Chapter Five

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"Why didn't you stop me!" Charlotte yelled at Leo, sprinting through the dark narrow tunnel and into the safe house. "I can't stop you from doing anything." Leo countered, crossing his arms. "There was a bloody trap door!" She stopped running and starred at him. She forgot about the bomb, the smell of smoke that was slowly filling the air as she whispered, "it was a trap and you let me walk into it." Charlie emerged from the secret passageway. "Guys, this is hardly the time to have a domestic." He said, rolling his eyes and strolling out of the house. "No, you don't get to just walk out of here." She followed after him. "Actually, I think the only one that won't be walking out of here is you." Charlie said, spinning around. "In case you forgot, there's a live bomb in your mother's precious safe house!" He yelled, stepping out onto the porch and further away from the house. But Charlotte couldn't move, she just stood there, frozen. "Leo." Charlotte turned around slowly. "Leo, why aren't you leaving?" Her voice was full of fear, Leo didn't even look at her. "You." She whispered, she wanted to kill him. For the first time, she really wanted to kill him. "You rigged the bomb!" She yelled, the beeping becoming more frequent and faster, but she didn't move an inch. "I'm sorry." Leo whispered. "I don't want to hear it." Charlotte spat the words, starting to pace. "Why?" She asked, needing to know. "We all keep secrets, mine are just in a burn bag." She wanted to hate him, but she couldn't. How could she? When her secrets too, were so precious and would burn at the flick of a switch. "How long?" Charlotte whispered. "You need to leave." Leo said, not answering her question. "You are not staying here." She reached for him, but he pulled away, like they felt a spark. "I thought you wanted me dead?" Leo smirked, but it wasn't funny. "No, you don't get to kill yourself." She said, as if that would change his mind. "I'm not gonna die." He said, sounding so sure. "Your not indestructible Leo." Charlotte said, stepping away from him, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Not even the best spies in the world are." Leo stared at her, she almost believed him as he whispered. "We won't die." She barley heard the we, before the world went black.

The air was dense, full of smoke and dust and fire. Charlotte coughed and choked, as she pushed rubble from on top of her and sat upright. It was too hot, she couldn't breathe. So she crawled along the splintered, wooden floor towards the fresh air. She could hear sirens and see the flashing lights. "Send them away." She whispered, to no one but herself, as she ducked around flames and onto the broken porch. Charlie was arguing with a firefighter, his voice carrying on the wind as he said. "There was no one in there." Charlotte lay flat on the floor, hoping to blend in as she watched the fire engine retreat down the drive, away from her mother's safe house. The fire raged around her, as Charlotte stumbled to her feet and towards Charlie. "Are you okay?" He asked, if she had trusted him she might've believed the concern in his voice. The fear in his eyes, she might've let him help her stay steady as she swayed, her legs feeling like lead. But instead, she pushed him away and studied him. "Why?" The word wasn't a shout, it was barely a whisper. "Ask him." Charlie muttered, nodding his head towards the house. Charlotte spun around to see Leo stumble out into the sunlight. He was covered in dirt and cuts, his clothes were torn and burnt, but he still smiled at her. "You fucking idiot!" She yelled, then she lowered her voice. "You could've died." Leo walked towards her, like a hero emerging from the fire. "And you care?" He teased. "I don't!" Charlotte protested, but Leo just looked past her and at Charlie. "Cute, she cares." He said, as if Charlotte wasn't stood there. "Burn bags don't make explosions that big." She said, trying to catch him out. "Mines bigger than most." He smirked. "What, as big as a house?" She laughed, rolling her eyes at the lie. But then she stopped when Leo looked at her, he didn't tease or smirk. He was totally serious as he said, "not like a house. Just, a house."

"Stay away from me!" Charlotte practically screamed the words, as she started to run away from Leo and the fire. She couldn't bare to watch the fire a minute longer. "Charlotte!" She could hear Leo calling her, his footsteps pounding on the floor behind her. She ran into the forest, shrinking deeper and deeper into the shadows as Leo's footsteps faded. Charlotte leaned against a tree, trying to catch her breathe and stop her mind from racing. "Your getting sloppy." The voice behind her made her jump away from the tree and spin around. "What are you doing here?" Charlotte hissed, starring at her best friend. Renée just smirked. "I'm the least of your problems." Charlotte sighed. "I know." She turned away from her best friend and kept walking through the forest, she had to stay as far away from Leo and his mess as possible. "What are you running from?" Renée asked, following Charlotte. "I'm not running from anything." Charlotte snapped. "I'm trying to find my mums killer." Renée almost laughed, "it's been 4 years." Charlotte stopped and stared at her. "Even the CIA, FBI and MI5 found nothing. You have to stop this." Renée said, almost pleading. Charlotte laughed, but it wasn't funny. "Even the CIA wouldn't accuse a teenage boy." She said, just as Leo came into view.

"See, you didn't die." Leo tilted his head and smiled at her. Charlotte just stared at him, as if he were a little bit crazy. "What?" He asked. "Why'd you burn it?" Charlotte said, her voice no louder than a whisper. "I can't tell you that." Leo said, shaking his head, backing away from her. "Why'd you burn it?" Charlotte said again, louder this time, firmer. She left no doubt, she needed to know. She was not going to let Leo leave without telling her, she would do anything to know. "You can't know." Leo whispered, shaking his head, not looking at her. "I can't know what, Leo?" Charlotte asked, stepping forwards, closer to him. "You can't know." He said, finally looking at her. "If you know, they'll kill you too." Leo said, as if he were admitting a deep, dark secret. In a way, he was. "If I know what?" Charlotte asked, Leo looked at her but he only smiled and stepped away. "They killed her..your mother, because she knew." He said, Charlotte barely noticed Renée slip away out of the corner of her eye. "I won't let them kill you too." Leo whispered, staring at her. "Charlotte!" She spun around at the sound of her best friend, Renée was crouched besides a tree. "Come look at this." She said, Charlotte glanced at Leo and tried to read his eyes. But his face was as expressionless as ever, he was the ultimate spy-slash-assassin, and Charlotte for one didn't know which he would be better at.

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I hope you enjoyed!

I n s t a g r a m: pengmendes

- Naomi x

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