The Search

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

I lay flat on the soft sheets and let my body sink into the sea of comfort. The relaxing smell of fresh linen was delightful as I breathed in and out slowly, thinking about today’s events. I realised exactly why Peter loved hotels so much as I took in the luxury.

Knock. Knock.

The two sharp knocks awoke me from my daydreams and I began to shake as I made my way towards the door. I wondered who it could be and after what happened in the airport every move I made was made with caution.

I opened the door ajar and slowly peeked round the side of it. The hall was empty and I looked left and right and then a white envelope and gorgeous white flowers caught my eye sitting on the floor. I bent down to pick them up and quickly made my way back inside my room.

Meet me at the restaurant downstairs in half an hour. Wear something nice but something you can move in. Love, Derek.

“Such a charmer,” I thought as I smiled at the strange message.

I went into my bag and began searching through it for something that fitted Derek’s request. After trying on three dresses, twice each, I decided on my flowy red number. It had small straps and was quite low cut at the top but flowed out at the bottom. I threw on a pair of flat shoes that I thought would be suitable for dancing, which is what I thought he meant by something I can move in.

I checked myself in the mirror and felt disgusted by my appearance. I quickly painted myself with make-up in order to disguise my bad skin day.

I sighed at my reflection and patted down my hair, now ready to go meet Derek. I gagged at myself dressing up to have a meal with Derek. It was simply two friends having dinner together, I wouldn’t have even said we were friends, more like acquaintances!

I stepped into the lift and patiently waited to arrive on the ground floor. As the doors opened I scanned the room for Derek. He wasn’t anywhere in sight so I decided to stroll around the restaurant in search for him.

I watched all the waiters and waitresses carefully, wondering if they knew anything about Peter. I wondered if they knew his real name. It hurt me every time I realised more and more that I don’t know anything about the real Peter, only what he told me about his undercover character.

I was watching a small man with a perfect moustache and slicked back hair when I felt someone pull my arm quite roughly and immediately I began to panic, thinking that Wesley, or whatever he was really called, had found me. But as I struggled I heard the man’s voice say,

“Quit wriggling, Lowie.”

I relaxed as I realised it was Derek but I didn’t understand why he was pulling me along by the arm so aggressively. He dragged me all the way out onto the street and then he finally looked at me. His mouth turned up into a smirk and I scowled at him and rubbed my arm where his hand had grabbed so tightly.

“You clean up nice Lowie, but this isn’t a date love.”

I glanced down at what he was wearing. He was wearing a simple tshirt, jeans and sneakers and I suddenly felt way over dresses and kind of stupid. My face reddened as I realised we weren’t even getting dinner, it was just the meeting place.

I felt really awkward as Derek’s eyes searched my face.

“I know, stupid, I was just eh..hoping we were going to find Peter.”

I shoved his arm and he nodded his head sarcastically and said,

“Uh huh.”

His expression then became serious and his eyes widened.

“We have to go.”

I grabbed my hand and we began to run. We ran through the streets and my feet hurt as they slammed against the concrete. Derek kept watching me and asking me if I was okay. I didn’t want him to care but for some strange reason inside of me I felt flattered that he was protecting me.

We ran up the side of a sky high building and we ran up the back and passed huge metal fences. He suddenly stopped and grabbed both my arms. A spark ignited in his touch and as I watched him in the pale moonlight.

“I think we lost them, we’re safe here.”

“Lost who?” I said, worry stricken.

“They’re all watching us, every move we make, Lowie, they’ve been watching us.”

“But why?”

“Because of him.”

I felt weak and my heart was pierced by his words.

“Lowie, I have to tell you something, in order for you to understand.”

I nodded, prodding him to make things clear to me that had been torturing my every thought.

“I am not Derek James, I was undercover in order to see that everything in our plan with Peter followed through.”

Shock filled my entire body and my knees felt weak and I grabbed onto Derek in order to keep myself from collapsing. So many questions raced through my mind.

“Can you please tell me why people are watching us then?”

“They think you know something, Lowie, they observed how Peter was with you and they knew that he really loved you and they used that against him. They threatened your life, that’s why he disappeared.”

I squeezed Derek’s hand so tightly to try and wake myself up from this nightmare.

“What do they think I know.”

“I don’t know, even I wasn’t allowed to know. My job was to protect Peter and to keep him undercover. As I saw your love escalate I should have stopped him, then none of this would have happened.”

He sadly looked down at his feet and circled my hand with his thumb.

“Becca?”

Derek’s face filled with grief as he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.

“Tell me, why did you use her?”

“I didn’t use her, I met her and I thought she was amazing and when the CIA found out I was dating her they immediately thought marrying her would be a great normalising effect. Love is not real for me because I have never been allowed to find it myself. I have always been forced to be with someone ever since I was young and my father continuously set me up with his business friend’s daughters.”

Pity was what I felt for Derek right then. His life was so screwed up and he lived in a pool of lies.

I gently caressed the side of his face and told him it wasn’t his fault but in reality I felt so angry with him that I felt numb. I couldn’t understand how these protectors in the CIA could use people and make them become so bitter. Becca didn’t have a clue and she probably never would.

“Life in our town has become my reality. I am Derek James now, father and locksmith. I’ve lived in these lies so long they almost become the truth. I had to live in our town for twelve years, first preparing, then protecting and now cleaning up.”

I wanted him to stop talking. I wanted to let all the information sink in but I had another question to ask.

“What happens if I find Peter?”

“All I can say is you’d have to be willing to risk everything in order to do that. And I don’t think I can let you.”

I looked at him strangely.

“You’ve grown on me, Lowie, and I love you like any brother would love his sister and I don’t think I can let you risk your life for an agent.”

He watched me carefully as tears rolled down my cheek. He pulled me close and my heart started to beat rapidly as he pulled me into an embrace and softly kissed the top of my head.

“Well at least I can’t let you search alone.”