Chapter 6: Agent Deverauax's Introduction

"Got any two's?" Sam asked, his eyes peering at me over his hand. He had believed that he was a go-fish master since we were kids. That hadn't changed and he pulled out a deck of cards as soon as I mentioned being bored. So far, we had played three rounds and he had won two of them. I'm sure he was also trying to distract me from my fears. Last night I wasn't under the influence of the pain medicine and my sleep was plagued with nightmares. I woke up often in a cold sweat or in tears. Sam was my light in the dark. He sat up with me until I went back to sleep and I managed to get a few hours of rest. "Hmm..." I browsed my hand and smirked up at my brother. "Go-fish."

"Come on!" he laughed, drawing a card from the deck. "I haven't taken any cards from you yet. Are you cheating?" "Sam, do you have any kings?" I asked, avoiding his question. I wasn't cheating, but I was going to win this game and tie things up. Sam frowned and handed over his king and I took another turn. "Do you have any...?" "Miss Robbins?" I looked to the door to see Detective Khan poking his head into the room. Sam put his hand down and rose from his chair. Our mom was taking a nap on a couch beneath the window and he went to wake her. She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, as Detective Khan stepped into the room. "Is now a good time?"

"Of course." I answered. My brother and mom came to stand next to my bed, my mom slipping her hand into mine. "Detective Khan, this is my family. My mother, Andrea, and my brother, Sam."

"I am glad you could make it here to see Noelle. I am the lead detective for the case." Detective Khan said, shaking hands with the two of them. He paused while shaking hands with my mother and smiled at her. "Your daughter was very brave, Mrs. Robbins. She is going to be a vital part to putting the culprit behind bars."

"She's always been resilient." my mom said, catching my gaze. "I take it you will do everything you can to keep her safe?"

"Absolutely. In fact, that is the very reason I am here." Detective Khan asked for my mom and brother to take a seat before he began. Once they were seated, he cleared his throat then began to speak. "If Noelle hasn't told you already, she is going to be put into our best witness protection program. She will be given a new identity and will be taken into hiding with one of the best agents available. It may take months, maybe a year or two, at the most to catch Fletcher Morrison. He is a slippery criminal that we've been looking for now for a while. Noelle will remain under the careful eye of our agent until we catch him and can take him to court. She will have everything she needs provided for during her time in the protection program. It will be much easier and safer this way. Do you have any questions?"

None of us did, so Detective Khan continued. "If you give me just a moment, I need to go and grab the agent we've assigned to you." Detective Khan strode out of the room and I looked between my mom and Sam. Mom was looking emotional, as expected. I was surprised she hadn't broken down again like she had yesterday. Sam was a soldier. He powered through the toughest of situations and little to nothing bothered him. I was still a little out of it, a lingering effect of the pain medicine I had been given. This was scary and I wished I could see how things would turn out. Not knowing was what made me so frightened. After everything was over, at least I would rest easy and be able to see the people I love again. Detective Khan walked in and behind him followed the most peculiar looking man I had ever seen.

When I say peculiar, I don't mean that he had a third arm or something such as that. The man was peculiar because he wore a black mask over his face. It framed his yellow, cat-like eyes and covered everything but his mouth and chin. Those eyes peered down his sharp, angled nose at my family and then, eventually, me. He was tall and appeared to be quite thin, but if one looked close enough you could see the toned body. His hair was as black as his mask and was slicked back, not a hair out of place. I was shocked slightly to think that this was the agent assigned to protect me. I had imagined a man that looked like he had gone to the gym every day since his first year of high school. Nothing could have prepared me for this... odd man. I prayed silently that Detective Khan had not lost his mind by picking this agent.

"Miss Robbins, this is Agent Erik Deveraux." Detective Khan introduced, glancing up at the agent that towered over him. "He will remain here with you until the hospital releases you. After that, the two of you will head immediately to the disclosed location he has selected. I will be in contact with him if anything arises and may even need to speak to you."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Sam asked, rising from his chair. My eyes flashed to him, wondering what he was going to do.

"Sam, sit down." mom said. "Please."

"Mister Robbins, please," Detective Khan said, taking a step forward. "He is the best we have available. Your sister will be in excellent hands."

He didn't listen and approached Agent Deveraux. The major height difference nor the build of the man's body deterred my brother. Getting right up and close to the odd-looking agent, he frowned. "What kind of agent is this? He looks like he stepped right out of the Phantom of the Opera. What are you going to do to protect my sister? Steal her away to an underground..." Sam did not get the chance to finish because Agent Deveraux had grabbed him around the neck.

"Your sister is not safe anywhere, Mister Robbins." Sam did not react except for grabbing at the hand around his neck. Agent Deveraux's eyes were practically glowing with a quiet rage. Sam had crossed a line. He would have been better off keeping his mouth shut. Detective Khan attempted to speak to Agent Deveraux, but his words were ignored. "If you'd like her to be safe, though, I suggest keeping your mouth shut. There are people who know what to look for if given the right description. Complain again about my ability to protect your sister and I promise you that someone will find her."

"Erik!" Detective Khan snapped, gaining the agent's attention. He let go of Sam, who stumbled back and into my mother. She had stood from her chair and was now looking over Sam. "Step out into the hall. Now."

"Don't leave on my account." Sam snapped, pushing our mom's worrying hands away from him. He snatched up his jacket and pushed past Detective Khan and Agent Devearaux. "I'm going back home. Love you, Noelle."

"Sam, come back." our mom said, following him as he left the room. I wanted to call out to him to come back, but stopped short when I noticed the look Agent Deveraux was giving Detective Khan.

"I apologize, Miss Robbins." Detective Khan said awkwardly, clearing his throat. "I hope that Agent Deveraux hasn't caused you any stress by his actions."

"Not at all." I lied. "Sam has always been a bit of a hot-head. He had no right to act as he did."

"If you want another agent assigned, I could..."

"No, no, no." I interrupted, noting how Agent Deveraux's eyes widened at my protest. "It is fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure." I felt bad for how Sam acted, but I could not believe how the agent had reacted. That was far from the reaction I had expected. It was a bit frightening, but I could tell that he knew what he was doing. If this was what he was like all the time, I knew that I would be safer for it.

"Alright then." Detective Khan looked at his watch and frowned. "I would stay, but I have a meeting to get to. Agent Deveraux will remain here with you."

"Thank you, Detective Khan." I said.

"You're welcome." He turned to Agent Deveraux and shook his hand. "Good luck. I will leave you two to get acquainted." With that said, he left the room and I was alone with this mystery of a man.

Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth to ask him a question, but was interrupted. "I am not one to answer a lot of questions, Miss Robbins." He took a seat in the corner of the room, resting one of his legs over the other. "You may ask five questions, but not at the moment. You need to rest."

"But..."

"Rest." I huffed in annoyance. Who was he to tell me what to do? Of course, I knew I needed rest, but I wanted to figure him out. What was with the mask? Where is he from? How did he start working in the witness protection program? He did not let me get a word in and I was furious for that. Our eyes met and I glared at him. His gaze battled with mine, neither of us looking away. "I know what you are thinking, Miss Robbins. No one has ever figured me out and you will be no different. Now rest or I will go sit in the hall so that you can do so without distraction."

"Fine." I mumbled, pulling the blanket over my arms. As I closed my eyes, I wondered if this was really the best decision. How long would I be able to put up with Agent Devearaux if he was like this all the time? Not long, let me tell you that. Nevertheless, he was the best candidate to keep me safe until Fletcher Morrison was caught. That was the deciding factor and I knew all would be fine as I drifted off to sleep.

A/n: What do you think of Erik, my dear readers? I hope to hear from you! Ta for now!