chapter 27 | the knock

"A person's actions will tell you everything you need to know"

-Pinterest



Blake POV

If I wouldn't be in so much pain right now I would totally be hard. I don't know when the conversation took the turn it took but I couldn't be more grateful. I'm pretty sure I ripped or better said Aria ripped a couple of my stitches but that led to us discussing her sexual fantasies so I'm not complaining. At all.

"Of course. But they're just suspicions. We should probably clear things up. So roleplay? Yes or no?"

I didn't actually think she would respond. I just wanted to leave her speechless again or piss her off.

But things didn't go according to plan. Apparently things never go according to plan around Aria. Which is refreshing. Because she looks me dead in the face and with the most serious expression I saw her use and answers "Yes. You? Like roleplay?"

Oh shit. OH SHIT.

Before I get to answer she beats me to it.

"Wait, don't say. Let me guess." She makes a show of thinking and looking me up and down and I swear I get goosebumps, I don't know what she's playing at but I'm all in. "Yup. You're definitely a roleplay guy. Waitwait I think I know. This whole secret agent thing gets you off doesn't it? You make girls call you 'agent' or some shit like that? You arrest them and then they have to fuck you in order to get out of 'jail'" she makes two quotation marks at the last word.

It's my time to be speechless. If anyone and I mean anyone would ask me how I would start this morning, never in a billion years would I say like this.

I don't know how much it takes me to pull myself together, close my gaping mouth and put two neurons together to formulate a response. But based on Aria's winning smirk I say quite a long time.

"Damn Aria you guessed first try"

She tips her head back and starts laughing hard and I also try to chuckle but I think it comes out more of a grimace because my abdomen is protesting at every small move right now. Aria somehow immediately notices and starts opening the first aid kit.

I'm pissed that our moment was over but the pain was getting worse and the second that damn desinfectant touched my already painfully as fuck wound I passed out again the last thing I see is Aria moving her mouth like something resembling "Sorry"

Aria POV

Honestly the next few hours are the same. Blakes still passed out. I gave up trying to wake him up and I just stress cleaned everything, sorted all the things we had, which was not much and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper to make a list. It's around 5pm so I have a few hours until it's dark outside.

Because if there's one thing about me is that I love lists. I like making lists, I like following lists, I like anything list related. My brain just organizes itself better when I put everything on a list. Now that Blake is not in my vicinity and not bothering me my head is somewhat clear. I've been keeping an eye on the mouse but apparently I managed to scare him enough that he crawled back in the hole he came out of. Hopefully leaving this house.

What I do know is that my sister is in the hands of bad guys. If I believe what Blake showed me, it could all be an MI6 plot to make me collaborate with them. Blake might be smoking hot and saved me numerous times but do I trust him? This is honestly the question that's been bothering me the most and no amount of lists can find an answer. I tried doing a pro and contra list to no avail. But what I do know is that right now Blake is my only shot at getting my sister back. And I want to trust him, I really do, but I don't know, he's technically still a stranger.

Okay next thing on my list. My parents. Now I think I do believe Blake when he said that their spies I mean my mum practically admitted when she recognised Monique by her voice alone. And Monique was on fucking first name basis with my mum. Okay so my parents were/ are spies? God knows. Easy peasy. I will totally digest that information really fast and easily.

Next. MI6. If I remember anything from our escape is the message from the parking lot. They called Blake a rogue agent. Again everything could be a plot from MI6 for me to get to trust Blake. And if he continues looking at me how he does until now they might actually succeed.

No Aria focus.

I always made the best out of every situation I was put in. I just need to look at the facts and find a solution. No biggie. I passed my Integrals exam, this is a piece of cake.

Before I even get to start another pro and cons list there's a knock on the door. Here. At this cabin that is in the middle of nowhere and where no one is supposed to know we are here.

The fuck?!

Who the fuck is it? Somehow curiosity wins and I slowly start creeping towards the door. My eyes land on the two duffle bags next to the couch, there must be some guns in there right? I can't just open the door unarmed. Doesn't matter if the person on the other side doesn't want to kill me, what if it's a special technique, they are knocking to make me think that it's safe to open the door.

Aria focus.

I silently search one duffle bag before my hands close around a metal handle. I pull the gun out and continue my way to the door.

"Aria I know you are in there, open this fucking door"

I freeze with my hand above the door handle. This is not happening.

The voice from the other side of the door belongs to my friend CHarlotte. I would recognize it everywhere, I woke up to her blasting Beyonce and singing the lyrics off key for the past 2 years.

This is not happening.

What if someone has her at gunpoint, and makes her say those things to lure me out. The thought of Charlotte in danger makes me rush to the door and swing it open only to be met with Charlotte's leg in my stomach. I lose my balance and fall backwards, groaning in pain.

My vision is black for a few moments until I manage to inhale again and when I can process images again I see Charlotte's face above me.

"Shit are you okay? Ari, can you hear me? Ria?"

"Yeah yeah" I somehow manage to cough out and try to get up checking her for any injuries and looking around for anyone who could be threatening her. But it's just us in the small living room.

What the-

"Aria sorry I'm so sorry, I thought he was keeping you captive. And-"

I was so confused, a headache starting to form.

"Captive? Who was keeping me captive?"

"Blake, of course. Is he here? I'm prepared to make him wish he never messed with us. "

"Waitwait, Char, Wait a second. Why would he keep me captive if he saved me? The MI6-"

"MI6 took you and thought there would be no consequences."

What is she talking about?

The Charlotte that crashed into me with her bike two years ago on my first day in Amsterdam isn't the same that's sitting in front of me right now.

"Char what are you talking about? And why- what are you wearing? Is that a gun? Charlotte what the-"

A loud crash is heard from the bedroom.

Blake.

"Shh. Stay here."

I don't have time to protest because she makes her way to the bedroom with a gun in her hand. That's when I also have time to look her over. From the back she doesn't look at all like my roommate. The girl that once woke me up in the middle of the night to kill a spider from the bathroom because she was scared to do it. She was the first person I met in Amsterdam and we quickly became best friends. After we moved in together we spent nights talking about everything. She was the person who knew the most things about me, more than my parents, more than whatever past boyfriends I had. I thought she was my soulmate. But looking at her now, stalking towards the bedroom where Blake was, still feeling the pain from her kick in my stomach, I have to wonder if anything she told me in the past 2 years was true.

Is her name even Charlotte?

She is wearing a tight black suit, gloves, hair tight back and the more you look at her the more weapons you notice, she clearly has something in her right boot, two guns at her hips, one gun holster on her leg.

Clearly some aliens kidnapped my best friend and put a clone in her place, because the alternative hurts much more.

"Char?" I try again. This can not be happening. I feel tears forming in my eyes.

She looks back at me and motions for me to be quiet but when she sees the tears she mouths something along the lines of

I will explain everything, calm down

The fuck?

I'm supposed to calm down?

After she just kicked her way in here and rips the last shred of normality connected to my past life. That's when I feel a part of my soul die. The part who still had hope for my past life, the life Blake took from me in the middle of the night, the life that slowly started to shatter with those photos on the plane and then with my mom's phone call, the past 18 years of my life which I thought I knew, with people I thought I knew but clearly didn't and that part of my soul died with the person that made me laugh for the past few years, the person I thought was my soulmate, becoming a person I clearly knew nothing about and that somehow showed up on my doorstep after the worst days of my life not hurt and afraid like I, but scary, in control and lethal.

My best friend was also a spy, here to kill or hurt the only link I have to my sister. I couldn't let her kill Blake.

"Who are you? And what have you done to my best friend?"

Charlotte turned around again a few steps before the bedroom door and motioned for me to be silent again, this time more aggressive.

Fine this is how she wants to do this? I can play her game. I didn't take 3 years of drama classes for nothing. I'm not going to be Aria right now. I am the person that will do anything to get her sister back. That means not letting Charlotte hurt Blake.





A/N

I don't know why I'm bothering to write author's notes anymore because I never stick to what I right here, but I did watch Argylle yesterday and it got me in the mood for spy stories and I remembered I had this little thing going on and this chapter was already drafted so here we are. And I also see people still reading this and that also motivates me a bit to keep going. Also, I don't exactly have a clear plan where all this is heading, if it were up to me I would just have Aria and Blake banter but apparently books need a plot nowadays so yeah.

Jokes aside if you do want to make suggestions where this book could be heading please be my guest.