Surrender

“It doesn’t matter if you tell him. You need to do this. Telling him doesn’t change your assignment, it might slow you down. That’s something for you to consider.”

I didn’t like the way she assumed I was a part of her deceit. That I would so easily turn against him.

“Please don’t ask me to do this.” I wanted to keep the pleading out of my voice, but it was hard. I shivered from the chilly fog. From the fear that had crept under my coat and straight through my skin. I was covered in it.

“I’m not going to keep secrets for you. I won’t lie to him.” I sounded stronger.

“I don’t care how you handle him. That’s between you two.” She checked her phone a second time. “Looks like you better get going. You have a lot of work to do if you’re having company over for dinner tonight. It’s a good thing the French eat late. And don’t forget to pick up your coffee table. It would be embarrassing if they saw the sitting room was incomplete.”

“And if I don’t pull off the assignment?” I had more questions. More she wouldn’t answer in the bitter cold.

My only hope was that there would be a second meeting. Another chance to ask her about the mission. To pry into Blackwing.

She sighed. “Look, I like Vaughn. A lot, actually. That’s why we’re having this conversation. But don’t test us. You have an opportunity to prove how valuable you are. How valuable he swears you are. I wouldn’t waste that.”

“But I—”

I couldn’t argue with her. I couldn’t ask her what she meant. She turned and walked along the sidewalk and disappeared into the crowd along the shop front, blending in with the thick fog.

I sat on the park bench for a minute, trying to figure out what had happened. Had I been brought into Blackwing, or was Vaughn being warned?

I didn’t care what Eloise had said. I wasn’t willing to lie. I tried to call him.

“Come on,” I whispered into the ringing phone.

I didn’t know where he was, only that he was at work. I needed to hear his voice. I wanted him to tell me what I should do. I couldn’t screw this up for him. I wouldn’t go through with it, if he told me to stop. I knew that much. I would listen to him over Blackwing every single time.

I decided not to leave a voicemail. I had to make it back to the flat. I didn’t know what the consequences would be if I didn’t invite our new neighbors to dinner. I didn’t know how Vaughn would react if I did or if I didn’t.

My boots clicked along the pavement. I checked my phone and tried his number again.

The encounter with Eloise didn’t leave any room for doubt that Blackwing was a part of my life. They knew where I was. They knew who I was. They knew who I used to be. I tugged the coat to my neck. The wind kicked up. I should have grabbed my scarf.

I wasn’t trained like Vaughn was. I didn’t know how to interact with people as targets. I didn’t know how to act casual and normal, when inviting them into our home was based on a hidden agenda.

Eloise had implied that Vaughn needed me to do this. He needed my help, even if it came from his company’s direction. And if I didn’t, it sounded as if there was a consequence. A consequence that neither of us would like.

I wasn’t willing to take that chance.

Chapter Six

I rarely walked along the first floor corridor of our building. I usually took the elevator straight to our flat, or sometimes ducked into the courtyard to read. I hadn’t explored much, and I certainly hadn’t knocked on any doors. I kept a low profile in the building. I wasn’t comfortable making friends. It was something Vaughn said would happen with time. I’d learn how to navigate in the new set of rules we lived by, but I wasn’t there yet.

I looked at the folded paper again to make sure I had the right address. I shoved it into my pocket as I approached the door and rang the bell.

The door opened. I greeted a woman who might as well have walked out of a magazine. She had flowing blond hair, perfect skin and teeth to match.

“Mrs. Auclair? I mean Madame Auclair,” I corrected my mistake.

“Yes. It’s all right. I don’t speak French.” She smiled. She had a long sweater that dusted the tops of her boots. “I always mix up mademoiselle and madam all the time.”

“Oh good. Then it’s not just me.” I felt a bit more relaxed. “Hi, I’m Kate Birch. I live upstairs on the third floor.”

“Nice to meet you.” Her smile was easy and natural. She held the door open. “I’m Aubrey. Are you American?” she asked.

I had done this a hundred times since we had moved. I should be able to do it a hundred times more. Only, right now I knew I had to lie because I had instructions from Eloise. Vague cryptic instructions that made me nervous.

“Yes. We’ve only been in the building three weeks.”