Drink Me

55. HART ATTACK

HART ATTACK

Alice's grin grew wider, but she kept her eyes on Smith.

Riley glanced between her and the agent, who was now lying against the back of his seat with an unimpressed look on his face.

"What the f..." Riley murmured and, ignoring the stare war between the officers, he rewound the recording and watched the sequence again in slow motion.

The boy couldn't have been more than fourteen, a backpack slung on one shoulder and his shirt untucked from his trousers like the rest of the group; in one hand, a pack of crisps that spilt on the floor as he walked into McNeely. Riley tried to follow the boy as he walked on, catching up to the rest of the group, but he was soon lost in the crowd.

He paused the video and his eyes went back to Alice.

"What?" she asked, slowly crossing her legs.

"Alice, what were you thinking?" Smith asked, eventually.

But she simply shrugged, her face struggling to hide her amusement.

"Some people should watch their diet, cholesterol is a bitch," she said innocently, but her eyes showed how pleased she was with her work.

Riley was still at loss for words, his eyes darting from Alice to the computer screen.

Smith leaned forward on the table, struggling to hold his composure.

"Alice, this is not a game," he said sternly, causing the woman to roll her eyes and puff some air out.

"The tosser is not going to be missed, Noraid found him an inconvenience, anyway. If anything, I did everyone a favour," she replied winking at Riley then focusing on her perfect manicure.

"That's not the point," Smith retorted firmly, but Alice's indifference got the best of him and he stood towering from the other side of the table.

At that, Alice looked up from her hand, confused more than scared.

"Do you expect me to cover for you again? To play along with the heart attack charade?" he thundered and walked around the table to stand in front of Alice.

The woman remained seated as she shrugged. "Do what you want, John," she replied, stressing his first name.

Riley wasn't sure that was the agent's real name, probably his surname was fake too.

John Smith? Really?

Still, it was obvious Alice was trying to piss him off.

Riley shifted uncomfortably on the chair. He felt somewhat guilty for being the cause of their fight but he didn't want to be dragged into their argument, so he stayed silent. It was a fight between titans and blood could have been spilt. His bet was on Agent Smith's.

"Alice, I'm disappointed," the man said with a newly found calm and that seemed to finally have an effect on Alice.

She looked at him for a moment then stood up. Her smug smile was now a forced thin line on her lips, her gleaming eyes dancing around Smith's face. "Well, that's your fault," she said coldly. "I have no responsibility for the expectations you set for me."

Smith held her gaze, now hard and penetrating, and eventually sighed. "I'll deal with it, but it's the last time, Alice."

"Whatever," Alice replied now back to her careless self, but Smith shook his head.

"I mean it," he said. "Behave! Another stupid idea like this and you're on your own."

Alice scoffed, an amused side grin on her lips. "Is that a dare?" she asked.