Whispers of the Diamond: A Romance of Memory and Desire

Chapter 25 - Alex

"So tell me, Mr. Oliviera, how does this girl continually slip through your hands?" The dry, straight tone of Arthur Frost, a man well into his 60s and yet still looking as good as ever, cut through the room. At 6 feet 6 inches, with broad shoulders and piercing blue eyes, well-maintained grey hair, Arthur was a commanding presence. As the Head of Justice, he held the highest clearance in London North, and his stature and authority were undeniable.

"I'm sorry, sir. It seems the resistance has far more resources than we first suspected. As a result, she was able to escape capture. She is highly trained and efficient in her execution. We were lucky to intervene at Skyfield," I replied quickly, forcing the lies as best I could. Though I hadn't lied in truth, I had merely omitted that I had a personal interest in Terra.

"Perhaps we should dedicate more resources to crushing them then. A unit or two of marines should negate any advantage they have," Arthur suggested. I hesitated for a moment. That kind of firepower would pretty much decimate them, and it wasn't something I relished.

"No, sir, I can handle it," I replied, raising myself up and projecting all the authority I could muster.

"Very well. Keep me updated," he said. As he spoke, my phone chimed. Pulling it from my jacket and opening the email, my heart halted as the words hit me. The identity of our mole was no one I would have ever expected.

"Um... yes, of course... sir, my apologies. I've received intel I need to act on." With that, I quickly strode from his office, re-reading the details in the email several times.

I strode down the hallways and back toward my own section. We had our own area for Hunters, complete with a computer for accessing information and, of course, Abigail's office, which is where I was currently heading. My brain raced, trying to piece together how I'd ever missed it. I should have seen this coming. I knocked on the door before walking in.

"Do you mind?!" she snapped.

"We need to talk," I replied before closing and locking the door.

"Out, Alex, NOW!" she bit back angrily.

"You're the mole!" Abigail's eyes flashed angrily, far more than I'd ever seen from her, as she stood with both hands flat on the desk.

"Are you fucking stupid?! An accusation like that is grounds to execute you and ensure you never come back!" she breathed. I swear if dragons were real, Abigail might be one in human form.

"You won't," I held my nerve as my eyes met hers. "Frost wants to unleash the Marines on the resistance, which would put your sister in their firing line. I knew I recognised Alice from somewhere—her facial features match yours. You've been feeding her information, which means you have more in this than just your husband's death."

"Lunch?" I was thrown by the question. Then, following Abigail's line of sight, I realised she wanted to have this conversation away from the office where almost everything we did or said could be monitored.

I nodded in response, and we left. I climbed into her car, and we drove all the way out of London North and into the heart of London itself. If she wanted to get away from prying eyes, this would be as far as it would be needed. We arrived at a small restaurant in the heart of London, an older family-run place. I suppose at some point Ramsey's had been a big deal, but as time moved on, those things were forgotten. It was still owned by the family but was a far cry from its popular days.

We sat at a table, and Abigail looked at me.

"You're right, but that needs to stay between us, for Alice's sake and Terra's."

"You know you ordered me to kill my girlfriend," I bit back.

Abigail sighed and nodded as she stared at the menu. I did the same, settling on steak, eggs, and chips—large slices of potato, not the thin-cut American fries they called "fries." The restaurant was fairly quiet, but importantly, no one who was in our line of work would ever come here.

"They take and they take, Alex. We've done horrible things in their name, but for what? Money? That's all that sets us apart from the resistance. We have it, and they don't." Abigail sighed darkly. This was the first time I'd ever seen beneath her cold, dark exterior.

"I know, but they want us to kill the people we love the most," I shrugged in reply, my eyes settling as the waiter arrived to take our order. Once he had taken our order, he then disappeared back into the kitchen as my attention returned to Abigail, "I will not kill her, just as I wouldn't you or Sara or half the people I work with."

"You're such a sentimentalist, Alex," she said with a hint of a smirk. My eyes settled, and I had no interest in being drawn into philosophy, nor did I quite know how to use my current leverage to my advantage. "You're not going to rat me out. If you were, you would have the moment you discovered my identity."

"Not my style, as long as we understand each other and you don't put Terra in danger again," I shot back darkly. I wasn't talking to my boss now; it was a veiled threat, and Abigail knew it.

Abigail nodded in response. I suspected that if she chose to, she'd have an answer I couldn't argue with, but for the moment she was content enough that I simply kept quiet about things. If truth be told, it wasn't the only TG secret I had; after five decades, you pick up things. I was probably as big a security risk as the resistance at times, with what I knew at least.

"Thank you," Abigail stated softly.

"We could bury each other, Abigail, or we can continue to work together to figure this out and keep our loved ones safe. Either way, it's mutually assured destruction of our careers if we don't."

"Ever the optimist, Alex," she said. I hated the way she patronized me sometimes. But she was right; I was still hoping I could come out of this mess with Terra by my side and not put anyone else in unnecessary danger in the process. It was a pipe dream, and I knew it, but it was what I had to tell myself to keep moving.