I went straight into agent mode when I returned home. My parents weren’t there, but then again, they never were. At least it meant they were out of the way. As well as a wide selection of weapons I also had a substantial variety of surveillance equipment in my more-than-a-wardrobe. I quickly took out a slim silver box and checked that all six mini cameras were there, then I grabbed two knives and a brand new hand gun from another shelf. I may have joined forces with Tyler but there was no way I was going to trust him that easily. I took them back into my bedroom and set them on my dressing table before turning back to my wardrobe. Mrs Pritchard had invited me to dinner and there was no way I was going to blow my cover, so I of course said ‘yes’. The thing about dinner in my parents’ world is that it’s a formal event. You can’t just turn up in casual clothes, you have to present yourself. And if I wanted to get invited back, I needed to present myself well. My plan was to set up the cameras around the house and keep the Pritchard’s under non-stop surveillance, because even if Tyler did live there, he couldn’t hear everything. I looked over the many dresses hanging in my wardrobe and decided on a strapless blue silk number that reached my knees and a pair of silver strappy high heels. I pulled on a delicate looking white lace cardigan and grabbed a white clutch bag and slipped the case of cameras and the gun into it. Then I fastened the knife at the holster above my right knee. Using the mirror on the back of my bedroom door, I made sure the weapons were concealed, before scrunching my hair up into my fists so that the perfect curls returned. I went back to my dressing table and sat down in front of the little mirror that it held. Carefully, I slid two sharpened silver combs into my hair, to hold it off of my face. They were inlaid with sapphires, but I figured they’d be pretty good weapons too. After a quick swipe of lip gloss, I assessed myself. Finally satisfied, I picked up my bag and grabbed my phone before leaving my house for the fourth night in a row. At this rate, I might as well have been homeless.
Dalia, the maid, opened the door and offered to take my coat. I was handing it to her when Tyler came into the entrance hall, took my hand. “Hey, Darce,” He said. I looked at our hands in confusion and then raised an eyebrow at him. He raised a finger to his lips then mouthed, “Just go with it.” I felt quite ambushed when Tyler led me into the living room and said to his dad, “Dad this is my girlfriend, Darcey. Darcey, this is my Dad Martin Pritchard. I know you two have already met but I wanted to introduce you properly.” With a façade of calmness instead of the confusion I felt, I shook hands with Mr Pritchard and said warmly “It’s nice to see you again, sir.” “Likewise, Darcey,” He replied, Taking a sip from the glass of whiskey he held. “Sit down, Darcey, I’ll get you a drink,” Tyler said as he made his way to the side board that stood in the corner of the room. I shook hands with Mrs Pritchard, before sitting down on the expensive sofa I had sat on previously. “Nothing alcoholic, Tyler,” Mr Pritchard called sharply. “Of course not, Dad,” Tyler replied as he handed me a glass of coke. I took a sip and Tyler winked at me. There was more than coke in that drink. Smiling slightly I set the glass down on the coffee table, trying to gulp back the urge to gag. The alcohol content of this drink was a bit too much a for my liking. “Excuse me; I just need to go to the bathroom” Mrs Pritchard said and quietly excused herself. “So, my wife told me your father is Mr Winters of Winters & co.?” he asked politely as I sat awkward. “Yes,” I spoke with a practiced confidence. My mother always thought we should talk highly of our family, and that I should live up to such a reputation. “That is correct. My father is the founder and CEO of Winters and co.” “And your mother?” “She founded the Daisy chain fund” I echoed my words from earlier, when I was talking to his other half. “Oh, my. I’ve heard about them before. Well, you certainly come from a privileged background. Both of your parents are incredibly successful. I wish we were as well off as you sound” He chuckled and I followed, trying to seem polite. Mrs Pritchard glided through the door elegantly, her head held high upon her long pale neck. Dalia followed and announced, “Dinner is ready, pleased follow me”. Mr and Mrs Pritchard took their seats at either ends of the table. Tyler pulled out a chair for me and I sat gracefully, before he rounded the table and sat opposite me. I smiled at him, then took my napkin and laid it neatly on my lap. Dalia served the first course and the conversation returned to Mr Pritchard’s business. I tuned out most of the discussion, nodding and smiling at the correct moments, but not really listening. As subtly as possible I looked around and tried to build up a mental plan of the huge house and the best sites of entry as well as the best places to place the cameras. With each course, a new topic arose and by the time desert had come the conversation fell flat, blissfully relieving me from talking about how great my parents are and what my grades at school are like. We ate crème brûlée in and comfortable silence, save from the sound of our silverware against the crystal dishes. It was a welcome break from the incessant Pritchard family chatter that seemed to revolve around work.
After Dinner we returned to the living room, where Dalia served tea and coffee. I sat back down on the sofa with a cup of coffee on a china saucer and Tyler sat closely next to me. Tyler talked to his dad about marketing and I listened to Mrs Pritchard as she told me about the beautiful cashmere scarf she had bought the day before. I waited for her to finish her monologue before I set down my coffee cup and excused myself from the room on pretence of going to the restroom. Once I was upstairs I quickly set up the cameras. The two I set up in the hall were easy, but I suspected that Martin Pritchard would have CCTV cameras set up in his study so when I opened the door, I turned on the light and pretended to be surprised. Then, as I turned the light back off and turned to close the door, I attached the tiny camera to the door frame, hidden perfectly. I closed the door and went into the bathroom. I flushed the toilet and ran the taps, before going back downstairs. At the bottom of the staircase, I paused to discreetly fasten another camera to the banister and then another one to the living room doorframe as I re-entered the room.
I left an hour later at around 10pm. Tyler awkwardly hugged me goodbye at the door, before helping me into the chauffeured car I had ‘borrowed’ from my mum. As he began to shut the door, I whispered, “Call me and explain.” He nodded slightly and closed the door. I closed my eyes and relaxed against the cars leather interior. “Long night, Miss Winters?” The chauffer asked. “You have no idea,” I replied with a sigh.
“I had to tell them that you were my girlfriend,” Tyler said to me an half an hour later. I climbed into my bed with my mobile in hand and nestled into the pillows. “My dad has people everywhere. He’s probably already running a background check already.” He continued. I laughed. “They won’t find anything,” I told him. “Are you sure? What about stuff from before you joined TAG? You must have some kind of record, otherwise TAG wouldn’t have found you,” He said worriedly. I paused then. I didn’t want to tell him why I’d joined TAG, but I figured I’d have to tell him sooner or later, so I chose sooner. “I killed my year 6 primary school teacher,” I said finally. Tyler was silent. “See, this is why I didn’t tell you, I knew you’d react like this. Härra täiuslik häkker poiss, ei saa sellega hakkama, kui keegi räägib inimeste tapmine. Millist palgamõrvar sa oled? Kuidas sa lähed, et oleks võimalik tappa inimesi, kui te ei saa isegi rääkida? Ma mõtlen, see ei ole nagu ta oli süütu-” “Darcey, are you speaking Russian?” Tyler interrupted me. “Estonian,” I replied stiffly, “I spent three years there on a TAG operation.” “I don’t care that you killed your teacher, but why did you do it?” Tyler’s voice was quiet I could barely hear him down the phone. “He was a little too friendly with his some of his students. One day he was trying it on with my best friend and she looked so scared and… so upset and I… I… I lost it. I stabbed him with a pen in his carotid artery and he bled to death. I was eleven at the time and would have gone to a juvenile detention facility even if it was for my friend, but that’s when TAG stepped in. Like you said before, you don’t say no to TAG.” My rambled words seemed so small, so quiet. I frantically wiped away the tears that had dared to cascade down my cheeks. “You could have told me Darcey,” Tyler said, “I’m not judging you or anything. I’m just glad I understand now.” I smiled weakly, “What would your parents say if they thought you were going out with an emotionally wrecked assassin?” “I think they’d be more concerned that you’re an assassin than how you became one. Like me, I don’t care about that Darcey, I only care about this Darcey,” He replied strongly. “Thanks, Ty” I whispered sincerely. “Anytime, Darce, Anytime.”
