Agent Rogue: Renegade

Chapter 10

For over two hours I sat in a coffee shop. It was the same one that Scotty and I had breakfast in the morning after I first met Derek on the packed and pompous cruise ship -- a complete accident. A lot of people I knew -- mainly Derek and even Scotty -- would drink whenever they faced a problem or anxiety. I never believed in that. I wanted a clear mind and stability while facing something and drinking would cloud my senses, but everyone was different.

The barista said nothing about me sitting alone. He poured my drinks and took my orders without batting an eyelid and I was grateful for that. The reason I came to the coffee shop alone was to not be bothered by anyone.

The most recent cup of coffee -- my fourth, decaffeinated this time -- had been sitting in my hands for nearly ten minutes and not a single sip had been taken from it. There was something comforting about clutching the hot mug. It stopped my hands from shaking, at least, and the cream foam that floated atop the coffee seemed to drag my thoughts along as it swirled, taking it in both positive and negative directions.

Reading that file did not necessarily mean that Derek would freak out and leave. He would understand more than Kai did. His father was an assassin so he would understand everything: the problems with trust, the hurt, the shame of possessing the blood of an evil man.

But, then again, I had faith that Kai wouldn't react the way that he did. I didn't imagine that the first man I ever fell in love with would walk away as quickly as he left. The way his face twisted before he turned his back on me struck me in the chest, leaving yet another scar to add to whatever cold crevice lay in my ribcage. I couldn't bare to see Derek's face change. I could handle Kai's, but not his. His would ruin me. I had to leave. I had to walk out that door before he had a chance to step towards it.

I took a sip of my coffee. It had cooled and I cursed myself for ignoring it for so long. I wanted to text Derek to ask if he had finished reading, but reminded myself that he was a really slow reader. I managed to get him to read a book longer than three-hundred pages once -- while we were in South America, actually -- and it took him so long to finish it; I asked him if he wanted to read the sequel by the time he finished chapter five! Still, he finished the book and asked me a dozen questions on it afterwards, ranging from 'what does this word mean?' to 'why the hell did he make THAT stupid decision?' I hid my smile with my mug. As far as I knew, he was still reading the sequel.

Footsteps stopped beside me and I looked up to see a familiar face that I did not mind seeing. "Hi, Jade," I said.

She smiled warmly. "Hi. Is everything okay?"

I straightened myself up as I exhaled. "Of course. What are you doing here?"

"Applying for jobs," she said, trying to hold a smile in front of her potential employers. "I like coffee shops so I'm applying for them first. I'd rather not get a part-time job in a hectic clothing shop."

I almost laughed at what Jade thought of as a 'hectic clothing shop' as my mind trailed back to Derek's swaggering attitude back in France when he took a jacket off a mannequin and accidentally shot the ceiling. He was stupid but he made me smile.

Then a thought struck me. Derek had mentioned that Kane had put cameras all over our apartment: the cameras that Derek got rid of. He had also littered Collins' mansion with them, as well as Scotty's flat. What if ours weren't the only homes Kane invaded?