Deny Everything

Chapter . . - - -

     "I hate it here."

     "Our flight landed fifteen minutes ago," Nick countered.

     "I don't care," I muttered, and I really didn't. I wanted to grab my target, get my intel, and run. Run all the way home. Like a little piggy.

     First of all, we were in the smallest airport I'd ever seen. That says a lot by itself. Second, we weren't meeting the target until Wednesday. It was Monday, which meant I had to be here for three whole days. I mean, sure, I already was told this, but I thought he was joking! The last time I'd stayed this long was in New Zealand, but that was only because there was some... miscommunication. Either way, Nick caught me complaining to myself about this and jumped in on my little one-way conversation. 

     "Drama queen."

     "Old man."

     He raised his eyebrows at me and in an amused tone joked, "Excuse me?"

     "Oh, nothing," came out of my mouth in a voice that matched the innocent look I was giving him.

     My handler/adoptive father turned back to the luggage cart, that was ninety percent my stuff, while muttering, "Old man... Yeah, right."

     The hotel that got booked for us was a circle. Two circles, to be exact. Two nine-floored buildings that were round glass towers. It, or they, were called the Wyndham.

     As we walked in a loud cheery call led us to the check in desk. "Hello! Welcome to the Wyndham Hotel! Do you have a reservation?"

     "Yes, in fact we do!" Nick called back in an equally peppy voice, "One room for the name Freeman." He was such a people pleaser.

     "Freeman... Freeman..." The blonde woman chanted as she searched the computer for our name. "Ah, yes, here it is! Mr. Freeman, you will be staying in room 193, in this tower. Here are your room keys." Molly, as it said on her name tag, held out two small room keys with the hotel's logo and the number 193 on it. All the while she smiled at him with way too much make-up and the single expression females give him, the one filled with desire. He often made that kind of impression on them.

     "Thank you, Molly!" Nick yelled over his shoulder as we made our way to the elevator. 

     "N-Not a problem! Floor 8! Enjoy your stay!" She called back, though her face showed that she was clearly disappointed she didn't get to talk to him longer. Stepping into the elevator I turned and smiled at her, then linked my arm through Nick's while calling him Dad. Looking back just in time to see Molly's jaw drop. 

     "What are you doing?" He asked very slowly and cautiously as the doors slid closed. The last time I seriously called him that had been a mistake and I eventually broke down about it.

     "Nothing, just felt like calling you Dad. Is there a problem? You are my father after all," I lied.

     Sighing, Nick looked down on me and all of my 4'11 greatness. "You didn't need to torture the poor woman."

     Pouting, I stuck my tongue out at him and took my arm back. The doors once again opened on the third floor and a man walked in nodding at Nick and pushing the star button for the lobby. As the elevator started to ascend, the man, who was probably around 35, stared at me for a second before looking at Nick. With a little jump the elevator stopped at our floor and we stepped out, the man making little "tsk" noises behind us. I heard him pounding another button, probably to close the doors faster, although I couldn't figure out why until I heard, "Stupid teens and their pregnancies..." Taking a step backward I went to spin around and tell him off, to tell him he didn't know anything, but Nick caught my arm, dragging me away.