With a Pull of a Trigger

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“You certainly took your time.”

Reini looked up from her feet and saw a woman seated on the bench wearing a tan trenchcoat and brown stilettos, her long red hair tied in a neat ponytail. She had disarming blue-gray eyes that twinkled behind oval rose-colored glasses, and her long legs were crossed, giving her the illusion of grace and poise.

Reini nodded curtly. “Something, ah, came up. I’m sorry for the delay.”

Vivienne shook her head, standing up. “No problem at all. Let’s walk around, shall we? I so despise having to sit still.”

Reini nodded, waiting until Vivienne reached her before walking away, Vivienne right beside her. Vivienne’s head was up, her hands in her pockets, her eyes looking at the clear blue sky.

“How’s Cath?” she asked.

Reini shrugged, unsure as to how to answer the woman. “Fine, I guess.”

“I’ve heard about recent events, you know,” Vivienne informed Reini, still not looking at the woman walking beside her. “I heard about your mission, about Mister Milton, about Everett’s death.”

Of course she knew. Reini knew that even retired agents still knew about the daily happenings at the agency. She had absolutely no doubt that Vivienne still had contacts at the office.

“Catherine is not human resources,” she said, still not looking at Reini.

Reini stopped in her tracks, confused. Did she miss something? Vivienne kept on walking though, so Reini continued walking until she was back at Vivienne’s side. “Sorry?”

Vivienne stopped, finally looking at Reini. They were in the middle of the park, green grass around them, and Reini wondered why there weren’t many tourists in line to get to the Eiffel tower or families enjoying the sunny day.

“Catherine isn’t human resources,” said Vivienne, her blue-gray eyes looking into Reini’s warm brown ones. “She isn’t your psychologist, or your friend. She’s your superior, and it would do you well to remember that. You shouldn’t burden her with your relationship problems or your insecurity. God knows she has enough of those going for her, not to mention the weight of work she has as the director of the agency.”

Reini’s eyes widened. “I don’t burden her wi—”

“Of course you do,” interrupted Vivienne.

Reini crossed her arms, suddenly defensive. She liked Catherine—loved her, even—and Catherine was like a mother to her.

Vivienne stopped walking, turning abruptly to face Reini. “Catherine was my best friend and I knew her like no other, except probably Gil Baxendale. Hell, I knew her better than Everett ever would. It would do you well to remember that she’s not someone you can play with on a whim, not someone to control like a puppet on a string.”

Reini’s heart fell. Catherine did always care too much about them individually, getting caught up in the mess that was Amrie’s relationship and now, Reini’s not-quite relationship or whatever the hell she had with Samuel. Catherine was too much of a friend to be treated as a superior, and they were all blinded by the fact that whenever they needed someone, Catherine was always there. They were all too busy with their own lives that they never stopped to think about Catherine’s.

But Reini was here now. She was there to uncover Catherine’s life with Gil Baxendale. Not everything was about Reini now. She was taking the time to discover more about her superior.

But to be honest, it wasn’t all really for Catherine’s benefit, was it? It was all for Reini, for her to be able to quench the thirst of being uninformed.