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I was bursting at the seams and I threw my hands around his neck, knocking my Jello cup into my lap in the process. “Yes, of course, yes.” I laughed ecstatically, joyfully, and squeezed his neck so hard he sputtered.
“Easy there, Rambo. You’ve been busting people out of jail and taking down assassins. I don’t think you know your own strength.”
All I could do was laugh so full of joy, and I grabbed his shirt, pulling him to me and kissed him. This was home. Mason was my home. After a long, passionate kiss, I finally pulled back breathless. “My dad’s going to kill you.” I said, sucking my lips between my teeth wide eyed.
Mason blew out a breath. “I know.”
* * *
I blewout a breath and tried not to fuss with the earpiece in my ear as I walked towards the warehouse. “Can you hear me?” I whispered into the air.
“Yes, we can hear you. Everything is moving along as planned. You’re doing great.” Agent Zuri’s calming voice reassured me through the earpiece.
I fussed with the earpiece, trying to get it just right.
Mason’s soothing voice came through the earpiece next. “Stop fussing with it, love, you’ll give yourself away.”
“Right.” I whispered back, and left it alone, but it still felt so obvious and so heavy in my ear. I pushed my hair forward to make sure it was fully covered.
I tensed when I saw Viktor come from the other side of the building.
“Where have you been?” He called out. He stopped in front of me, a little too close for comfort.
“I’ve been around.” I said with false confidence.
“Do you have the drive?” He asked.
“Are you going to get me out of my contract for good?” I responded, knowing perfectly well that the CIA was already doing that for me, but I had to have a good reason for meeting him here like this. I had to pretend I still needed something from him.
“I’ll see what I can do.” He said smugly.
“Cut the shit Viktor, I can take this up the ladder and put you in the ground instead if you’d like.”
Viktor smiled wickedly at me, sizing me up like prey.
“Easy.” Were Mason’s only words softly spoken through the earpiece.
Viktor spoke, “I see you’ve gotten a little better at negotiation since I last saw you.” He gave me a dark look. “How are you holding up since your little escapade in the locker room?”
I clenched my teeth, willing myself not to flinch at the memory. But despite my best efforts, the panic began to wrap its barbed tendrils around me, sinking them into my mind. Everything started to tunnel as the PTSD of that day catapulted itself into my mind.
Mason’s voice came through the earpiece again. “What do you see?”
I blew out a breath, looking at the speck of lint on Viktors’ jacket.
Mason continued through the earpiece, “What do you smell?”
I took a deep breath in, forcing oxygen into my lungs. I smelled the crisp air, the recent rainfall.
“Taste?” Mason prompted me again, walking me through the grounding exercise he had taught me.
Taste… what did I taste, the metallic tang from how hard I was biting my cheek. I released my cheek and took another long breath in, finally coming back into my body with each continued breath. I wasn’t in the locker room; I wasn’t in Iran; I wasn’t being attacked. I was safe. Sort of anyway.
“If you want the hard drive, I need your word.” I said firmly, leaning hard into the bit Zuri and I had decided on.
“Very well.” Viktor reached his hand out. “The drive, Emma.”
I reached out and handed him the bag in my hand. As he reached for it, he pulled a gun on me.
