Page 31 of The Reaper

For a second she was terrified. What if Jack died? Should she jump out and try to help him? Would they find her, or would she just stay in this locker, forever? Jack didn’t deserve it. No wonder he wanted to run, when no one was there for him. No wonder he didn’t believe her. Well, now was her chance.

She silently swung her locker door open. Jack was facing her, the MI5 agent was facing the other way. Jack’s face was going red, he frowned at her but continued to struggle silently. She reached for the fire extinguisher, and silently lifted it. It was heavy. She turned to the MI5 agent, and brought it down on the back of his head.

Then there was a hard impact sound. Knocked out cold, the MI5 agent’s body went limp on top of Jack. He panted and pushed the man off him roughly.

She whimpered and couldn’t stand any longer, collapsing on the floor next to Jack.

“Who was he… why are they-” she babbled, she realised she was crying.

He simply held a finger up to his lips.

She fell silent. She found she could breathe calmly after all. She understood where to pull strength from an inner reserve. A well inside her that she didn’t know existed. She could see the red mark on his forehead where he’d been punched. The red marks around his neck where he’d been held in a chokehold. Intended to choke him. He panted slightly after the fight, breathing fast, but silently.

The radio crackled.

“Anderson, this is Cody. Status report. Over.”

Jack picked up the radio. Blinked, then confidently replied, “Anderson here, all clear. Over.”

The radio crackled again.

“Roger. Proceed to the 2nd floor. Over.”

“Copy that. Over and out,” he replied. He put down the radio and breathed a sigh of relief, stretching his head back, finally relaxing.

She stood quickly, ran to a sink and threw up.

CHAPTER

SEVENTEEN

HANNAH

She ranthe water and washed her mouth out. She was shaking.

She turned back, and Jack was taking the shirt off the man, taking off his helmet, boots, trousers.

He pulled off his pyjama T-shirt. He turned to look right at her, a piercing, fierce stare. She was embarrassed.

She turned away, looking down at her feet. She felt hot, she lurched to the tap and splashed water over her face, looking up and her reflection in the mirror above the sink. A panting, wild eyed woman that she hardly recognised panted back at her.

She turned back, and Jack was fully dressed in the MI5 outfit. The other man was stripped down to his boxers, and Jack was fully kitted out in his MI5 combat uniform.

She tried to vocalise how she felt, what she was thinking. “MI5 are here, they’ll catch Roper-”

“The MI5 agents that are here right now, they are the Bratva,” he said simply. He released her hand, and turned away from her. “This guy?” He looked down now at the unconscious man sprawled on the floor. “He isn’t MI5. This guy is one of theBratva, these clothes didn’t really fit him properly, see? There was an MI5 unit, looks like the Bratva took them down and have come here… I’m trying to work out… what are they trying to do.” he said, mainly to himself.

“Jack, you said, the other day, you told me not to come…”

“I realised they were going to make a move then-”

“I was worried… you didn’t want me, that you had found out I was lying and he didn’t-” She couldn’t finish her sentence.

Jack looked at her for a moment longer. She felt like a pitiful, a teary, sicky, mess, gulping on her knees beside him.

The dots connected in her head. He’d probably remembered everything days ago, when she’d said new beginnings, he’d realised she wasn’t his girlfriend after those first few days. He’d not exposed her though, he’d not sent her away or challenged her. He’d played along. For his own protection, maybe yes, to some degree. But there had to be a part of him that had wanted to keep her around. Had wanted her, for her?

“You knew? You remembered and didn’t say…”

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