Ari's POV
"Just let me talk to him." My voice was dry and scratchy. I had been at it for days now.
"Umm…NO!" His voice was full of humor. I could practically see the smirk plastered across his pale face. "You know what we request of you Mrs. Ariadne. Fulfill that request and maybe we will consider your demand!" the voice spat. And with that, the line went dead.
I sighed in defeat. If only I were a little more careful. I had let someone I loved with all my heart slip out from under my grasp. 'I have to get him back. I will get h-'
"H'lo darling! What are you up to on this glorious evening?" Eames. The sound of his husky, British accent almost knocked me off my seat. 'They can't know about this. I've already gotten one person involved.' I would never forgive myself if they got hurt in the process.
"Ari…? Are you okay?" I froze. 'How long was I zoned out? They had caught me staring.
"Hmm? Oh yeah! I'm fine!" I tried to relax. But I felt hot under the three pair of eyes glaring at me.
"Who were you on the phone with just now?" questioned Eames, trying to be as blunt as possible. He took small steps towards me and Arthur and Cobb followed suit.
"N-n-no one! I-he… I can't tell you." I mumbled, trying to back the much needed tears. I glanced up and slowly took in their facial expressions. Eames looked confused. Dom was doing his best to overwhelm the situation. But Arthur…Arthur's face was blank, as if he didn't know what to feel. There were a few minutes of silence. I shifted from one foot to the other, hinting my uneasiness of the tension.
Arthur finally broke the silence. "What do you know you can't tell us? You know you can tell u-"
Knock! Knock! Knock!
I gasped and jumped out of her seat. All eyes shifted to the door then back to me. Arthur stood to stand as to shield me from whatever lurked beyond the warehouse doors.
"Arthur, give me your gun." They all looked at me bewildered. I ignored them. 'I'm doing this to help and keep them safe.'
"What? No, why? Just let us help… Let me help you." He pleaded, whispering the last part.
I closed my eyes and shook back the tears. "NO! Someone give me their gun NOW!" I shivered at the way I had spoken to them. But I didn't care. Out of nowhere, I felt a metal object making its way into my hand.
"Okay fine, here! But don't do anything I would!" He smiled a genuine smile. His smiling eased my nerves. 'At least someone trusts me'. Eames could be a pain but I know that deep down, he cared. I nodded and made my way towards the double doors. Not a second later, the guys were at her sides.
Tired of waiting, the figure opened the doors and made its way to stand opposite me, while two of his men followed close behind. He was tall and well-built. His piercing green eyes scanned my small frame, with a mischievous glint in his eyes. I noticed Arthur ball up his fist in my peripheral vision. Within the next second, I had a gun aiming straight ahead, my finger loosely on the trigger. I could the boys' tense behind. I ignored it.
"I hope you have made your decision Ms. Ariadne. Let me remind you that not only do we have a price on your little friends head. But we know have a price on their heads as well." He motioned towards the three men behind me.
"NO! Don't drag them into this. It's between me and you. Now what do you want?
"Oh but they are involved Ms. Ariadne. Because the task at hand calls for a certain kind of team…an extraction team."
