More Than Life
2
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Sands woke the next morning as the sun rose.
unable to sleep much past sunrise. It
seemed wrong to waste daylight somehow.
So as the clock clicked to seven, Sands opened his eyes and looked at
the woman he’d spent the last evening with.
To his great
surprise, she was still asleep. He
couldn’t remember her sleeping this long or this peacefully in his presence
before. Guess we found the cure for her nightmares, he smirked.
in her sleep, gathering what information from her position that he could.
close to the edge of the bed as she could without falling off.
even in her sleep, but the fact that she was still there said a lot in
him, and very likely didn’t trust him, but she didn’t dislike him enough to
leave the room and she didn’t distrust him enough to stay awake.
expected.
Stretching, lazily
considering taking up the attack immediately, Sands froze as he heard footsteps
outside the door. All thoughts of a bit
of indulgent fun slipped from his head.
Silently, he reached over and freed his gun from its holster, cocking it
and aiming at the door. Whoever was out
there would be dead before they had the chance to cause any mischief.
was . . . or at least what agency they were from.
His suspicions were
proved right when the door inched open to reveal ond ond in a nice suit.
his gun aside. He lazily scratched his
chest as he watched her face slowly turn red.
Not only did I
get laid by ‘la niña,’ but I get to tick
The blond doctor
felt humiliation swamping her. For the
past seven months or so, she’d been trying to get Sands back into her bed just
so she could kick
nothing but a smile and a sheet in a bed where Tess – her rival – seemed be
equally unclothed. It didn’t take a
doctorate to surmise what had happened the night before.
Logan, now Sheldon. How does she do it?
ever beat her to anything.
With a look of
disgust, Inge pointed downstairs emphatically, then
left the room.
Sands let his smirk
fade from his face; it was his turn to be disgusted.
him to ensure the job got done.
cozy domestic scene to someone. She’d
always been one to stick her aristocratic nose where it wasn’t wanted.
petty when she felt that she’d been insulted.
Not at all like Te. . . .
jeans, and put them on. Not bothering
with shirt or shoes – but retrng hng his gun – he went downstairs, leaving any
sympathetic feelings for Tess behind.
One couldn’t pity a puppet they were about to use, and this morning was
going to completely smash any ‘delicate feelings’ between them.
wanted.
Wasn’t it?
**************************************************
Tess woke slowly as
her mind floated through different levels of wakefulness.
hitting her closed eyelids, then that the house was quiet, that her skin was
amazingly sensitive, and that she smelled . . . Coffee?
Well, at least he has the
decency to do that much.
was never a good thing. It usually meant
that it’d been plotting as she’d slept.
Sands.
You are aware that you’re completely
naked under the covers, aren’t you?
Tessa’s eyes popped open as she became fully awake and fully aware of
what she’d done the night before, both at her voice’s urging, and because part
of her had wanted to be close to someone once without pain.
the room for Sands. Fuck.
last night. What we did.
Sands wasn’t in the room. He wasn’t
there, but that simply made the buzz of panic in her muscles increase.
what he was doing. And she couldn’t see
his reaction, then she didn’t know what she was
supposed to be doing in this situation.
She could deal with other things, had learned to shut down part of her
mind in order to deal with certain situations.
But this? This was new.
or the feelings. That was never
good. Especially now.
to know what to do, how to act.
Unconsciously, her hand started tapping agitatedly on the bed.
down, tiger. Go get dressed.
shock. It wasn’t that
cat. Besides, what makes you think
that he’s still in the house?
the floor. I think that, because that isn’t my t-shirt lying on the floor.
Oh.
walk-in closet, closing the door behind her.
She put the shirt in her clothes hamper because that’s where dirty
clothes went. She knew that.
get dressed. If he is
naked. That would mean you’re
defenseless. And I don’t intend on
letting what happened last nito bto become a regular occurrence.
can keep things in perspective – you’ll
fall in love, and that’s on my list of “no-no’s”.
heavy sweater. She had chills racing
down her spine that had nothing to do with the temperature or even her
voice. There was ambient noise in her
head, and that’s what she feared. She
needed just the one voice. Ash ash as
she grumbled, as much as it irritated her, it
at least could help. The other voices
were trouble.
mean exactly what it sounds like. You
and I both agreed that the best thing to do would be to go to bed with
Sands. And we did.
through her. Tessa’s knees went weak for
a moment as she went into the bathroom.
Yes.
well. Or we said it.
Shaking her head as
if that would help clear it, Tess looked in the mirror.
face was flushed and her eyes were bright.
Which was somewhat frightening since she felt as if
she were falling apart inside.
With a shaky hand, she picked up her brush and started running it
through her hair, her only instinct to follow her routine.
I going to do?
should I know? This has never happened
to me either.
pulled her hair back in a ponytail, smoothing it back until every hair was in
place. She washed her face in the sink,
asked as she washed the glass she’d just used.
Then ignore him.
It’ll be like he’s not even there.
Stopping to put on her slippers, Tess left her room and went downstairs.
**************************************************
The moment Sands
walked into the living room, he realized just how much importance the agency
was placing on this. Not only was Ingrid
here – and doing her best not to sulk – but so was
aide, Paul Strauss, and another man that Sands didn’t recognize.
room, then turned on his heel to go into the kitchen
and start some coffee. If they wanted to
talk to him, that was all fine and good, but they’d regret it if he didn’t get
some caffeine in his system first.
Five minutes later
he was sitting in an armchair across from Strauss, cup of coffee in one hand,
lit cigarette in the other. “What’re you
doing here, Strauss? I was under the
impression that I was going to be running this.”
Strauss looked at
the other agent, taking in his state of disarray.
“It’s the way to
go, Pauly.” Sands took a drag from his
cigarette. “You didn’t answer my
question.”
The man sighed,
controlling his temper. Director Colton
had warned him that Sands wasn’t going to appreciate his appearance, but now he
was thinking that had been an understatement.
No matter how at ease Sands appeared, Strauss could feel the coiled
tension in the man. “We discovered a few
days ago that the . . . intelligence on the Barillo woman wasn’t complete.
Sands blew a cloud
of smoke in Strauss’ direction.
“Technology. It’s so
unreliable.” He knew Strauss wasn’t
buying it, but that was perfectly fine.
“What was this information that was so urgent?
about Teresa Barillo than most men.”
The man Sands
didn’t know smirked, but Strauss was unamused.
“Agent
that Barillo is –”
“Right behind
you.” Tess had frozen for a moment when
she’d found two strangers, her old roommate, and the man she’d . . . slept with
. . . all in the same room. Panic had
nearly overwhelmed her before the mask she’d used for so many years slammed into
place. This was a situation that was normal
compared to a ‘morning after’ scene.
Rut>Ruthlessly, nearly twenty years of her past exploded into vibrant life,
controlling her reactions, but nearly eclipsing what she was really seeing.
‘now,’ and the other – the part that was whispering continually – was seeing
‘then.’ Seeing the similarities between
this meeting, and countless others she’d attended under the cartel.
in your home, Teresa. '> They’re here to
cause trouble. You have to get them out
of the house. You have to appear strong
or they’ll devour you. Pay attention to
the present and forget the other things you’re seeing.
past became hazy and ghost-like. With
her grasp of real-life a bit more firm, she continued descending the stairs,
her only sign of tension the hand gripping the railing with a
white-knuckled fingers.
She entered the
living room with her back straight, her head held high, and her face completely
blank. Sands watched as a very collected
Tess satn inn in a chair just a foot or so away from his.
herself where she could see everyone in the room.
Tess sat with her
back ramrod straight – as she’d been taught by her etiquette teachers –
completely still and apparently at ease.
Sands might have bought that if he hadn’t felt the cloud of tight
control around her or noticed how her left hand was tapping soundlessly but incessantly
against the arm of the chair. “To what
do I owe the pleasure, señores?” Tessa
normally had a bit of an accent when speaking English, but now that accent was
heavier than it normally was. Sands
frowned – was Tess putting on an act to make people underestimate her, or was
she closer to losing it than he’d thought?
Now that he thought about it, she did seem like someone who’d give in to
nervous breakdowns.
Tess surveyed the
room, tilting her head to the side as she noticed Inge.
For some reason I thought you were dead.”
your old roommate, not Ajedrez. Ajedrez
“Oh, never
mind. My mistake.”
simply taking sips of his coffee and smoking his cigarette as if he were
watching dinner theater or something like that.
However, when she asked that question, he felt a bit of guilt and what
might be alarm shoot through him, energizing his muscles.
for the CIA well.
“I’m Paul Straus,
assistant to Director William Colton of the Central Intelligence Agency.”
Tess stared blankly
at the man for a moment as her voice puffed up inside her head like an angry
cat, hissing and spitting.
– they’re as bad as a cartel. They’re
here to use you. Get out.
emotions at once; the voice was angry and panicked, but Tess felt nothing but
the weight of disaster weighing her down.
Andwherwhere?
consideration the fact that we were getting screwed in
more than one way.
to run. “What do you want, Paul Strauss the the CIA?”
“Ms. Barillo –” he
stopped when Tessa’s eyes closed and she pressed the heel of her hand to
forehead, looking to Inge in uncertainty when Tess rocked her body back and
forth once or twice. Then just as
suddenly as she’d become distressed, she stopped, looking back up with a blank
face and clear eyes.
“I’m sorry.
want to be reminded daily that I’m the bastard daughter of a drug lord who more
than likely ruined thousands of lives,” she said matter-of-factly.
all. Dismissing Strauss for a moment,
she looked at Sands. “I suppose you’re
CIA as well?” she asked almost pleasantly.
He nodded.
house, and he knew what she sounded like when she was trying to be
pleasant. This wasn’t it.
to be left alone in her dreams.
Something was wrong.
Unfortunately, Strauss had never dropped the other shoe about what had
been left out of the intelligence file on her.
Whatever it was, it was no small thing.
“Ms. Adame.”
impatience. “I’m sorry to barge in on
you like this, but I’m afraid we need your help.”
“
up my ‘secret past’ somehow, you found me in my new home when I left no
forwarding address with anyone, you managed to break into my house, and send an
agent to spy on me. And yet, you need
Strauss didn’t even
look ashamed of what had happened.
“Yes.”
“And what kind of
help is it that you think you need?”
Again, there was that tone that Tess used when trapped in her
nightmares, but there was an ironic smile on her face.
her legs under her to keep her feet from tapping as well.
her body, and for the first time, thought that perhaps this wasn’t as good an
idea as everyone seemed to think it was.
“Pauly –”
“Shh, Sands, I want
to hear what the nice man has to say.”
Strauss mistakenly
took this as a sign that she was willing to help.
elbows on his knees as he gestured with his hands.
we believed that the cartel run by your family was destroyed, but we’ve
received evie the that it wasn’t. Not
only is it intact, but it’s looking to add to its territory.
can shut them down once and for all.”
Sands watched as
all the color drained from Tessa’s face.
God.
convinced her to help.
there was no way she was going to help now.
He only had a few hours worth of seeing emotions move over her face, but
he had weeks of hearing her agitation and feelings.
to push her, which normally, he wouldn’t mind watching, but something told him
that this would be getting in over all their heads.
Tess
nothing to do with actual humor. There
was no way in hell that she was going back to
in dismay.
up! You’re giving everything away.
The laugher stopped
suddenly, as if someone had slit her throat.
“No.”
Damn you, Teresa.
nameless man behind him. They were staring
at her in a kind of fascinated horror.
know. Who do you think it was who told
them?
As the name ran through her mind, she realized she couldn’t see her old
roommate anymore. She was in the act of
jumping from her chair when a hand on her shoulder forced her back down, and a
sudden dart of pain flowered in her arm.
She looked down in confusion, not really understanding that she was even
feeling pain. The sensation was
disassociated, as if she were feeling sympathy pain for someone else.
its side.
“What the hell is
going on here?”
Tess was aware that
Sands had jumped to his feet beside her, and that he was talking to the other
men in the room, but she couldn’t take her eyes from the blond, who had a
triumphant smirk on her face.
“What did you just
give me?” she whispered, not in fear, but as if someone had just punched her in
the gut.
“Just a little
something to hurry the process along and to show you just what might happen if
you say no to this assignment.”
I always told you she hated
you. Tess stood up, holding on
to the chair back, the Whisperers were back, and they were louder than
ever. There was the one that was happy,
and the one that was scared. The one that
hated, that was hungry, that loved, that lusted, that was angry, that laughed,
that cried, that hid, that argued, that watched with empty eyes as someone died
. . . they were all there. All those and
more. Slowly, Tessa covered her ears as
they yelled and battled for her attention.
It’s too quiet. She had to
drown them out. Sands turned to Tess
just in time to see her walk over to the stereo and start sorting through
CDs. No
good, no good, no good. Finally she
found what she wanted and put it in.
softly. “She always did like that.”
button and turned back to the now silent group.
“Do you know why She likes it?”
inclination for her to do so. “It’s
because we watched Fantasia once, and She liked how there was one demon who was
stronger than all the other ghouls and goblins.
Like how Her voice is the loudest.
revolt.” She laughed.
their own little coup d’etat.” Tessa’s
face dropped suddenly, and she walked over to Inge.
this way and that, as if trying to make a decision.
That would make a mess,” she commented, although not to anyone who was
in the room. “She always told me that
you hated me. She could never say why,
though. Why do you hate me, Ingrid?”
Sands watched,
frozen in place as Tess came apart before his eyes.
up shit, but nothing like this.
Silently, he warned Inge not to answer, but the blond did just as she
always did. She decided that the best
way to end a conversation was by verbally lashing out at whoever
she was mad at.
“I hate you because
before you came along, I had my life planned out.
another very rich doctor, then settle down.
As the years passed, I decided
would be that doctor. He was attractive,
popular, came from a good family, and seemed to like me too.
relegated to the friend that had to listen to how you were oblivious to how he
felt about you. But I got over
that. Moved on.
Sheldon. And he was almost mine, but he
balked and I was willing to play out the line.
But he disappeared in
and then I heard that you’d found him.
tended him, comforted him, even preformed a miracle by
giving him the opportunity to restore his eyesight.
you still came in second in our
class. If you hadn’t, you would have
been first in the class. And not only
that, but you’re as crazy as a loon, and men still
flock to you because then they can ‘protect’ you.
girl.” Inge glared at Tess.
“Oh.”
“Satisfied?” She then nodded and looked
back at Inge. “I just think that you
should know that She wants to kill you because of what
you’ve just done. She doesn’t mind
trying to win, but She hates it when others interfen oun our game.
to like me a little. However, I don’t
want to kill you. So we
compromised.” Sands jumped forward to
stop Tess, well aware that she knew how to defend herself, but Tess was
faster. Before Inge could move out of
range, Tess had managed to throw a right hook into the other woman’s eye,
blackening it, before whirling her around and slamming her head into the wall.
Sands grabbed Tess
from behind, but the woman paid him no mind, looking down at Inge, who’d fallen
to the floor and was staring up in shock.
Her body began to sway from left to right as she still looked down at
her fallen foe. Then her hand flew up,
and Teet oet out a low cry as again she slammed the heel of her hand into her
forehead, like someone trying to get their computer to
work. Sands tightened his arms, prepared
should Tess try to fight, but she didn’t.
Instead her body moved back into Sands’, pressing against him as one of
her hands reached between them to knead his thigh.
want you to know that I enjoyed last night.
Her voice was a seductive purr.
//Terésa esta es un
persona poco aventurera, y
stick-in-the-mud, and never lets me come out to play.
“Is that right?”
Sands asked without letting go. There
was no guarantee that Tess was going to stay like this for long.
“Sí.”
hand clasped at her head, and again her behavior changed, although this time
she was doing something he expected from her;
she was fighting to get free. “Let
me go, I’m sorry. I won’t do it
again. I promise.
as she moaned and her body went limp.
Sands was lowering her to the floor when she suddenly twisted with a
snarl, and broke out of his hold. She
stood, poised to run, and stared at him for a moment, then fled, running into a
room down the hall and slamming the door behind her.
Deciding that it
was best to leave her alone for the moment, Sands turned on the three agents
who had started all this. “What the fuck
was that about?”
Strauss was holding
a handkerchief to a split above Inge’s left eye, while the woman tended to a
split lip. Sands had to admit that Tess
knew how to inflict real damage if she got pissed off.
‘superior’ as the man answered his question.
“That was the last card in a poor hand, and unfortunately, it was a wild
card. We need her to get inside the Barillo cartel.
very large embarrassment to the CIA.
However, we knew she’d turn us down unless we had something to hold over
her head. Until Inge told us the one
secret that Barillo has managed to hide all this time, the only threat we had
was to deport her kids. However –”
“Stop talking in
riddles and tell me what is going on.”
Sands pulled his gun out of his holster and started twirling it around
one finger as anguished cries started making their way through the door of
Tessa’s refuge.
“She’s a
schizophrenic, Sheldon.” Inge batted
Strauss’ hand away and looked Sands in the eye.
“A grade A schizoid.
back to the States without wigging out.
Or maybe she didn’t. Maybe she
was overdosing on pills and suppressants.
Not that it really matters.”
“What the hell did
you give her?” Sands demanded.
“A few CCs of
dopamine. It threw the off the balance
in her head. Although, she was
apparently already more than a little off balance after last night.
eventually.” Sands didn’t quite believe
that. Tess was made of strong stuff if
she’d been holding off an imminent breakdown just to deal with his
colleagues. “Tell me, do you enjoy
fucking total nutcases?”
“You’re such a cat,
Inge.” Sands holstered his gun
again. “Because you know, it seems to me
that, aside from being a little mentally ill, she’s pretty normal.”
to worry if she’s faking it in the sack.”
Inge growled and tried to hit him, but Strauss held her back.
“That was
unnecessary, agent Sands.”
“So’s holding a
woman’s sanity over her head. If you’d
waited just another twenty-four hours, I could have gotten her to go along with
things without all the histrionics, although I realize that would have robbed
you of your power rush.”
“What’s wrong,
Sheldon? Don’t tell me you actually
“No, I just prefer
not to have my toys stolen.” A loud
crash came from the bathroom.
Sands was sure he’d heard glass breaking.
Tess could do. Walking across the room,
he grabbed Inge’s wrist and hauled her to her feet.
“What the hell do
you think you’re doing, Sheldon?” she demanded, trying to free herself.
“You’re the doctor
in the house. I would think it’d be in
the best interests of the Agency if you managed to calm your ‘old friend’ down
before she slits her wrists, or OD’s on meds, or
something equally fatal.”
Sands had managed Cora just froze on The girl paused “Oh my god.” “Stay away from Cora looked at the Sands wasn’t quite Cora simply stared “Well, I can’t “Nice to see gratitude “What’s that Cora shook her Sands looked down Cora sighed and Coming back to the The woman opened “Tess?” The woman’s head turned towards the duo in “They want to know He looked back at Tess looked away, Cora went into the He took a seat on Tess sighed. ************************************************** Are Not good. Cora was relieved ************************************************** Sands didn’t like She helped you, Sheldon. He gently laid Tess “What are you “
to drag Inge partway down the hallway, when the front doors opened.
his gun, but the only person there was the housekeeper.
the threshold, a bag of groceries in her arms.
Selena however, had no problem with the strange people in the
house. The toddler was a natural people
person, loving to sit and babble at complete strangers if the opportunity ever
opened for her to do so. And because of
this natural and cheerful tendency, she headed for Sands and Inge with
determined and nearly running footsteps.
“
uncertainly, and looked back at Cora, before heading for Sands again.
he made no move to pick up the child clinging to his pant leg.
hand than you will. Wouldn’t you?” he
addressed the woman who was still standing in the open door.
more yelling.
bathroom door, pushing past Sands. She
tried to open it, but it was locked.
“Tessa? Open the door!”
me!I know what you want. I
know. Just leave me alone.”
strange man who was still ignoring the toddler who was clinging to him.
before he could answer. “Never mind
that. I need to know what set her off
and how long she’s been like this.” The
sound of running water emerged from the room.
sure how to answer that. What was he
supposed to say? Oh, well, I spent the
majority of last evening screwing your boss, and then this morning she was
already teetering on the edge of a major psychological breakdown before one of
my colles aes and ex-lover gave her something that would ensure she’d go
berserk? “I’m afraid that one of my
fellow agents got a little trigger happy with a syringe of dopamine.”
at the man, revulsion slowly creeping over her face.
speak for the rest of them, but I picked the lock.”
pocket. “Sheldon Sands, CIA.”
in action,” she muttered, giving the badge back to him.
supposed to mean?”
head. “Since I get the feeling you’re
part of the cause of this, you can help me.”
She pulled her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door.
one of her periods of withdrawal, then I’m going to need you to restrain her
while I give her a tranquilizer and a dose of her dopamine suppressant.”
at Selena who’d taken to standing on his foot and begging for attention.
here?”
picked the toddler up, carrying her into the spare bedroom across the hall and
setting her in a playpen. chilchild
instantly started to cry, but Cora simply shue doe door.
after Tess had been taken care off.
door, she unlocked it, but didn’t immediately open it.
the door, slowly pushing it open, standing to one side of the doorway as Sands
stood on the other. They cautiously
looked inside the small room; Tess was sitting in a bathtub full of steaming
water, fully clothed, and playing with a piece of the broken mirror.
occasionally pricking her fingers on the pointed piece of glass.
horses, and all the king’s men, couldn’t put Humpty together again.”
the doorway, but she didn’t look away from her piece of mirror.
what we’re doing,” she confided to the reflective surface.
nodded. “Yes, that’ll do.
anything. She doesn’t like that.
spoiled after last night – I let Her feel things with me.”
staring blankly at Sands.
her, stifling the shock that was rising up in him.
well? It was true that he’d had other
things to deal with during the time he’d spent with her, but this. . . .
sinking down into the water even more.
“Black death with no eyes,” she muttered.
You’re not supposed to be here. I
left. I left for you.
give her the opportunity. It is her
favorite form olf-ilf-indulgence. Why
couldn’t you give me that much?” She turned
the sliver of glass and raised her left hand out of the water.
pressed the glass against her hand, trailing it from wrist bone to the fist
knuckle of her pinky finger. A fine line
of crimson emerged in its wake. “Why
can’t I feel it?” she muttered.
room and looked in the destroyed medicine cabinet, cursing when she saw the
shattered remains of the injection she needed tve Tve Tess.
if she tries to do any serious damage. I
have to go get another injection out of another room.”
careful to avoid stepping on any of the slivers of glass on the floor.
the toilet and watched Tess as she ignored him.
“What are you doing, niña?”
Nooses give,/Gas smells awful, Ya might as well live.”
we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.”
tracing her lifeline, raising a small welt.
“Why? Why me?”
“What do you mean?”
Tess didn’t answer Sands. She was
too busy listening to her mind.
All I’m saying is, maybe he
can help us feel.
Tess looked into the small fragment of mirror she held.
that held Her.
She’d had to discard the ones that held Whisperers.
reason she wasn’t surprised to see it looked like a desert fox.
places, and used to surviving in wastelands others avoided.
Why would that be any different?
I can’t feel. There’s not enough
left of me to feel. They’ve taken it
all. I’m all broken inside.”
Fine. You don’t want to die, you
don’t want to feel, you don’t want to talk to anyone. . . .
“I don’t know.”
Look. One kiss is all it would take
to find out whether or not he can help.
And I don’t think he’d really be disinclined to going along with it.
“Right. Who cares that I’m not
myself?”
you going to do it, or not?
“Fine.” Tess slowly stood up,
dropping the mirror as she did so.
Clumsy idiot! Pick me up.
Sands watched as Tess bent over and searched for the piece of glass
she’d dropped. It was eerie to sit and
listen to her converse with someone only she could hear.
back in hand, she looked at him, studying him intently.
fate, then started pulling the sweater over her
head. He watched, still somewhat in
shock as she pulled the sodden piece of clothing off and dropped it into the
tub. Wet
t-shirt contest. She was wearing a
light green t-shirt underneath the sweater, which was also soaking wet, and he
could see that she’d put on a bra under the t-shirt.
of the tub and removed her jeans, revealing dark blue underwear.
seated herself on his lap. He moved his
hands away so they’d be free to pin her arms to her sides if he had too, but he
was wary of doing anything else.
Footsteps distracted him from his study of Tess – Cora was in the
doorway. One eyebrow was raised as she
surveyed the scene. Sands automatically
started to defend himself, on edge because of Tessa’s strange behavior.
“I know, you didn’t do anything.
you though. Possibly, it’s just all the
time she spent with you last year.” Cora
shook her head. “Just keep her still as
I give this to her.” She set the
tranquilizer on the counter; Tess was acting calm enough that Cora thought the
suppressant would be enough to help her get back under control.
Meanwhile, Tess was leaning in to touch Sands.
met his chest, but couldn’t feel any textures, couldn’t feel the warmth of his
skin. “This isn’t going to work,” she
muttered, but she pressed on anyway.
Hesitantly, she pressed her lips to his; if he respondehe che couldn’t
tell. Disgusted, she started to get up,
but his arms trapped her.
Cora primed the syringe.
when Tess didn’t fight against Sands’ firm hold on her.
to break off in Tessa’s arm. She quickly
gave the shot as Tess watched her out of blank eyes.
entire day. And then you can give me
some answer to to what’s going on.”
being recruited as a male nurse. If he
had his way, he’d be free of this place until Tess was in a condition to talk
to him again.
conscience.
on her bed. She stirred, her gaze
loosing some of the vacuous haze that’d started taking her over after Cora had
given her the medication. “I know you,”
she murmured. Sands didn’t answer.
the window. “I understand it all now.
want to contact your bosses. I couldn’t
either. I don’t like governments.
falling silent. “The fear of death is
what keeps you alive,/A deadly mission you must survive,/You lurk in the shadows,
nessness a friend,/The lies begin and never end,//Secret agent, your law is
a gun,/Secret agent, you trust no one,/Secret agent, a man in
black,/Secret agent, a gun at your back,//Truth is out there, you know it's a
lie,/Trust no one, if you do you die,/Government deployed, what's at
stake?/Double agent out on the stake,/Charged with treason, secrets to
sell,/Signed in blood, a contract with hell,/Followed orders, no questions
asked,/Suicide mission, could be your last . . .”
on Sands. “That was you, wasn’t it?”
talking about?” pan>pan>Sands looked at Tess,
trapped by the unveiled secrets in her eyes.
wearing black. Even the blood on his
face was turning black. “I can see
it all. You didn’t trust anyone –except
for my half-sister. You controlled the
‘truth’ that people heard, but didn’t get enough of it yourself.
you? That’s why you’re still working for
them.
But when playplayed with the cartel, you didn’t know what you were
getting into. And it was too late when
you finally found out, so you settled for killing as many as you could before
yawned. “Do you hate me fhat?hat?
you the chance.” She drifted off into
sleep, but not before she murmured, “Lo siento.”
sorry.
Sands moved to the doorway, watching as Cora took over, ignoring the
sharp glances the woman shot him every now and again.
He needed a smoke.