It was now almost afternoon, and neither Darren nor Alanna had bothered
to get out of bed. Both were still lying in each other’s arms when the phone
rang. Alanna reached over and picked it up, then handed it to Darren.
“Hello?” he asked as he stroked Alanna’s hand.
“Hey, Daz. I just called to ask you if you’d let Alanna out today so
we can do some shopping,” Destiny replied.
“Here she is, ask her yourself,” Darren retorted as he handed the phone
to her.
“What?” Alanna asked.
“Rogers wants us both in his office today by one. That gives you fifteen
minutes to dress in something nice, do your hair and makeup, and be at the door
by the time I arrive,” Destiny said in Russian.
“Des, Darren knows who I am. Don’t worry about the cover-ups. Talk to
me like a normal person from now on,” Alanna replied.
“Huh? How? When?” Destiny asked in surprised, switching back to English.
“I told him last night after I came home.”
“I told you to use the drug deal gone wrong scenario.”
“No, I just told him on my own will.”
“Okay, now I’m confused. Explain this to me in the car. I’ll be there
in fifteen minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then. Bye.” Alanna hung up the phone and put it back
on the nightstand.
“What did she want?” Darren asked as he pulled her close.
“I have to be in my superior’s office at one this afternoon, so if you
don’t mind, I have to leave you,” she answered.
“No, you can’t go,” he playfully moaned as she wiggled out of his grasp
and stood up.
“Oh, honey, don’t worry, I’ll be back soon. I’ll take you out to dinner
tonight to make up for leaving,” Alanna said as she walked into the bathroom
to take a quick shower, dry her hair, find some clothes, and put on a light
coat of makeup. By the time she was done, Darren was already dressed in a black
tee shirt and blue jeans. Alanna walked out of the bathroom wearing a navy blue
skirt and matching jacket with a white shirt beneath it.
“Jeez, it seems like every time I see you, something completely changes.
First it was your hair, now it’s your wardrobe. Is there anything else I should
know about you?” Darren said as she walked past him.
“I’ve been living in a shack for the last few months, and now that I’ve
finally moved out of the damn thing, I’m glad to be getting back into the swing
of my old life and dressing normal again,” Alanna answered, running her fingers
through her hair to make sure it fell just the right way.
“Might I add, you look great,” he replied.
“Thank you.” Alanna walked over to him and kissed his luscious lips.
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight, not wanting her to leave
his side. “You’re really needy today, aren’t you?”
“I guess,” Darren said. “I haven’t been with someone in a long time,
and I miss the closeness. Maybe that’s why I don’t want you to go today.”
“I’ll be back, don’t worry,” she replied, then heard a honk come from
outside. “I gotta go. Bye.” She quickly kissed him again and ran out the door.
Destiny waited in her car for Alanna to arrive, and when she was in safely,
she took off for the CIA offices downtown.
“I want an explanation, right now,” Destiny said as Alanna put on her
seat belt.
“In a nut shell, I came home last night and he was waiting for me. I
didn’t want to talk, so I changed my hair color. I come out of the bathroom
and he’s sitting by the door waiting for me. I ask him to leave me alone, but
he doesn’t, instead, he carries me to his bed, and I crack. I tell him everything,
and then we fuck. That’s about it,” Alanna quickly explained.
“You fucked Darren Hayes?” Destiny asked in amazement.
“Yeah, and he was really good, too. Unbelievable. We didn’t get out of
bed until you called.”
“Oh, my God!” Destiny began laughing. “Love ‘em and leave ‘em, right?”
“Destiny!” Alanna retorted. “For your information, I have no intention
of leaving him. He’s the first guy I’ve ever really had such a close connection
with. I’m not about to leave what could potentially be the best thing that’s
ever happened to me.”
“Holy shit, you’ve fallen in love with him, haven’t you?”
“No!” Alanna immediately denied.
“Yes, you have.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Yes, you have.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Yes, you have!”
“NO, I HAVEN’T!” Alanna shouted, startling Destiny. “Leave me alone!”
“Okay,” Destiny replied. She pulled into one of the closest parking spaces
in the parking garage and got out. “You love him,” she said under her breath.
“Fuck off, Destiny,” Alanna warned.
“Sorry, you already did that,” Destiny laughed as she began to run away
from Alanna, who had begun to chase her.
Destiny ran into the building before Alanna and instantly changed her
mood. Instead of playful, she became rigid and ready to do business. Alanna
followed her and did the same even though she slammed her fist into Destiny’s
arm as they walked down an empty corridor. She suppressed the urge to cry out
and walked to the elevator to press the up button instead.
Reaching Rogers’ office, they stepped inside and waited for him to get
off the phone. He hung up quickly and cleared his throat. “Afternoon, ladies,”
he greeted. “Sit down.” The two women sat in the chairs across from him and
waited. “I think you know why you’re here. Alanna, the board wants to suspend
you for two weeks in light of what happened last night. Destiny, you’re not
to be seen in here again.”
“Hey, fine by me,” she replied, standing up and beginning to leave the
room as Alanna still sat in her chair, dumbfounded.
“Two weeks?” she asked in a high-pitched voice. “I’m suspended for two
weeks! What the fuck!”
“Yes, two weeks, and you can’t contest. You might have a great record,
but it’s CIA policy. I’m sorry,” Rogers replied.
“What about my brother? Who the hell is going to find him? Who the hell
is going to save him?” Alanna yelled.
“Don’t worry, we already have a team working on it. Give us a few more
days and we’ll be ready.”
“Bull shit! You’re just gonna fuck things up!”
“No, you fucked things up. We’re trying to fix things.”
“That is the biggest load of crap I’ve heard. I want to find my brother.
I don’t want some dim wits looking for him instead.”
“Alanna, let’s go,” Destiny interrupted, tugging her arm away from Rogers’
desk.
“Let me go!” Alanna squirmed.
“We’re leaving, Alanna,” Destiny firmly replied as she pulled her friend
out of the office and closed the door.
“Son of a bitch!” Alanna yelled in the hall, everyone stopping to stare
at her.
“Simmer down. The last thing you want is another suspension,” Destiny
warned. “Come on, let’s get you home. You’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
“I need a drink,” Alanna replied.
“No, you don’t. Remember the last time you needed a drink? You ended
up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning. No drinks for you.” Destiny led her
away from the building back to the apartment where Darren might be able to help
calm her down. She parked outside and Alanna got out.
The door to the apartment was slightly ajar, which seemed a bit odd.
Alanna cautiously opened it and peeked inside. “Holy shit!” she yelled. Destiny
saw the expression on her face and quickly jumped out of her car.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
Alanna pointed inside. The place was trashed, paper and garbage all over
the floor. “Oh, my God,” Destiny whispered.
“Oh, no. Oh, God no,” Alanna cried as she walked around the apartment.
“Darren! Darren! Where are you?” She walked into the kitchen and found a bloody
knife stuck to one of the counters with a note beneath it.