Whispers of the Diamond: A Romance of Memory and Desire

Chapter 27 - Alex

It had been several weeks since the revelation that Abigail had betrayed everything I thought I stood for. In reality, I couldn't be angry at her for protecting someone she loved. I understood that now—probably as well as she did, if not better. I'd do whatever was needed to protect Terra, even if it meant aiding Abigail in passing along information.

The car engine idled as I waited. The arrangement had been made, and I was meeting a member of the resistance to hand off information. It was a trade-off: we'd get a couple of their people, and in return, we'd ensure their operations continued. To be honest, they'd made the TG look rather foolish when they stormed the Skyfield facility. Their militia unit had taken control with relative ease. As a result, the TG had brought in more military power. London North was even worse to drive through these days, with checkpoints taking almost ten minutes to clear. The TG's response, as always, was more force, including deploying additional police to the lower areas of the city—something I'm sure those officers welcomed. They were feared even more than Hunters. At least when a Hunter came looking, you knew their purpose. With the police, you could never be sure. Some were young and idealistic, genuinely wanting to protect and serve. Others just wanted to make people as miserable as possible, keeping them in line through fear.

I sighed as the door opened, but when I saw who it was, a smile spread across my face.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Thought I'd give you a treat," Terra replied before launching herself into my arms for a long, deep hug. I'd missed her—it had been weeks since we'd last seen each other, back during our encounter in the train yard.

"I'm definitely pleased about that," I replied with a chuckle holding her close.

The truth was the more I as away from her the more I missed her, but we were as she had once said on opposite sides of the proverbial fence. For now all we could do was be patient.

She slid back, and I pulled away from the alley where I had been waiting. We drove for a little while before reaching my apartment. Not that it would matter now—I had filed an official report stating my intention to go undercover, which involved dating a member of the resistance to gain access to their operations. Abigail had approved it and then relayed this plan to Alice. It made sense for Terra and me to take this further, though, of course, I'd never see their actual headquarters—just a staging ground they could afford to lose.

As I pulled into the car park, a sudden instinct flared in my brain. I slowed down, scanning the area before parking. Stepping out cautiously, I glanced at Terra, who had noticed it too. Whatever had caught my attention had hers as well, and I saw her reach for her weapon. I wasn't in the mood to play nice, so I made my way to the back of the car.

"Something isn't right," she whispered as we crouched behind the vehicle. No sooner had she spoken than a hail of gunfire rattled the ground and the side of the car.

"Ugh, Sara's gonna be pissed if they scratch the paint," I muttered, glancing around to locate the source of the gunfire.

"Think someone knows about us?" Terra sighed softly. "Probably fucking Jakob."

"Doesn't really matter—they've got us pinned," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. "And let's face it, this job comes with a list of enemies. I'd rather focus on getting out of here than worrying about who it is."

I shifted my weight onto my front foot as another hail of gunfire tore into the ground beside me. A quick glance at the reflection in the metal above showed the gunman perched on a ledge just above my vehicle. If he moved along the ledge, he'd have a clear line of sight on Terra and me—I wasn't about to let that happen. I fired back, the bullets pinging off the metal near him, startling him enough to make him retreat into cover.

"Why am I always getting shot at when I'm around you?" I chuckled softly.

"Because you enjoy the excitement?" Terra replied before firing off a few rounds herself. The gunman retreated further into cover as we raced across the alleyway and out into the street. Almost instantly, we both tucked our weapons away and moved into a crowd to lose our would-be assassins. By the time we returned to my building, it had gotten late. Much like the world, it was now dark, with the best light coming from the vibrant neon marking various buildings.

I never understood when neon became a hallmark of this dystopian universe, and yet, as cliché as it was, here we were. I opened the door to my flat, and she waltzed in, just as she had done the very first time I took her to my place. She spun in place, taking it in. It was much more sparse; I didn't keep much in the way of personal items. To be honest I hadn't done personal since her death, it always seemed awkward and uncomfortable to think I could be happy again or ever feel at home.

She stared at the room, then back at me, before her gaze drifted toward the one window, which offered a view of the building opposite—hardly anything worth looking at. An elderly gentleman lived in the apartment across the way. We had seen each other at various times. Once, he caught me loading my weapons and reported me to the police, though nothing came of it. Afterward, I had slammed my badge against his window. He tended to avoid me after that.

"There's none of you here. I don't feel it," Terra said, frowning as she turned to me. I shrugged in response, knowing there was truth in her words.

"I'm not here much. It'd be pointless. I spend more time in hotels than at home. It comes with the job."

"Sounds kinda shitty," Terra replied.

"It doesn't matter. I'm here when required," I shrugged in response. I never understood the need to personalise things. If I was being honest, my place was with her. Today was the first time this place felt even remotely like home, but that was just an illusion created by her close proximity.

I removed my coat and placed it on the hook before looking at her. She tossed her jacket aside and seated herself on the sofa, her eyes locking onto mine as I moved to join her.