The Assassin's Deception

Chapter 30

JONATHAN BLACK
Holding her in my arms in bed that night I still couldn't sleep. I couldn't get the image of her laying on this bed unconscious out of my head. I focused hard on the rise and fall of her chest as her breath came calmly and the steady beat of her heart against my chest as I held her. I stiffened slightly as she moved closer to me, her hand sliding across my side as she wrapped her arm around me.
"What's wrong?" She muttered, her breath warm against the skin of my chest.
"Nothing's wrong, baby." I soothed her kissing her hair.
"You're tense." She observed rubbing my back.
"I just... I was really scared. Seeing you laying there and I couldn't wake you up. Now laying here with you I'm so scared to fall asleep."
"Nothing's going to happen to me while you're here. Sleep." She rested her forehead against my shoulder.
"You still trust me?" I muttered.
"You didn't do anything to hurt me. Why wouldn't I trust you?"
"I've read that sometimes when traumatic events happen to people they can close off from their... friends."
"You have, have you?" She muttered raking her fingertips across my skin.
She moved even closer to me.
"You don't have to worry about that. I have a lot of practice overcoming and dealing with traumatic events."
"Part of me is glad and the other part of me hurts that you've been so hurt." I sighed holding her closer to me.
"It definitely counts as a blessing and a curse. Honestly I don't remember much of what happened. I probably never will. That's part of what rohypnol does."
"I can't help but think about what could or would have happened had we not come home when we did."
"But you did. We can't live life worrying about the what ifs. It didn't happen and that's because of you. You and Cameron saved me from the uncertain. That's what matters about that night." She said finally looking up into my eyes.
"What are you going to do?" I asked.
A conflicted look crossed her face.
"About Wyatt? I don't know. I guess it depends on if he lies to me when I go to talk to him."
"You're going to talk to him?"
"Of course. I have to. Even if I wasn't the one he attacked I'm the director now. The decision is mine and I have to talk to him to make that decision."
"If he's honest?"
"Then I'll let him turn himself into the New York police department and a jury can decide his fate."
"If he lies?"
"You already know that answer." She sighed and she was right.
I did know the answer and I couldn't help but be at peace knowing that either way he would pay for what he'd done. It would take a lot for me to get used to knowing that she killed people. I knew that the people she killed were people who deserved it and she was saving lives.
I leaned forward and pressed my lips against her forehead.
"It's a large responsibility."
"It is." She agreed leaning back into me.
"Scott left it with me because he knew I could be impartial. He knew that it is so easy to be a victim and just want revenge for every wrong ever done to anyone but that isn't what this position is about. I'm the assassin and now I need to make the decision as to who deserves to taste my bullet or feel my sword. He did so impartially and he taught me to do the same. There have been times we've done all the research and came to a solid conclusion and were still wrong. I've always been the last line of defense for those wrongly accused. If it didn't feel right; like we must have missed something I wouldn't go through with it until I was certain one way or the other."
"You've gone against Scott?" I asked incredulously earning me a giggle.
"Of course I have. He wasn't always right and neither was I. It wasn't often we disagreed but when we did it could be explosive. He was just as opinionated as I am. He knew that if it didn't feel right to me then it didn't happen and unless he wanted to be the one to pull the trigger he'd have to wait until I was certain; that didn't mean it frustrated him any less when I challenged him."
She sighed before she pulled away from me and sat up.
"What's wrong?" I asked sitting up next to her.
"I could have been kinder to him."
"I doubt he viewed it as you being unkind." I assured her.
She sighed again leaning back into me. It was clear that our relationship was something very new to her. She wasn't comfortable confiding in me or leaning on me. I knew it wasn't because of me; because she didn't trust me. It was because she had been hurt so deeply when her husband was murdered and her mother had been so closed off to her. The fact that she was trying; she was trying to let me in; trying to let me comfort her spoke volumes to me about how she felt about me.
I started to wonder as I held her sitting in the bed if it was love we felt. Were we falling in love with each other? I liked to think so but I decided to keep it to myself for now. I wanted to make her as comfortable as possible until she knew exactly what she felt.
I pressed my lips to the top of her head thinking about having to meet with the CIA agents and what this mystery woman wanted with my brother and I.
"We should rest now, sweetheart." I whispered gently pulling her back down to lay on the bed.
Aftee a moment she sighed and turned back onto her side so she could rest her head on my shoulder, pressing her forehead against the side of my neck and resting her hand on my chest.
I focused on keeping my breathing steady as to soothe her as I ran my fingers through her hair.
"That feels so good." She muttered.
Slowly she fell asleep on me clinging gently to me and I focused on her heartbeat letting it lull me gently to sleep.