Nora Stevenson

Chapter Ten

Piper thumbs through her mail. Glumly. It's been a week since she's heard from Eli, and his last letter was anything but loving. Plopping down on the couch in her grungy apartment, she fingers through magazines and bills and more magazines. On the bottom of the pile, however, is a letter, from Eli. Who else?
Her stomach immediately lurches and she races toward her office, socks skidding on the cold linoleum floors. She launches herself across the room to grab the letter opener, which sits, rusty, on the desk. Flicking it across the top of the envelope and barely noticing her sliced thumb, she sets down the knife and tears the letter open. She sniffs it, as is customary when she receives mail from Eli.
Mm. Evergreens.
Without hesitation, she unfolds the letter, nearly ripping it in her excitement. She reads:
My dearest Piper, December 8, 2016
Sadly, I do not have the time to talk of my missing you and my hope to see you
Again. I really shouldn't be sending you this letter at all. But I must. My
sister, she knows. She knows about you and how you impersonated her and
murdered that man. So I beg of you, please run. She's coming for you and if I
know my sister at all, she will find you. It's in her nature, liberty and justice for
all. Run as far as you can, across the ocean if you must. Just say the word and
I'll be there if you need help. Just run. Please.
All my love,
Eli Stevenson
Piper folds the letter back on its creases, then walks down the hall to the living room and flumps on the couch. Face numb, mind rampant.
Nora's coming. She's slipping – can't even fool a CIA agent. There'd been a time when she'd tricked the army general of the Western Bloc, acclaimed doctors and governors. But now she couldn't get past anyone, not even a CIA agent. A disgrace.
Piper weighs her options. What is Nora expecting me to do? Nora's expecting her to run, as Eli is telling her to do now. Of course. She, then, will do the exact opposite.
Newly inspired, Piper jumps up off the couch and begins to impulsively clean her apartment. Better have it nice for the guests.

"Would you move?" Liam says as he shoves himself past Nora. After a long and awkward plane ride, he's cranky. He hates planes. Nora glares at him as he passes and he shrugs irritably, ignoring her. What's up with her? She's been acting weird the whole trip. Quiet and jumpy, just not herself.
He grunts and stomps through the terminal, not checking to see if his friend is behind him.
All of a sudden, he trips over thin air and attempts to grab onto his suitcase, but he lands flat on his face. Liam groans and looks up to see Nora pass by him, her black stilettos tapping on the shiny floor of the airport. She looks back and sarcastically blows a kiss, and Liam knows he's forgiven.
He drags himself sorely off the floor, limping after his friend and hauling his suitcase behind him. Catching up to Nora, Liam laughs slightly. Nora smiles at him.
Together they walk out to the rental car parking lot. Blinded by the sudden sun, Liam twirls the key ring on his index finger. After spotting the red Honda Accord that would be their transportation, they climb in and pull out of the parking lot.

About an hour later, the two arrive in Salem. Nora searches through the notes in her phone, where she'd written down Piper Abrams's address, given to her by the CIA. "Alright," she says as Liam drives aimlessly through the alleys of Salem. "The address is 19 Buncombe Street. It's an apartment complex, I think."
"Oh! I passed that. I'll go back." Liam turns left to go around the block back to Buncombe Street, weirdly aware of Nora's gaze resting on him. He smiles awkwardly and tries to focus his attention on the road.
Back on Buncombe Street, he and Nora silent check every building they pass. "There's 19!" says Nora, and Liam eases the break, then parks in the first available space down the road. He feebly stands up out of the car and stretches, yawning. He stumbles sleepily to the sidewalk, then jumps up and down a few times to wake himself up. Nora joins him.
The two friends walk nervously up Buncombe Street back to number 19. "What's her apartment?" Liam asks.
"I think it's 13D."
They stand meekly in front of the building. Liam can hear Nora's shaky breathing, watches as she swallows over and over again, trying to hide her fear. She says nothing.
Without warning, Liam turns and pulls her close to him in a bear hug. She's comforted him so many times. It's his turn.
"It's okay," he whispers as she buries her face in his plaid shirt and fights the sobs that erupt from her mouth. "It's okay. Shh..." Liam runs his fingers through her blonde hair and attempts to soothe her.
He's failing. He tries a different tactic. "Hey, Nora, what's wrong? Tell me what you're struggling with." His arm around her shoulders, he guides her to the front steps and helps her sit down. "What's wrong?" he repeats.
Nora gathers herself enough to speak. "Well," she says through the still-flowing tears, "there's something I haven't really told you. Please don't be mad."
Liam deflates. "What is it?"
"Piper Abrams... She's more than just a random person we're going after. She's my brother's girlfriend."
Liam's eyebrows raise. Woah. "...Okay. So, I'm guessing you have a problem with arresting her, then."
"Well, I mean, I'm going to turn her in, of course. I have to. I just hate having to do this to Eli." She breaks out in sobs again.
"So, that's all? You're not afraid, are you?" Liam asks. Nora is silent save for the soft sobs that escape her lips.
She takes a deep but shaky breath and nods. "Look, this isn't easy for me, this kind of thing. I'm Nora Stevenson, CIA agent. I don't get emotional, I don't cry, and I certainly don't talk about my emotions all the time to everyone. But I've lost it, Liam. I've lost my nerve. It's coming down to it and I'm afraid."
Liam pulls her head back to his shoulder and strokes it like he'd seen Eli do when they were young.
"Nora, can I tell you a secret?" She is silent, so he takes it as a yes. "You're not Superwoman. Although you've come as close as is humanly possible, you're not. You're only human, and you don't need to be the fearless warrior all the time." Still, she is silent. He keeps talking. "Nora Stevenson, your strength and your determination are what make you you. I admire that so much, and I wish I had the steady strength you have. But I don't."
"Thanks."
"Nora, being strong is not the price you pay to be a human. You're allowed to be afraid, and you're allowed to cry sometimes. And when you do, I'm going to do my best to be strong for you." He bends down to peer at her face. "Come on." She nods and gathers herself. Liam helps her stand up, beginning to recover from the horror of seeing his friend in pieces. Is this how it felt for her that night?
Liam has never seen Nora break down like this before, never. His stomach is queasy and his eyes close to tears. Unsure of anything and everything, they trudge heavily up the steps to Piper's apartment.
He loses count of how many flights of stairs they climb, his choking lungs adding to the sickness in his stomach. At last they manage to find 13D.
"Well...here goes nothing." Liam knocks on the door. He looks at Nora to make sure she's still okay. Her eyes blink fast, clearing the tears, but she seems fine.
No response. Liam knocks again, harder this time. At last, slight footsteps can be heard. Liam strains his ears to make out what kind of shoes she's wearing. Click, clack, click, clack. Stilettos. Classic femme fatale.
Nora's clammy hand grabs his own and squeezes. This is it.
The door creaks open to reveal a tall Native American woman with sharp features. Her gorgeous black hair is threaded effortlessly into a braid. She wears dark skinny jeans and a simple black v-neck sweater, and Liam looks down to have his high heel theory confirmed. She has on shiny black stilettos.
Unable to take his eyes off of her, Liam's mouth hangs slightly open, his eyes unblinking. Piper smiles amiably and sizes them up. Suddenly he feels silly in his flannel shirt.
Nora can obviously tell he's attracted to her, because she digs her fingernails into his hand. Oww! He blinks and glares daggers at his friend. She shrugs. At least she's back to her normal self. Liam didn't think he could withstand her breaking down again.
Smiling politely, Piper watches the spat in amusement. She waits until they're finished, then speaks up. "Well. Blonde hair, short, good-looking. You must be a Stevenson!" she says to Nora, beckoning for them to come in. "Welcome to my little abode; I've been expecting you."
Liam's senses come back to him, and he surveys the apartment for anything suspicious or that might be a trap. He sees Nora doing the same.
He looks to his left. A beat-up leather couch faces an old television, and a simple wooden coffee table has been recently dusted. A carpeted hallway extends straight down the middle, several doors lining the walls. To the right is a miniscule kitchen and an even smaller table, meant for just one or two people at a time. The funny thing is, Liam can't find anything that looks remotely criminal. It looks just like a regular apartment that any person off the street could live in.
"So, what can I do for you?" asks Piper, a little to eagerly for comfort. Nora attempts to begin the investigation, but Piper stops her. "Oh, I gotta tell you, I made the best lemonade this morning. Would you like some?" Nora nods, helpless. Piper click clacks to the fridge and pulls out a huge pitcher of lemonade. "Would the boyfriend like some, too?" she asks with a wink.
Nora flusters immediately. "Oh, we're not—I mean—he's not—" Liam watches, confused. She's acting strange again. He leans toward her while Piper pours the lemonade, giggling to herself.
"Cut it out, would you?!"
"Sorry."
He huffs and shakes his head, wishing he had the lemonade to distract him. "So," Piper begins again, "what can I do for you lovely people?"
Reluctant to discuss the elephant in the room, Liam decides to introduce himself. "Well, first of all, I'm Liam. Liam Wallace." He reaches out to shake her hand, his other one still laced with Nora's. "And you must be Piper Abrams, I'm guessing."
"The one and only!" She laughs. Disturbingly. She gestures to Nora. "I know you're a Stevenson... But what's your name?"
"Nora." Her reply is curt, extending no further than necessary.
Piper inhales, concerned at the shortness of her response. "Well, it's lovely to meet you both." She reaches back to the counter and grabs two lemonade glasses and hands them to each respectively. Liam finally breaks the weird handholding and dries his sweaty hand on his jeans before taking the glass.
He sips it, wary. "Mm. That's delicious, thank you." Nora still remains silent. "Hey, Miss Abrams could I use your restroom? That lemonade just...well, you know," he laughs.
Nora speaks up now. "Oh, Liam—"
Piper cuts her off. "Of course, hon. First door on the left."
Liam places his glass on a spare coaster and walks toward the hallway. "Liam!" Nora shouts. But he ignores her.
After relieving himself, Liam washes his hands and looks around the cramped bathroom. The only items are soap and a towel. Nothing else. He dries his hands and unlocks the door with a click. He steps out and turns to go out into the living room, but he stops. Everything is quiet. No giggly Piper.
He panics. "Nora?"