Drink Me

29. THE GRIP OF TRUST

THE GRIP OF TRUST

It was one-thirty in the morning when Riley entered flat eight to find it dark and empty.

He had left Aidan's apartment shortly after a very quiet dinner, and the two men had agreed to postpone their talks until Riley's first official briefing.

Riley had left in a state of shock with Aidan's words still resonating in his mind, hey had tugged at his weakest point and had sent him crumbling down.

MI6 killed Noah.

After trying to find some comfort at the bottom of a whiskey glass, which had turned into five, Riley had decided it all had to end that night.

Now he was standing by the big window, blindly staring at the city quietly asleep outside like a reminder of how chaotic and loud his mind was.

He kept reliving the night of Noah's death, the noise, the fire.

The guilt.

He felt physically sick.

Finally, the door opened and Alice entered carrying in her usual scent of spices. She removed her coat to reveal oversize chequered PJ's, meaning she had probably left in a hurry.

Alice studied the flat until Riley's shadow came into view near the window.

"This better be huge, to drag me out of bed at this ungodly hour," she stated while closing the distance between them.

"I want out," said Riley immediately in response, between gritted teeth.

Alice turned on the side lamp and the two of them appeared in a warm yellowish hue. The woman's face changed into one of amazement, her arms crossed on her chest and her eyebrow lifted. She wasn't taking him seriously.

"What happened?" she asked, like a teacher receiving the nth complaint from an annoying student.

She is getting on my nerves.

"Aidan told me the truth," Riley said, passing by her on his way to the door.

"Where are you going?" Alice asked in surprise.

Has she listened to a single word I've said?

Riley stopped in his tracks and took a step back to her. "I'm out," he repeated sternly.

Alice sighed as she stroked her forehead. "Are you drunk?" Now annoyance was in her tone. "And the truth about what?"

Riley's lips curved in contempt. "About Noah. Aidan told me he was murdered..."

At that, Alice's eyes shone with recognition and then narrowed in confusion. Probably she didn't think Aidan knew.

"You knew it, didn't you?" Riley pressed. He was disgusted.

"Yes, I knew-"

She started to talk again but Riley shut her up with a glacial glare.

He didn't care for her empty apologies. He just wanted to hurt her, to grab her and scream his pain in her face. She had killed his best friend, the man he had grown up with, with whom he had become a man himself. Rationally, Riley knew it wasn't Alice's fault, but she was part of it and had lied to his face.

He scoffed and took a few steps towards her, his voice cold like ice. "You can lock me in prison for the rest of my life for all I care. After this, I'm done with all of you!"