Not If I Save You First

twenty-eight | false flags

A bunch of agents were running towards the elevators, because an agent was bringing Little Dean into the office.

"Let's get this done," I said.

Grayson and I snuck into the interview room. He attached his equipment to the monitors to put Donovan Halstead alone on a loop. The time code would still be moving, so no one in these offices would know that we're in here.

We put an automated lock on the door to make it look open to anyone on the outside. 

Grayson Alderidge is a genius. 

Grayson and I walked through the door and Donovan Halstead's eyes snapped up. He looked shocked to see both Grayson and I standing there. Grayson stayed by the door to stand guard. I stood across the table from Donovan Halstead and leaned on my elbows.

"This is quite the disguise," Donovan smiled. "Never thought I'd see the day when you wore something other than black."

"I'm glad you still have the ability to smile," I said.

"Secret Agent Nine of Spades has come out of retirement for this. I have every reason to smile," Donovan said.

I leaned forward resting my forearms on the table.

"Leila," I whispered.

Watching Donovan Halstead visibly shift uncomfortably in his seat was extremely satisfying. Knowing that I'm on the right track is making me feel more giddy than when Archer kisses me.

"Daughter of the night," Donovan sneered. "I'm impressed, but I see that you've come without your loyal companion by your side. Have you broken his heart yet?"

"Where is Leila Hawthorne?" I asked.

Donovan reached forward, but his wrists were handcuffed to the table. A loud grunt came from him trying to pry his arms from the table.

"She is not a Hawthorne!" Donovan seethed. His anger of calling Leila a Hawthorne touched more than a simple nerve. His entire body reacted with anger. "My Leila fought tooth and nail to escape that family. If she didn't have a soft spot for that stupid boy, then he'd be dead too and none of you would be the wiser."

"Leila chose the moment she knew Archer would be out of the apartment. She was watching him, not her parents," I said, figuring out the details based on Donovan's answers.

"Seven, we don't have much longer," Grayson said, keeping an eye on the clock.

"Where is she keeping the Hawthorne's?" I asked. Knowing that he won't answer that question, I decided to change my line of questioning. "I know that you don't care about the Hawthorne's. All you want is the technology. Why, because its effects wore off long ago. You're nothing but a shell of the man you used to be."

"You've learned more about me recently than you did back in Hawaii," Donovan said.

"Maya Hawthorne may love using codes, but I love breaking codes. Numbers and code names seem to be her M.O, your Russian friends didn't steal the necessary things on the night of the kidnapping. Sucks that you'll never get what you want and you thought killing people would be the best way to fix it," I said, keeping my eyes focused on Donovan Halstead.

Grayson kept trying to get me out of the room. According to Grayson's timetable, we only have a few more minutes left before Little Dean is meant to make his escape. Once Little Dean leads the federal agents out of the way, Grayson and I will make our escape as well.

"You'd be in the same boat as me if you could do what I could do," Donovan said.

"That's where you're wrong. I wouldn't murder and kidnap innocent people," I said, trying to get to the end of this conversation. "Leila wants nothing more than the demise of her parents. If they don't give you what you want, she's going to kill them anyway."