Code Name

XV

My heart sinks down. I always had my suspicions that Becca has been keeping something under wraps. But I never thought she would hide having a daughter; one with Josh nonetheless.

"You're pregnant with his kid?!" I nearly yell. My anger obviously gets the better of me as Becca looks down at her feet.

She says quietly, "Daniel, let me explain it all." Still frustrated, I decide to let her continue. "Two years ago, Josh and I were close friends. At one point, we were even together. Josh had one of his friends drop of some drinks and drugs. We were just having fun and relaxing for a bit. The next thing I knew, we were... well... you understand."

"But you had his kid. You're a mother."

"I was gonna have his kid. Josh stuck with me but I wasn't ready to be a parent. So, Josh gave me some money and I had an operation..."

I instantly feel guilty for being aggressive with her. I never knew much about Becca but I would have never thought of her going through something like that. "I'm--I'm sorry Bec."

"Yeah. Then afterwards, I was pretty depressed and I started pushing Josh away. Eventually, we broke up and I just kept my distance. The peace party was the first time I've seen Josh in a long time. We've been hanging out to make amends."

Josh then speaks up. "Daniel, I have a girlfriend of my own. I just want to go back to being friends with Becca and get things back to how they were."

"Then why the hell did you kiss her?"

"I got lost in the moment and just lost myself. I didn't know the two of you were together. If I did know, I wouldn't have done it. Becca talks about you all the time and I stepped back when she said she loved you. I never wanted to get between Bec and what made her happy."

Suddenly there's a buzz. Josh pulls his phone out of his pocket and look it over. "Who is it?" Becca asks.

"Mike. I gotta answer it. Don't talk or he'll be pissed that I'm around you guys." He then picks up the phone. "Hey, Mike."

We hear his voice over the phone. "Where were you tonight? The whole thing worked."

"I was at home. I had a headache and didn't wanna be around speakers. How many do you think you got?"

"Around forty of the bunch were actual competitors. Only a few had bets on them but I still got over a hundred and twenty off of them."

"You mean we got over a hundred and twenty."

"It's the same thing, Josh. But there's only one downside."

All of us pause and look between one another. "What's that?"

"You know that Sewer kid and the twin girl, Tracy? There the ones that eliminated Harley."

Josh looks up at me. "Yeah, I know them."

"Wess told me that he saw the two of them all lovey-dovey between sets. I figured that Becca Korse might be a little pissed if her partner was eliminated with another chick."

Josh just rolls his eyes. "I'm not hearing the downside here."

"They weren't eliminated. I couldn't spot the two of them near the end of the show. I just assumed they were in the crowd. The game's blog says they're both still active. Looking at this, Sewer is one of the top 10 competitors. Heck, he's closing in on you."

"Anything else?" Josh says as he's not very amused by Mike's conversation.

"Not for now. Keep your eyes open. If you see the little bastard, I'd suggest getting him right between the eyes." Mike then hangs up. Josh then stands up and begins to walk towards the apartment door.

"Where are you going?" Becca asks.

"You heard him. If he gets any proof or even a suspicion that I'm hanging around you guys, He'll throw a tantrum and do anything he can to make sure you're not a threat. I'll see you guys around but I'm gonna head home before he looks around. Later, Becky-girl. Later Danny-boy."

With that he makes his exit and leaves Becca and I alone.

"So," she slowly begins. "Do you believe me now when I say that I love you?"

I nod once. "Yeah. Just promise me that you won't keep any more big secrets. I want to help you, not interrogate you."

"Fine, I'll tell you everything from now on. But I still got a question I need to know."

I look at her curiously. "What would that be?"

"Is Tracy a better kisser than me?" She says with a playful smile.

I can't help but laugh at this. "No, she isn't as good as you." I then lean in and give her another one of our signature long kisses. "Yeah, not as good."

Her cute smile warms my heart. "Good. Cause I got a plan and I need her and Nate's help. I needed to know that so I wouldn't be jealous and spiteful the next time I'm with her." The two of us couldn't help but laugh together.