The Skin Thief

Chapter 24

"Just don't get too cocky," Connor warns me as I tell him about Mr Salt. I sigh and nod my head.

"Yeah, you're right," I say lowly and lean back on the sofa. I stare up at the ceiling blankly.

"Confidence is okay, you need to be confident," Connor continues, "but just be careful. Don't let all your successes trick you into thinking you're untouchable. Being discovered is a very real possibility. The slightest mistake could lead to your capture and most mistakes come when someone is too overconfident."

"Sorry boss," I joke.

Connor laughs. "I'm your guardian, Ivy. I look after you in more ways than just your dream walks." He stands and walks to the kitchen. I follow him. A lump forms in my throat and my tongue feels heavy with questions I'm not sure I want answered. I clear my throat and rub my churning stomach.

"Do you think we'll get used to that feeling that we are never going to be truly safe?" I ask him. Connor doesn't look up from what he's doing.

"Well, you have more to worry about me. I'm not doing anything that will actually draw attention," he comments.

"True," I sigh and shudder as I imagine my door being thrown open and Marcus Kaiser tackling me to the ground.

"In answer to your question, no. I don't think we're going to get used to it," he replies and lets out a long sigh.

"What should we do if one of us gets captured?" I ask.

"What can we do?" Connor asks.

"Okay," I say, turning to face him. I look him in the eyes. "If you are upstairs and you hear a commotion that sounds like I'm being arrested, and trust me, I'll be very vocal, you have to come down here and kill me."

Silence hangs in the air between us. Connor puts down the knife and turns away from me. His jaw clenches. My heart thuds in my chest.

"I know," Connor finally whispers, his voice breaking. I swallow back my own tears and nod my head.

"Good," I say.

"You know, one of my jobs as your guardian is to make sure you don't get into enemy hands," he says.

"No, I didn't know that," I reply and try to hide the tremble from my voice. Connor nods his head, still not looking at me.

"It would be a death sentence for both of us," he continues. "As soon as I put a bullet in you, I'd have to put one in myself also."

My vision blurs from my tears and I bite at my lip.

"Of course, if you do get discovered, I can't control where they capture you. If it's whilst you're at work or just out on the streets, there will be nothing I can do."

"Every night," I begin, "if you haven't heard from me in some way then you inform your handler. I'm sure Mr Day has protocols for captured agents," I shudder.

"They'll probably know you've been apprehended before I do," Connor says.

"Yeah," I whisper. "Probably."

"But, if I am here either in this flat or above, and Etrayan authorities come bursting in to take you away, I will make sure that you don't leave this room alive."

I whimper slightly, my chest heaving. Connor reaches out and pulls me into a tight hug. Tears run down my face, hot and uncontrollable. He squeezes me a little tighter.

"Would you be able to do it?" I ask, my voice trembling. I can't imagine having to do that to Connor if the tables were turned.

"If it means saving both of us from torture, yes," he replies firmly and I believe him. Both of us know that if we get caught, what is waiting for us is a lot worse than what they did to us at the training exercise. Realising that, I know that if I needed to, I would be able to kill Connor.