Chapter 9
Sydney had intended to do as Sark had told her to and proceed to the secondary extraction point as instructed. Then she remembered the necklace. She had to get it before she left. If Sark hadn't picked up on what it was before she knew that given time he'd figure it out. She couldn't let that happen. She remembered he'd left his suit coat upstairs in their suite. He had put the necklace in the pocket this morning. It was possible it was still there. She hesitated, not sure which way to go. He needed her out of here - he'd been very clear about that. But she had to go back or risk exposure. It'll just take a minute, she told herself, heading quickly back to their suite.
Going back the way she'd come, she passed by the surveillance room. She cautiously peered in through the window of the door. It was deserted. Sark had already left. She gave way to a sigh of relief and moved on past it, creeping up the back stairwell. When she reached their floor she checked the hall before running to their door and slipping quietly into their suite. Her eyes went immediately up to the ceiling. No light, she noticed, forlornly. No Vaughn. She went over to where he'd laid his coat when he'd come in earlier. Finding it still there, she grabbed it and franticly searched through the pockets. There was nothing. The necklace wasn't there.
'Damn.' She panicked. She tried to think. She made a visual sweep of the room. What would he have done with it, she wondered.
"It's down here," a loud, angry voice was saying. She could hear heavy footsteps approaching. She turned towards the door where the sound was coming from. It was Korin's voice, she realized. He was coming.
"That Son of a bitch thinks he can do this to me...," he was ranting.
Sydney dashed for the bedroom and retrieved the gun Sark had hidden for her under the bed. She'd just finished stuffing it into the front of her pants and covering it with Sark's shirt when they came barging through the door. She looked as startled as she felt. She hadn't had time to formulate a plan. Oddly, her first thought was of Sark. She knew he would be suspicious if he found out she'd come back. He'd known about the disk and perhaps even suspected she was up to something but she felt sure he didn't know anything yet. She could have explained the extra copy away if she had to. She could have told Sloane she made the extra disk as a precaution because she hadn't trusted Sark to bring it back. Sloane knew she didn't like Sark. He would believe her. He couldn't prove she'd done anything really wrong. Not before this. Now he'd question what was so important she'd jeopardize the mission to come back for.
"Well, well...." Korin purred menacingly upon seeing her through the doorway. "What do we have here? Don't tell me Mr. Sark left a defenseless creature such as yourself up here all alone."
'Defenseless creature my ass..'she thought to herself. But she immediately affected Enya's demeanor and lowered her gaze in a submissive stance. She could hear Sark's voice in her head telling her, 'Stick to the profile exactly. I will be depending upon you to do so.' What else could she do? She needed time to think. So she stood motionless and waited for Korin to make his move.
"Come out here woman," Korin instructed harshly.
She did a quick check to see if the gun was exposed. It wasn't. Sark's shirt was big enough to cover her easily. Slowly she moved forward, looking very pained. She took her time getting to him, pretending to be frightened; not that she wasn't. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She fought the urge to attempt an escape; worried it may not be good for Sark if she did, that it might compromise him.
"It is unfortunate Mr. Sark didn't show more wisdom and remove you from this situation." Korin observed as she came forward. "It's unlike him to be so careless." Sydney didn't respond. She kept her eyes lowered, taking pains to appear complacent and scared.
He stood in front of her. "You are extraordinary," he admitted, looking her over in great detail. "I can see why he values you so much."
"However, it's unlike him to exhibit such poor judgment." He continued, thinking out loud. "Perhaps his reasoning has become skewed. Perhaps this has something to do with you." He looked at her. "After what I've witnessed this evening,.... I could understand." She didn't speak but her eyes got very wide, as if surprised.
He began pacing. "Do you know what he's done to me?" He asked suddenly, stopping. "Do you?" He shouted at her, sounding desperate.
She began to force tears out of her eyes, as she shook her head no.
'If he lays one hand on me I swear,....' she thought. But surprisingly he didn't.
"However," he went on, "this does put me in a very favorable position. You see Mr. Sark is not a man easily influenced. He can be somewhat volatile and unpredictable." He shot her a commissary look. "I can imagine he is not an easy man to live with."
He watched her face for a reaction, but she didn't react. It disconcerted him. She reminded him of Sark himself in some ways, only feminine and, of course, prettier. For a second he wondered if she was just as dangerous. He discounted it. "You are very quiet Enya." He remarked idly. "That's a fine quality in a woman." He looked her over again. "You have many fine qualities." Korin was circling her now, like prey. She felt like dinner.
"My problem in dealing with such a man," he went on, "is that his employer is so very protective of him. It makes our business arrangements very one- sided." He said with an air of dissatisfaction. "I came here to deal with Sark, but perhaps now that I have you, he will have to deal with me." He smiled darkly. He had long looked for some way to balance the scales between them.
Sydney tried to weigh her options, consider the best route to take. There were only two guards with him. They also seemed to be closing in on her. That was when Sark walked in through the door.
His shock at seeing her there was evident as he took in the scene. For a moment he looked confused, then angry, then nothing. His face went completely blank. He whipped out his gun and he leveled it at Korin. Korin's guards in turn pulled out their guns and leveled them at Sydney.
Korin was the first to speak. "Mr. Sark, I'm glad you could finally join us. We have been waiting for you. I believe you have something of mine. And now, ...," he said, motioning to Sydney, "it seems we have something of yours."
"Indeed." Sark said flatly, looking briefly over at her.
"If you'd like for her to leave here in her as yet 'untouched' state, I suggest you put your gun down." Korin instructed.
Only he didn't. He seemed to be thinking it over. Sydney could guess what he was thinking. He would know Korin hadn't captured her on her way out. He would have cleared her exit. She had betrayed him by coming back. He would already be wondering why she did. He couldn't trust her now. On the other hand, she was all he had. It couldn't be an easy choice to make. He looked extremely annoyed. Eventually he seemed to come to a decision and he tossed his gun to the ground. She could pretty much read his mind from his expression. 'Bloody hell Syd,' he was thinking as he gave in.
Korin smiled at his apparent victory.
"Enya may leave now." Sark stated rather than asked.
'Oh my god,' she thought, genuinely surprised, 'he's actually going to try to negotiate for me.'
"Not yet." Korin objected.
"We are civilized men here Korin, there is no need to involve a woman in our dealings." Sark said evenly, appealing to Korin's sexist tendencies.
"Yes, it is distasteful." He conceded. "Normally I would agree with you. However, I don't believe you're in a position to make demands. And I fear the predicament that you yourself are responsible for putting me in will require a little leverage on my part to rectify. Therefore, until we can work this all out, she stays."
"I do see your point." Sark admitted. "However, to be clear, regardless of what you think I've done, I can assure you my employer will not tolerate this behavior towards me."
Korin seemed to falter slightly. It was true his employer had an uncanny way of fulfilling Sark's threats. His settling of scores had been consistently bone-chillingly effective. Korin had heard several stories......
Sark shifted his gaze to Sydney.
"Enya, come." He said sternly. With a nod of his head he motioned her over to him. She found herself thinking it amazing how just one move of his could put her by his side. She rushed over and he pulled her protectively into his arms. He cradled her head against his chest with his hand. For whatever reason, she realized, he was going to try to play this out. In keeping, she trembled slightly against him. He bent his head down and gently kissed her temple, soothing her.
"Are you alright?" He asked her. He tilted her chin up to look her over. His eyes adored her and his voice was so soft he sounded almost frantic. It threw her a little. "Are you?" He asked again, purposely locking his eyes with hers. She nodded she was, trying to read him.
"This is very touching, Mr. Sark, but our predicament remains unchanged." Korin reminded him irritably.
Ignoring him, Sark asked specifically, "Did these men touch you?" Emphasizing the words 'these men' by upping his voice an octave. It was just enough. Sydney understood he was asking if there were any more guards. "It's all right angel, you can tell me." He assured her. He was telling her to trust him, to go along. Slowly, she nodded her head no. There weren't anymore.
"If you think I can just let you walk out of here, taking my entire operation with you, I'm afraid you're mistaken." Korin informed him.
Sydney hugged herself against him, whimpering, pressing the gun into his side.
"What you have robbed me of tonight has taken me years to acquire. I suspect even your employer will understand any action I may be required to take in order to secure it's return." Korin justified.
"Perhaps." Sark answered, distractedly, looking thoughtfully down at her. He caressed her bruised cheek tenderly with his finger. Sydney very discreetly lowered her eyes in the direction of the gun hidden below. When she looked back up at him she had a conspiratorial glint in her eye.
"As I was saying," Korin continued, becoming annoyed with Sark's ambivalence and wanting resolution, "you have something of mine and now I want it back. I believe, Mr. Sark, we can quite easily come to an understanding in this matter."
But Sark didn't appear to be listening to him anymore. Staring into her eyes, he tilted his head in amusement. A small affectionate smile lit the corners of his mouth. "That's my girl," he whispered. She smiled back demurely, as Enya would.
Sark's expression changed dramatically then. Turning back to Korin, throwing Sydney behind him, he whipped out her gun and shot both his guards, killing them instantly. They hadn't had time to return fire. He then turned his gun on Korin who had already raised his gun in return. They stood there eyeing each other, in a tense standoff, both fully prepared to fire.
"Be careful Mr. Sark, things are quickly getting out of hand." Korin advised him evenly.
"It is time for you to leave, Enya." Sark announced, his voice suddenly abrupt and hard.
Sydney was confused. They could get out of there now, both of them. It didn't make sense he only wanted her to leave. He was staying in character, she noticed. She looked at him curiously, narrowing her eyes, trying to read him. She tried to go to him but he stopped her.
"Damn it Enya," he hissed, turning his attention back to Korin, "you can't stay with me. I need to finish this and I don't want you here." He moved purposely away from her. "I will arrange for a car to pick you up in front of the hotel." He said firmly. "Wait for me downstairs. I will be down shortly to say goodbye."
Still she didn't move. She just stood there looking up at him, trying to read his expression. But his face held no expression. He was somewhere else.
"Go." He said severely.
She could see she had no choice. She put her head down submissively, as Enya would, and walked out of the suite, closing the door behind her.
After she left, Korin said, his voice full of admiration, "She's priceless."
"Isn't she?"
Sark slowly lowered his gun and Korin tentatively did the same.
"I didn't betray you," Sark informed him straight off. "It was Slovak. You were correct in suspecting me, I did go after your database tonight but I did so only as a precaution. My employer had received information from a reliable source that there was a third party accessing your files. It was our concern that in an effort to drive up your price you and Slovak engineered the disk robbery in order to market it to a rival agency. When I accessed your files it became evident the deception came from Slovak and not yourself. Congratulations, you'll be allowed to live."
Korin was visibly relieved, though clearly confused. "I don't understand." He said.
"Slovak was working with the CIA." Sark announced. Korin's eyes opened wide in astonishment.
"I have proof." He assured him.
Where is Slovak?" Korin asked slowly.
"He's dead. It couldn't be helped." Sark answered, matter of fact. "But that's another matter entirely."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because you don't have the choice." Sark answered seriously. "Now, I have recovered the information you lost and I am willing to return it to you as a measure of good faith between us."
Korin was surprised. "Good faith?" He questioned doubtfully.
"Mr. Korin, we are business men. You're valuable to me in that you have something I want. I'm valuable to you.. obviously. Precarious as our current situation appears to be, we have a long history of successful transactions between us. I believe it would be shortsighted to bring such an abrupt end to our association. My employer is very generously willing to overlook this incident and continue with the purchase of the disk as originally planned now that I have indeed recovered all copies of the disk in question." Korin could see Sark was once again fully himself now. It was oddly comforting, even under the circumstances.
"In exchange?" Korin asked cautiously.
"In exchange you will give me the film of Slovak and the girl."
"But why? What good is that now?"
"I have my reasons."
Korin accepted this. He had no choice but to accept it. "Is there anything else?" He asked.
"Yes, I want the girl as well."
"The girl?" Korin looked confused.
"She'll be leaving with me tonight. I will expect her to be delivered to me within the hour, along with the film of course. At which time you will receive payment for the disk as we previously agreed. I will also return your missing files."
Korin was puzzled. "Why do you want the girl? You're not interested in -
"Don't be vile." Sark cut him off. He shook his head in disgust. "Grown men playing with children, it's entirely repulsive. Not to mention sloppy and bad for business. I expect you never to enter into such an arrangement again or I promise you I will kill you myself."
He could see Sark was very serious about this. "Is that all?" He asked again.
"For now. Do we have an agreement?"
Korin considered it for a moment, though the end result had obviously been a forgone conclusion. "Yes, we do." He affirmed.
They both put their guns away inside their coats.
"Excellent. My employer will be pleased."
"Do give him my regards."
Sark nodded. "I'll do that."
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Sydney was waiting impatiently in front of the hotel when Sark came out a short while later. Maurice was standing close by, looking pained. He probably wanted to be of some service but since he was unable to actually address her, it was an uncomfortable situation for him. Sydney ignored him completely.
"Mr. Sark," he rushed gratefully up to him, relieved to have him finally arrive, "I arranged for the car as you instructed. Will Enya be leaving us then?" He asked tentatively.
"Yes," He stated firmly, looking at her, "she will be returning home now."
"Enya," he called to her, "I'll walk you out." He put a protective arm about her shoulder and steered her towards the waiting car. He bent down and spoke into her ear. "I will contact Sloane, explain the situation. I think it's better this way. I have a few things I need to take care of before returning to L.A."
"Why are you having me go?"
"Because this no longer concerns you." He said flatly.
"What if I think I should stay?"
"I won't let you. Korin and I may have reached an agreement for now, but if things don't work out, he will come after you. I need to take precautions in order to prevent that. It's a fine line, Sydney." He explained. "I have to think long term. Korin has many contacts. He can either be very useful or very deadly."
"What if you need back-up?"
Sark smiled at that. "Sydney, I don't need you to protect me. Not to mention, Korin would never consider working with a woman."
"What? Because I'm a woman? That's why you don't want me here? Are you kidding me?" She exclaimed.
"Be serious, Sydney, that's Korin's deal. No, I don't want you here because you're you. I have to let you go now." He whispered. "I can't protect you if I don't."
"Protect me?" She repeated.
This all felt very wrong.
"I want the truth." She demanded, stopping in mid step.
"The truth?" He repeated wistfully, smiling slightly, and he seemed to hesitate. Looking into her eyes, she felt as if he were about to tell her something but then he seemed to think better of it and instead took something out of his pocket and discreetly placed it into her hand, closing her fingers around it.
It was the necklace.
"You could of just asked me for it," he teased lightly.
She looked away, startled. She didn't know what to say.
"You're going to have to learn to trust me." He told her. "I know what I'm doing."
She knew he wasn't telling her everything. But she could also see he wasn't going to. He opened her car door.
"The disk," she reminded him, soberly.
"Oh. Right. I'd nearly forgotten." He joked. Glancing around he noticed Maurice and his staff still patiently waiting for him a short distance away. "I put it away," he eyed her playfully, "you'll have to get it."
Taking her decisively by the waist, he moved in quickly and captured her mouth with his. She started to put her hands up to stop him but he only pulled her in tighter, deepening the kiss. His mouth felt warm and possessive on hers. She could feel her senses warming responsively slow and steady to his touch and she became irritated at herself for enjoying the weight of him pressed against her. He reached for her hand and slid it up in between them leading her to his breast pocket. She pulled the disk out just as he pulled away. He straightened up and stepped back from her then. He had a small thoughtful smile on his face as he considered her a moment. He brought his hand up and took a lock of her hair that had fallen into her face and he replaced it behind her ear.
"It was nice working with you." He said seriously.
Taking her hand, he ushered her into the back of the limousine and shut the door behind her. She watched from inside as he turned and walked back into the Davincci without another word or glancing back.
************************
Sydney had intended to do as Sark had told her to and proceed to the secondary extraction point as instructed. Then she remembered the necklace. She had to get it before she left. If Sark hadn't picked up on what it was before she knew that given time he'd figure it out. She couldn't let that happen. She remembered he'd left his suit coat upstairs in their suite. He had put the necklace in the pocket this morning. It was possible it was still there. She hesitated, not sure which way to go. He needed her out of here - he'd been very clear about that. But she had to go back or risk exposure. It'll just take a minute, she told herself, heading quickly back to their suite.
Going back the way she'd come, she passed by the surveillance room. She cautiously peered in through the window of the door. It was deserted. Sark had already left. She gave way to a sigh of relief and moved on past it, creeping up the back stairwell. When she reached their floor she checked the hall before running to their door and slipping quietly into their suite. Her eyes went immediately up to the ceiling. No light, she noticed, forlornly. No Vaughn. She went over to where he'd laid his coat when he'd come in earlier. Finding it still there, she grabbed it and franticly searched through the pockets. There was nothing. The necklace wasn't there.
'Damn.' She panicked. She tried to think. She made a visual sweep of the room. What would he have done with it, she wondered.
"It's down here," a loud, angry voice was saying. She could hear heavy footsteps approaching. She turned towards the door where the sound was coming from. It was Korin's voice, she realized. He was coming.
"That Son of a bitch thinks he can do this to me...," he was ranting.
Sydney dashed for the bedroom and retrieved the gun Sark had hidden for her under the bed. She'd just finished stuffing it into the front of her pants and covering it with Sark's shirt when they came barging through the door. She looked as startled as she felt. She hadn't had time to formulate a plan. Oddly, her first thought was of Sark. She knew he would be suspicious if he found out she'd come back. He'd known about the disk and perhaps even suspected she was up to something but she felt sure he didn't know anything yet. She could have explained the extra copy away if she had to. She could have told Sloane she made the extra disk as a precaution because she hadn't trusted Sark to bring it back. Sloane knew she didn't like Sark. He would believe her. He couldn't prove she'd done anything really wrong. Not before this. Now he'd question what was so important she'd jeopardize the mission to come back for.
"Well, well...." Korin purred menacingly upon seeing her through the doorway. "What do we have here? Don't tell me Mr. Sark left a defenseless creature such as yourself up here all alone."
'Defenseless creature my ass..'she thought to herself. But she immediately affected Enya's demeanor and lowered her gaze in a submissive stance. She could hear Sark's voice in her head telling her, 'Stick to the profile exactly. I will be depending upon you to do so.' What else could she do? She needed time to think. So she stood motionless and waited for Korin to make his move.
"Come out here woman," Korin instructed harshly.
She did a quick check to see if the gun was exposed. It wasn't. Sark's shirt was big enough to cover her easily. Slowly she moved forward, looking very pained. She took her time getting to him, pretending to be frightened; not that she wasn't. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She fought the urge to attempt an escape; worried it may not be good for Sark if she did, that it might compromise him.
"It is unfortunate Mr. Sark didn't show more wisdom and remove you from this situation." Korin observed as she came forward. "It's unlike him to be so careless." Sydney didn't respond. She kept her eyes lowered, taking pains to appear complacent and scared.
He stood in front of her. "You are extraordinary," he admitted, looking her over in great detail. "I can see why he values you so much."
"However, it's unlike him to exhibit such poor judgment." He continued, thinking out loud. "Perhaps his reasoning has become skewed. Perhaps this has something to do with you." He looked at her. "After what I've witnessed this evening,.... I could understand." She didn't speak but her eyes got very wide, as if surprised.
He began pacing. "Do you know what he's done to me?" He asked suddenly, stopping. "Do you?" He shouted at her, sounding desperate.
She began to force tears out of her eyes, as she shook her head no.
'If he lays one hand on me I swear,....' she thought. But surprisingly he didn't.
"However," he went on, "this does put me in a very favorable position. You see Mr. Sark is not a man easily influenced. He can be somewhat volatile and unpredictable." He shot her a commissary look. "I can imagine he is not an easy man to live with."
He watched her face for a reaction, but she didn't react. It disconcerted him. She reminded him of Sark himself in some ways, only feminine and, of course, prettier. For a second he wondered if she was just as dangerous. He discounted it. "You are very quiet Enya." He remarked idly. "That's a fine quality in a woman." He looked her over again. "You have many fine qualities." Korin was circling her now, like prey. She felt like dinner.
"My problem in dealing with such a man," he went on, "is that his employer is so very protective of him. It makes our business arrangements very one- sided." He said with an air of dissatisfaction. "I came here to deal with Sark, but perhaps now that I have you, he will have to deal with me." He smiled darkly. He had long looked for some way to balance the scales between them.
Sydney tried to weigh her options, consider the best route to take. There were only two guards with him. They also seemed to be closing in on her. That was when Sark walked in through the door.
His shock at seeing her there was evident as he took in the scene. For a moment he looked confused, then angry, then nothing. His face went completely blank. He whipped out his gun and he leveled it at Korin. Korin's guards in turn pulled out their guns and leveled them at Sydney.
Korin was the first to speak. "Mr. Sark, I'm glad you could finally join us. We have been waiting for you. I believe you have something of mine. And now, ...," he said, motioning to Sydney, "it seems we have something of yours."
"Indeed." Sark said flatly, looking briefly over at her.
"If you'd like for her to leave here in her as yet 'untouched' state, I suggest you put your gun down." Korin instructed.
Only he didn't. He seemed to be thinking it over. Sydney could guess what he was thinking. He would know Korin hadn't captured her on her way out. He would have cleared her exit. She had betrayed him by coming back. He would already be wondering why she did. He couldn't trust her now. On the other hand, she was all he had. It couldn't be an easy choice to make. He looked extremely annoyed. Eventually he seemed to come to a decision and he tossed his gun to the ground. She could pretty much read his mind from his expression. 'Bloody hell Syd,' he was thinking as he gave in.
Korin smiled at his apparent victory.
"Enya may leave now." Sark stated rather than asked.
'Oh my god,' she thought, genuinely surprised, 'he's actually going to try to negotiate for me.'
"Not yet." Korin objected.
"We are civilized men here Korin, there is no need to involve a woman in our dealings." Sark said evenly, appealing to Korin's sexist tendencies.
"Yes, it is distasteful." He conceded. "Normally I would agree with you. However, I don't believe you're in a position to make demands. And I fear the predicament that you yourself are responsible for putting me in will require a little leverage on my part to rectify. Therefore, until we can work this all out, she stays."
"I do see your point." Sark admitted. "However, to be clear, regardless of what you think I've done, I can assure you my employer will not tolerate this behavior towards me."
Korin seemed to falter slightly. It was true his employer had an uncanny way of fulfilling Sark's threats. His settling of scores had been consistently bone-chillingly effective. Korin had heard several stories......
Sark shifted his gaze to Sydney.
"Enya, come." He said sternly. With a nod of his head he motioned her over to him. She found herself thinking it amazing how just one move of his could put her by his side. She rushed over and he pulled her protectively into his arms. He cradled her head against his chest with his hand. For whatever reason, she realized, he was going to try to play this out. In keeping, she trembled slightly against him. He bent his head down and gently kissed her temple, soothing her.
"Are you alright?" He asked her. He tilted her chin up to look her over. His eyes adored her and his voice was so soft he sounded almost frantic. It threw her a little. "Are you?" He asked again, purposely locking his eyes with hers. She nodded she was, trying to read him.
"This is very touching, Mr. Sark, but our predicament remains unchanged." Korin reminded him irritably.
Ignoring him, Sark asked specifically, "Did these men touch you?" Emphasizing the words 'these men' by upping his voice an octave. It was just enough. Sydney understood he was asking if there were any more guards. "It's all right angel, you can tell me." He assured her. He was telling her to trust him, to go along. Slowly, she nodded her head no. There weren't anymore.
"If you think I can just let you walk out of here, taking my entire operation with you, I'm afraid you're mistaken." Korin informed him.
Sydney hugged herself against him, whimpering, pressing the gun into his side.
"What you have robbed me of tonight has taken me years to acquire. I suspect even your employer will understand any action I may be required to take in order to secure it's return." Korin justified.
"Perhaps." Sark answered, distractedly, looking thoughtfully down at her. He caressed her bruised cheek tenderly with his finger. Sydney very discreetly lowered her eyes in the direction of the gun hidden below. When she looked back up at him she had a conspiratorial glint in her eye.
"As I was saying," Korin continued, becoming annoyed with Sark's ambivalence and wanting resolution, "you have something of mine and now I want it back. I believe, Mr. Sark, we can quite easily come to an understanding in this matter."
But Sark didn't appear to be listening to him anymore. Staring into her eyes, he tilted his head in amusement. A small affectionate smile lit the corners of his mouth. "That's my girl," he whispered. She smiled back demurely, as Enya would.
Sark's expression changed dramatically then. Turning back to Korin, throwing Sydney behind him, he whipped out her gun and shot both his guards, killing them instantly. They hadn't had time to return fire. He then turned his gun on Korin who had already raised his gun in return. They stood there eyeing each other, in a tense standoff, both fully prepared to fire.
"Be careful Mr. Sark, things are quickly getting out of hand." Korin advised him evenly.
"It is time for you to leave, Enya." Sark announced, his voice suddenly abrupt and hard.
Sydney was confused. They could get out of there now, both of them. It didn't make sense he only wanted her to leave. He was staying in character, she noticed. She looked at him curiously, narrowing her eyes, trying to read him. She tried to go to him but he stopped her.
"Damn it Enya," he hissed, turning his attention back to Korin, "you can't stay with me. I need to finish this and I don't want you here." He moved purposely away from her. "I will arrange for a car to pick you up in front of the hotel." He said firmly. "Wait for me downstairs. I will be down shortly to say goodbye."
Still she didn't move. She just stood there looking up at him, trying to read his expression. But his face held no expression. He was somewhere else.
"Go." He said severely.
She could see she had no choice. She put her head down submissively, as Enya would, and walked out of the suite, closing the door behind her.
After she left, Korin said, his voice full of admiration, "She's priceless."
"Isn't she?"
Sark slowly lowered his gun and Korin tentatively did the same.
"I didn't betray you," Sark informed him straight off. "It was Slovak. You were correct in suspecting me, I did go after your database tonight but I did so only as a precaution. My employer had received information from a reliable source that there was a third party accessing your files. It was our concern that in an effort to drive up your price you and Slovak engineered the disk robbery in order to market it to a rival agency. When I accessed your files it became evident the deception came from Slovak and not yourself. Congratulations, you'll be allowed to live."
Korin was visibly relieved, though clearly confused. "I don't understand." He said.
"Slovak was working with the CIA." Sark announced. Korin's eyes opened wide in astonishment.
"I have proof." He assured him.
Where is Slovak?" Korin asked slowly.
"He's dead. It couldn't be helped." Sark answered, matter of fact. "But that's another matter entirely."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because you don't have the choice." Sark answered seriously. "Now, I have recovered the information you lost and I am willing to return it to you as a measure of good faith between us."
Korin was surprised. "Good faith?" He questioned doubtfully.
"Mr. Korin, we are business men. You're valuable to me in that you have something I want. I'm valuable to you.. obviously. Precarious as our current situation appears to be, we have a long history of successful transactions between us. I believe it would be shortsighted to bring such an abrupt end to our association. My employer is very generously willing to overlook this incident and continue with the purchase of the disk as originally planned now that I have indeed recovered all copies of the disk in question." Korin could see Sark was once again fully himself now. It was oddly comforting, even under the circumstances.
"In exchange?" Korin asked cautiously.
"In exchange you will give me the film of Slovak and the girl."
"But why? What good is that now?"
"I have my reasons."
Korin accepted this. He had no choice but to accept it. "Is there anything else?" He asked.
"Yes, I want the girl as well."
"The girl?" Korin looked confused.
"She'll be leaving with me tonight. I will expect her to be delivered to me within the hour, along with the film of course. At which time you will receive payment for the disk as we previously agreed. I will also return your missing files."
Korin was puzzled. "Why do you want the girl? You're not interested in -
"Don't be vile." Sark cut him off. He shook his head in disgust. "Grown men playing with children, it's entirely repulsive. Not to mention sloppy and bad for business. I expect you never to enter into such an arrangement again or I promise you I will kill you myself."
He could see Sark was very serious about this. "Is that all?" He asked again.
"For now. Do we have an agreement?"
Korin considered it for a moment, though the end result had obviously been a forgone conclusion. "Yes, we do." He affirmed.
They both put their guns away inside their coats.
"Excellent. My employer will be pleased."
"Do give him my regards."
Sark nodded. "I'll do that."
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Sydney was waiting impatiently in front of the hotel when Sark came out a short while later. Maurice was standing close by, looking pained. He probably wanted to be of some service but since he was unable to actually address her, it was an uncomfortable situation for him. Sydney ignored him completely.
"Mr. Sark," he rushed gratefully up to him, relieved to have him finally arrive, "I arranged for the car as you instructed. Will Enya be leaving us then?" He asked tentatively.
"Yes," He stated firmly, looking at her, "she will be returning home now."
"Enya," he called to her, "I'll walk you out." He put a protective arm about her shoulder and steered her towards the waiting car. He bent down and spoke into her ear. "I will contact Sloane, explain the situation. I think it's better this way. I have a few things I need to take care of before returning to L.A."
"Why are you having me go?"
"Because this no longer concerns you." He said flatly.
"What if I think I should stay?"
"I won't let you. Korin and I may have reached an agreement for now, but if things don't work out, he will come after you. I need to take precautions in order to prevent that. It's a fine line, Sydney." He explained. "I have to think long term. Korin has many contacts. He can either be very useful or very deadly."
"What if you need back-up?"
Sark smiled at that. "Sydney, I don't need you to protect me. Not to mention, Korin would never consider working with a woman."
"What? Because I'm a woman? That's why you don't want me here? Are you kidding me?" She exclaimed.
"Be serious, Sydney, that's Korin's deal. No, I don't want you here because you're you. I have to let you go now." He whispered. "I can't protect you if I don't."
"Protect me?" She repeated.
This all felt very wrong.
"I want the truth." She demanded, stopping in mid step.
"The truth?" He repeated wistfully, smiling slightly, and he seemed to hesitate. Looking into her eyes, she felt as if he were about to tell her something but then he seemed to think better of it and instead took something out of his pocket and discreetly placed it into her hand, closing her fingers around it.
It was the necklace.
"You could of just asked me for it," he teased lightly.
She looked away, startled. She didn't know what to say.
"You're going to have to learn to trust me." He told her. "I know what I'm doing."
She knew he wasn't telling her everything. But she could also see he wasn't going to. He opened her car door.
"The disk," she reminded him, soberly.
"Oh. Right. I'd nearly forgotten." He joked. Glancing around he noticed Maurice and his staff still patiently waiting for him a short distance away. "I put it away," he eyed her playfully, "you'll have to get it."
Taking her decisively by the waist, he moved in quickly and captured her mouth with his. She started to put her hands up to stop him but he only pulled her in tighter, deepening the kiss. His mouth felt warm and possessive on hers. She could feel her senses warming responsively slow and steady to his touch and she became irritated at herself for enjoying the weight of him pressed against her. He reached for her hand and slid it up in between them leading her to his breast pocket. She pulled the disk out just as he pulled away. He straightened up and stepped back from her then. He had a small thoughtful smile on his face as he considered her a moment. He brought his hand up and took a lock of her hair that had fallen into her face and he replaced it behind her ear.
"It was nice working with you." He said seriously.
Taking her hand, he ushered her into the back of the limousine and shut the door behind her. She watched from inside as he turned and walked back into the Davincci without another word or glancing back.
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