He glanced up, and since Clara wasn’t back to the train yet decided he should read the note from Command.
“Carver -
As usual your mission is to retrieve the item. It is labeled DF23, and should be a bright purple color. Intelligence tells us there are 10 vials, and it is vital all 10 are retrieved. You run point on this mission. Clara will have your back.
You will enter the city together, as instructed. You’ll find rings in the bottom of your bag to complete the husband and wife ensemble.
Command”
No mention of the previous mission. As a spy, he was never supposed to see the intel he collected. On the last mission, a single piece of paper fell out on his return. It shouldn’t have been damning. He shouldn’t have read it. He didn’t read it–not fully. His eyes just glanced over the page long enough to see “creatures” and “bioengineering.”
His mistake was asking Command if they ever heard of “creatures.” Their response was a blatant dismissal, followed by, “If you want to keep your position, we suggest you follow the rules, Operative.” They knew. Nate confirmed it later, and Carver waited for weeks to find out if he would be punished.
Now, he was here.
Clara got back on the train only a few minutes before the door was closed, and he hastily folded the note and shoved it in his bag. She would hate that he was the one in charge of this mission. She would hate the rings even more.
He didn’t think she would speak at first, but once the train chugged to a start, she did. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I did.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“But it does. We agreed to trust each other enough for the purpose of this mission. I shouldn’t have been a bitch to you. Not to mention, I came a little too close to breaking one of the rules.” She said the last part with a gentle smile, and he knew he had to offer what she was looking for, regardless of how he felt about it.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry; we’re good.” None of it felt true, but she didn’t question his sincerity.
She nodded. “What were you writing?”
My feelings about you. My feelings about this mission. All of the feelings I’m not supposed to freaking have. I’m trying to figure out if this is my punishment from Command.But he wouldn’t say that. So he just shrugged the question off. “Writing helps me think.”
“Drawing does the same for me.” It felt like mutual ground–a thin line of connection he was terrified to break. An admission from both of them. So basic, and yet for them it was a massive step.
“How are you feeling about the assignment? We’re getting closer.”
“Yeah. This is our last day on the train. They’re supposed to drop us in the closest city we can travel to, right?”
“I think so.”
She stood, back to her stretching. This time, he decided to join her. “This isn’t at all what I expected when I was called into Command.”
“Nor I.” He agreed.
“You’ve done a list of assignments for Command before, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, but never with someone. They were always intelligence based. In and out. Just me. I work best alone.”
“Hey, thanks.”
He sighed, “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
“Sureee. I think you’re enjoying my company more than you’re willing to admit.”
She bent down to touch her toes, facing away from him. He looked away,you have no idea.“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The train lurched suddenly, and Clara lost her balance, crashing into him. He managed to catch her before she hit the wall, and stood there awkwardly with her in his arms. Her hair smelled familiar, even better than he remembered, and he resisted the urge to pull her against his chest the way he would have before. Instead he held his arms out aloft, providing her the security she needed to regain her balance, but not holding her.
She quickly got her footing back, her cheeks pink from the encounter, “Sorry,” she murmured stepping away from him.
“Breaking the rules, I see.” He teased.
