The Phoenix

‘Washington.’ He took her hand and squeezed it.

Ella squeezed back miserably. She could already feel him slipping through her fingers. ‘Can I meet you there?’

‘There won’t be time. I’ll only be there a day or two.”

A day or two. That was good. That was OK.

“After that they’re sending me on a new assignment.’

Ella’s face fell. ‘A new … where?’ She hated how desperate she sounded, but it was too soon for this. Too soon for him to go. To leave her again.

He looked pained. ‘I can’t tell you that.’

‘Well how long will you be gone??

?

‘I don’t know. But when I’m back, I’ll come and find you. OK?’

‘No!’ Ella snatched away her hand and sat up, pulling the sheet around her to cover her nakedness, which was ridiculous after last night, but she was angry. ‘It’s not OK. None of this is OK. I can’t live like this.’

He looked at her bemused. ‘Of course you can. This is how we live, Ella. It’s what we do. You’ll be on a new assignment yourself soon.’

She shook her head. ‘Oh no I won’t. My only ‘assignment’ is to find out what happened to my father and mother after Rachel went to Africa with “M”. For all I know, The Group could be behind their disappearance.’

Gabriel rolled his eyes. ‘Come on.’

‘“Come on” what?’ said Ella. ‘They could be. So until I know exactly what happened, I’m not going anywhere.’ She pouted petulantly. ‘And neither you nor Redmayne can make me.’

To her annoyance, Gabriel erupted into loud and very genuine laughter.

‘I don’t see what’s so funny.’

‘I know you don’t.’ He kissed the top of her head affectionately. ‘It’s one of the many things I love about you.’

Reluctantly, he got to his feet. ‘I have to go.’

‘Fine,’ Ella said grumpily from the bed, still refusing to look at him. Did he really think he’d placated her with last night’s promises? That she would forgive and forget Redmayne’s deception, and meekly return to The Group, ready to do their bidding? If he did, then he didn’t know her half as well as he thought he did. Whoever “M’ turned out to be, he had better be looking over his shoulder. Because Ella Praeger wouldn’t rest until she found him. She might love Gabriel, but from now on she trusted nobody but herself.

‘I could have killed you last night, you know,’ she reminded him.

Gabriel grinned. ‘You very nearly did.’

Ella tried hard to stop it but it was no good. The smile crept over her face anyway.

He opened the door, wheeling his suitcase behind him.

‘I just realized,” Ella called after him, an urgent thought suddenly occurring to her. ‘I still don’t know your real name.’

‘Ah.’ He bit his lip awkwardly. ‘That.’

Ella sat up in bed. ‘Yes. That. So, what is it? What’s your name?’

‘My name?’ He looked at her adoringly. God he wished he didn’t have to catch that plane. ‘The thing is, my darling, that’s kind of a long story.’