The Beginning of a Friendship

 

The vacant apartment was freezing. It was a small one-bedroom. The paint was peeling, and she didn’t want to identify some of the smells. Sitting on the floor had been a risk, but since she would be sleeping here now… She knew she would have to suck it up.

There had been a change of plans. What was supposed to be a simple job had been made infinitely more complicated. Annabell leaned her head back into the wall and uncrossed her ankles because her foot was falling asleep.

“Where does your family think you are?” Arthur asked, from the other side of the small room, breaking the silence from their last heavy conversation.

They had been having more and more of those. He was sitting in a similar position as she had been. His gun was lying off to the side, but she knew he could have it in his hand and aimed in a matter of seconds. He had come more prepared than she had. She was envious of his heavy coat. She hadn’t expected to be here long and only had a thin sweater. He had offered her the coat, but she didn’t want to be surrounded by his scent.

“Don’t have much family,” she said. “My parents died in a car accident when I was a teenager, and I was an only child.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It is what it is,” she said with a shrug. “It’s been a long time. What about you?”

“I haven’t talked to mine in a while. My best friend and his wife are as close as it gets to family.”

“Do they know?” she asked quietly.

They had crossed paths a handful of times now. A tentative friendship had formed, but that was a dangerous question to ask. Even more so to answer. She forced herself to meet his gaze. He surveyed her for a minute before giving one slight nod. It was a sign of trust that he would let her have that information. No one was supposed to know about Garrote.

“They were there when I got the call,” he said just as quietly.

No one was there to overhear them, but saying it too loud felt reckless. Most of their conversations had been dangerous lately. They were an efficient team, so they were paired up often.

“Having people like that… How do you manage it?” she whispered, looking down at her shoe.

“If I have to be close, I make them out to be sources of information,” he said. She could still feel his eyes on her. “If we are ever paired up out that way… you can meet them if you want.”

“I think I would like that,” she said.

She hadn’t had anyone she would consider a friend since she got the call. Arthur was becoming that for her. If he trusted the people around him, she might be able to trust them too. She looked up at him again, and he let his gaze linger before looking away. She knew she had developed this crush, but it was inappropriate. She would never do anything about it. That would be more dangerous than having friends. She cleared her throat.

“How long do you think they will keep us waiting here?” she asked, needing the subject to go back to something harmless.

“Hard to say,” he said, shaking his head slightly. “The change in guest list to this party has them considering the best course of action.”

“I didn’t know the guest list changed.”

“Ah, yea,” he said, scrubbing his hand over the back of his neck. “I forgot you haven’t been in long. They aren’t forthcoming about information until after three years.”

“Why?”

“They need to ensure you’ll stay in line,” he said. “They can’t risk giving more because you could cause problems. Do as you’re told for that long… it builds some trust.”

She tilted her head, thinking about the implications of that. She hadn’t put much thought into how much information she was given and when, but the few times there had been a change in plans… she was left to sit just like this.

“So, they trust us to be out here with weapons, on orders, but not to have all the information?” she finally asked.

His face flushed. She waited for him to answer. She studied his face as he looked everywhere but at her. She didn’t know if he would tell her anything the longer he was silent.

“You aren’t supposed to know this,” he started. “You cannot change your behavior at all if I tell you.”

“Done.”

“The first three years, someone follows you while you are on jobs. Someone is specifically assigned to you and only takes jobs of their own while you are waiting for your next one,” he said softly.

“So someone is watching us now?”

“No. I’m here with you, so it will be my job to report back on you for this assignment.”

He looked uncomfortable. Another piece of information he was trusting her with. If she suddenly started watching for a tail, they would know he told her. There wouldn’t be another explanation.

“What do you have to report?” she asked.

“If you kept to the assignment, made or followed the plan, improvised correctly as needed, if you hesitated or talked to anyone you shouldn’t have. I’m supposed to say whether or not you are fit to continue.”

“How much trouble would you be in for telling me?”

“Re-education at best, execution at worst.”

“I won’t make trouble for you,” she said as she shifted.

She wanted to move closer to him but knew she shouldn’t. They needed to stay where they were. Professional boundaries. Even if a friendship was blooming. She didn’t think assassins were supposed to have friends at all. It wasn’t something she could ask around about. She was about to thank him, but his phone rang.

“Decker,” he said, clearing his throat.

She watched him as he listened to the caller. He nodded a lot, which made her suppress a grin. He had a tendency to talk with his hands while on the phone too. It was a charming quirk of his.

“We have a plan,” he said as he hung up the phone. “We’ve got two days to get ready to crash the party. We have four targets now. All need to be a message. We just have to figure out how to do it and get away clean.”

“Puzzles are one of my favorite things,” she said with a gleam in her eye.

“Then let’s get to work.”