The rain continues to hammer down on the city, the sky dark and grim, wind whipping up leaves still on the ground. I pace in the foyer of the compound, waiting on tech to give me something, anything to tell me their suspicions aren’t true.
This game of push and pull with the damn Syndicate was getting tedious, and I couldn’t figure out how they were doing it. That was the most frustrating part. Not knowing.
Tobias was a smart man. If I could give him anything, it was that, so what was he doing, and what did he know?
Ace jogs down the stairs towards me, face pale, “They were right. They looped it.”
“Fuck!” I bellow. “They know.”
He nods solemnly.
Did he know who I really was?
I stop dead, my whole body seizing. Did they know about Eleanor?
“Does anyone have eyes on her?” There’s an edge to my voice, a calm rage, “Does anyone have eyes on Eleanor?”
“Micha confirmed she headed into the office this morning, hasn’t seen her since.”
That was normal. It was normal. She was at work. She was fine.
But everything in me told me that wasn’t the case at all.
“I need to get back to the penthouse.” I say, resuming my pace, “Be there when she gets back.” She would come back. I pull out my phone and open our message thread, seeing she had read the message I sent this morning but not responded.
Are you okay? I type out. I didn’t need to worry her. If she didn’t respond, then I’d know something was up.
Her message comes through a minute later, Fine, I’ll see you later.
I pocket my phone even if it wasn’t sitting right. Nothing was.
Tobias found we hacked him again, he looped the cameras.
“Pull out the Trojans,” I tell Ace, “Remove every trace of us in that system. Now.”
“On it.”
I head to the door, “And Ace,” I stop, hearing his own footfall come to an abrupt halt as he waits for my next words, “Get men ready, at the penthouse in one hour. No later. I want at least ten inside, fifty on the streets.”
“Why?”
I shake my head, “I don’t know but do it, okay?”
“Yes.”
The door to the compound slams shut with a deafening thud and the rain lashes against my body as I head to the Mercedes parked out front.
I speed as much as I can through the busy streets of London, made worse by the rain.
“Come on!” I yell at everyone and no one, “move!”
Horns bellow as traffic crawls, angry shouts from people hanging out of windows, and the traffic stays at that torturous crawl. I was still ten minutes out from the penthouse but the urgency to get there now had me pulling into a parking garage and hitting the streets on foot, thankfully more empty because of the rain.
I run.
The muscles in my legs pump, feet hitting the concrete hard as I push myself as hard as I can down the pavements. Rain stings where it hits, water drenching the backs of my trousers, wetting my t-shirt enough that it clings to my skin. I don’t feel the cold though I know the air is around freezing.
My feet slip as I round a corner, slamming into a crowd of walkers holding umbrellas. They screech and holler, but I keep going. The towering building housing my penthouse comes into view.
“Mr Heart?” A security guy startles as I shove through the doors. I don’t take in his face enough to remember his name. My fingers are numb as I punch in the code for the elevator and fall inside, pressing the button continuously until the doors close and the cart climbs the building.
The warmth of the place burns as it fights away the chill and I stumble into the foyer, shoes squeaking on the marble. Only silence greets me.
No lights are on, no sign of anyone here. “Eleanor!” I call out.
I knew she wasn’t here, and yet I check. I rampage through the penthouse, throwing doors open hard enough that they slam against the walls, some leaving dents in the plaster. This panic, this utter terror, it was going to kill me.
This was why we didn’t allow weaknesses.
This was why I had to remain alone.
I fucked up, and now I have no idea if my fucking woman was even still alive.
After I’ve swept through the bedroom, almost losing it as her scent still lingers there I head back to the foyer, dialing her on my phone.
The call goes through and the phone rings directly in front of me.
She stands in front of the elevator, soaked through to the bone. Her dark hair sticks to her skin and her eyes are red and puffy from tears. She appears to be in one piece physically, but there’s something broken in her eyes.
“Eleanor,” her name comes out on a breath.
Seeing her should settle me.
It doesn’t.
Instead, fire runs through my veins.
Her eyes run over my face, welling with fresh tears that roll over her already wet skin.
She looks at every part of me, those tears continuing to fall. I step forward, “Eleanor.”
Her lips part and the small, pained whimper cracks my chest, and then she whispers, so quietly I almost miss it, “I’m sorry.”
“Hello, Mr Heart, I’d say it was a pleasure to meet you, but we’ve met already, haven’t we?”
Tobias steps forward, followed by four security guards and his son.
It was over.