Chapter 9
In the luminous lighting of the room, she finished packing her various belongings back into her bag. She still was not used to sharing her living space with another human being again, especially one as large and flatly masculine as Cole Blackburn. His presence in the other half of the suite was both a lure and an irritant.
Her mind kept wandering trying to figure out exactly where they were escaping. She suspected somewhere guarded, and isolated. Where it would only be her and him. Alone. With no one around. She blinked putting the last of her clothing into her bag. The idea did not strike her as horribly as she wanted it to. She had to admit. She liked knowing that Cole was around. That he was strong. She shook her head not allowing the image of Cole's steamed wet body invade her mind.
Zipping the bag closed she leaned back from where she was bending over the plush bed feeling a soft thud right between her breastbone. She looked down. There on her neck sat the diamond. Subconsciously her fingers went to the edges of it, stroking it. The conversation from the day prior flooded her thoughts. As she gazed down at the large flawlessly green diamond in her hands, the sound of a huge crash came from behind her.
She whipped her head around feeling the diamond thump down on her again. The source of the noise had come from behind the open double door that conjoined Coles and her rooms together. Cole had suggested that they keep it open at all times. She began to walk towards the door. All was quite.
As she entered the section of the suite that was his. Pictures of him walking around the corner completely bare popped into her head. She kicked herself for thinking that. As she did so she noticed an extra light coming from around the corner. She walked towards it spotting that it was shining from underneath a door. Coming up to it she questioned whether or not to open it.
Deciding she held her hand out opening the door.
A quick gush of steam rushed out from the room evaporating as soon as it reached the cooler air leaving a slight mist before her. She walked through. Spotting a marbled white sink in the corner she grasped that it was the bathroom.
"Cole," she said deciding to warn him of her presence if he was in there.
No answer came. She walked on coming to the end of the bathroom. Nothing appeared to have fallen or created the crashing noise in some way. She began to turn, leaving the bathroom until something caught her eye. Written into the steamed glass of the shower was four letters. T, R, A and the beginning of what looked to be either an I or a T. She walked closer examining it. The rest of the letters seemed to have disappeared where the steam had begun to clear making it impossible to read the word. She stepped back looking at the mysterious letters.
Cole stepped out of the shower completely soaked. Drying himself off he walked out of the bathroom into his part of the suite grabbing his bag. He had completely forgotten about having company in the room directly across from his. Turning his head, he looked to the left realizing that he was standing in front of the door connecting their rooms naked. Quickly he ran back into the bathroom to grab a towel.
Reaching the room, he stopped dead in his tracks. Written in the steam of his glass shower was the word 'TRAITOR'. Quickly he scanned the area looking for any sign of an intruder. None, the room was completely empty. Cole grabbed a towel wrapping it around his waist as he slipped out of the bathroom, shutting the door.
Walking back over to the bed where his bag sat he knew exactly what the message meant. He would have to contact him. Tell him that he didn't know what he was talking about and he had to be quick about it or he would now he had been lying.
Cole quickly dressed. Pulling the shirt over his head he turned his head spotting Wilhelmina through the entrance of the two doors. Her head rapidly snapped around as she hastily busied herself with something. He smiled to himself knowing exactly what type of affect his body was having on her.
~x~
Making his way to the top of the ship, Cole swiftly located what looked like to be a janitor's closet. He opened it letting himself in.
Once safely locked inside Cole felt his pocket producing a cell phone in his right hand. He flipped in open. The light from the cell phones screen penetrated the vast darkness of the small closet. He did not turn the light on for he didn't need it. Holding down the 7 key the phone instantly began to ring.
"Cole." He said as the phone beeped.
"It's about time you called," came the deep accented voice from the other end.
"I was held up." Cole said knowing how much it ticked the man off to joke.
"Where are you right now," The man said as more of a statement rather than a question.
"Getting closer."
"Closer?" The voice from the other end asked. "Closer as in you'll have finished the job in a day or a month Cole."
"I told you I've been held up."
"Cole," the man said his tone clearly irritated. "I don't have room for mistakes. Your job was to help get her here in one piece."
Cole felt himself tighten, "And I shall. You don't trust me?"
"No."
"Well," Cole said annoyed, "I'll leave her here and you can come get her If you want to do it yourself."
"You know I can't do that," Came the voice.
"So you need me. I think were done questioning my reliability."
The man on the other end heaved a great sigh, defeated.
"Oh and by the way," Cole said, "The next time you plan on sending someone into my area let me know."
There was no answer from the other end as the person on the other side hung up.
Shutting the phone Cole found the door handle in the immense darkness. Reopening the door he squinted the afternoon sun burning his dilated eyes.
Walking out into the sun he smiled to himself. He was such a convincing liar. He even fooled himself.
Wilhelmina stood there at the foot of Cole's bed staring at the stack of papers on his desk. She walked over still looking at them. Tucked under the massive pile was cream-colored envelope. She blinked recognizing it.
Walking up to it, she reached for the letter knocking over a few pieces of paper on the top. Written on the front of the envelope was the name 'Wilhelmina' in perfect cursive. She ripped it open.
Seeing the similar writing, she read it aloud to herself.
"Wilhelmina, do not trust anyone. I know you are very good at being protective of…"
Her sentence was cut off as she heard the front door to the rooms locks spring to life. Turning she quickly stored Connors letter in the band of her skirt behind her back.
Through the door came the tall muscular figure of Cole.
"Wilhelmina," He said spotting her. His eyes shifted from her frozen figure to the stack of papers to the various papers scattered on the floor. "What are you doing?"
Wilhelmina stood there completely frozen, she had to think fast. Quickly she calmed her body tapping into her 'Work Wilhelmina' self.
"I was coming to ask where you had put my black dress; I was planning on going to the restaurant for dinner."
Cole nodded, "It should be hanging in the closet."
Wilhelmina nodded moving backwards heading towards the door back to her room. She kept her gaze locked with Coles never turning as to not let him see the letter concealed behind her back.
Once back at the door she reached behind her grabbing the letter, as she did so she turned shutting the door behind her. She took in a deep breath of air closing her eyes, that was close.
Daniel sat there at his table admiring the décor of the restaurant La Reve. It was a place he could totally see himself enjoying. Except for the fact that at that very moment he looked up. There underneath the huge diamond chandelier was Wilhelmina. The lighting in the room hit her illuminating the diamond on her neck. It glowed green casting a vivid shadow over the gold walls. She walked into the restaurant. Daniel gulped. He had to go, she still didn't know of his presence and he wasn't sure he wanted her to. Daniel signaled over a waiter.
The man could go fast enough. Daniel watched as Wilhelmina took a seat at a table not too far from his. All the eyes in the room were glued on her and her glistening diamond. Reaching for his glass, he realized that she was alone. No Cole? Daniel turned his head scanning the room for any sight of him. Nothing. Maybe she was alone. He took a chance and looked at her.
She was sat there looking at the menu that had been placed in front of her. If he didn't know better he would say that she was intensely reading it. But something was wrong. Something in her eyes looked off. Daniel stared noticing that she had a slightly glazed look covering them as if she was troubled.
Cutting off his train of thought the waiter came back.
"Your check," Daniel turned to the man signaling for him to stop talking, "Mr. Meade?"
He closed his eyes hoping she was far enough away to not have heard. Daniel stood up taking the check as he quickly headed for the exit.
"Daniel?"
His heart beat stopped as he froze dead in his tracks. He turned seeing that her eyes had popped up from where they had been attached to her menu.
"What the hell are you doing here?
He walked closer trying to think of an excuse.
"Uh.. I'm," Nothing.
Her eyes narrowed as the shock washed off her face.
He decided to go for the truth knowing that she would make it come out somehow, "I followed you here."
"How?" She said, her eyes widening.
"From the ball to the plane to here."
She gasped. Realizing that the room had gone quiet and every eye was on them she stopped talking motioning for a waiter to come over.
"We are going to need a private table."
~x~
Daniel sat down watching as she tipped the waiter for the table in the back. She was turned from him. As she turned back he realized that the dress she was wearing was completely nonexistent from right underneath the top of her ribcage wrapping around her back. With every step she took he could see her skin glisten where the fabric was not. She came close sitting at the other end of the table, her hair falling down on her shoulders as she did so.
"Care to explain why in the hell you thought it was ok to follow me?"
Daniel gulped. Her blue eyes stared through him. Every time she breathed, a glint of green would reflect in her eyes from the diamond.
"I told you from the beginning, I don't like Cole."
"Though it was your idea to hire him."
Daniel looked away not keeping her gaze.
"That still doesn't answer why you followed me? Wait how did you get onto the plane without me noticing?" Her eyes shifted looking at him with the tiniest sign of interest in them.
"I hid in the bathroom."
Her eyes flashed, opening only slightly wider in amusement.
"And you're telling me you did this because you didn't like Cole?"
He looked up instantly regretting it. His eyes met hers. Her eyes looked through him as she raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," He said looking down once again, "I don't trust him."
She moved ever so slightly but he caught the look in her eyes as he said the words 'don't trust.'
"What?" He asked.
"What?"
"What was that?"
"What was what," she said immediately getting on the defensive.
"You shifted when I said I don't trust Cole. Speaking of Cole where is he?"
She looked down pretending to be completely interested in her napkin, "He's not coming."
"Why?"
She kept on fiddling with her napkin not daring to look at him. He looked up at her trying to catch her eye, he wasn't going to have it, she would speak. He shot his hand out covering hers, making her stop playing with the napkins. She looked up at him a look of pure shock on her face.
"Why?" He asked again.
She looked into his eyes and sighed.
"He's been acting strangely."
"Oh like just a week ago you met and now he's convinced you to run away with him strange?"
She looked at him with no humor in her eyes.
"No, he had his reasons for that."
"Oh really what?"
"Daniel I was attacked."
He froze not knowing what to say.
"And you weren't there to protect me so don't even bother trying to use that excuse for being here."
"But you said he was acting strange?"
She shifted again, the anger that was in her eyes fading again.
"I… He told me about my diamond last night. And how he thinks it--"
"Was stolen," he answered for her. Her eyes widened.
"How did--"
"I heard you last night."
A silent understanding hit Wilhelmina as she sat there realizing that Daniel knew just about everything so there was not any reason not to tell him the rest.
"I also found this."
Daniel watched as she pulled out a white paper from the cut out in her dress.
"What else are you keeping in there?"
Daniel stifled his laugh as no smiled showed up on her face. She let out a shaky breath handing the note to him. He instantly recognized the handwriting as he read the note.
"Why would he keep that from me?" she said as Daniel finished the note.
"Because you can't trust him."
"Daniel," She said warningly.
"What? The note even said so."
She sighed looking at him."
"Look go back to your room and watch him. I am in room 2013A. Call me if you need anything."
She nodded knowing that there was no use arguing as Daniel signaled for a waiter. She wanted to find out what Cole was up to.
Taking the note, she folded it in half tucking it back in the skirt part of her dress.
He watched as she stood up smoothing her dress and beginning to walk away. As she turned he noticed something he had never seen before. At the edge of the slit where the fabric didn't cover on her back a slight black curve poked out on her skin. He blinked trying to spot it again as the waiter came up blocking his view.
"Your check Mr. Meade?"
She walked into her dark room turning on a lamp. It was dead silent. Walking around to her bed she spotted the door that connected the two rooms together. Heading towards it she noticed Coles room was completely empty. She had only been gone thirty minutes from the allotted hour she had told him. Deciding that he wasn't expecting her and had decided to go out she walked into his room flicking on the lights. Sitting on the desk next to his bed was a computer. She walked over to it shaking the mouse. As it popped back to life she caught a glimpse of a file before the screen went dark asking her for a password. She sat down on the edge of the bed feeling the diamond around her neck move with her. Looking down at it she pondered what password he would use. Then getting an idea she began to type. She stopped herself before pushing 'enter'. What would happen if she got it wrong? Just as she decided against it a noise pierced the silence in the room. Turning her head she heard it again. It was a muffled buzzing. Almost as if whatever was buzzing was set on something that was making it louder. The noise came again and she stood up following the sound. Turning she spotted a wooden desk on the other side of the room. She walked over to it. The noise came again, from inside the desk. She held her hand out to open it. It was locked.
A/N: To understand the dress shes wearing i suggest searching up meade_slater on google (its called oysters and pyromania!). Ill put a picture there soon! and if your not apart of it!... You'd better join!
