that I heard." She said sternly.

The usual happy, easy going Malia seemed to no longer exist.

"I care about my sister more than anything. I'd be hurt before I let anything happen to her. And I know she likes you, more than you can fathom, and you're hurting her in every way possible." She said firmly.