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Sometimes I get it.
Most times I don’t.
Van Straus’ vault has three separate combination locks lined up in a neat column, all of them with their own three-digit sequence. With the help of a stethoscope, I listen for the subtle clicks as I turn the dial back and forth, back and forth. Sometimes it’s next to impossible to distinguish one click from the other. These high-end vaults are designed with the best materials and these faults in mind. I work through each dial —one, two, three— and reach for the handle.
It doesn’t open.
“Fuck me!” I exclaim furiously.
“If you need a break,” Gabriel says from his spot on the couch. He’s reviewing the blueprints again, corresponding with Klaus and Anders about our getaway strategy.
I shoot him a dirty look. “Oh, shut up.”
“Why don’t you take a break? You’ve been at it all day. The last thing we want is for you to burn out before we even get there.”
“No. Not until I can do it over and over again without any mistakes. There’s too much on the line.”
“Come here, little bird.” He pats his lap. “Take a break.”
“I don’t want to.”
“I’m not asking.”
Rubbing my temples, I relent. Maybe Gabriel has a point. I’m starting to go cross-eyed, and the click, click, clicking in my ear is driving me up the wall. All the day’s previous combinations float around in a massive jumble in my head, tripping me up more often than not. It also doesn’t help that my stomach doesn’t feel very good. They must have served some bad eggs at the breakfast bar downstairs.
Perhaps a breather is exactly what I need to recollect myself and focus.
I wander over to the couch, crawling onto his lap. I press my face against the crook of his neck as he wraps me in his arms. The warmth of his body and the way he gingerly strokes myhair is soothing. There’s safety in his arms, nothing but comfort and security. I can let my walls down around Gabriel. When I’m with him, I can temporarily forget all my worries and fears.
My heart skips a beat when he presses a kiss to my cheek. It’s such a chaste little thing. Innocent and sweet. I don’t know why but being near Gabriel makes me inexplicably happy. A part of me wants the whole world to freeze so I can stay with him like this forever.
“You have time, petit oiseau,” he murmurs encouragingly.
“I can’t stop thinking I’ll screw up,” I admit quietly. “What if I choke?”
“You won’t.”
“How do you know? I’ve got all thesewhat ifscenarios racing through my mind. What if I run out of time and the lasers chop me into bits? What if I can’t get out before the guards catch me? What if—”
He cuts me off with a gentle kiss, bringing a hand up to graze my cheek. When our mouths part, he looks me deep in the eye. “Never doubt yourself, Raquel. If anyone can do it, it’s you. Who dragged themselves, injured and concussed, across France to find me after surviving an explosion?”
“Me,” I mumble.
Gabriel nods. “Who survived a shootout on a train and made it to Bern on foot?”
“Also me.”
“Who managed to negotiate a deadline extension with her father’s hostage taker?”
I take a deep breath. “Me again.”
Gabriel smiles. “I’ve never met a person as stubborn as you—”
“Hey!”
“—and that’s why I know you’ll pull through. Your determination alone is enough to get the job done. I have complete faith in you, Raquel.”
The hot prickle of tears stings my eyes. This is the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me. I give him a grateful kiss, feeling miles better than I did a few minutes ago. Who knew a little cuddle time could be so effective?
