Page 22 of Surrender

“It doesn’t matter if you tell him. You need to do this. Telling him doesn’t change your assignment, it might slow you down. That’s something for you to consider.”

I didn’t like the way she assumed I was a part of her deceit. That I would so easily turn against him.

“Please don’t ask me to do this.” I wanted to keep the pleading out of my voice, but it was hard. I shivered from the chilly fog. From the fear that had crept under my coat and straight through my skin. I was covered in it.

“I’m not going to keep secrets for you. I won’t lie to him.” I sounded stronger.

“I don’t care how you handle him. That’s between you two.” She checked her phone a second time. “Looks like you better get going. You have a lot of work to do if you’re having company over for dinner tonight. It’s a good thing the French eat late. And don’t forget to pick up your coffee table. It would be embarrassing if they saw the sitting room was incomplete.”

“And if I don’t pull off the assignment?” I had more questions. More she wouldn’t answer in the bitter cold.

My only hope was that there would be a second meeting. Another chance to ask her about the mission. To pry into Blackwing.

She sighed. “Look, I like Vaughn. A lot, actually. That’s why we’re having this conversation. But don’t test us. You have an opportunity to prove how valuable you are. How valuable he swears you are. I wouldn’t waste that.”

“But I—”

I couldn’t argue with her. I couldn’t ask her what she meant. She turned and walked along the sidewalk and disappeared into the crowd along the shop front, blending in with the thick fog.

I sat on the park bench for a minute, trying to figure out what had happened. Had I been brought into Blackwing, or was Vaughn being warned?

I didn’t care what Eloise had said. I wasn’t willing to lie. I tried to call him.

“Come on,” I whispered into the ringing phone.

I didn’t know where he was, only that he was at work. I needed to hear his voice. I wanted him to tell me what I should do. I couldn’t screw this up for him. I wouldn’t go through with it, if he told me to stop. I knew that much. I would listen to him over Blackwing every single time.

I decided not to leave a voicemail. I had to make it back to the flat. I didn’t know what the consequences would be if I didn’t invite our new neighbors to dinner. I didn’t know how Vaughn would react if I did or if I didn’t.

My boots clicked along the pavement. I checked my phone and tried his number again.

The encounter with Eloise didn’t leave any room for doubt that Blackwing was a part of my life. They knew where I was. They knew who I was. They knew who I used to be. I tugged the coat to my neck. The wind kicked up. I should have grabbed my scarf.

I wasn’t trained like Vaughn was. I didn’t know how to interact with people as targets. I didn’t know how to act casual and normal, when inviting them into our home was based on a hidden agenda.

Eloise had implied that Vaughn needed me to do this. He needed my help, even if it came from his company’s direction. And if I didn’t, it sounded as if there was a consequence. A consequence that neither of us would like.

I wasn’t willing to take that chance.

Chapter Six

I rarely walked along the first floor corridor of our building. I usually took the elevator straight to our flat, or sometimes ducked into the courtyard to read. I hadn’t explored much, and I certainly hadn’t knocked on any doors. I kept a low profile in the building. I wasn’t comfortable making friends. It was something Vaughn said would happen with time. I’d learn how to navigate in the new set of rules we lived by, but I wasn’t there yet.

I looked at the folded paper again to make sure I had the right address. I shoved it into my pocket as I approached the door and rang the bell.

The door opened. I greeted a woman who might as well have walked out of a magazine. She had flowing blond hair, perfect skin and teeth to match.

“Mrs. Auclair? I mean Madame Auclair,” I corrected my mistake.

“Yes. It’s all right. I don’t speak French.” She smiled. She had a long sweater that dusted the tops of her boots. “I always mix up mademoiselle and madam all the time.”

“Oh good. Then it’s not just me.” I felt a bit more relaxed. “Hi, I’m Kate Birch. I live upstairs on the third floor.”

“Nice to meet you.” Her smile was easy and natural. She held the door open. “I’m Aubrey. Are you American?” she asked.

I had done this a hundred times since we had moved. I should be able to do it a hundred times more. Only, right now I knew I had to lie because I had instructions from Eloise. Vague cryptic instructions that made me nervous.

“Yes. We’ve only been in the building three weeks.”

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