I Spy

Chapter 16

My dad woke up three hours later.  I was alone in Jamie’s apartment while the boys had gone to treat Jamie’s wounded arm, which was quite bad.  I was sitting on the couch with my dad in the bedroom when I heard someone calling my name. 

“Marley?”  My dad appeared in the doorway with ruffled hair and creased clothing.  “Did you drug me?” 

“It was Jamie,” I said quickly.  He sighed and saw down on the couch next to me. 

“I think we need to talk about a few things,” he said. 

“No, I’ll talk and you listen,” I said.  I don’t know where my sudden confidence had come from, but the man sitting on front of me had caused so much drama that I needed to know what was happened. 

“I’ve heard several stories about you; how good of a spy you are, how you’re a master at playing people, which side you work for and a whole lot of other shit.  But right now I need to know the truth.  Are you or are you not working for Labelle?  Because I heard you talking to someone the other night and you were saying things that made you seem pretty guilty, so just tell me the truth.” 

“I don’t work for Labelle,” he said simply, sitting back and crossing his arms. 

“I don’t believe you,” I fired back, mimicking his stance. 

“You asked for the truth and I gave it to you.”  He shrugged. 

“Well I need evidence.  I need proof that this isn’t just another pointless lie like all the other one’s I’ve heard for the last few months.” 

“I’m not working for Labelle,” he said, slower than before.  “And I’ll tell you everything you need to know after I get a painkiller.” 

I grumbled a response under my breath and returned two minutes later with a pill and a glass of water.  He took slow, small sips of the water before he sighed and started to speak. 

“When I first gave you away to Paula and Dave, I had no idea what I was going to do with myself.  So, I did the only thing I could do and that was go to Labelle.  I knew that if I didn’t, he would find me wherever I did end up going.  And then we would both be in trouble.  So I returned to him and his company.  At first I wasn’t allowed to do any field work, much to my relief, but I had to sit and do hours of research every day.  It was terribly strenuous, but no matter how much I hated it, it was better than killing innocent people. 

“When Ryan’s father first dead, I was honestly sad.  No details about his death were revealed, but I knew it was Labelle who had done the deed.  I could tell by the way he was awkward around Ryan that he had done something; either killing Ryan’s dad himself or getting someone else to do it for him. 

“James, Ryan’s dad, was a good guy.  He was fair and honest and understanding.  The only reason he got into that field of work was because of his dark side, created by the way MI6 treated him.  He thought it wasn’t fair how they only gave him small missions and desk jobs, so he fled and Labelle head-hunted him.  Of course, this was about twenty years ago. 

“Anyway, when Ryan was left fatherless, I felt terrible for the kid.  He was only thirteen and Labelle was certainly no father figure for the boy.  So I took him under my wing and trained him.  I trained him in a way that I knew his father would have approved of; teaching him empathy, kindness and the good morals everyone around him lacked. 

“When he turned fifteen I sent his application to Blackwood, knowing that the people there would teach him the right things.  You see, Ryan hated killing people.  His conscience is completely clear, like his dad’s once was, and he honestly hates Labelle.  But he understood everything about the company.  He knew he couldn’t flee or try to argue with anyone ranked higher than him, so he did what he was told.  He fed information to Labelle, he did things for him and he showed him the loyalty that everyone expected from him.  However, he tried to do the same with Mr Grey. 

“He told him truthfully where he had come from when Labelle told him to kill you.  He could never, ever do that, he made it so clear.  So that day when I was at the Institute was the day that Ryan told everything to Mr Grey.  That’s why Ryan was sent with you to Oban and that’s why he insisted to constantly be around you.  It really was to protect you. 

“Now back to my story; I eventually worked my way up to be Labelle’s partner.  He trusted me and although I was completely loyal to the CIA, he thought differently.  I did what I had to do to complete the illusion of my loyalties, but I now have to live with the guilt of what I did.  That night when you escaped and Ryan was shot, you remember?  That was all planned.  You hearing me talking, Ryan getting shot and all the rest of it was planned.  I wanted you to know everything.  I wanted to warn Ryan that he was going to get shot, I wanted to warn you not to go to Stan, I wanted you to know that you had to escape. 

“After Ryan was shot and you ran off, I took him to the hospital.  He’s fine and healthy, so if you feel worried, don’t.  He’s not here anymore, though.  He’s back at Blackwood with Mr Grey and he’s safe there.  Mr Grey knows where you are and he knows that Jamie and Carter will take care of you.  He also knows that Anthony will return to Europe when he can, but at the moment that is not possible, as much as you want him to. 

“Another thing you need to know is that Stan is working for Labelle.  He had been for his whole time at the CIA, and that is why I didn’t want you going back to him.  He’s such a charmer and so good at what he does that no one would ever question him, but he’s the reason everything bad has happened.  He’s the reason Labelle got to you all those times, he was responsible for the train, he was the reason why you followed Labelle on that mission in London and he’s the reason why Blackwood was broken in to.  Mr Grey has to do everything Stan says, you see, and that’s why Ant is there now.  He’s going to kill Stan.  Don’t fret now, because he was countless numbers of backup and all the assistance he could need. 

“So, Marley, I hope that all of this helps you see that I, Ryan, Mr Grey and almost everyone besides Stan are on your side.  We are aiming to protect you, so you can trust us.” 

“That’s a lot to take in,” I mumbled.  I had no idea what to say of think; I was in complete shock. 

“I know,” George nodded slowly. 

“How can I believe that?” I asked.  A jab of guilt ran through my body as pain filled my dad’s green eyes.  “I mean, how do I know that Labelle didn’t put you up to this?” 

“You can trust him.”  I looked up in surprise and saw Jamie and Carter standing hand-in-hand in the doorway, both with smiles on their faces. 

“Are you alright?” I jumped up and ran to Jamie.  He chuckled and nodded. 

“Everything is fine,” he assured me.  I nodded in relief. 

“George, I just got off the phone with Mr Grey and he is sending someone to fetch us straight away,” Carter said. 

“Great, thanks, Carter,” George smile and walked over to where we were standing. 

“Where are we going?” I asked.  An awkward, almost callous look passed over Jamie’s eyes. 

“We’re going back to Blackwood,” my dad explained.  “Mr Grey is expecting us.”