The Informant
A War Against Lions-Pt 1
The concrete wall hurt to lean against after hours of staying in that same spot. He would have loved to move and stretch his muscles but this spot afforded the best view of the abandoned warehouse before him. He raised the binoculars, peering through them at the movement across the street. Some low-life scum moving about, frantic to barricade one of their last rats' nests. He smiled to himself knowing soon all their energy would be wasted. Today was the day.
"Waters, report." His commanding officer's harsh voice sounded over the earpiece.
Gendry Waters spoke evenly, still keeping his eyes on the targets. "A few scum in and out. The two big fish are still there."
"Good. The team is ready. Be there in fifteen."
"Yes sir."
The knowledge that his fellow SWAT team members were on their way helped distract his mind from the cramp growing in his back. All the whispers, all the scouting, all the shake-downs were finally beginning to pay off. A year ago Tywin Lannister, the biggest illegal arms dealer in Westeros, died from a heart attack. His organization was flawless, the man oozed poise and control. The authorities had never been able to pin anything on Tywin or his lackeys, not for lack of trying. Tywin was calculating, cunning, ruthless and brilliant. Now though, his empire was slowly crumbling bit by bit. Tywin's twins, Jamie and Cercei, had taken over the family business, supposedly, after their father's death but it was obvious they could not compare to their father in matters of business. Little by little, leaks were put into their ship and information slipped out informing the authorities and providing damning evidence. Smaller scum were easily picked up by the King's Landing Police Department. Today, though… today was the first bite of the big fish.
Gendry shifted the slightest possible, anticipation coursing through his veins. He had a personal vendetta against the Lannisters' illegal organization. Growing up in Flea Bottom, he witnessed first hand what happened when criminals easily got their hands on weapons. The memory of his mother's blood running over his fingers; his child-sized hands desperately trying to staunch the bleeding from the gunshot wound to her chest. His pain and personal vow to destroy those who sought to take advantage of the poor and helpless drove him. Once he was of age, he enrolled in the Police Academy, graduated, and was one of the youngest recruits to the King's Landing SWAT team. The comradery he had amongst the guys pleased him, those on the team felt more like brothers than coworkers. When not needed for SWAT work, his days were spent training new officers, helping in the community and typing up Officer Hot Pie's reports because for the love of pigs the man could not spell worth a shit. Some of the married guys occasionally teased him about his lack of dating and would try and set him up. He always pushed them off saying he was married to his work and she was a jealous bitch. They would laugh and leave him alone for a couple of weeks before the teasing resumed. Although he was twenty-seven years old, he felt no rush to settle down. His vendetta would not allow it nor his odd working hours be reliable in a steady relationship. It was not that he was unattractive, on the contrary, women would flirt and try to give him their number but he was never interested. His deep blue eyes, short, military-style black hair and well-muscled body caught the notice of the opposite sex. None of them intrigued him enough to ask for their number. Perhaps someday, but not today. Today was about justice and fulfilling a vendetta.
His mind was rapidly yanked back as his brothers began sounding off in the earpieces. They were drawing close. With one last look at the warehouse, Gendry stiffly rose to his full height and descended the metal steps behind him. When word came to the department of the two high-ranking lackeys in the Lannister empire hiding out in the abandoned warehouse, he immediately volunteered to keep watch while the SWAT team got ready. That had been four hours ago. He quickly descended the three flights of stairs to the concrete floor below. It had been easy to sneak into the abandoned warehouse across from the target. This whole section of a poor, industrious district was mostly run-down stores, abandoned warehouses and dilapidated buildings; the last ode to better days when wealth trickled down and not just flowed upward. A quick command center was set up in the warehouse. Two off-duty, beat cops had been sent to watch the target warehouse so Gendry would relieve his post and prepare for the raid.
"Hey, look who is finally joining the party." Tormund Giantsbane joked as Gendry approached.
"Yeah, yeah. What the hell took you so long?" Gendry replied by way of greeting.
"Oh you know, paperwork, ass-kissing, Lem forgetting his balls and having to go back and get them." Giantsbane handed Gendry his body armor, standing beside him.
Gendry chuckled as Lem turned, having heard the conversation over the open earpiece, and showed Tormund his middle finger quickly, a smirk on his face. Gendry quickly donned the body armor, already having worn his tactical pants, shirt and jacket before coming to watch. Giantsbane helped him strap on the chest piece and held his sub-machine gun, an MP5, as Gendry quickly slipped his kneepads on. The twelve guys on the team formed a circle next to the armored truck which carried them over. They already had their body armor, guns and shields ready, having had time to prepare before loading into the truck. Once the commanding officer got off his radio, he moved to join the circle and the tension for the coming raid rose.
"Ok ladies, when we give the signal the other officers will be up our asses but until then its just us. So no one fuck this up." Office Sandor Clegane's commanding voice reverberated in the barren warehouse. If his harsh, gravelly voice was not enough to scare someone, a look at the massive man's scarred face, constant sneer and intense, discerning eyes would make grown men shit themselves if they warranted his full wrath. Yet Gendry would not follow anyone else into a high-risk situation and trusted the man's intuition whole-heartedly. He had known Officer Clegane the twoyears he had been a beat cop and had now been under his command once he joined the SWAT team for six years. The man had his full respect and saved his life on a couple of occasions. Officer Clegane was just over forty and Gendry knew those in the department were pushing for him to begin slowly backing down as lead officer. He could not imagine anyone else leading the SWAT team but he understood eventually age would catch up and Clegane had been the commanding officer for well over a decade. Over the past year he noticed that Clegane was subtly pushing him into more of a leadership role- having him help make final decisions, taking charge in leading the attack formation and doing the paperwork. At first Gendry felt uncomfortable since he was younger than most of the guys but they seemed to easily accept his authority. Once Giantsbane had joked that Clegane was the Alpha and Gendry was the Beta, to which Gendry replied that made Giantsbane the Omega.
Officer Clegane pulled out a blueprint of the target warehouse, laying it on the ground so those in the circle could see it. "These are the exits," he pointed to the three doors, "teams of three will enter after deploying the flashbangs. We want these bastards alive if possible. Riddle, Stone, I want you two in sniper positions on the surrounding buildings. Don't let any these cunts get by. The rest of you know your teams. You'll go to the exits and wait for my signal before deploying the grenades, got it?"
"Are you not joining us?" Stone asked, rubbing a hand over his mustache, eyes still on the blueprint.
"No, apparently the fucker who got us this intel wants to be apart of it. Now its some inter-agency shit. The fucker is running this operation so once you go in and secure the place, me and the bastard will come behind to check before arrests are officially made and the evidence is tampered with." Clegane's sneer grew with the distain for babysitting probably some rookie cop or politically inclined up-start. This was not the first time and all the men groaned at the implication. "Ladies, ready?" The surrounding men nodded, the first tang of adrenaline touching their tongues. "Good, let's go fuck 'em up. Gendry, you lead on the ground." Clegane rose, a clear head taller than all the men.
Gendry gave a quick nod to Clegane before donning his helmet and leading the men to the side exit of the warehouse. Through hours and hours of training and simulations the men moved in an almost single-minded way; knowing and understanding the movements of their fellow brothers and how to be most synchronized and efficient. It was a beautiful thing to witness, all putting aside their personal preferences, thoughts, and motives to defend their brothers and hopefully restore justice. Once the signal that the snipers were in place, Gendry led the men down the side of the warehouse towards the street. Night had fallen during the time waiting which offered them cover but also made it harder to see the assailants. The snipers wore night vision goggles but their department did not have enough resources to allocate the purchase of a pair for the whole team. Gendry's heart pounded but his mind stayed focused and calm. The buildings along the street were shadowy, blending into the darkness around them. Only one streetlight still worked but it was further down the road. He stopped moving at the edge of the building, eyeing the street separating him from his target. That would be the no-man's land. There was no cover, no opportunity to hide. If someone was going to get hurt or killed, that would most likely be the place.
"Riddle, Stone, any movement?" Gendry watched the target warehouse. There were lights inside but faintly. It was impossible to tell from where he stood if there were sentries watching the street or not. Earlier when he was spying, he noticed one or two guys walking by casually but with darkness' descent, they may have grown overconfident and stayed inside.
"Movement to the south side. Two vehicles parked out back." Riddle stated, his deep voice resounding.
"Waters, hold fast." Clegane demanded over the earpiece. The silence lengthened until Gendry wanted to demand to go but held his tongue. He could feel Giantsbane's impatience behind him.
"Our new boss is here and is taking command. Let us know when you've secured the place and we'll come join you." Clegane flatly said, his irritation somewhat hidden in his tone.
Gendry almost jumped as the new commanding officer spoke, a voice he was not expecting.
"Hello boys," a smoky, female voice addressed them over the earpiece, "there are eight men inside currently. Another is sleeping in the cab of the truck on the left so if one of you snipers keep an eye on him that would be great. These assholes are lazy so no one goes on guard duty after dark. Once you've crossed, wait for my signal before using your flash grenades. Questions? Good, cross now!"
Gendry warily watched his surroundings as his feet carried him across the no-man's land, hearing the shuffling of his brothers beside and behind him. He could not help thinking of the sultry voice commanding them and wondering who she was. Her voice evoked images in his mind of wilderness, campfires, whiskey and passionate sex. He shoved the images away, focusing as he pressed his back to the front of the building, the door to his left. Giantsbane and Tarly quickly came to his right side, their backs pressed against the building. The sounds of the grunts passed over the earpiece as the others moved into their positions at the other two doors. Finally silence surrounded them, signaling everyone was in position.
The smoky voice filled Gendry's mind. "Here we go. In 3…2…1…Now!"
Tarly moved around and yanked the door open. Gendry threw in his two flashbangs and stepped back as Tarly shut the door quickly. The loud bang and brilliant light alerted them to the flashbang's denotation. Done, Tarly immediately yanked the door open again and followed behind Gendry and Giantsbane, whom carried a full body shield.
"SWAT! GET ON THE GROUND!"
Gendry scanned the ground floor of the warehouse. Compared to the barren one he had staked out in, this one was clearly used often. A large delivery truck with a logo of a local charity sat towards the back near the closed delivery door. A couple tables were up in the middle of the floor, a wide variety of weapons on them. Several stacks of boxes lined the walls on either side of the ground floor. What looked like an office was directly to his left, lights on and at least one person visible. Four other men stumbled about, caught in the effects of the flashbangs. He noted all this in a quick scan as his trained mind inspected for danger and what needed to be accomplished next.
Turning to his left, he motioned for Giantsbane to take the lead with his shield up. Gendry followed, eyes scanning around, Tarly behind, watching their backs. He glimpsed the other SWAT team groups spreading out, a gunshot sounded on the other side of the warehouse. Ahead, an older, bald man with crazed eyes stepped out of the office, handgun raised. He fired three quick shots at them, the shield deflecting. Dropping to the ground, Gendry raised his rifle and fired before the man noticed him move. The sickly, sweet smell of the gunpowder residue filled Gendry's nostrils. The man fell to the ground, Gendry's shot having blown out his right knee. Gendry was silently perturbed that the man was not screaming but he could not dwell on it since the crazed man raised his handgun and continued to fire. Gendry shot again, hitting the man's shoulder, just above his handgun. The older man paused his attack which was just long enough for Giantsbane's long strides to take him over and bash the gun from the man's hand with his shield. Tarly flew behind, throwing the man to the ground and pinning him securely. Giantsbane turned, shield raised and looked into the office. Rising from the ground rapidly, Gendry raced over to back up his brother. Inside they found a middle-aged man with piggy eyes, receding hairline and the hints of a beer belly growing. He stood, hands up, in the middle of the office glaring at them but lips sealed. Gendry kept his rifle aimed at the man silently, the only sound being the pounding of his heartbeat in his ears and his hurried breathing. On cue, Giantsbane set his shield down before rounding on the man and handcuffing him quickly behind his back. The man continued to glare defiantly but did not resist. Secure, Gendry glanced back at Tarly who knelt on the older man's back. Well at least the two big fish had been caught.
"How we doing boys?" Gendry spoke into the earpiece for the first time, trying to steady his breathing. Less than a minute later, the other two teams in the warehouse signaled everything was secure including the known criminals. "Good, let's move them to the middle." Gendry helped the skinny Tarly drag the wounded, older man to the center of the floor, with Giantsbane following behind with the other man. Five handcuffed men knelt on the floor already which the other two quickly joined.
"There's supposed to be eight." Gendry raised his rifle, looking around.
Lem pointed to a body near one of the large metal foundation poles, about thirty feet away. "Hit 'em in the chest."
Gendry nodded, seeing the pooling of blood underneath the body. Silently he swore to himself, a dead body always meant more paperwork for Clegane which he liked to pass onto Gendry and the possibility of negative publicity. Too late to worry about that now. "Riddle, Stone, how's our friend outside?"
Stone answered this time. "Still no movement."
"Royce, Talbert," Gendry looked to the two men nearby, "go check it out. Bring him in." The two walked away quickly. He looked around once more, letting his eyes, ears and intuition scan the place. There was no movement, no sound beyond those in the middle of the room. Everything seemed to be under control, there were few spaces someone could hide. "Giantsbane, Tarly, go check the delivery truck."
Satisfied, he reached up and pulled the helmet off his head. The others standing around followed suit. The helmets were helpful to have but stifling and constraining. He always felt twenty pounds lighter and fully able to breathe again once he removed it. "Ok boss, we're secure here." He looked down at their prisoners and at his brothers, pleased with how the raid had gone. No one on the team appeared injured and only one dead body. There had definitely been worse days. He could not help as his thoughts drifted on their own accord, wondering who this informant was. A part of him hoped she was as beautiful as her voice sounded but the rational part hoped she was not so there would not be a distraction for him and his brothers. It only took a few minutes before the front door opened he had come through to reveal her and his commanding officer striding in.
Clegane was almost seven feet tall but walking next to the sprite of a woman beside him, he looked like a giant and her a fairy. Gendry analyzed her as she approached, as he guessed the other guys were doing. It was rare for a woman to be involved in police work in King's Landing, not that it was a sexist thing, but few women chose it for a career here in the treacherous, crime-ridden city. Especially hearing she was some kind of informant, he wondered what organization she worked for. The dim lights cast strange shadows about but once she moved to the middle with Clegane, it was easy to examine her fully. She was petite, probably just over five feet with a slender, athletic build and pale skin. Her mahogany hair was pulled back in a bun on the back of her neck. She wore black pants and a black long-sleeve shirt, like one would wear under a Kevlar vest except she wore no form of body armor or protection. What truly caught him was her piercing, gray eyes. They were the color of an approaching storm and seemed to take in everything immediately. It felt she could see through everything and everyone, examining them for strengths and weaknesses like a blacksmith checking his iron workings. A small, hungry smile touched her slim lips as she surveyed the prisoners. She was beautiful but hard, there was nothing about her that screamed softness or gentleness. He bet she did not even own a dress.
"Excellent work, boys." She glanced at the men of the SWAT team standing around, probably some ogling her. There was no sarcasm or contempt in her clear, smoky voice. "This is quite the prize. One Merlyn Trant and one Illyn Payne to get off the streets. I'd call this a successful day." She pushed forward and stood above Merlyn Trant, forcing him to raise his piggy eyes to met her. "Where's the boss bitch and her lover?"
Gendry smirked and could see a few others' lips turn up. Clearly this woman knew about the Lannister leadership. Whispered rumors floated about of the Lannister twins being more intimate than siblings should be but there was nothing to prove it. This dark-haired beauty spoke it as fact.
Merlyn Trant spit at her feet before continuing to glare at her.
She remained standing casually, effortlessly, as if this was just a friendly conversation over coffee in the park and not an interrogation with handcuffed prisoners and a dead, bloody body nearby. "Office Clegane, I want to question this one first when we get back to the station. No one else talks to him before me." She spoke with such authority, there was no ability to deny her command.
"Yes ma'am."
"Now, who shot our mute friend here?" The woman glanced at Illyn Payne, laying awkwardly beside Merlyn Trant.
Gendry stood at the end of the line of prisoners, near to Illyn Payne. His body turned so the prisoners were on his left and the woman and Clegane to his right, as if he alone stood in the chasm separating the two. His brothers stood behind the prisoners, watching silently. "I did." He could physically feel her steel eyes rake up his body to meet his blue ones. His mouth felt suddenly dry as her eyes held his for several moments.
"Good shots."
Her eyes turned back to Merlyn Trant and Gendry felt he could breath again. He looked over to his commanding officer, arms crossed over his chest. He wondered if Clegane despised this woman for taking over his typical role or he was amused by this show she was putting on. His radio chirped and Clegane answered it, telling the regular officers to arrive in five minutes with their squad cars. Gendry was distracted by the radio call and did not see the dead body rise slightly, aiming his hidden pistol at those on the SWAT team with their backs turned to him.
The woman did though. Before he could blink, she whirled and threw a small knife at the supposed dead man. The knife flew and sunk into the man's throat before he chanced firing his pistol. Trickles of blood seeped around the man's throat and he clawed at the knife, eyes open wide before falling to his side. Gendry stood frozen like his brothers and the men on the floor. It all happened so fast. If he could not clearly see the knife and blood now, he would have thought the scene was his imagination. Without a word, the terrifying beauty purposely strode over to the truly dead man now and yanked her knife out of his throat. She came back to the middle, holding the bloody knife in hand, red drops slipping over her fingers and onto the floor.
Her posture was still relaxed but her voice seethed. "Who checked the body?"
"I did. I shot 'im in the chest." Lem spoke, his yellow hair looking sickly in the dim lights.
Her movements changed as she stalked towards Lem, her look becoming predatory as her eyes pierced him through. Once she stood directly in front of him, she slowly wiped the blood off her knife on the sleeve of his shirt, eyes never leaving his. "You try and pull that shit again and I will remove your eyeballs from your head and gift them to someone who will actually use them to see." Her tone was low, dangerous and for a moment Gendry truly believed she would follow through on her threat. Before Lem could answer and do more than stare at her guiltily, she turned and walked back to Clegane's side. The knife slipped back up her sleeve as she surveyed the prisoners once more.
"You!" Trant spat out, his eyes staring at the woman with mixed shock, horror and loathing. "You're supposed to be dead, you fucking bitch!"
Her eyes darkened, mouth taut as she took the few steps forward and jammed her pointer and middle finger into Trant's collarbone on the right side. Trant cried out in pain, throwing his head back. Before he could resist her, she retracted her fingers and kicked him in the chest. His body fell back and he rolled to his side, his handcuffed hands breaking his fall, his face still contorted in pain.
Gendry wondered if it was wrong of him to be so turned on by her right now. She was beautiful and powerful, a fireball of passion and wrath. Images of things he would love to do to her in his bed crossed his mind and he forced himself to squint at Trant sprawled out on the floor groaning.
"Payne needs to be taken to a hospital. I want Trant transported back alone and taken to a holding cell immediately. Do what you want with the others." With that she walked towards the front exit, leaving the men dumbfounded in her wake. Clegane began sounding off orders but Gendry could not help watching the roll of her small hips as she walked away and wondering who she was.
Three hours later, Gendry sat wearily in his chair, staring at the paperwork spread out over his desk. He massaged the back of his neck, debating if he should get another cup of coffee or just push through even though his mind felt as if it was slowly shutting down. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands deciding to forgo the caffeine. If he had some this late he would never sleep tonight. It was approaching midnight and the long hours from the past several days and physical toil of the adrenaline spike during the raid was leaving him drained.
"Waters. Did we get a name yet for the dead bastard?"
Gendry yanked his head up as Clegane approached, his heavy boots pounding the floor with each step. Clegane stood next to Gendry's desk, one of the many in the large open room of the police department. "Not yet, his fingerprints weren't in our system so I'm checking the surrounding districts. He's young looking so I'm guessing he's a new recruit."
"Fuck them." Clegane's scowl deepened. "I hate how young these new recruits are, soon we'll be picking up kids."
A commotion near the front door drew the two men's attention momentarily but it was only a beat cop dragging in some drunken fool, trying to loudly sing a drinking song horrendously off-key. It was a Friday night after all so this was not an irregular occurrence.
Clegane continued speaking, a mischievous glint in his eyes this time that put Gendry on edge. "That woman that organized this whole operation, Cat she's called apparently, she's not quite done with us. Dondarrion informed me she is to get real time updates from us and nothing moves forward without her knowledge." He snorted, shaking his head. "I'll give it to her, she's a piece of fucking work."
"Did you find out who she works for?"
"She's a Faceless Man. I guess they've taken an interest in bringing down the Lannisters and she volunteered to spearhead the efforts."
Gendry's jaw dropped at the revelation. He hated to admit it but his mind had wandered to her and who she was on several occasions over the past three hours. The last time he saw her, she had a brief conversation with Clegane before disappearing into the holding room housing Trant. That had been an hour and half ago. He wondered what she was doing in there and if she was fine. Memories of her flinging her knife and kicking Trant reminded him that if anyone could get information out of Trant, it was probably her. She did not seem the kind to break or back down easily. A Faceless Man though! It explained her calm and calculating demeanor and authoritarian attitude. Faceless Men were a shadowy organization whose true goal and purpose was only known to themselves. They were based out of Braavos, across the Narrow Sea, so their time spent in Westeros was minimal. On the rare occasion, they stepped in and helped out law enforcement or government agencies if it suited their purposes but it was rumored that they really were a group of ruthless assassins. Whatever they were, their precision, resources and dedication were above reproach and when they stepped into a situation, there was no denying their presence nor authority.
"And with all the free time you have lately," the mischievous glint grew in Clegane's eyes as the rest of his features and posture remained stoic, "you've been chosen to be the liaison between us and her."
Gendry audibly groaned, much to Clegane's visible amusement.
"Let me know if you need anything and when those damn prints get back." Clegane smirked as he walked away, heading towards the Chief of Police, Beric Dondarrion's corner room office.
Gendry shook his head, annoyed and amused at his commanding officer. He should have seen this coming. Anytime the SWAT team had to work with another agency or persons, Clegane subtly, or not so subtly, pushed the job off onto him. Clegane was not a people person and came off harshly to most and although Gendry did not thrive in this position, he understood his tactics were more friendly and made for better work relations. The notion of having to keep in contact with this Faceless Man, Cat, was intriguing. Maybe this arrangement would not be so bad after all. He wondered if Clegane saw him staring at her and decided to do something about it.
Most of the SWAT team had left already, Giantsbane and Stone were inspecting the team's equipment in the storage room before they would head out. Gendry checked in with them then returned to his desk, hoping to wrap up soon. The room buzzed with activity as those on the night shift came in and out, phones ringing, someone yelling about keeping the coffee pot clean and the background sound of the news on the TV against a far back wall. Gendry was so fixated on the task before him and drowning out the noise that he did not realize someone approached him until they sat on the edge of his desk. He looked up, trying to hide his surprise and shock as perched on his desk was the very woman he was trying not to think of. Cat sat causally on the corner, one leg dangling off the desk, the other still on the ground.
"Waters, right?" She regarded him smoothly, holding his gaze.
"Yeah…you can call me Gendry." He stumbled out, hoping he did not sound like a bumbling idiot. That was the last kind of impression he wanted to leave with her.
"Alright, Gendry, you can call me Cat." Her pink lips turned up slightly. "I came to bring these back." Unceremoniously, she dropped a set of brass knuckles on his desk…the ones he had secretly hidden in his desk drawer.
"How did you…?" He quickly snatched them and thrust them into the drawer before anyone saw, hopefully.
She crossed her arms over her thin frame, amused and teased him. "I never figured you for an illegal weapons guy…you seem more by-the-book."
"They aren't mine…sorta. It's a long story." Truthfully they were Giantbane's but somehow they kept ending up in Gendry's desk. "Wait, what were you doing with them?"
She shrugged. "Trant and I had a lovely chat, those were to make sure he understood the consequences of lying."
He raised an eyebrow. "Did he believe you?"
"I had to test them out a bit but eventually yes." A predatory smile teased her lips, her eyes gleaming.
Staring at her, Gendry decided she was beautiful. Between her piercing steel eyes, that quick smile and sultry voice, he was entranced. The rest of her was just as appealing and attractive under the harsh, florescent lights. Her frame was lithe but she had all the right curves in all the right places that his eyes wanted to fixate on. Her presence fascinated him, the casual, relaxed way she carried herself even though he noticed the flecks of blood still on her knuckles, and the authority she spoke with. She was someone who knew who they were and their power. He bet she was incredible in bed…or anywhere for that matter.
"So, you're my liaison, huh?"
Her statement drew his mind back from the trail of…improper work-relations images his mind was conjuring. "Ah, yeah. Guess we'll get to know each other intimately." Soon as the words slipped out of his mouth he wanted to repeatedly hit his head against his desk. First, he sounded like a moron, and now he sounded like a creep. What stupid thing was he going to say next?
She stared at him for several moments as if testing his words and the meaning behind them. Her gaze was indiscernible but the fingers of her hand closest to him drummed along her ribs. "I guess so… would you like that?" Her voice suddenly soft and breathy, she uncrossed her arms and placed once behind her to lean back on. Her curves highlighted under the lights and her small chest rose and fell with each breath wonderfully.
He swallowed quickly, trying to regain his composure. Talking to her, he felt like some pre-pubescent boy who fumbled over his own tongue when trying to talk to a pretty girl. He was glad his tanned skin hid his blushes well. Before he could answer a shout echoed in the large room that silenced all the previous noises.
"Gods be good! Arya?"
Gendry followed the startled cry behind him, seeing Cat's eyes immediately darken and stare at the man.
Standing just outside of his office door, Police Chief Beric Dondarrion stared at the woman sitting casually on Gendry's desk, gaping at her like she was a ghost. Ignorant of the confused looks around him, Dondarrion slowly walked around the desks approaching Cat hesitantly, as if he moved too quickly she would either vanish into thin air or flee the building. His eye seemed unable to blink as he stepped forward, his other eye covered by it's patch. He stopped at the corner of the desk behind Gendry's, a few feet away from where Gendry and Cat sat. Gendry's eyes flittered back and forth quickly between his boss and the mysterious woman beside him. His mind scrambled to try and understand what was going on. How did Dondarrion know her? He saw Cat's eyes narrow and darken initially when he called out but within moments shift to an cautious look, masking whatever emotion she felt.
"Hello, Officer Dondarrion." Cat's eyes held the man's, her tone soft and almost sad, saying his name as a sigh.
Dondarrion slumped onto the desk, his tone revenant, still ignoring everyone in the room that was gawking at the strange interaction before them. "Gods, girl. We all thought you were dead…"
"Sorry to disappoint."
"Its been what…ten years since I last laid eyes on you. You had to have been, what, thirteen?"
"Twelve. You have an excellent memory, sir." She chuckled darkly.
He shook his head. "I'd never forget a face like yours. You have your father's look about you, the gray eyes and dark hair and his…presence. He was the most honorable man I ever knew."
Gendry awkwardly stared, not sure what else to do. He wondered if he should excuse himself but thought if he spoke up it would burst the moment and reality would flood back. Cat continued to stare, her face unreadable. Gendry noticed her posture was no longer relaxed like it had been when they were talking, but now tense like a snake before its strike. He queried what of their conversation had subtly put her on edge so…and if her name was Arya, why did she go by Cat? It felt like he was looking at a huge puzzle and most of the pieces were missing, giving him only a faint idea of what the whole picture should be.
Dondarrion continued talking, "if I have known you were the informant, I would have worked with you directly. We could have moved things along faster. Damn, where have you been?"
"Here and there," she murmured cryptically. "I didn't think it wise to broadcast my return. Besides, Officer Waters here is doing a splendid job of being my liaison and I think we'll get to know each other intimately." She flashed him an over-the-top, charming smile, causing his stomach to drop at his parroted words.
"Yes, yes. Officer Waters is an excellent officer. Gods… Arya Stark… you're alive and here. It's a damn miracle. You let me know if you need anything." Dondarrion shook his head again, still seeming to not believe what was before his eyes.
"Could I have a word with you in your office?"
"Of course." Dondarrion led her away, Gendry's gaze following, his mind still trying to grapple with what he just witnessed.
"You might want to stick your tongue back in before you start drooling on the floor." Giantsbane chuckled coming to stand where Cat, no Arya, had just been moments ago.
Gendry turned around, glaring at the redhead's implication but choosing to ignore it…for now. "How does Dondarrion know her?"
Of all the people in the department, Tormund Giantsbane seemed to know everyone and everything going on. So it did not surprise Gendry when Giantsbane began speaking confidently as if everything pouring from his mouth was fact. Which it probably was. "He said Stark, and ten years ago…I'm guessing she is a daughter of Ned Stark."
"Ned Stark…that Ned Stark?!"
"Yeah, the police chief before Dondarrion. The one who was murdered and the culprit never found. That one."
"Oh shit…" Gendry only knew some of the story since the event happened before he joined the force but those that were still around talked about the infamous Ned Stark with such reverence. He understood the man was a good police chief and respectable, going above and beyond to take care of his officers. One night after he got off at the station, on his way home, his car was shot up. His body was dragged from the car and head chopped off and hidden. There were rumors that the Lannisters had something to do with it since Stark was cracking down harder on Tywin's operation in King's Landing but nothing was proven. Ten years…Gendry almost choked on his own spit as the next revelation hit him. Cat, Arya, had said she was twelve when it happened…that made her twenty-two now. She seemed so much older, hardened by the world. He wondered what all she had gone through. It left an unpleasant taste in his mouth, especially with the thoughts he had been having about her. She was only five years younger than him but it suddenly felt…wrong.
"Hey, Gendry!"
Gendry raised his head to see Officer Hot Pie weaving through the desks towards him, a large cinnamon roll in hand. His beer belly jiggling comically, but his excessive weight came more from pastries and other desserts than actual beer. Normally Hot Pie worked the day shift but he was helping out a fellow officer whose wife recently gave birth to their first child. "Hey, what you got tonight?"
"Oh, a brawl downtown, one of the guys wants to press charges. We got them both in the pen currently." His face slightly flushed and breathing quickened but a huge smile on his chubby face.
Gendry took the papers from Hot Pie, immediately noting the couple sticky spots on them and hoped it was just icing from the cinnamon roll.
"Hey, catch you later, Waters." Giantsbane slapped Gendry's back friendly before walking away to go home.
"See ya!" Gendry called over before looking to Hot Pie. "Ok, I'll look at these in a minute."
"Thanks!" Hot Pie mumbled through a bite of cinnamon roll, bits falling out of his mouth. He sauntered away towards the kitchen and Gendry just laughed to himself. He wondered, not for the first time, if Hot Pie was in the wrong career field and should have been a chef or bakery owner. Something involving food. Gendry decided his other things could wait until tomorrow. Quickly reading Hot Pie's illegible handwriting and horrific grammar, he groaned realizing this report was not quite as open and shut as Hot Pie made it out to be. The two assailants had rap sheets long enough to receive a low whistle from him.
"Oh fuck me." He muttered, rubbing his eyes before starting to type up the rewritten report. He should have gotten that coffee when he was thinking about it earlier.
"Is that an invitation?"
He jumped as her sultry voice broke through his thoughts and realized she had returned to her prior spot. He had been so consumed in the report he had not heard her apparently. Actually he was not that consumed and wondered how she managed to be so stealthy and quiet. It was beginning to be unnerving and irritating. Then his mind caught up to what she said and he balked. "What?"
She winked at him causing his heart to beat irrationally. "Is this your direct line?" She held up her left hand and between her pointer and middle finger was his contact card…that he kept locked up in one of the drawers of his desk…opposite of the brass knuckles…how did she…?
"Yes," he stuttered out. He was fairly certain he had not given her one and Dondarrion would not have. When did she have the time to go through his locked desk?
"Good." She slipped it into her back pocket and he suddenly was envious of what his card got to touch and his hand could not. "I'll be in contact."
"Wait, shouldn't I get your number…in case we get a bite or something to let you know…or your email?"
She smirked. "I'll know if you find something. See you soon, Gendry." With that she sauntered away, head up, shoulders back, like a maelstrom of chaos and righteous indignation, ignoring the stares and ogling she received. He watched her until she walked out of the building and out of view, unable to help himself. His gaze froze on the doors as if staring would somehow bring her back so he could watch her hips sway as she moved, hear her sultry voice again and feel that unmistakable current of power and authority that swirled around her. Finally he shook his head and turned, trying to focus on the report needing to be rewritten before him. In all his years he scoffed at the idea of love at first sight thinking it was an overreaction. His mind, now, replaying their interactions and the scene back at the abandoned warehouse, he was not so sure anymore. There was something about her that he could not shake. As if she poisoned his blood with desire for her. He glanced at his phone. He really hoped they caught something about the Lannister organization soon. Now it was not just about his need for justice but to see this mysterious woman who somehow with a few words and a wink got under his skin and infused herself into his mind. It was irrational and stupid. He barely knew her. Yet her comment about an invitation caused his heartrate to spike and his blood to run straight to his manhood. Maybe he was not overreacting to much. He sighed and dug the heels of his hands into his eyes. They needed to take down the Lannisters soon, for the sake of the innocent blood that would be spilt. Yet his mind thought of stone gray eyes that pierced his soul. Who is she? He sighed. Gods, he was so screwed.