September 2017
Taylor's POV
Luckily, no one was in the hallway when I exited the interrogation room. However, I could faintly hear Rebecca's voice. She had to be somewhere nearby. Turning my head slightly, I noticed that the door to Natalie's room was cracked open.
Wow, my timing worked out perfectly I thought to myself. If I visited Natalie after Joe, I would have been caught. Then, we all would have been screwed. I looked up and down the hall but caught no sight of James. He should have returned from grabbing the files by now. What was taking him so long? The office was practically empty, so few people could distract him on the short trip.
Since Rebecca was only a room away, I had to choose my next move wisely. Should I wait for James? Or would me hanging around the interrogation rooms alone look suspicious? I kept glancing at the door to the stairwell hoping he would appear soon. I was about to head downstairs to look for him when I heard shouting in the other room. Against my best judgement, I took a few steps closer.
The sound of crashing metal followed by a thud led me to burst into the room. Rebecca froze when she saw me enter but not for long. Before working on this operation, I had no idea who Rebecca was or what she was capable of. Now, it was clear I had underestimated her.
Rebecca smoothed out her jacket. "Agent Swift, you are not allowed in the interrogation room," she told me in a professional yet condescending tone.
"Well, you're not supposed to beat up people we have in custody," I replied, gesturing toward Natalie who was starting to pick herself off of the floor. With the chair knocked across the room and Natalie on the floor, I gathered that Rebecca must have violently knocked Natalie out of her chair. It was a low blow considering Natalie's ankle was cuffed to the table. Rebecca and I both watched quietly as Natalie clutched her side and winced in pain while she pulled herself to a seated position.
Rebecca broke the silence. "We need answers and she has them. I'm sure you're familiar with the process. I've heard you've done worse."
The last part felt like a punch in the gut. I was certainly ashamed of some of the things I'd done on behalf of the agency. However, I refused to give Rebecca the satisfaction of belittling me. So, I folded my arms across my chest and introduced a new topic. "I'm curious Rebecca. Why are you so personally invested in this operation?" I questioned.
She looked at me and scoffed. "I'm your superior. I owe you no explanation other than that."
"What do you have to lose in this operation? I've been on hundreds of operations before this one. You never paid any attention to me then. Why now?" I pressed getting closer to her weak spot.
Rebecca pursed her lips together. She was uncomfortable now and couldn't hide it. I took a few steps toward her so that I was only an arm's length distance away. For some people, my towering height provided a little extra intimidation. Don't do anything stupid Swift, I reminded myself as I unclenched my fists.
"The real question is, what do you have to lose?" Rebecca threw a question back. She looked me directly in the eyes and took a step forward. "Maybe a fiancé?"
She paused just to see my reaction. I kept my facial expression neutral even though my blood was boiling. Nothing in my life could remain mine for long.
Rebecca continued, "I saw the ring on his finger. I'm no fool Taylor. There's a reason I asked you to be on this operation."
She was the one who wanted me on this operation? Was this all a test? A test of my loyalty? I waited to hear what she had to say next.
"You're a great agent Swift. It's a shame you got tangled up with one of your sources. I always thought you'd end up with someone... I don't know. Better?" Rebecca raised an eyebrow when she looked at me. She knew exactly how to exploit my weaknesses.
I couldn't stand to hear another word come out of her mouth. Lunging forward, I forcefully pinned her to the wall.
Even with her back against the wall she kept talking. "Let me tell you something sweetheart," she said with a chuckle. "You may have everyone fooled with your celebrity charade, but I know that you have been betraying the agency and your country for months. It's only a matter of time until it all falls apart. I hate to say it, but you cannot sleep your way out of this one."
I pulled my fist back ready to deliver a blow to her jaw just so she would shut up.
"Taylor! Back away." James' powerfully low voice called out.
I lowered my fist and took a step back. The moment Rebecca exhaled I turned around and punched her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. On her face was a look of shock as she stumbled into the wall. Finally, she was rendered speechless.
Feeling slightly more satisfied, I finally backed away. Natalie winked at me from the corner. James was less pleased with me. "What the hell are you thinking?" he yelled while flailing his arms around.
Before giving me time to respond, he dragged me out into the hallway. In the hallway, James paced back and forth anxiously. Looking over his shoulder, he pulled me into the stairwell. "I don't know what to say to you. You are going to get both of us reported," he raged.
"Good!" I shouted back at him equally as angry. "Can't you see they treat us like shit?"
James threw his hands in the air. "Yes, that's why I'm trying to help you."
I rolled my eyes. "You call this helping?"
"I know that you are negotiating with MI6. So does Rebecca which I'm sure she told you."
There was no sense in lying now. I was curious to see where he was going with this point. "As you can see, Rebecca wants your head on a stick. I'm not sure how closely you looked at the files you provided, but her name comes up frequently on the latest reports."
"Really?" I interrupted.
James nodded yes. "Before taking her current position, she was a field agent like you. Let's just say her operations involved many off the book deals and cover ups. HQ has not read the latest files containing those leaked reports. She clearly doesn't want them to which is why she needs this operation to go smoothly."
I understood why she insisted on bringing Natalie and Joe in now. James looked over his shoulder before proceeding.
"I want to help you," he said.
"Um," I wasn't prepared to respond.
"While I was downstairs getting the files, I heard Rebecca tell her bosses that she intends to interrogate you too. I need you to play along with it okay? I'll work on getting MI6 to cooperate."
"I can do that. Thanks for the heads up," I told him still confused by this twist of events.
"I've always been rooting for you Taylor. You're really one of our best agents, but I know that comes at a high cost. Letting you go has been long overdue."
With that, James left me standing speechless in the cold stairwell.
--
Wow, what a weekend! Another surprise album AND Taylor's 31st birthday! My mind would explode if there is a third album coming.
Favorite song on evermore??