London, England – 1815

They stood side-by-side in a small church with only their immediate family and friends about them. His suit kept his shoulders back, his chest tight, and the tie about his throat threatened to cut off what little air the sight of Anna in her wedding dress left for him. But she… She was a vision.

The dress spoke to the frugality of her existence but she allowed a slight train, a little more puff to her sleeves, and the hint of silk to her bodice. But the rest of it was composed to pieces expertly sown from older dresses. Dresses he was sure she saved from wedding dresses worn by those in her family or friends.

Whatever the source, they fit her perfectly and represented the union beyond their own: the joining of the potential pomposity of his upbringing and the shrewd frugality of her own. Together they cut an odd pair as they stood before the pastor and heard the simple vows in English instead of Latin. Not that John heard the words any better this time than his first wedding but the mood differed greatly and he knew which experience he preferred.

The exchange of rings, with both of their fingers trembling slightly, rose above a perfunctory ritual. To John it represented the promise of a possible future. To Anna, as she admitted to him when examining the ring he gave her, it represented the start of a new stage of life. Whatever the value or justification they assigned, the significance in binding themselves together was not lost on either of them as both their guests and the newspapers took great pains to remind at every available opportunity.

When the bishop finished John's chest tightened. Anna's fingers twitched against his before he slipped free to draw back her veil. They stared at one another, the hush of the church almost suffocating in the eternity they stood still as statues, and finally Anna nodded. Just barely but enough to give John the confidence he needed to dip his head down to kiss her.

It bore no fanfare and last no more than a breath. But it was everything. Everything to John when his fingers slid over the rings on Anna's finger. Everything to him when her lips moved against his in a smile. And everything when they pulled away and Anna's smile broadened.

Taking her hand, John pivoted them to face the attending crowd and led her down the aisle. They exchanged the requisite greetings with those closest to them before descending the steps of the church to their carriage. John helped Anna inside and then followed her, closing the door and calling out to the driver to take them back to his home.

Silence engulfed them for a moment as John busied himself removing his hat and working the brim between his fingers. They inhaled at almost the same moment and half managed words. Their half-laughs, more like puffs of air through their noses in their awkwardness, left John opening his hand to Anna.

"If you please, Mrs. Bates."

Anna paused, her lips moving as she sounded out the words. John's heart swelled when she managed a small smile. "I don't mind that appellation."

"I hope not. It's yours now." John swallowed, "But I believe you had something you wanted to say."

"I did. I do." Anna and John gave their small laughs again, a little less jilted in nerves. "I was hoping we were still agreed as to the… consummation."

"Of course." John nodded and set his hat to the side so he could interlace his fingers. "It's actually what I was going to say."

Anna frowned, "That you're still agreed to my conditions about the consummation of our marriage?"

"That I've taken the liberty of making plans for our home to that effect." John extended his hand to Anna as the carriage stopped. "Before the rest of our party arrives and we'll be forced to play host to them."

Anna took his hand and John helped her descend from the carriage. He did not release her hand as they ascended the stairs to his home and when she did not pull away from him as they entered the house, John flexed his fingers against hers to firm his grip ever-so-slightly. When Anna's fingers shifted on his in turn, John smiled to himself.

The servants gathered in the front hall congratulated them and John took his time introducing the staff to Anna. He waited, their hands separating as Anna took to shaking hands with the servants with both of hers, and then offered his hand again when she finished. The staff dispersed, hurrying to finish their preparations for the guests yet to arrive, and John led Anna to the curving staircase.

Taking the steps slowly, conscious of Anna's dress and the train dragging behind her, John guided her to a set of double doors. "Your rooms, Mrs. Bates."

Anna's eyes widened. "You've given me my own rooms?"

"Of course." John took a step back. "If you'd like to see them you'll have to open the door."

"You'll not open the doors?" Anna raised an eyebrow at him, "It's your house, Mr. Bates."

"But these are your rooms and I'll never enter them uninvited." John nodded at the confusion still on Anna's face. "My promise to you, as part of my intention to keep true to your demands."

"It's… I'm…" Anna swallowed and straightened. "That's very kind of you."

"Not at all." John opened his hand toward the door, "If you'd like to see inside, I promise the doors are only the start."

Anna opened the doors and turned over her shoulder to John. "Would you care to show me around?"

John followed her into the room and waited in the center of it as Anna explored the wardrobe, the large bed, the window seat, the vanity, and even the en suite bath with water closet. When she returned to him, her hands pressing down at the hips of her dress as if searching for a calming motion to combat the threat of an overwhelming emotion. John's fingers brushed over her hand and Anna allowed him to hold it in his own.

"You'll get used to it."

"I don't think I will."

"Then I believe you don't know your own strength." John guided her to another set of double doors. "Your study."

"My study?"

"You'll need a place to work." John opened these doors and guided Anna inside. "The shelves are ready for whatever books you require and I put an older desk in here but you can-"

"Whose desk?" John frowned, noting Anna slipped from his grasp and her fingers now traced the polished wood of the desk.

"I'm sorry?"

"Whose desk was this?" Anna tapped the surface with the pads of her fingers. "As lovely as the rest of this house is, this desk doesn't feel as if it's your style."

"It was my mother's desk." John rolled his shoulders and forced himself to swallow. "I thought… I thought it fitting but if you'd like another I can-"

"I like it." Anna circled the desk, her eyes following its curves and rather feminine designs, and returned to John's side to point to another set of doors. "And where do those doors lead?"

"To my private study." John opened the doors to show a smaller room with a functional desk. "I've an official study on the main floor but it's designed for business and to receive guests. It's…"

"For the part you play?"

"I was going to say 'a bit ostentatious' but it's necessary for the part I've to play, yes." John flexed his jaw, "If you'd like a desk in there as well I can rearrange the space there to accommodate it."

"You'd offer me a desk in your official study?"

"If we're to be partners in the ventures that lie ahead, you deserve a place in the meetings I'll have and the work we'll do." John shrugged, "It would seem the obvious choice."

"For now I believe this space with suit me well." Anna motioned behind her toward the study. "Besides, with all the changes we've already invited I believe it would be kinder to those with whom we're to work that we not overturn the cart too quickly for them."

"Especially given the overturning of our own cart?"

"Precisely." Anna pointed to yet another set of doors. "Another study?"

"No." John shuffled in place, the toe of his shoe dragging over the carpet. "That's… Those are the doors to my room."

"Oh." Anna bit at her lip. "Would it be… If it's not impertinent I would… What I mean to say is I would-"

"Would you like to see it?" Anna nodded and John offered her his hand.

They entered his room and John stood back again, allowing Anna the chance to explore his space. When she finished, holding her hands in front of her as if her fingers needed to clutch at one another to stop herself touching anything, Anna faced him. "It's very…"

"Functional?"

"Masculine." Anna gave him a sad smile. "You haven't really made it your own here, have you?"

"The study is where I spend most of my time." John shrugged, "A bedroom is a place to sleep and not much else."

"There's something to be said about that."

"Is there?"

"Yes." Anna pivoted to examine the space again. "Especially since you've recently changed this room."

"You can tell that?"

"I've an eye for change." Anna pointed, "You had workers connect these rooms and add the studies between them."

John nodded, "I thought… I thought it would make it easier for you."

"For me?"

He nodded again, "To… It's my intention to preserve your modesty."

"My modesty?" Anna frowned, "I don't understand."

"Since we've, currently, no plans to consummate our marriage. I wanted to leave the opportunity for others to… To not talk if we're seen going…."

Anna's mouth rounded into an 'O' as the realization dawned. "You connected the rooms so we could enter your room, together, and then separate without anyone knowing we've not…"

"Exactly."

"And then we're not moving about the corridor in the dark or leaving anyone talking about sleeping in separate beds."

"At least not about how we're going to separate rooms at the start of the night." John winced, "I do hope I've not embarrassed you."

"On the contrary. I find the worry rather… Rather kind of you." Anna reached out for his hand. "All of this is extraordinarily kind Mr. Bates."

"Might we…" John cringed, "In these spaces might we call one another by our Christian names? If only to increase our familiarity… If you're alright with that."

"Of course." Anna tightened her hold on his hand. "I'd be honored to refer to my husband by his given name."

John smiled, "Thank you."

"It's the least I can do." Anna's fingers flexed against his hand for a moment. "Before we go down to our guests, I do have a request."

"Anything."

Anna bit at her lip again, "When we… separate, for the night, might we…" She closed her eyes, exhaling as if needing to steady herself. When she opened her eyes again, Anna meet John's with a level of determination that almost stalled his breathing. "Would you kiss me goodnight?"

"I…" John frowned, "Is that what you want?"

"I do." Anna swallowed again, "When you kissed me, in the church-"

"I thought you wanted it and-"

"I did." Anna interrupted him and John stopped his self-castigation with a barely concealed sigh of relief. "And I realized… I think I'd want to kiss you again. To kiss my husband again."

"I wouldn't mind kissing my wife." John almost ducked his head as he smiled. "And I'd be honored to kiss you goodnight."

"Thank you." Anna took a deep breath, "Are you ready to face our guests?"

"With you by my side I am." John kissed the back of Anna's hand, "There's nothing I couldn't do with you beside me."

Lakhimpur, India – Present Day

Rubbing at his eyes, John nodded at Anna. "Again."

"We've already reviewed this so many times."

"And we'll do it again until you could say it backwards, forwards, and in your sleep." John shook his head, "There can't be a trace of doubt."

"Because your boss is paranoid?"

"And because she's got a gun where her itchy trigger finger is waiting to prove a salve to that paranoia." John opened his hands to her, "Again."

"You could say 'please'."

"You're right, I could."

"Dick."

"Again."

Anna groaned, rubbing at her eyes, and took a deep breath. "I'm Anna Smith, from Yorkshire, England."

"Where do you work?"

"I'm a private secretary for the PM's office."

"What's a secretary doing in India?"

"I'm on special assignment." Anna jumped when John snapped his next question at her. "Who's Desert Eagle?"

"I don't know."

"Who's Desert Eagle?"

"I don't know."

John calmed, nodding. "That was better."

"Did you have to snap at me like that?"

"It triggers a knee-jerk reaction and ensures you're not going to spew out any critical details in a moment of fear."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence."

"If I didn't feel confident in you, I'd consider getting you shot to preserve my cover." John sighed, "The question now is whether or not I've got as much pull with Vera as I hope I do."

"Why do you need to worry about your pull with Vera?"

"Because if she's not amenable to dragging you along with us then I've got to consider what ditch I could use to dump your body." John shrugged at Anna's wide eyes, "It's what she'll do if she gets her hands on you before I can get you away."

"At least here there's a chance I'd know how to get back to a form of civilization I'd recognize."

John batted the worry away, "It's not hard to find help around here. The only problem is, out here anyway, the farther into the bush you go the more likely the people you meet won't speak English."

"I've got that part handled." Anna bit at her lip, "Where is Vera hoping to go from here?"

"Maybe into Nepal." John shrugged, "I know she was talking, at one point, of trying to get into Afghanistan to see what we could milk from the poppy fields there but with the 'government' there now run by the Taliban we'd be fighting for every foothold we'd gain."

"Doesn't seem her style."

"No." John chewed the inside of his cheek, "And I've got a feeling Green's not one for going back to Afghanistan in general."

"What makes you say that?"

"The comment Vera dropped him, when he wanted to question you." John stood, pacing a moment. "She reminded him about losing his temper in Kabul and then it was like all the fight went out of him. I've never seen that reaction from him in all the months I've been here."

"At least she's got a firm hold on his leash." Anna wrapped her arms around herself on the cot. "When he grabbed me… It was… I've never been that terrified in my entire life."

"I'm glad I could step between you and him… Before he hurt you more than some scrapes and bruises."

"I can handle those." Anna took another breath, "Do you think you can convince Vera to bring me along?"

"I guess we'll see." John checked his watch. "I'm going to tie you up again but I'll keep the gag loose so your jaw won't ache."

"Experienced with gags?"

"Only recreationally." John pulled out a bandana and folded into a triangle before folding it into a rectangle. "Ready?"

Anna took a deep breath and nodded before opening her mouth so John could fit the gag to her. Tying to until Anna nodded her head, John pulled the back out from under his bed and snagged a pair of plastic handcuffs. With her wrists together, outstretched before her like an offering, John fitted them to Anna's wrists and tugged tight enough that she could not slip free but not so tight that they bit into her skin.

As he stood, his foot kicked the bag and a box of bullets thunked out. The rattling of the contents had Anna nudging it with her foot before raising an eyebrow at him. John crouched to pack them back away but worked one free and showed her. "They're blanks."

The raised eyebrow of confusion continued and John shrugged as he hurried to pack the meager contents of his tent. "Occasionally I'll get sent on kill missions. The one I was on with Green, before you came, was a targeting mission." Anna's eyes widened and John shook his head in response. "I didn't kill anyone. I clear most of them through my handler before they happen so it's all worked out like a production. It's real enough to convince people like Green that I'm a cold-blooded killer and not so real as to kill innocent people."

She snorted and John winced, "They're not all innocent and I can't say my hands are clean of blood or anything but I've not shot anyone who had a target on their back because they were good people doing their job and they incited Vera's ire… Or were just in the way of her operation."

With a sigh John fit his rucksack over his shoulders, grabbed his gun bag, and extended a hand to Anna to help her stand from her chair. "I need to be in character so there won't be many 'bananas' ahead. Are you alright with that?"

Anna nodded once and John set his shoulders to drag her from the tent. She stumbled and he only caught her arm just in time to stop her hitting the ground, but only just. It drew some curious looks but the second John scowled in anyone's direction they went back to clearing the camp. Or, what was left of it.

Two trunks trundled away, rocking on the uneven path as they carried people and supplies away from the space that, within days, would be nothing but a mysteriously barren location in the middle of the jungle. A jungle already creeping to reclaim it as John's tent was dismantled the minute he left it. Pulling Anna with him, trying to note the possible pitfalls for her feet and avoid them without looking as if he gave two shits about the woman he dragged along, John reached the back of the truck where Vera gave some final commands while studying an unfolded map.

She glanced up as they joined her and waved the others away. "She give you enough to make the last six hours worth my time?"

"She gave me something." John rotated his arm and Anna fell into the motion, playing as if John wrenched her about like a dog with a raggedy chew toy. "Want to tell Vera what you told me?"

Anna's eyes went wide and she forced a shiver while shaking her head. Forcing her forward again, John used two fingers to tug the makeshift gag from her mouth and nodded at Vera. "Tell her what you told me."

"If I do…" Anna sniffed, blinking furiously as if trying to stop herself crying but really achieving the opposite as it made her eyes water appropriately. "Will you… Will you let me go?"

"It seems your interrogation techniques have wiped this poor girl's memory." Vera snorted and leaned toward Anna, "What've you got to tell me Little Miss Blonde? And remember, it's for posterity so be honest."

Anna made a show of swallowing before responding. "I'm a private secretary for the PM's office. In London, England."

"I know which PM you probably work for, dumbass." Vera shook her head and glanced toward John. "She's got about as many brains as you do."

"Maybe we can crack them against one another and see if we get smarter when sold as a pair." John nudged Anna's back with his shoulder. "Tell her what you told me."

Anna coughed and swallowed again, "I was sent here because I've been the lead contact point for someone working a case in this region."

Vera perked up, straightening from her lean. "What about this region gives the PM enough worry to send someone like you out here?"

"I'm here because I speak some of the local dialects and the PM worried the local office was compromised."

Vera scoffed, "If only. I don't throw money where it'll do me no good but it's nice that the PM thinks I've got the cash to spare for something as ridiculous as a bribe for government types."

"It does send him chasing his tail with inquiries and investigations if we could drop hints in that direction." John shrugged, "It's not a bad smokescreen."

"Look at you." Vera pushed at John's shoulder. "Don't speak so much at once or I'll think you found a brain in that tent."

"I'll remember my place." John snapped his fingers in Anna's face. "Go on."

She jumped and continued, "I was given the coordinates of the village where… Where I was found."

"Who gave them to you?" Vera's eyes narrowed but Anna shrugged.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"No. That was the point." Anna sniffled, "I was sent because the PM was worried about a mole in his office. He thought… The PM, that is, thought that it was safest to tell me nothing but the point of contact and the SAT phone number I was supposed to call."

"Are you telling me the PM himself has a person out here looking for me and mine?" Vera ground her teeth. "Because if that's what you're telling me then there's a man in the PM's office who'll be answering to me very soon."

John noted the twitch in Vera's jaw when she said 'man' but logged it away to focus on later when Anna continued.

"That's all I know. Just the code and the signal."

"What code?"

"The code word for the agent in the area but…" Anna forced a few tears. "But I never made contact. I get grabbed and… That was it."

"That's it?" Anna nodded and then almost jumped backward to land on her ass when Vera surged forward to stand with their noses almost touching. "If you're lying to me I swear I'll cut your tongue from your mouth. So I'll ask again, did you make contact?"

"I…" Anna shook her head. "I didn't. Not over the phone."

Vera paused and shoved Anna back so John had to move to catch her before she hit the ground. "What does that mean?"

"I think…" Anna ducked her head and jerked when Vera grabbed her chin to force their eyes to meet. "I think he's here."

"So it's a 'him'?" Vera dropped her grip on Anna and turned to John. "You sure she's on the up-and-up about all this?"

"I think she's terrified out of her mind but she wants to live." John sucked the inside of his cheek. "I think we could use her as a bargaining chip."

"For what?" Vera cackled a laugh. "I'm not holding her hostage to get something from the PM if that was your brilliant plan."

"No," John shook his head and stepped to Vera so they looked in opposite directions while their shoulders almost touched so he could whisper in her ear. "I think we can use her to smoke out our mole."

"Hm." Vera shifted back to the truck, folding up the map. "You want to bring her along then?"

"For now. Plus," John waved an arm at the cleared site. "If we leave a body here then they'll know it was us. We take her with us and then she goes missing. They search around here and find nothing and then she's just an unfortunate tourist lost in the bush."

"If we leave her body where we're going then she's just as much of a hassle to us there as she would be here."

"But if we take her with us and leave her there then they're trying to solve the mystery of how she got there instead of chasing us deeper into the bush."

"Interesting." Vera eyed John, "I think the jungle air's clearing your brain and I'm not sure I like this smarter you."

"Maybe you need a smarter me."

"I'll believe that when I see it." Vera sighed, "Fine. Get your things in the truck and find a place to stash Little Miss Blonde. Make sure she's trussed and muzzled because if she causes me any problems on the way to where we're going then she's off the back and bouncing down the hillsides. Got it?"

"Got it." John waited for Vera to leave before moving to lift Anna into the back of the truck. A set of hands grabbed John's shoulder and forced him off balance, almost leaving him to tumble sideways into Anna. Barely recovering his footing, John pivoted to see Green. "Watch where you're going mate or we're going to have a conversation that you will not enjoy."

"Then I'm sure you'll understand why I think it's my turn to take a crack at our guest." Green leered at her but John shoved him back.

"She's my responsibility and I'll be the one in charge of her."

"What?" Green pouted, "Afraid I'll make her too messy for you?"

"I'm afraid you'll prove to be a limp dick and you'll make us all a joke." Green moved toward John but John shoved him back. "It's my business now bugger off."

"Why don't we let her decide?" Green nodded at Anna. "How about it? You want this sorry piece of shit watching you or do you want to ride with me… In all senses of the word?"

Anna, the gag hanging around her neck, looked between John and Green before shifting closer to John. The move put John between she and Green so the other man could not see her. John snorted and shrugged at Green, "I guess she likes me better than you."

"You can't be serious?" Green almost spit, "You can't tell me you prefer this old cripple to me. He couldn't possibly make you happy."

"Maybe it's not about happiness." John risked a smirk at Green's expense. "It could be about satisfaction and she knows your micropenis won't do it for her."

Green lunged at John for that, catching him at the midriff and knocking him into a backward skid. John caught his footing and held it long enough to bring his balled fists down on Green's back in a rough approximation of his kidneys. It buckled Green and loosened his hold so John could throw him sideways.

Stumbling, Green tried to catch his footing and launch a haymaker at John. But John batted him away and caught two uppercuts to Green's torso. The motion drove all the air from Green's lungs and left his legs wobbling enough so John could sweep them and leave the other man heaving for air on the ground.

In a mounting move, John landed on Green's stomach, holding him down, and landed three swift punches to Green's nose. The cracking noise satisfied John enough to stand but he kicked Green in the side for good measure. Green moaned on the ground, spitting at John, but John stepped over him in time to see Vera approach.

She looked between John and Green before glancing toward Anna. "Please, gentlemen, can't we be civil here?"

"He got in my way."

"I can see that." Vera came over to where Green had managed to roll to his knees, a hand at his side. "What the hell were you doing?"

"I thought I might get a chance." Green spit into the mud as he stood, his other hand going to hold at his nose.

Vera knocked his hand away and cracked Green's nose back into place, leaving him howling for a second. "No. You got in the way." She grabbed his collar. "Don't even do that again. Do you understand me?"

Green nodded and she shoved him away. "Clean yourself up and get in the cab. You're driving and I'm navigator." Vera turned to John, "You're in the back with your precious cargo. Try not to get blood on her or the equipment."

Vera walked away and John turned back to Anna. When he put a hand out to her she shied away. "What?"

"She just accepted that?"

John frowned and then sighed, "I told her I'd be ruthless about anything and to anyone who got in the way of the work I do here."

"And she believes you?"

"that's the job here." John went to get Anna in the back of the truck again but she avoided him. He threw his bags inside and extended his hand to her. "I can help you in or I can throw you in. Your choice."

Anna moved forward and, with John's help, got in the back of the truck. John followed her and pulled the back of up with him before flipping the canvas down. They shifted along, he stowing his baggage and Anna trying to make herself comfortable on one of the bench seats. The truck roared to life and John hurried onto a bench seat of his own, across from Anna, and they sat in silence.

"Bananas." Anna spoke and John raised his head from his inspection of his bruised knuckles. "Can I say that now?"

"Of course." John wiped his hands on his trousers and tried to keep his body easy so it swayed with the movement of the truck over the roads.

"Was that you, back there?"

"I didn't see anyone else throwing punches."

"I mean…" Anna shook her head, "Was the person who almost beat that man into the ground the same person trying to save my life?"

"Do I look different to you?"

"You're the one who said you've got a part to play."

"And that's how I play it." John sighed, "To sell something like this you've got to wrap a lie in truth. They confirm the truth and then they'll believe the lie. The next step is to admit to smaller sins so it comforts them about your honesty and they won't question you later on bigger issues."

"Even when someone is as paranoid as you say Vera is?"

"That's the hope, yeah." John rubbed at his knuckles again. "It's not pretty but it's effective."

"And you're fine with that?"

"I have to be because I'm the one out here risking my neck." John stopped himself, forcing air through his nostrils before inhaling again to speak. "Look, this is bigger than someone getting weed they're not supposed to have, alright. It's even bigger than people getting hard drugs they're not supposed to have."

"But this is a drug operation."

"It was a drug operation."

Anna frowned, "Excuse me?"

"This is about using the pathways Vera made to ship and sell her drugs to ship bigger things." John shook his head, "She's looking to start shipping people. To use the lines for drug trafficking for sex trafficking. For human trafficking. Even organs if she can find a way to guarantee refrigeration."

"You can't be serious."

"As the grave." John sighed, "You name it and Vera wants to get her hands into it so she can take her slice of the pie."

"Then why couldn't you say that before?" Anna hissed, "In any of the communications you've managed back to the PM, why didn't you-"

"Because I'm trying to find out the extent of it so we can rip it out, root and stalk not just cut it down so ten more smaller operations grow in its place." John bit the inside of his cheek. "It's not enough just to catch her or Green or to stop her drug operation. We've got to get everything or it divides and vanishes and we never get another shot like this one."

He leaned back and knocked his head against the side of the truck. "A shot you being here might blow, by the way."

"Are you accusing me of cocking this up?"

"I'm accusing whomever in your office thought they might win some quick points by sending you here to handle what they thought was a small fire but is actually a volcanic eruption." John took a deep breath, "They know you're missing and they'll be on your tail. That's put Vera in fight-or-flight mode and it's made it all worse here."

"You're the one who stepped in to save me." Anna pointed at him with her plastic-cuffed hands. "Don't pin this on me like I wanted to get grabbed in that village and dragged up here."

John pursed his lips, "Who gave you that village?"

"What?"

"The location, who gave it to you?"

Anna frowned and then shrugged, "A woman in the PM's office. She was preparing the reports and said it was where your signals were coming from."

"No, I scattered my signals." John chewed the inside of his cheek. "There's your mole."

"What?"

"Whomever in your office gave you that location did it to get you grabbed. To get you and your contact grabbed. It's a reverse mole hunt." John took a breath, held it, and then released slowly. "We're playing the clock here so I need to get you out in the hustle and scuffle of wherever we land."

"Because that's the important part of this?"

"It gets you back to the safety of the PM's office to root out your mole there without blowing my cover here so yes, that's what's important." John shook his head at Anna's expression, "Do you not get it yet?"

"Get what?"

"That I've spent the last five years of my life prepping to get this far." John gave a hollow laugh, "Five years of work and I only just broke into Vera's camp a few months ago for it all to come crashing down around my ears."

"It's not crashed yet so don't get your knickers in a twist."

"I won't get blown when I'm this close." John held his fingers a millimeter apart. "There are people out there counting on me getting this right. Those in danger right now and those that will funneled through Vera's pathways if I don't."

"How heavy's the sky over there Atlas?"

"I'm being serious."

"Like you're the only one who worked long and hard to get where they are and might now be staring death in the face?" Anna shook her head and fumed for a moment before speaking again. "Is this what you do?"

"Yes."

"Like…" Anna see-sawed her shoulders. "Like all the time?"

"It's my life." John slumped back, exhausting settling in on top of the anxiety rippling through him. "After the military I got recruited to work jobs like these because I was good at it."

"How good?"

"I spent ten years getting to the point where I could be a Bratva captain before this job." John snorted, "They think I'm at an MI6 black site because my bosses don't want to burn that bridge in case I need to cross it again."

"And if you have to?"

"I pull out an old bottle of cologne in I used in that role to help me get into character and I lock everything else down."

"Just like that?"

"About like that, yeah."

Anna nodded, eyeing him a moment before speaking, "Have you lost yourself yet or are you counting down the days?"

"Why? Writing an exposé on the threat of running legends of yourself?"

"I'm just wondering what kind of man you are… You know, since I'm putting my life in your hands and all."

"You're worried about the state of my hands?"

"You're literally rubbing at bruises and getting blood off them while I watch."

John looked down at his hands before curling his fingers into his palms and stuffing them to the sides. "What of it?"

"Are you the kind of person I can actually trust or would you kill me to make sure hundreds of others live?"

John met Anna's eyes and shrugged. "I honestly don't know."

"How comforting."

"Because I can't promise anything about the future but this," John leaned forward. "It's my plan, barring all failures, to get you away from here, blame it on Green and then kill the bastard for killing my partner."

Anna's eyes widened and John nodded, "That's the kind of man he is and the kind of man I am. That's who you're trusting."

"The person who'll frame Green and use his death to get in deeper?" Anna's voice was low, "Is it worth it?"

"If it means saving hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives then yes, it's worth that much to me."

"And what about your soul?"

"I lost that a long time ago so I wouldn't worry over it." John sat back, "At this point I'm just a cog in a machine. A little bit of nothing hoping to do a little bit of something so the world can, hopefully, run as a little better of a place once I blow this particular blemish to Hell."