Wildfire

Chapter 34

34. Recognise

When the knock finally came at the door, I was fit to crawl out of my skin. Awkward didn't even begin to describe the atmosphere in Diego's apartment while we waited; Diego had taken to pacing over and back in front of the door, his arms folded over his chest and a dark expression on his face, while I had drummed fingers nervously along the length of the countertop and stared at the ceiling.

I hadn't really factored in the 'waiting around' time while I was dreaming up a plan and now that I was right in the middle of it, I was mentally kicking myself. The whole point was to solve Diego's problems so I wouldn't have to spend any more time with him — not wind up spending more time with him!

That last time we'd seen each other had obviously killed off any chance of normal conversation, so chit-chat was scratched from the 'Ways to Kill Time' list. I was beginning to see why so many friendships were ruined when one friend started to develop unrequited feelings — it's just so freakin' awkward, for both parties.

So silence it was.

Silence and pacing.

Diego was already moving toward the door before the knock sounded, his heightened hearing probably alerting him to the presence of somebody outside. He jerked on the handle, stepping back to let his visitor in.

A flicker of shock rushed through me as a tall, stiff figure stepped over the threshold. I had been expecting someone more like Diego — casually dressed and ruffled-looking, like he was ready to change into his wolf-form at a moment's notice — but this 'Marco' guy was nothing like that. The man who walked into Diego's apartment wore a long, black cloak made from a stunning, expensive-looking fabric. It seemed to shimmer in the faint light in a way ordinary silk never could. Beneath the cloak, I glimpsed what looked like an army uniform with little decoration and a high, stiff collar.

But it wasn't the clothes that immediately caught and held my attention — it was the man himself. He looked like something right out of a history textbook, a natural-born leader. His high cheekbones and pursed lips gave him a practiced, haughty expression and almost everything about him was controlled, smooth. Even his hair, which was styled like something out of the fifties, had not a single black strand out of place.

The urge to do something stupid — like genuflect — rose in my mind, but I managed to ignore it.

"Diego," the man — Marco — said curtly. His voice was faintly accented, like his natural speech inflections were being suppressed, and it was difficult to pinpoint exactly what accent he had. There was no hiding the air of command in his voice, though. That rang through loud and clear.

A pair of cool, grey eyes slid in my direction and I felt my stomach cramp with nerves. This guy took intimidating stares to a whole new level.

"I was under the impression that you wished to speak to me alone," he said finally, eyes finally moving back to rest on Diego — who looked a bit tense. The fact that Diego was on guard immediately put me on edge.

"She can be trusted," Diego said warily.

Marco raised one brow coolly. "Trusted?"

"I didn't have a choice —"

"No mind," Marco interrupted. "I can send someone over from Housekeeping to wipe her memory clean —"

Shock rushed through me and I opened my mouth to argue, but Diego beat me to it.

"That's not an option right now." His voice was calm, but I knew by the look on his face that he was anything but. "Unfortunately, her... association with me has attracted the attention of the people we're hunting and wiping her memory will just put her in more danger."