?Running With Scissors ?

?c h a p t e r 30?

"Why didn't you?"

Handle leaves Constance on the desk as he walks my way. From behind him, she signals for me to... I'm not sure what she's saying.

I've always been bad a charades.

It looks like she wants me to strangle her. Why would I do that? She can't possibly be asking me to attack her but then again it is Scissors so, who knows.

"We have history that I can't just ignore."

My attention snaps to Don. "You had no problem ignoring me when they we're framing me."

"That's different-"

"-And what about Caracas? Was that also different or is leaving friends for dead your calling card?"

Handle laughs awkwardly. He knows exactly what I'm talking about. One of us walked out of there without a scratch and became Director while the other crawled to the nearest hospital with shrapnel embedded into his back. He could have saved me but instead he looked me in the eyes and said one of us had to send in the report.

Imagine my surprise when I returned state side and found out I was dead.

"I need answers and you WILL give them to me or I swear to whatever poor creature you pray to at night that I will..."

"Will what?" His arms cross.

I stand and push him out of my way, making a beeline to Constance. I grab the back of her hair and she dramatically cries out as if I had actually pulled her head back. Handle doesn't try to stop me because to him, she is nothing. For a moment the knowledge that this is the first time I've touched her in days surfaces. Her hair is soft and is neatly tucked behind her ear.

Her ear with a military grade GLD in it.

"Don't break what you can't buy, Luca. Samantha cost me a pretty penny for tonight and I promised Zaria that I would return her in the same condition I got her in."

I loosen my hold on her hair and run my finger over her cheek, up to her ear and remove the device.

When I retract my hand, she slaps me. Hard. My hand instinctively reaches for my face and after I touch the spot she hit, I placed the device into my own ear.

Constance is a great spy.

"Fiesty." Handle says as he approaches. "I like that."

Constance falls off the desk and stumbles away from me towards Don like any normal, dunk girl would have in our situation. She slightly trips into his chest and grabs on his shirt for protection. A real damsel in distress. Handle looks down to her and smiles gently while brushing her hair away from her face.

"Go tell the guards outside to show you to suite three. I have to finish with Luca and then I will come for you."

She nods and he kisses her mouth so slowly it's ripping my heart apart. I remember Craig and how I killed him so easily. Now I'm going to kill Handle.

I watch my girl exit the room. With Handle's back turned, she winked at me right as the door closes.

"Take a seat in the same chair Constance was in. She left you a little gift."

My ear rings with Nate's voice. I wouldn't tell him this but it's good to hear him. Knowing Scissors didn't come in here blind gives me a little peace of mind and a weight lifts off my shoulders.

"What now Handle? You going to arrest the fugitive or kill me in self defence?"

He laughs and pours himself some whiskey while I make my way to the chair. As soon as I sit down, I feel a hard metal object dig into my hip. I adjust myself and put the gun in the back of my pants, hoping it has the safety on.

"Why would I do that? We're friends."

"Friends?" I laugh.

"Aren't we? Who saved you from that sleeper agent in Kuwait and drug you through the freaking Arizona desert after that trafficker tried to remove your jugular?"

My hand reaches to my neck where a faint scar still shows, reminding me of a time when I really did call Don a friend. He and I saved each other too many times to count but when I needed him to stand by me, he cowered behind his position in the agency.

"That man was a friend. You are not him anymore."

Handle takes a cautious step towards me. "Tell me what you know and let me help you like I tried to before."

I pull the gun out and point it at him. His eyebrows shoot up as do his hands. "How about you tell me what you know and maybe you'll walk out of here instead of being carried in a body bag."

"You don't want to do that."

"I really do."

I point the gun to his desk gesturing him to move there. He obliges by taking a seat.

"Constance already got everything. Nick is shifting through it now. Just shoot him and leave."

Shoot him?

For the first time in a long time, I listen to what he says and shoot Donovan in the chest. Had it been a real gun, he would have died but it was only a tranquilizer gun. The twins probably didn't trust Constance not to shoot herself with a real one.

"Ah!" He yelps in pain. "Luca, don't. You run and I can't help you. This time they will kill you."

For good measure I empty the clip into his chest and one in his neck. "You're going to have to try harder then."

I toss the empty gun into his trashbin and sigh. Now what? I can't go out the way I came in because of the guards. Plus if I somehow make it past them, there is a party of people who will most definitely notice Olivia's blood on my shirt.

"Constance is waiting for you outside. She thinks it's possible for you to make it down by going through the window."

I run to the window and after opening it, I see Scissors waving at me like a mad woman. She probably doesn't know that her moving so much isn't good for spying but she probably also doesn't care.

One leg at a time, I climb down the rock siding of the house. My foot slips, Constance gasps loudly and I hit the landing below me.

"Shhhh." I call out.

"You shush!"

I roll my eyes as I turn around and jump the ten feet down to the ground. I dust myself off, mostly proud that I landed without hurting anything.

Constance runs up to me and open my arms for a hug when she gives me a passionate kiss instead. I savor her lips on mine, tasting like sweet whiskey and happiness. Whatever that means. Her arms travel all over my body like she is trying to keep me from disappearing. My hands slink around her and pull her as close to me as we can possibly get with clothes on.

"Come on guys. The camera is still running."

"You ready?" I ask.

She just smiles and pulls me into the woods to an unmarked truck. Within five minutes we're off Handle's property driving towards freedom.

***
For the record, I have no idea what a spy like ear listening device thingy is actually called. GLD stands for Good Listening Device

Soooooooooo, yeah.

What cha think about the way Constance saved Luca? He'd be lost without her!