X: Valet

(2) agreed

"Damn you..."

Letha grabbed my arm and we jogged towards the building. My face involuntarily lit up with a smile.

She was very agile – much more agile than me. That's why I always got in first and gave my hand if I needed it. Sometimes I wondered how Letha could climb on some surfaces – it seemed there was nothing to cling to.

"Hurry up!"

She urged me on as the flashlight continued to move smoothly towards the room where Hunter was holed up. The problem was that we couldn't get to him directly. That's why our actions were so... questionable. But I didn't think about it then. In a sense, the excitement woke up in me – I already imagined how I would become a hero who saved the situation. And that Seth would appreciate it. Maybe I should have thought more about the reality.

Once inside, we immediately rushed – as quietly as we could – to the right office. It's hard for me to describe the look on Hunter's face when he saw us in the aisle. Perhaps his first reaction was actual surprise. But it disappeared so quickly, replaced by anger, that I clearly remembered only this. There were a lot of papers in front of him, and he himself held a bottle in his hands, continuing to transfer the necessary information to another sheet.

"What the hell?"

"A guard is heading here, we have to go"

Letha kept her composure. It is worth noting that Hunter did not go deep into the room – he was still sitting by the window. And this was another confirmation of the futility of my plan.

"And you, of course, decided not to follow my orders!"

He hissed, briefly scribbling the remaining words.

Letha and I hurriedly began pushing the no longer required documents through the shelves. All this had to be done under Hunter's guidance, because only he knew where it lay. He was distracted, and, in general, mine and Letha's idea slowed us all down.

Hunter was closest to the window when we heard footsteps outside the door. He tossed me the remaining folder of notes, and I shoved them into the shelf just as Hunter had already disappeared from the room. Letha hurried straight after him, but as soon as I went there, the door immediately flew open.

There was nothing to be done – the light of the flashlight was pointed directly at me. My face would have been visible to the guard in the slightest detail if I hadn't been wearing a mask.

There were screams, the kind that happen when intruders enter the building. I was having trouble getting out. The window – again, through no one's fault – slammed shut. It took me not only time, but also Letha's help from the other side.

The man who wanted to stop me came almost right up to me – he managed to grab me by the shoulder. I pulled away, but now the flashlight also illuminated Letha's face.

As a result, both of us were compromised.

"Great job"

Hunter said when we were in a safe place.

I lowered my head, but Letha didn't.

"I'm sorry, it seemed to me that..."

I was surprised by this choice of words. As previously agreed, she was responsible for me. No one else. Letha couldn't use the word "we". In a situation like this, only she could make decisions.

"I don't need that"

Hunter cut her off instantly, holding out his hand. And after a few moments, he grinned – there was neither joy nor gloating in that grin.