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They were staying in a safe house located in Washington D.C. The mission was to locate a corrupt politician and to encourage him to make the right decision. They don’t normally dabble in politics, but this was a matter of life or death to the American citizens. And now that they had an American member of their team, it seemed fair to allow her a say in their missions.
But this one went sideways fast.
They hadn’t accounted for the cameras. Nile should have known. They knew to shut off the security cameras. To override the CCTVs. But who could have known that the intern would pull out his cellphone?
Nile had her pistol pointed at him before she even saw the cellphone.
“Drop it.” She thought everyone had quietly evacuated the office. She hadn’t seen him cowering behind the desk. “We are not going to hurt you,” she murmured.
“I-I have you on video…” stammered the boy. He couldn’t have been more than twenty.
Nile lowered her weapon. “Just toss over the phone. This doesn’t need to be a big deal.” She holstered her gun and held up her hands. “See? We’re good.”
The intern held his phone as if it were a bomb. “Then, leave now.” He was shaking.
Andy walked into the hallway, gun drawn. “Nile, what’s the situation?”
Nile pointed toward the boy with her chin. “Camera.”
“Is it contained?” Andy’s eyes darted back and forth, trying to assess the situation.
“In progress.”
Andy shrugged at the kid, “Give her the phone or I’ll shoot you.”
Nile whipped her head in Andy’s direction, “What?”
The intern took this opportunity to begin running down the hallway. He ran with an uneven gait, his head bopping up and down.
Andy leveled her gun at his running form. He was running in a straight line. It would be a quick kill.
Nile pushed Andy’s arm to the ceiling at the last moment.
Andy grunted and pushed Nile to the ground as the elevator doors closed.
“Damn it!” Andy ran a hand through her hair then took off toward the staircase.
Nile crawled to the wall and leaned her back against it. She put her head in her hands. The lump in her throat grew and she felt tears forming in the corner of her eyes.
It was Joe who found her.
“Nile?” He kneeled in front of her.
A broken sob, “I couldn’t do it.”
Nicky followed behind Joe, “Quello che è successo?”
“Non lo so…” his voice trailed off. “Nile?”
Nicky sat beside her and put his hand on her shoulder. “Whatever happened, you’re new. You’ll learn.”
Nile’s eyes burned. “I will never be like that.” She shook her head. She wiped her nose.
Joe looked at Nicky, his mouth hanging open slightly.
Booker exited the stairwell and ran over to the group. “What happened?” He knelt beside Joe. “Andy just ran past me yelling something about a camera?”
Nile sat up. “Did she get it?”
Andy pushed the double doors at the end of the hallway open. “I got it.” Her mouth was downturned in a scowl. “What the hell, Nile?”
She gulped. “Is he--”
“That’s not the issue.” Andy shook her head. She crossed her arms. “You can’t freeze.”
“Woah, Andy.” Booker stood up and crossed in front of Nile.
“It’s all of our asses if we get caught. You know that, Book.”
“Yeah but--” he couldn’t bring himself to finish the thought. She’s just a kid.
Nicky shifted so that he was in front of Nile and watched as Joe also stood up. “Let’s take a walk, Andy.”
Nicky placed his arm around Nile’s shoulders and helped her to the elevator. “Let’s go,” he murmured.
The group was talking about her.
Nile just knew. She was in the bedroom just off of the kitchen and their whispers carried down the hallway. She could just barely make out her name. And no matter how hard she tried, sleep would not come.
She tossed and turned. At one point she was lying across the mattress, her head hanging on the end.
“Is that comfortable?” Booker closed the door behind him and sat on the edge of the bed.
“I can’t sleep.” Nile sat up and pushed off the covers.
Booker released a gruff sigh. “Me neither.”
“When does it stop…”
He glanced at her.
“...hurting?” her voice broke and she hid her eyes.
Booker wanted to reach over to her. To comfort her any way that he could. But he felt out of place in her bedroom. Instead, he looked down at his feet. “I’ll tell you when I figure it out.”
She gasped quietly.
“But, we got the camera back. We’re safe,” he added. “And the kid is alive.”
Nile covered her mouth with her hand. “I just, I keep seeing him.” She paused and looked Sebastien in the eyes. “He was so scared.”
Sebastien stood. “You’re going to be alright.” He turned to go.
Nile reached toward him. “I,” her voice was shaking.
Booker turned toward Nile. And, as if on instinct, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He murmured a quiet shh.
“It’ll be okay.”
“I don’t want to be alone,” Nile leaned back and looked Booker in the eyes.
The warmth of her brown eyes made Booker’s breath catch in his throat. He stiffened and tried to step back, but Nile held him in place, and he didn’t fight.
“Book,” Nile closed the distance between them. “Don’t leave me.”
Before Booker could respond with any of the million excuses in his head, you’re too young, I’m too old, Andy would kill me, I’m no good for you...
None of that mattered when Nile pressed her lips to his. He was taken aback for a moment, then succumbed to her touch. Her body pressed against his sent feelings of warmth across his chest. He dug his fingers in between her braids and leaned into her, inhaling the scents of lavender and vanilla that must have been in her shampoo.
“Don’t go.”
Booker smiled for what felt like the first time in one hundred years. “Never.”