Welcome to my World (WAYHAUGHT)

Chapter 8

As Waverly's body relaxed into her arms Nicole fell asleep once more. She would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about Waverly and the toll the abduction was taking on her peace of mind. Her own training to be an intelligence officer included abduction situations, a necessary exercise and one MI6 sometimes used to their advantage in snaring a target. Even then, the uncertainty as to what might happen in such an extreme scenario would often play on Nicole's mind. The fear of not being rescued, the fear of a rescue going wrong, the fear of being held somewhere against her will, invariably restrained, not something she relished, yet accepted as part of the job she had to do.

As the sun rose she left Waverly asleep in bed, her body clock still adjusting to having moved through different time zones in only a few days. Leaving a hastily scribbled note on the kitchen island she headed out for her regular run, the roads quiet that time of day. The route took her along the King's Road, turning south towards the river, the unmistakable smell of rain hanging in the air from an overnight shower, the pavements still shiny in places. The movement of boats along the Thames, going about their daily business, reassured her this world, the world of the everyday, the world where others lived beyond espionage, carried on regardless.

Entering the house, removing her trainers, she headed to the kitchen, the clock on the wall telling her it was a little after six. Unsure when Waverly needed to be up, assuming she would have set an alarm on her phone, she made a fresh brew of coffee, taking it to her office on the ground floor, working through emails and other correspondence, the time ticking away.

The grandfather clock in the hall struck seven, one of a number of antiques passed down through her family, along with the money to buy the property in which she now lived. The oil painting of a large house in the lounge displayed her other major inheritance from her grandmother. Cassillis Castle, complete with sprawling estate, nestled on the banks of the River Doon in Scotland. Not somewhere she wanted to live, assuming Waverly would not want to either, preferring to dream of that romantic cottage in a less remote location.

Another mug of coffee poured she noted the time, 7.15am, deciding she should check on Waverly. Remembering she liked a fruit tea in the morning, she had a mug in her hand as she entered the bedroom. Waverly wasn't there, nor in the bathroom, Nicole's instincts taking over, grabbing her gun from the bedside drawer, scouring the house. She was nowhere to be found, her bag gone, all traces of her gone. The bed was made, as though she had never been there, and Marmaduke was missing.

Her training kicked in, checking windows and doors for forced entry, checking all rooms in case she missed something. It was only when she returned to the kitchen she spotted Waverly's writing under her own, saying she had a meeting to attend in the office and would call later. She called Waverly's number, it going to voicemail, panicking the handwritten message might have been left under duress.

She had to know for certain where she was, calling Waverly's office. An assistant answered telling her Miss Earp was in a meeting, Nicole insisting she go check. "I've just brought in coffee," the assistant replied. "Miss Earp is there. Can I give her a message?"

Nicole exhaled, the muscles in her body relaxing. "If you could ask her where Marmaduke is."

Returning to her desk, her coffee now cold, she realised it wasn't only Waverly who was experiencing the aftereffects of the Widow's handy work. Her phone rang ten minutes later, Waverly apologising for leaving without saying goodbye, telling her Marmaduke was under the covers on her side of the bed. Nicole's relaxed tone hid her annoyance, not at hiding her teddy, but leaving without her knowing. It went against her training and her instincts.

Rule number one, never go against your gut, if it feels wrong it is. Number two, never look behind, you're never completely alone. Three, know your cover story inside out, never deviate. Four, know your target and their terrain. Five, you pick the time and place. Six, always have a Plan B. Seven, everyone views the world through their own reality, use it to your advantage.