Marlin pauses to adjust his cuff link, his monologue falling second only to his appearance, “To rescue your crew member, you will do exactly what you came here to do. Break into the Seaborn Mansion and collect the prize waiting beneath my mother’s aquarium.”
Christopher glances at me, the silent question echoing loud and clear.
This is a trap, isn’t it?
I stare back at him, feeling my lips pull into a smirk.
You’re already fallen this far, what’s a little farther?
Something dangerously close to a smile streaks across his face.
“Sounds reasonable enough.”
“In that case, we can begin.” Pulling a sleek phone case out of his pocket, Marlin hits a few buttons and a beep sounds through the air, “Your fifteen minutes starts now.”
“Fifteen minutes? I didn’t agree to a time limit.”
“It would seem you’ve encountered your first challenge then.”
“What the hell-
“I would start climbing if I were you.” Violet eyes dance towards the forgotten harnesses, “Finley’s time is running out.”
Letting out a stream of curses, Christopher goes running for the closest column.
We watch him approach the marble base as if it were a springboard, the rebound of his momentum taking him nearly halfway up the column. Skittering feet and a tremendous catch leaves him perched between the two columns, his legs split neatly down the middle.
After a moment of hesitation, he starts inching his way up, steadily conquering one centimeter at a time.
“His flexibility is quite remarkable.”
Marlin makes the comment as one would order a breakfast sandwich, his tone laced with a faint amount of interest.
“Ex-gymnast.”
“With seven years of parkour training.”
Catching my sideways glance, he offers me a shrug, “I didn’t discover that fact until after I delivered my report. His life on the street is virtually undocumented except for the string of robberies him and his crew left in their wake.”
“Your reports are supposed to be complete upon submission.”
“I did not think his extracurricular activities would be of interest to you.” His eyes slither in my direction, “Clearly an oversight on my part. I did not realize your relationship with Deville was quite so…intimate.”
I tsk, “Are you making assumptions, Marlin? I would have thought you, of all people, would know how the saying goes.”
“A hazardous guess based on certain similarities between the two of you.”
I can feel the weight of his stare on the side of my face.
“And I do not believe the termdarlinghas flowed quite so freely from a man’s mouth.”
An amused smile paints my lips, “Do not set your expectations quite so high, dear friend. He calls everyone darling.”
There’s a beat of silence as we watch Christopher reach up and grab the edge of the blood-soaked balcony. Gripping the railing steadily, he carefully lifts one leg and swings himself over the top.
“Not like that, he doesn’t.”
Marlin states it plainly, watching Christopher cast a victorious glance my way. With both feet on solid ground, he quickly disappears through the reflective panes of the sliding doors.
