chapter 10 | Monique

"Better an oops than a what if"

- unknown





Aria's POV

I learned the wet toilet paper trick in a book I once read. I really hope those fuckers are pissed. Maybe they would come to clean the camera and to check on me. Or maybe there are more cameras.

I spent the next 10 minutes (I think, there isn't a clock in the room, and it's driving me crazy not knowing what time it is) After searching all the corners and all the lamps, removing all the lightbulbs I sat down in the middle of the room in complete darkness. The room had no windows so I didn't even know if it was day or night. And the whole situation settled in. Like a snowball falling down a hill. At the beginning it's moving slowly but at one point it gains enough momentum to move extremely fast and it comes crashing down.

A sob escapes me. I feel so weak crying. I shouldn't give these shitheads the satisfaction of crying. But in the dark after I searched the whole room for cameras and microphones I feel a little safer. I hug the pillow I took from the bed until sleep wraps me in its dark embrace.

And that's how I fell asleep the first night after being taken. On the floor, in the dark hugging a cheap pillow, crying away my fears and frustrations.

Blake's POV

Monique's office is as crystal clean as always. I take a seat on a chair, because Monique isn't here yet. Fuck her. And not literally. I tried that once. At the beginning of my career. When she wasn't my boss yet. Let's say it wasn't the best experience ever.

"Hello Monique! With what can I help you on this magical day which is supposed to be my free day!" I say in a fake cheerful voice and put a charming smile on my face.

She rolls her eyes

"You have a lot of nerve demanding holiday when you can't even do a kindergartners job right" she replied in a sharp tone

"Hey! Let's not go there! What did we talk about! Constructive criticism" I retort in an easy voice.

She groans, sits down and starts searching for something on her computer.

I honestly make so much fun of her. It's a wonder she didn't fire me. But I am one of the best out here. And as much as I don't want to brag, I am in fact very good at my job. I'm one of the youngest here and done every assignment given to me with perfection. There was no error in my entire 5 year career.

I'm 22 and they somehow managed to make me work for them since I was a teenager. To this day I still don't know how I didn't die in those first few years of action. I had nothing to lose, nothing to live for and took the most dangerous missions, somehow executed them perfectly and grew in rank in a few years more than others grew in their entire career. I realized very early on that if you show up and act like you have the biggest dick no one will question you.

It wasn't actually such luck that I aced my first few missions. My parents had a big part in it but I think about my parents just when I'm very drunk. They are not dead. Just very big assholes.

"What the fuck is this Blake?" Monique pulls me out of my thoughts and shows me the screen of her computer where a recording is playing of Aria and me in the plane. It's a compilation actually of the times when she punched me, hit me with the suitcase and put me on the ground with that stupid move.

"It's me making the package feel safe" I say while leaning back in the chair

"She hit you twice and escaped your hold once"

"She didn't do that, I let her. Thinking she was in control made her feel more safe. Thinking she could defeat me made her cooperate"

"And did that work? Did she cooperate Blake? Want to rewatch the footage from the pilot's cabin? If you don't tell me what actually happened this video will end up in the inboxes of all your colleagues, I wonder what that will do for your reputation"

I swallowed. This women really knew how to push my buttons.

"Come on Monice! Are you threatening me?"

"I don't know Blake. Is there information you are gatekeeping about Aria?"

"Excuse me? Are you accusing me of lying?" this was unbelievable

"You said she goes kickboxing once a week. And that she isn't very good at it. You said she is a beginner and barely knows any self defense moves. You said she just 'plays' with her roomate with karate youtube videos" with every sentence her voice got louder and louder. "What I see in these videos is the opposite of all the informations you've given me"

"Monique-"

"Shut up Blake, I'm not done. This whole operation is based on the fact that Aria didn't know anything about her parents' identities before you told her."

"And she didn't-"

"Cooper shut the fuck up or I swear on my career I will fire you right now. This whole operation, which by the way cost a lot of money, a lot of resources and a lot of my time, is based on the fact that we can use Aria to our advantage, that she will be on our side. And in order for us to do this we need to make sure she didn't know her parents were spies. But from the way she defended herself it seems to me that she has training. Special training. It looks to me that she is ready for situations like this. That she knew what to do. She didn't freak out, she didn't cry. She only fought back."

After the non stop screaming she finally took a deep breath and I saw my chance.

"Madam may I?"

She didn't respond.

I take that as a yes.

On the next few sentences depend my career, my life and Aria's life. Good thing I am very good with words.

"Monique, you know me. Come on. You have known me since I was 12. You know I have values. You know I care about this organization. Why would I defend a random girl? Why do you think I would lie to protect someone I barely know and risk everything I have."

"I have a very well paid job. I have all the women in the world. I can go anywhere and meet with anyone just with a phone call. Why would I risk that? And besides I want to see her parents go down as well. You know that."

I stopped talking. I pledged my cause in the most relaxing and calming voice I could muster. But on the inside I was pretty panicked. Good thing for me is that I'm very good at lying. And bad thing for Monique is that she doesn't know that I have no regrets about lying to save my ass and in this case Arias as well.

The look in Monique's eyes changed. I win.

"I see you still have diplomacy in you. Your mother thought you well. Go have your free day. But tomorrow I want you at 10 am here. To talk about Aria."

I clenched my teeth at the mention of my mother. Yeah sure, because that bitch definitely had some part in me learning diplomacy.

I gave Monique a big warm smile, got up and left the office without looking back.

Can't wait to fuck this tension out of me.