Chapter 174
174
Lars
An hour after breakfast on the 14th day, there was a knock at my cell door.
“Come in,” I said in a bored voice.
What else could I say? They always knocked, and they always came in. Me saying ‘no’ wouldn’t have affected that one way or the other.
But it wasn’t one of the agents who’d been interrogating me the past two weeks.
It was a guard, and he was carrying my suit – the one they’d taken from me the night they’d brought me here. It was on a hanger and looked cleaned and freshly pressed.
“Put it on,” the guy said. “You’re getting out p>
After I changed clothes, the guard escorted me down a concrete hallway with a dozen other metal doors like the one I’d been trapped behind.
There were no windows in them, so I had no idea if anyone was in them –
But I had my suspicions.
We were buzzed through another door, at which point we entered a lobby with a small wooden desk and peeling paint –
Where Rachel stood with Sean, her colleague who had arrested me.
“Lars!” she cried out as she ran into my arms.
I kissed her and hugged her tight.
“Are you okay?” she whispered as she held me.
“I’ve stayed in worse places,” I said blandly.
She laughed, then kissed me again.
“I hate to break up the reunion,” Sean said, “but I really need you two to get off the property ASAP p>
“You keep me here for two weeks, and now you have to boot me out after two minutes?” I asked coldly.
“You’re lucky you’re getting out at all,” he snapped.
“That’s interesting, seeing as I didn’t do anything without direct orders from Alistair,” I retorted.
“Well, that’s the problem, isn’t it p>
Rachel interpreted. “What he means is, you’re the only witness to one of the worst abuses of power by an MI6 employee in the agency’s history. It would have been much easier to just stick you in some gulag for the next 30 years and make the problem disappear p>
Sean glared at her but didn’t contradict her.
“So much for being the good guys,” I muttered.
Sean gave a nasty laugh. “If you’re still thinking in terms of ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys,’ mate, you should probably stick to the fuckin’ playground p>
“Then why are you letting me out p>
“I’ll let her explain why,” he said, gesturing to Rachel. “After you sign a bunch of paperwork and you’re far, far away p>
I spent the next 30 minutes signing a shit-ton of NDAs and legal agreements. Basically, if I ever breathed a word of Alistair or what I did for him, MI6 would be legally within their rights to put my head on a silver platter.
That wasn’t how they phrased it, but that was the general idea.
Whenever Sean gave me a new form to sign, I looked at Rachel for confirmation on whether I should.
She always nodded ‘yes,’ so I always signed.
Finally, once it was all over, Sean packed the papers into a briefcase. Then he handed me my wallet, passport, and phone.
“Wherever you got your gun, forget you ever had it,” he advised me.
Once I pocketed my belongings, Sean said, “Alright – I was never here, and neither were you. We never met, and none of this ever happened p>
“It was all just a dream,” I said sarcastically.
Sean gave me a pissed-off look but ignored my comment. “You two have used up all your UK privileges. My recommendation is to leave the country and never come back p>
“I’m a citizen,” Rachel protested.
“My recommendation still stands p>
“What about my house p>
“Sell it through a third party p>
“What about my mother p>
“You don’t even like your mother,” Sean said. “You haven’t talked to her in years p>
“True, but she’s still my mother p>
“Leave her here… move her in with you… I don’t care. Just don’t come back unless you’re summoned.” Sean glared at me. “That goes double for you p>
“Don’t worry, I won’t. What’s going to happen to Alistair p>
“He’ll be dealt with in a manner befitting his crimes p>
Rachel interpreted again. “They’re looking into gulags p>
“Are there any other assassins Alistair might have hired to take us out?” I asked. “As a contingency plan p>
Sean smiled grimly. “We’re looking into it p>
That didn’t make me feel any better.
Sean pointed to a door at the far end of the room lobby. “There’s the exit. Good luck to both of you – and don’t let the door hit your arse on the way out p>
Rachel and I exited the door into a dingy side alley filled with garbage. The door locked behind us.
To our right was a major street filled with traffic. We started walking towards it, our arms around each other’s waists.
“So… why did they let me go?” I asked Rachel.
“Blackmail,” she said lightly.
“What p>
“Sean was my go-between on all the jobs I did after I left MI6. Let’s just say he was motivated to make sure certain facts never got out p>
“Motherfucker…” I muttered.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “If I’d known he was going to turn on us like that, I never would have suggested we involve him – ”
“No, it actually worked out for the best. Now we’re free and clear with MI6. Just… thank God you had something you could hold over his head p>
“Thank God,” she agreed.
I stopped her once we reached the street and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back.
When I finally pulled away, I said, “Well… before we follow his advice and leave the country, there’s something I need to do p>
“What’s that p>
“Make a phone call p>