Page 38 of Agent Zero
“Get dressed,” he said, quietly.“Now.”
She sat there and gawped, the latte hot against her fingers.
“Did you hear me?”At least he didn’t sound irritated, just thoughtful.“Get up and get dressed, Holly.”
“What is it?”I sound like I’ve been punched.Breathless, and her hand began to tremble.
“Get moving.”His face changed, just a little.
If she asked any more stupid questions he might decide to leave her behind.Holly scrambled off the bed, almost dropping the latte.
He was still there when she tore the bathroom door open, buttoning up her jeans.Sunlight striped half his face; he glanced at her and she couldn’t decipher his expression.Was he angry?Was this a game?A teaching exercise?
“Brush your teeth and use the restroom if you want.”His left hand had knotted into a fist.He shook his fingers out, relaxing slightly.“We have a few minutes.I just don’t like the way it looks out there.”
You don’t like...Holly shook her head.He was probably crazy; hell, she was probably crazy, too.But there was that terrible little word, hanging in her head.
Collateral.As in damage.
Seven minutes later he pressed the latte back into her hands.“You need the caffeine.Let’s go.”
“Will you even tell me what’s going on?”Not that she held out any particular hope in that area, really.
“We might be blown, I don’t know.”
“Blown?What is blown?”Holly realized what a dumb-ass question it was about two seconds too late.
Reese paused for just a second, opened the door.“The only thing you need to worry about is doing what I tell you.”
“Great.”Given the alternative, though...
That was just it.She didn’t have any other option.At least, not one she could arrive at without a whole lot of heavy-duty thinking she hadn’t had time for, what with getting drugged and passing out.
Reese didn’t bother getting offended.“I’m going to take care of you.”
There’s a lot of things that could mean.She dropped her gaze, stared at the carpet—cheap nylon, again, but a slightly higher grade.Blue, with little flecks of gold and brown.“Okay.”
“You have no idea what that means, I guess.”Reese wasn’t looking at her; he was giving the hall a good once-over.
I guess not.She set the coffee down on the rickety, completely useless table by the door.Hitched her backpack, with its small assortment of hurriedly packed stuff, higher on her shoulder.Followed him out and tried not to let the logical extension of that line of thought loose inside her head.
Do what I tell you, it’ll all be fine.She’d heard that before.From Dad, sometimes, when he didn’t want her to worry, even when he started losing weight and the sickness crept over him in inches, his body consuming itself, the stack of medical bills growing higher and higher.
At least Holly was avoiding that.She wouldn’t leave a single debt behind.
No, what bothered her was that she’d heard it most recently from Phillip.After we get me through med school, it’ll all come together.I’ll take care of you.
And look at how well that had turned out.
* * *
They took the stairs, and it wasn’t until they were in the car driving away that Reese seemed to relax a little, checking the rearview and side mirrors every few seconds.Holly’s hands clenched together in her lap, tighter and tighter.
Especially when the cop cars, their lights on but sirens silent, zoomed past them going the opposite direction.
“Sloppy,” Reese muttered.“No grid, I’ll bet.”
She could barely get the air in to talk.“Is that good?”
