To anyone else, the scenes throughout the house that morning would have been perceived as pure chaos, which to some extent they were, but it was somewhat organised chaos. A second didn't pass by without someone rushing past, beckoning another body in the room in a haste for their attention. The kitchen alone was a hive of activity, with a fresh team of my father's men having just arrived in preparation for the raid ahead of us. My father had deployed an extra thirty-six men from his unit, leaving the building back home practically empty, but that was the least of his concerns. We needed all of the man power we could gather.
The chatter in the room made it hard for my brain to process any of my thoughts, so instead I simply let time pass by, watching everyone as they passed through the room in a hurry. Various members of the new team greeted me, and I couldn't help but feel remorseful when not a single ounce of me recognised who they were, despite them all informing me that we had previously met. They understood though, at least that's what they tried to assure me, but I apologised profusely despite this. They were here for my benefit and I couldn't have been more thankful.
Everyone here was evidently anxious to say the least and no matter how hard they tried to hide it, every single one of them failed. Fear is inevitable; you can't escape it, no matter how tough and strong you appear. Fear can be a game changer if you know how to use it. It's what should keep you fighting, not ward you away. You wouldn't have a drive for the prize if there wasn't a fear of losing it.
"I thought you'd be smiling a little more than you are," Ed commented, holding back a smirk as he took a seat beside me.
"You're really cracking jokes right now?" I said, motioning to the commotion surrounding us.
Ed raised his brow in question, "I don't see anyone else brightening the mood in here."
"And you don't wonder why?" I sighed, leaning my elbows onto the table. "And before you say anything, nothing happened Ed."
"That wasn't what Blake told me this morning," he smirked, sensing my distaste.
"Ed. I'm serious," I sighed. "I completely messed it up this morning. I was such a bitch to him, I don't even know why. I just, I didn't want him getting the wrong idea and think that we were back together or-"
"Adelaide, slow down. You're not making any sense. What happened?"
"Well, for starters, Blake got it all wrong -" I mumbled, unsure on how to phrase my words.
"I was just taking the piss Adelaide, me and Blake know that."
"I couldn't sleep last night," I began in a low tone, "and it was getting to the point in which it was driving me up the wall. With everything happening today, I just needed an escape from it all for a while. So I went to see Luke, and to be honest with you, I really hadn't thought it through, it was just impulse. But when I went in, well he just knew that I needed him. He didn't care about anything else; he just wanted to be there for me. So that's what he did, and I actually got a tonne of sleep."
"But then this morning, well after Blake came in, I guess that I just freaked out. I didn't know what to say or how to act around him. He tried to talk to me about it, but I-, I just shut him off. He didn't deserve that, I just didn't know what to do, and panicked."
"Adelaide-" Ed beckoned, catching my attention and interrupting my voice. "Stop worrying. I'm sure he completely understands. He knows how difficult all of this is for you too. He won't beat you down for that. I think he just wants to be there for you because he cares too much to let you suffer in silence."
"I know," I sighed. "It's just all so difficult because neither of us know where we stand. We've gone from not talking for three weeks to god knows what you would class last night as. He was only trying to help and I just shoved it back in his face."
"Go and talk to him then, how else are you supposed to know what he's thinking? Luke's ready to sort this out, you just need to show him that you are too."
"Ed," my father's voice bounced around the walls of the kitchen, silencing us in an instant. Both mine and Ed's heads snapped toward him as he stalked in from the door. "What do you know about Legrenzi's technology and software contacts?"
"In what aspect?"
"All of our lines have been breached, we can't even call one another without them listening in. We shut it down before they could get a location but we don't know what else they would've been able to reach."
Ed thought quietly for a minute before voicing his words in an alarming tone, "You need to shut everything down, all access to computers, personal lines, your whole system. If they've got into your lines then it wouldn't be much harder for them to get into your entire grid. Legrenzi has next level guys working for him in that department. You can't take any chances Boss."
My father sighed, running a hand over his face as his aggravation grew. "How long do you think they've been in?"
"Considering the resources you have on your side, then if it was much earlier, you would have already noticed. So at most, a day?"
"Is it possible that they know about our plan?" I asked apprehensively.
"We've been careful not to mention anything about you two leaving over the phone, so I can't see how they would know. Only thing is they'll be aware of our extra deploy teams."
"They would have been expecting that anyway," Ed commented. "Boss, I can set up a new grid for us to use. We'll only be able to use it within the grounds, to make calls between each other, but it's better than going in blind tonight."
"What about contacting you two once you leave?"
"I don't know if we can risk that sir. It'd be safer for all of us if we shut of contact completely until it's all over. But we will need to have an emergency line to use to be able to get in touch with you if it is desperately necessary, and vice-versa."
"Can you get one of those set up?"
"Yeah, but I'll need a few hours to do that and the new system, so we may have to leave a little later than we anticipated," Ed replied, jumping down from his stool. "Is everything set up in your office?"
"Yeah, I'll join you in a minute. I just want a word with Adelaide first," my father requested, focusing his attention onto me following Ed's departure. "Are you okay?" he asked tenderly.
"I will be. Once all of this is over," I said, gesturing to the space around us.
"I want to apologise Adelaide," my father admitted. "I can't comprehend what all of this has been like for you and I haven't made it any easier for you either. We should have just told you the truth when you came out of the coma, but I just, I thought it was safer the less you knew. And as for Luke, well I took everything out on him because he's how you got involved, but he was the only one I trusted to have your back, so I had no choice but to send him to New York with you. I guess in the back of my mind I always knew that you'd figure it all out, but I just didn't want you to have any worries for a while, a chance to escape from it all."
"It was worse because I didn't have a clue what was going on, that was what was frustrating to me," I admitted as he took a seat beside me. "And it wasn't just me that you were hurting. Did you ever even consider what Luke was going through?"
"I saw that first hand Adelaide. But I couldn't help but blame everything on him. All the trouble started when he got involved with you. But only now am I fully accepting that there is only one person we can blame. Luke's a good kid, he just wants you to be safe and I want you to know that when all of this blows over, I hope that you two can sort out what happened. He wasn't in the wrong. Don't take this out on him, he didn't have a choice because he was under orders. His intentions were what makes him who he is. He makes you happy, anyone around here can see that, so do something for you for once," he commented, softening his facial features as he spoke. My heart warmed at what felt like the first act of compassion from my father in months.
"It's not as easy as that. I need to focus on what's happening right now before I even think about talking to Luke about where we stand."
"I know that and I understand you need a little space from him right now. I just want you to know that putting the blame on him isn't right. I shouldn't have done the same. I truly am sorry for how I've acted Adelaide, I just wanted to do what I thought was best for you. I also want you to know that after this, I'm going to be leaving my post as head of the unit."
"You are?" I questioned in surprise.
My father nodded, "I need to focus on family and I can't do that when I'm such a big part of the unit."
"What about everyone else in the unit? They all rely on you?"
"I just call the shots, they're the brains of it all," he corrected, lifting himself to his feet. "I'm putting Luke forward for the position anyway. He's the best agent I've seen in my time and well he practically runs the place anyway."
I smiled as a small laugh left my father's throat. "Don't feed his ego."
"That guy doesn't have room for an ego next to his modesty. Now come on, we should go and see how Ed is getting on," he suggested, motioning toward the door. I nodded, joining him after taking a moment to glance at the painstaking countdown staring at me from the wall beside us.
Three hours later, Ed and I were preparing to depart after having secured the final details for our safe house with my father. We'd be travelling through to Switzerland through the night and settling in a small apartment not far from Montreux. From there, we'd be informed on the situation back with the unit when my father was certain it would be safe to contact us.
We stood in the hallway, a small crowd forming as we shared our goodbyes amongst one another. It was an odd atmosphere, vastly filled with the uncertainty surrounding our situation, but also a tangible feeling of upset, both toward our departure and the worry that everyone in the house appeared to be undergoing.
As my conversation with Michael drowned to an end, Blake appeared at my side, a cautious expression adorning his face.
"Adelaide," he said tenderly, watching my expression intently as Michael moved away to give us a bit of seclusion. "I really am sorry about this morning. I didn't think it through, I just presumed you were both back on good terms and-"
"Blake," I hushed his panicked voice. "It's fine, honestly. It made me laugh, so I kind of have you to thank for that."
"I'm sorry for making it awkward though, it was inconsiderate of me."
"Hey, I saw the funny side. I made it awkward enough for the two of us after you left anyway," I admitted remorsefully.
"I'd gathered that, well not that it was you, but Luke hasn't really been around much today and when I have seen him he hasn't been in the best of moods," Blake informed, moving his body as two or three men brushed past us. "I don't think that's down to you though. He's just stressed and worried about how everything is going to pan out. He hasn't seen his father since you were put into your coma, never mind confronted him, and then he's evidently going to be worried to say the least about you."
Blake's words hit me hard as they left his mouth, but the fact that I'd never even taken a moment to consider what effect this was all having on Luke slapped me much harder. He was completely alone in this, and the thought of him having to face his father, after all he had done to him, was utterly heartbreaking.
Luke was undeniably strong, something that provided me with the upmost respect for him, but even this must be taking its toll on his mental health. To go through all that he had as a child and then to be met with the living memory of it years later caused an indescribable pain to settle in my stomach. Not only this, but he had to the battle it alone. He had the lads, who I knew he considered family, but he didn't have everyone surrounding him like I did, which only fuelled my guilt for how I had treated him to grow deeper. It was only now that I was truly realising he needed me as much as I needed him.
"Adelaide?" Blake called, waving his hand briefly to catch my eye line.
"Sorry, I-"
"I get it, don't worry," he laughed quietly to himself. "Anyway, I guess this is goodbye for the time being?"
"I'll see you soon though," I promised as I reached to embrace him, holding his body tight. "All the best tonight. I have my full faith in you lot. And thank you, for everything Blake. For being here, for looking out for me, it means a lot, and you do it all by choice. I can't thank you enough for that."
"Just doing my job," he argued modestly. "We all want you safe. That's what we're going to fight for."
I smiled, giving him a grateful nod as my name was beckoned by Ed from the front door. "I should get going. I'll see you soon though Blake."
"Right back at you Adelaide," he replied, lifting his hand slightly in one final wave as I twisted my body and backed away from his presence.
Ed gripped a hold-all tightly in his hands as he stood waiting patiently aside my father by the door. My feet dragged me toward them with ease but that didn't prevent the persistent thought that every movement I made was one step further away from the one person I wanted to be surrounded by at that moment in time.
Unable to detain my nagging conscience any longer, I spun on my heels without a second to process my decision any longer, only to be greeted by a dozen-odd confusion filled stares thrown by the small crowd watching our departure.
Ed mumbled an utterance of confusion as the bag in my grip fell to the floor. The sound bounced around the room, diffusing into the inescapable silence that now hung in the air around us. I kept my eyes trained onto the end of the hallway, my door to comfort, letting my legs carry me hastily toward it.
However, what I caught sight of in my peripheral vision the last thing I had expected to set my eyes on. Watching from afar behind the crowd, a pair of all-too-familiar emerald eyes were already latched intently onto my own as their controller stood shielded, leaning against the wall beside him.
Despite his height, Luke's body remained concealed by the crowd, and I found my eyes fighting to determine whether it was actually him or not. He was more fresh faced than when I had seen him this morning, and his hair had been pushed into his usual quiff. He wore his daily attire, dressed head to toe in black, which only blended him into the group of men further, but I couldn't have removed my eyes from him if I'd tried.
His face distorted into confusion as he watched me, clearly unsure of my actions, though to everyone around us my intentions were more than clear. But, heartbreakingly, before my feet could begin racing toward him, his body edged away from the wall it had found comfort against. My heart dropped at the sight of his body turning away from me, his back now facing me as it began stalking away from where we stood.
I paced past the huddle of perplexed expressions, my pulse heightening in fear as he continued moving.
"Luke!" I called in desperation, causing his body to still at the sound of my shrill voice. He was motionless for a beat or two, only turning around to face me as the gentle sound of my feet edging toward him met his ears.
I stopped my body merely metres in front of Luke, his face begging me not to toy with his emotions. My mind failed at accumulating any appropriate words, which resulted in me giving him little time to comprehend what I was doing before I hastily closed the distance between us, embracing his body before he had chance to object.
Luke appeared tentative at first, clearly startled by my movements, though he soon relaxed into my hold. He adjusted his body, moving his hands to my waist as his head fell against my neck.
"God I've missed you," he hummed quietly against my skin.
"Luke," I stammered, pulling back to view his profile. He did the same, pinching my sides as his eyes searched my own. "I need to apologise, for everything- I treated you like shit, and you didn't deserve any of it, I shut you off, and that wasn't-"
"Adelaide," Luke said, moving his hands to cradle my face.
"No, I need to do this. I put you through hell and back, and I don't even know why I did what I did, I just- I didn't know how to deal with it all, and-"
"Adelaide," he repeated, though his bid to catch my attention failed and my rambling continued. He then grew evidently frustrated, watching me fumble with my words, so resorted to the one thing that was certain to silence me. He kissed me.
It was only at this stage that it dawned on me the audience we had present behind us, forcing me to pull sheepishly away, discretely motioning to the palpable gawking, something that Luke had noticed, but quickly discarded.
"You really think that after all of this that you should be the one apologising Adds?" He questioned, somewhat in disbelief.
"But-"
"I don't want to hear it," he said, placing his finger gently over my mouth. "We're going to talk everything through once all of this is over. You can let it all off your chest then, but for now, well it's the last thing on my mind. Adelaide, look, we don't have much time," he reminded, stimulating my eyes to glance back at Ed, who diverted his gaze the second I did so. "But I need to remind you how important this mission is-,"
"I know that Luke. Everyone here knows it too. We have too much riding on tonight-"
"That's the thing. You need to be worried Adelaide. Things like this don't go to plan, and I can't promise you that everything is going to be okay. It kills me to know that, but it's true and I need you to realise it."
"You don't have to promise me anything Luke."
"I do," he replied simply. "But I can't guarantee your safety if I'm not with you, so I need you to promise me one thing instead."
"When you leave with Ed, I need you to fully cut off from everything. I know you, you'll be losing you mind, but you need to forget it all. No calls, no matter how you feel. I can't be there for you, not until all of this blows over, so you need to act as if I don't even exist. You wait until we contact you, when we know it's safe. Until then you go into hiding, for as long as necessary. Listen to Ed, we were trained the same way. He knows exactly what he is doing." Luke paused for a moment, taking a second to study my features. "Adelaide. If anything happens to me-"
"Luke please don't talk like that-"
"No," he demanded softly. "I need to. We don't know what's going to happen, so I need you to be prepared. If there's one thing you can do for me, it's to move on Adelaide. Start afresh, that's what you need. You need to be happy, and you can't do that if you don't start building your life back up again. You deserve to be happy."
"So do you," I said, biting my lip in an attempt of concealing my emotions.
"It's out of our control Adds. All I can do is fight for what is right. We've come too far to pull the plug now," he reminded gently. "We can't live the rest of our lives in fear, so it's time we did something about it, even if it means, you know-," he paused, unsure on how to phrase what he was implying. "Everything I've done has been for you. You're what's important to me, so please just repay me by staying in hiding until all of this is over, and then starting again, whether that's with or without me."
Luke embraced me once more, anticipating the loss of control over my emotions. I had wanted to be strong, to maintain a level head, but this was impossible the second that Luke reminded me of the danger he would be in. He held me tight, crushing me against his chest to conceal the tears shedding my cheeks from everyone else in the room. He was quick to sense their forthcoming, and hadn't needed to see them to know they were there.
"You're going to be okay," he whispered quietly, gently rocking my body back and forth. It was silent for a moment as I clung to Luke's body before he gradually raised his head away from my shoulder.
He kept his palm cradling my head against his chest as he appeared to motion to everyone else in the room. I was uncertain as to what he had mouthed, but the quiet footsteps of departure that followed gave me a clearer indication.
He continued to hold me tightly, letting minutes fall by. His fingers drew patterns along my back, soothing the skin and dissipating my nerves.
"Adds," he voiced quietly, pulling his head back to look at me. "It's okay not to always be okay. You should know that better than anyone. So don't fight it, let it liberate you." He flittered his eyes between my own before he tendering wiped a tear from my cheek. "I need you to be strong for me Adelaide."
"I don't know how strong I can be Luke. I'm not cut out for all of this like you are."
"Adds, no-one is cut out for this kind of thing. No-one should have to endure it but you just have to battle it head on. You may think that I always know what I'm doing but in reality I just have to think quickly in the moment. The fear of you getting hurt is what drives my mentality."
"Luke," I blurted suddenly. Everything else in that instant was pushed to the back of my mind as I focused on what he needed to hear. "I need to, to-"
"To what?" he questioned in pure confusion.
"I need to, to tell you-," I stumbled along my words, losing my grip on Luke, only for him to catch me once more. "That I, well, I-"
I quietened down, sighing in pure disappointment given that I couldn't even utter the three words I so desperately wanted him to hear. Luke watched me patiently, waiting for my words to continue, but I couldn't bring myself to say them, not in that moment. It didn't feel right.
He remained confused as I stared at him hopelessly, though after a beat or two had past, his mind began making sense of what I had been trying to say. His eyes widened momentarily, almost as if asking for confirmation.
Despite the upset hanging deeply within both of our eyes, a small smile graced his face as he spoke. "I know," he said quietly, his voice quavering as he attempted to conceal his emotion. He pulled me forward again, hugging me tight to his chest, though this wasn't before I caught sight of a single heartbreaking tear rolling down his cheek."I feel it to0," he whispered as his head snuggled into my neck. "Tell me when I'm back. I'm not backing down until I know I'll be able to hear you say those words when you're safe."
I nodded in his hold, not having the strength to reply and maintain a level headed state. But our time was cut short as we were both reminded that I needed to leave very soon, and that we were in fact keeping everyone outside waiting. We pulled back, taking one last moment to silently examine one another before Luke took hold of my hand and lead us toward the door.
The driveway was littered with the bodies that had vacated the hallway. They were all infused in their own conversations, something I was grateful for as it directed their attention away from Luke and I as we descended the steps of the house. Both Ed and my father stood by the car, which at this point had been fully packed and was already running.
I left Luke's grip to engage in a welcoming hug with my father as we bid goodbye to one another. "We'll call you as soon as we know it's safe Adelaide," he reminded as Luke settled at my side. "Until then, stay safe and on the quiet side. Ed's got your back, okay?"
"I know," I smiled sadly. "I'll see you soon."
"Yes," my father confirmed, lifting his hand in one final wave as he backed away to join a discussion that was taking place with Blake and the small crowd of men by the stairs.
Ed advanced toward Luke, the two of them embracing one another briefly. "You look after her mate," Luke requested gravely. "Especially if anything, you know-"
"I know, don't worry about that."
"Thank you for everything else too."
"I should be thanking you," Ed argued. "For trusting me. I know this hasn't been easy for either of us. But at the end of the day, we have each other, and us family men got to stick together right?"
"Yeah," Luke laughed. "I'll see you on the other side then?"
"Sure will," Ed replied, motioning his head toward the car before he paced leisurely around and seated himself in the vehicle.
I turned to Luke, unsure on what to say to him but the second I caught his face I knew once again there wasn't a necessity for an exchange of words. Likewise with the night before, we didn't always need to say anything, and more often than not, our expressions alone told us what we were thinking.
Luke was also evidently aware that anything he did say may only cause the pain in my chest to deepen further. We had said all that needed to be said and I was more than content with leaving our final words being those exchanged inside. Luke, feeling the same way, settled on planting a longing kiss on my forehead.
Merely minutes later, I was sat seated in the car, Luke reaching over to strap my seatbelt in before checking that he was content with everything else in the car. Upon pulling his body back out of the car, my hand got caught by his own and he paused by my side.
"I'm sor-," I began in reflex, but was interrupted by a grinning Luke.
"Don't be," he whispered cheekily, placing a fleeting kiss on my cheek before he swiftly exited the car, leaving me to only watch his back as he paced back into the house.
"Never been great with goodbyes that one," Ed mumbled under his breath, pulling the car out of the driveway as I continued to stare at the empty doorway with a content smile uncontrollably gracing my face.