Double Bond

Chapter Three

The English National Anthem broke into Bond’s preparations. He snatched up his mobile.

“What?” he barked into it.

“Calm down, 007. I’m allowed to check up on you.” James winced when he heard M’s tones.

“Sorry, sir. I’m just at a critical point right now. Rosie’s just left, and…”

“Who’s Rosie?”

“The British girl. She’s gone back to her room, and I’m definite she knows about the bomb, and I think it’s in her room. I’m going to grab her, and bring her back with me.”

“The mission’s almost over, and you’ve only slept with one girl? Fascinating. Carry on, Bond. I expect you back within two hours.” The click of the phone being put down was incredibly loud in the silence.

James snapped his phone shut, fixing his holster over his shoulder and checking his gun, before slipping his jacket over the top. He grinned to himself. M didn’t realise how much this quick mission was going to cost him.

****************

“Are you sure you want to buy Rosie?” Mr Samachio still sounded shocked by Bond’s request. James nodded again. Mr Samachio sighed.

“It will cost you £2000.” James pulled out his cheque book.

“Made out to POHK?” The pen hovered over the cheque as James watched Mr Samachio, who finally nodded.

****************

James tapped at Rosie’s door. Sounds of movement came from inside, and the door opened a crack, Rosie’s eyes peering out, suspiciously.

“I’m your new owner,” he told her dryly. Her brow furrowed.

“You bought me?” Rosie sounded surprised, looking at him as if she thought he was joking. He smiled at her.

“I like you,” he said, simply. It wasn’t a lie. It just wasn’t the whole truth. The door was opened a little bit more, and Bond automatically checked what she was wearing. A sky blue cotton nightie, exactly matching the colour of her eyes, a red silk shawl thrown carelessly over her shoulders. Her eyes still looked suspicious, and also faintly puzzled.

“Will I be a sex slave?” she asked. James shook his head. At least he could tell her something that was the truth.

“No. You won’t be made to do anything like that.” Rosie rushed back into her room, calling back over her shoulder,

“I’ll just pack! Come on in!”

James stood frozen in the doorway. His feelings were threatening to engulf him, and he forced a lid down on them. He wasn’t betraying her, he didn’t know her well enough for it to count as betrayal. But the look in her eyes was hard to forget. They’d filled with hope when he told her that she was free. He almost felt like he should tell her that he was taking her to be questioned by MI6, to prepare her for the squashing of those hopes that he had started.

Rosie reappeared in the doorway. Her peach dress was back on, somehow suiting her more than earlier.

“You are allowed in, you know,” she said, her eyes shining at him. James gave her a small smile, stepping over the threshold into her room.

It was painfully neat. White walls, a beige carpet, no signs of individuality, not a thing out of place. The only incongruous thing was the unmade bed, with a small black rucksack dumped on top. James watched as Rosie shoved a pair of shoes and some dresses in the bag, a book following afterwards. She zipped the bag up, pulling a thin silver jacket on, turning to look at him.

James finally worked out why the dress looked so different. She was standing differently, and the dress was sitting better on her figure. He smiled inwardly. She had perfected the art of dress-wearing to a degree that she could make a dress look terrible on her, so that a man’s eyes would pass over her. James chewed his lip, thoughtfully. She obviously hated her ‘job’, so why was she here? The women did get a say in where they went in POHK. She must have really upset someone

Rosie was still watching him, patiently, and James realised that she was waiting for him to give her an order. He quickly collected his thoughts.

“Mr Samachio wants to see you,” he told Rosie, whose face fell ever so slightly.

“Oh. I’ll, uh, be straight back.” She disappeared down the corridor. James took a deep breath. It was time to search her room.

****************

Ten minutes later, James slumped, defeated, onto the bed. He’d ripped her room apart, and put it back together again, but there was no sign of the bomb. He sighed. He must have been wrong. He hated being wrong. It was so… humiliating. He sighed again. There had definitely been a ticking noise when he’d entered the room, but it had stopped when Rosie had left. He stroked his chin. There was something he was missing, something obvious, something he had just thought of…

A shadow filled the doorway, and he glanced up. Rosie was back, looking faintly upset.

“Ready, sir?” she asked, and James nodded, standing up and grabbing her bag. She led the down the corridor towards the car park, James a few paces behind. His eyes were fixed on her back, his realisation growing with every step. The ticking noise had reappeared when Rosie came back, and Bond was positive where the bomb was. He was certain it was inside Rosie.