"He's late." I whispered.
"Just give him one more minute, and we can go in."
Luckily, Hip came storming out right after the words left Jason’s lips, looking agitated. "The fucker held me up after class. Wanted to know if I understood the lecture. Utter bullshit. I'm surprised he even knows human literature. I would have taken him for a xenophobe."
"Are you okay?" Jason asked.
Hip wrapped his arms around me and hummed. "I am now."
I chuckled and hugged him back. We were snuggled close for a few moments before Jason joined. Walking up behind me, he wrapped his arms around the both of us.
Hip growled. ”This isn't a group hug, Monroe.”
"It is, now."
Hip grumbled something under his breath but I couldn't hear it smooshed between the two of them.
"Think of it as payback, Clark. You have to learn how to share.” Jason teased.
"Dick."
Jason’s chest vibrated with laughter before he finally let go. “Alright, Princess. I believe it's time to hop in your chariot and allow me to wish you off to meet one of your soldiers."
Hip, who was still holding me, looked down and pouted. "But I wanna drive you."
"It's going to start raining soon. She shouldn't be on the back of your bike in the cold rain."
"I have a jacket for her. Besides, I think a bike ride is exactly what she needs."
I rolled my eyes. "What is it with you men and talking around women? Hip, I would love to ride your bike if you've got a jacket. Jason’s right, it might start raining soon."
"Not might, it will. In about two minutes."
I glanced over to Jason, who wasn't even looking at the sky. “That's a pretty accurate prediction."
"Didn't we tell you? Jason is a weatherman," Hip said, his tone mocking.
I cocked a brow. "Like, you study the weather?"
"I can sense it. It's my special skill."
I tried not to snort, as he didn't seem all that proud of his skill. Remembering Hip's ability with water, I told myself to ask them in detail about what it meant to have special skills.
"Well, that’s a pretty useful gift," I smiled before walking up to quickly kiss his cheek. "If you're always right, we better get going, then. I'll meet you there."
Jason pouted at me before giving Hip a stern look. "Ride safe. We are heading to the inn where he's staying."
Hip rolled his eyes, pulled a brand new green leather jacket out of his backpack and held it out to me. I swapped it out for the one that Theseus had got me yesterday, handing that one and my bag over to Jason to take with him. The long sleeved under armor I was wearing cooled instantly in the air, but it felt nice. Not having to wear so many layers to stay warm was extremely convenient. Today I had only wore the new jacket and the under armor, whereas normally I'd have on a good four layers.
Hopping on the back of the bike, I hugged Hip tight around the middle and squealed as we took off.
Jason had been correct; roughly two minutes into our ride to the inn, it had started raining, just a light drizzle. The jacket Hip had gotten me had kept my torso nice and dry.
I wondered where he had gotten the money for it. I had guessed he wasn't too much better off than I had been. I hope he wasn't wasting his savings on me. I'd have to talk to him about it later; maybe he would let me pay him back. If I remembered.
Luckily, it didn't take us long to reach our destination. Hip had been right, the ride helped ease away some of my tension.
The building, like most of the town, was on the disheveled side. The wood looked as if it had seen better days. The parking lot cement was cracked and there were several pot holes littering the pavement. There was a sign out front advertising that they would be remodeling soon, thanks to the new town 'face lift'. Whatever that meant. I guess I had noticed that some of the other buildings around town had begun to look nicer since I had arrived. Though, it wasn't tourist season, so I wondered where they were getting the money.
The inside of the inn was really cozy and quite nice looking as compared to the outside. In what looked like the lobby area, a bright fire had been lit in the corner of the room and there were several large, cozy chairs that surrounded it in a half circle. The floor and walls were made of wood, similar to the outside of the building, but the wood in here looked new and gleamed in the fire's flickering light. It was welcoming and comforting. The front desk attendant even offered us cookies.
I had other things to focus on. I took a deep breath and walked with Jason and Hip into the inn and followed them towards a door that was labeled 221B.
I looked over my shoulder at the other two. ”I think I should do this alone."
"I don't like the idea of leaving you alone with this guy.” Jason said and Hip nodded in agreement.
“He's...well, he's sort of our handler. He's just as uncomfortable with your presence. Wait back downstairs and I'll call you if I need you."
The two of them reluctantly turned and walked back down the stairs to sit with the front desk attendant and her cookies.
Once they were out of my line of vision, I knocked on the door.
Thanks to my new heightened hearing, I heard Clint in the bathroom, and at the sound of the knock he cursed and fumbled for his pants before tip-toeing into the room.
Ew, he didn't flush the toilet. Wait, did he just grab a gun?
"Clint," I called. "It's me."
"Chocolate," He called back.
"Rainbows," I replied.
Clint opened the door, shirtless, his slacks hanging loose around his waist. There was a smell on him that I had never noticed before. Ajax had mentioned to me that Clint had a strong scent of gun powder, I wondered if that was what I was smelling. I hadn't noticed it last time, but I supposed my senses had gotten stronger the longer I’d been awake.
“Atty, come in." He backed away from the door, letting me pass before he leaned forward to check the hall and quickly shut the door.
I noticed how he kept his hand on the gun that he held behind his back.
Once he shut the door, he turned and looked me over, his expression intense as always. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm doing much better today, thank you.”
"You look better. Sorry we haven't met sooner, but…you know."
I nodded, pretending I knew what Theseus had told him.
"Food poisoning is a bitch," He sighed.
I bit my lip to keep from smiling. Food poisoning?
“Please, sit down." He gestured to the bed next to me while he sat down in a chair.
I precariously perched myself on the edge of the bed and waited for Clint to say something. My father had always been the one to really handle the Bureau directly. While I had talked to our handlers plenty of times, I had never been the one in charge.
"So, what's your next move?" Clint started.
"I honestly have no idea.” My shoulders slumped. “I can't do much with Dad in a coma. Has...has my cover been blown?"
He raised a brow. ”You tell me."
He was talking about the guys, or at least the people in the town. Lie, I had to lie. "They don't suspect anything. To the people here, I am just Atalanta North, a normal girl who was in an accident. And I haven't heard from...him."
"That's good. As for my end, our informants haven't heard any news, though Emmanuel has always kept his…” he paused as he tried to look for the words, trying to keep tactful. “Side project…of finding you close to his chest. Only his top lieutenants know anything about it. But there are always ripples in the grape vine when he's found a lead, so we believe you're safe for now."
I shivered hearing his name and hugged my arms around myself, making sure my sleeves were pulled down. "I really wish he would just give up. I'm not worth all the trouble he's gone through to try and find me."