Whispers of the Diamond: A Romance of Memory and Desire

Chapter 7 - Alex

As we returned to the observation room, Abigail rounded on me, backing me into the wall. Her eyes were as calm as ever. To be honest, Abigail Richards was as terrifying a woman as I had ever met. She was as strong as they come and kept the military folk in check when dealing with Hunters; Abigail ruled the roost.

"You didn't think it was worth telling me?" she snapped, her eyes locked on mine. "That you have a history with the suspect?"

"It's no longer relevant," I shrugged. It was, and by God, did I know it. Terra had pressed several buttons since the moment I'd apprehended her. Her quips about me being a lapdog had genuinely stung.

"Is she an issue?" Abigail snapped back at me.

"No, ma'am," I replied, my words coming with a level tone. She wouldn't rattle me; I couldn't afford to show weakness. I couldn't be vulnerable to both women in this scenario. I met her eyes, forcing every ounce of control I had, and nodded.

"Then make sure you're ready to do what's needed." The scowl on her face was unmistakable, as was the implication in her words. It was highly unlikely Terra was walking out of here alive.

"She would be..."

"Don't even fucking finish that sentence, Alexander. We don't have room in the Max Security unit, you know that. And the last time we tried to transport one of theirs, the convoy was ambushed, and we lost six men." Abigail's words came quick and venomous. Her previous partner had been one of those men; for her, this was very personal. I guess it was for me too, but the idea of killing Terra twisted me up in a way I couldn't explain.

"Useful. She has inside information," I finished anyway; the worst she could do now was yell further. She shot me a glare, and I closed my eyes for a second before continuing, "She is high-ranking, has more knowledge than most, and she will break given time."

"You seem sure of yourself, Oliviera," Abigail snapped once more.

"When am I not?" I replied, finally finding my footing and regaining some composure.

Very well. You go talk to her, and I'll be watching." She pointed to the window where, once again, Terra had begun pacing. I watched her, wondering what her train of thought was, at least beyond getting into my head. As much as I wanted to deny it, Terra had a way of doing just that.

As I entered the interrogation room, Terra rounded on me. I took a step back into the door, and she closed the gap, her body pressing against mine. Fuck, I could feel the heat of her breath on my neck. My mind blurred as my cock stiffened in my pants. I growled and pushed her back.

"Take a seat, Miss Forsythe," I growled, letting my annoyance override my sense for a moment before regaining control. She smiled wickedly and then sauntered back to her seat. I tossed the file onto the desk.

"They're going to execute you, or rather have me do it, and honestly, I'd rather not," I stated quickly.

"I see. Well, at least you know you still love me," she replied, so fucking calm I could have slapped her in that moment. She was right, and I hated that, but she was clearly playing up for Abigail rather than me. Survival instinct in humans was strong as hell when faced with their own mortality.

"I have a job to do, so give me something useful and I can have you transferred to the maximum-security unit. You'll never see the world again, but at least you'll be alive," I stated, pushing every ounce of authority I could into my voice. I didn't want to watch her die again, much less by my own hand. I hated taking lives; I had from the very first one. I swallowed hard, forcing the memory of that night down.

"Still trying to save me, baby?" She reached for my hand and I immediately yanked it away. The look she gave was hurt, but that shock of electricity through me was far too intense. "You gotta let me go. If you do, it'll get you killed."

"Wouldn't be the first time," I quipped. Not really sure why, but my quest for vengeance and indeed my current line of work had begun with me getting shot. Not a fun way to die, I can tell you. But since then, I've been shot, stabbed, blown up by car bombs—that hurt—quite a few ways to die, it turns out. My least favourite was being drowned, which led to a rather nasty fear of water.

They say it's peaceful once you get past the choking. Yeah, they are wrong! It's horrid; it burns and leaves a lasting effect. Unlike the resistance, who could lose whatever time was between their deaths and their backs, I had a secondary chip in the back of my arm that was wired to short-term memory. This allowed for everything to be held and then added to larger backups. We lost very little time, and that was our biggest advantage. Unfortunately, it also meant we remembered everything, including how painful dying truly is.

"You don't have to die for no reason, Alex," she sighed softly. Her hands trembled slightly; I could see it. I knew Terra better than most, and that was always an advantage. I understood her body language better than anyone.

"Neither do you," I replied.

"Get me out of here, even just to the max-sec unit, and I'll tell you our next target," she said with a shrug. The break in her voice was clear. I wasn't entirely sure of her angle; in fact, it suddenly seemed a little too easy.

I picked up the file and strode from the room, back through the next door to Abigail. She threw me a glance and smiled.

"Well done, Alex. Well done indeed," Abigail grinned, almost as wide as I had ever seen. For someone who hardly ever smiled, it actually made her appear much younger. Abigail was as strong as they come, but for a moment she looked almost normal.

"It's worth the risk?" I asked. I knew the answer should have been no, but I suspected Abigail might be willing to let Terra's little game play out.

"Fine, transfer her. I'll get you authorisation." And with that, she was gone, leaving me alone in the observation room. Terra, I swore, was staring a hole through me. She couldn't see me, but the line of sight was difficult to ignore.