Britten

CHAPTER 20

It was almost six when they headed back towards the front. Orion told her he would meet her there then took off. She watched him for a moment then took off towards the entrance. Ronin was already there waiting for them.

"Where's Myles?" She shrugged and went to wait by him. "Did you get to see the dolphin show?" She nodded and looked around for Orion again then looked back at Ronin. If Myles was lying to her about who he was then Chase had to be too. Who were they? "Myles told me the truth."

Ronin just stared. Please tell me he didn't tell her about being an agent, he thought. "About?"

"Tennessee."

"Oh, okay. I told him he needed to tell you. He has a hard time containing his accent and it was getting to him." That was when she knew he was in on it too. Were they cops? Feds? Cia?

"It's cute, he shouldn't hide it." Ronin smiled. She looked around for Orion again. "He must be in the bathroom," Ronin said. "You make him nervous." She looked back at Ronin. "How do I make him nervous?" Ronin smiled. "You seriously need to stand in front of a mirror."

She blushed and looked at the floor. There were some innocent attributes to her, not many but some. This was one of them. She seemed so innocent, so unsure of herself when it came to the way she looked and Ronin wasn't sure why. There was something there in her past that has kept her this way but he didn't want to pry, he wasn't even sure he wanted to know.

He touched her arm when he saw Orion and she looked up. Ronin pointed towards Orion and she looked. She smiled when she saw a bag from the gift shop. "Needed a reminder?"

"Something like that," he said with a smile.

He reached into the bag and pulled out a shot glass for Ronin and handed it to him. "Cool, thanks." Orion gave a nod. He had more in there for a couple of the other guys. He reached into the bag again and pulled out a stuffed sea horse and handed it to Britten.

She started laughing and took it from him. "How did you know?" Ronin looked confused but then realized that they had made some sort of connection. Orion had figured out how to be himself enough to get a piece of her to open up and get a little closer to him. Ronin was proud of him.

"Because they were the only thing you told me information about." Britten stared at him for a long moment then smiled. She unconsciously played with the scales along its back as she held it close to her while she kept staring at Orion. "Thank you."

"For you, anything." She blushed and his smile got bigger. Her phone began to ring and her smile quickly disappeared. She grabbed it then sighed. "Hey," she said as she answered it. "Come home. Bring Myles and his boyfriend with you."

"Um, okay."

"Just do it," he said and hung up the phone.

"I have to go home," she said with a disheartening tone. Orion's tone was the same way when he said, "Okay." She refocused on him. "The both of you have to come with me."

"Why," Ronin asked. She shrugged and grabbed her keys.

Orion rode with Ronin to Britten's place. They both went through different scenarios of what could be going on and all they could do was brace themselves for the worst. Ronin wished he had his gun but he knew he couldn't walk up into Giovanni's place with one on him.

Britten waited in the garage for them to get out of their car. She looked worried and Orion didn't like that. She took a deep breath then tugged on Orion's coat. "Lose the accent and remember what you had told me in the beginning."