Alex got home with a smile on his face, pausing in the hall to stop himself laughing as he had waved like a happy five year old at the car parked, with the usual two spooks sat in it, across the street. He knew he was the only one home, both Liz and Edward's cars were gone. Sabina was rehearsing with the Drama Group at school an would not be back for another hour or so. He bounded upstairs to actually do some homework. The room still had the blinds down. The bed had been hastily made that morning. He then noted the lamp on his desk had changed position slightly, moved to a more oblique angle to the wall. Underneath the base of the anglepoise lamp was a note. Meet me in woods east of San Pedro Avenue off Laurel Glen Terrace. Alex frowned as he ripped the note up and flushed it down the toilet. That was where the teen liked to go running in the mornings. The note had been written on his own notepaper and with his own pen. He wondered what Yassen wanted and then second guessed himself. Here, he had family and home and he was going to chase after Yassen Gregorovich again. He should be running off in the opposite direction or telling the creeps outside that the big bad wolf was in town, only he would never trust those bastards with anything again.
With a big sigh, all thoughts of anything normal were a million miles away. What Alex really wanted was to sit on a beach and watch the waves with no thoughts of anything but the surf. There was nothing stopping him, only the lack of transport and his promise to Sabina not to do anything stupid. He wondered how closely the CIA Agents were watching him. He felt claustrophobic, lost and completely alone. He would sell his soul at this moment to be in Yassen's arms again, but he was a fool to trust that man. Or was he? The russian bad guy was more to him than anyone else. He had returned from the dead for him.
Alex suppressed the urge to scream at the top of his voice, the loud noise an outlet for his conflicting feelings. He then sat abruptly on the floor, breathing hard. He pulled out his phone, rather than calling his therapist, or his foster family he called the number of the school psychologist. A complete stranger, one not in on the whole spy stuff, one Alex talked to as a child survivor of a terrorist incident. This guy would be objective with no hidden agenda, be it the therapist on the CIA's books or the Pleasure's who had only taking him as a payment of a debt. Edward still felt crippling guilt over both Cray and McCain.
Steve that very afternoon had spoken quietly to Alex of feeling powerless, that squashing all the hurt and grief behind an emotionless mask, isolating himself would lead to a breakdown. Was he having a breakdown? The shrink at St Dominic's had surmised from the debriefing by Byrne in Cairo that Alex had already broken. After all he had suffered, all he had lost, he still could not disassociate his thoughts and feelings to attain the calm state of mind of a true sociopath. The school psychologist had stated that after all that had happened it was normal for Alex to feel different, separate from friends, his foster family, from everyone at school and it was his choice and his choice alone who he confided in. Alex had chosen his uncle's murderer as the only one he could relate to, who could relate to him. Maybe he was on the right track to becoming cold, detached, in control. The bastards at the bank and those working for Uncle Sam were as much to blame as Scorpia for all that had happened. Alex should feel angry, but after screaming out his frustrations he felt complete numbness.
Alex pressed the saved number for the softly spoken, calm, collected and completely nonjudgemental stranger. One, two, three then four rings before the man spoke an abrupt "Steve Svennson."
"Hi Steve, its Alex Rider. You said I could call anytime, if I needed to talk thing through. I... I really want to talk as ... well... I might be off to do something completely rash."
The california smiled at the kid's use of such quaint phases "Define rash, Alex?"
"I... I know this bloke and I connect with him, deeply. Deeper than with Sabina or Edward and Liz. I'm deciding wether to go meet him."
"A deep connection? Is that just friendship or a physical attraction?"
"Both, only he's a lot older than me. I ... I'm telling you this, so you know. I'm not making excuses or want you to talk me out of seeing this guy, but I may be making a monumental mistake, but you said I was the only one I could decide who I confided in. I'm choosing him."
"Can I have a name and a location for this meeting? I can act as chaperone, if you want."
Alex paused, having made up his mind to see Yassen, all he better that someone knew he was off being irrational and impulsive. "I'm a big boy. I can look after myself. See you on Monday, I'll talk about what a fool I've been then."
...
Alex dressed in loose clothes and snuck across the garden and over the fence to the property fronting onto North San Pedro Road and jogged south to his rendezvous.
Mike Del'Alio checked the house with a show perimeter check. The subject was no longer in the house as he saw a shadow jump over the garden fence. He quickly ran back to the car.
"Get the engine started, Rodrigez and get to North San Pedro ASAP, Rider is dressed in dark jogging bottoms and a blue hooded top." After two weeks of the most boring stakeout, the kid was off doing something not to his set routine. This was meant to be a honey trap for the Scorpia assassin, Cossack. Only that had been a no show. The kid, knew he was being tailed and had so far let then them think he was unaware of the protection detail. They had not warned the Pleasure's they were at risk.
Alex knew the car would be after him and jumped across another garden to the north end of Schmidt Lane and then across the baseball park and tennis courts to Lowell Avenue; making his way to the meeting avoiding the main road, only crossing to head dow San Pedro Avenue when he was certain he'd lost his tail.
...
Yassen was perfectly hidden in the brush woodland, as he watched Alex jog slowly down the trail. He saw there were no observers as he waited until Alex had reached the tree cover before breaking from his hiding place.
"Afternoon, Alex." the russian spoke softly as the teen passed him.
Alex almost jumped out of his skin and turned to see the russian was wearing full camouflage, part of the forest like the expertly trained sniper he was. Rather than swearing or showing his alarm. Alex smiled coyly "Afternoon, yourself handsome."