Chris sat in the corner. Her back rested against the wall from her place on the floor. If she was being honest with herself there was something familiar about this guy; but she didn't want to be honest with herself and shook off the unwanted feeling. She watched his unconscious form in the middle of the room. He was bound to a chair, head lolling to one side. Blood drying on the side of his face from where she had hit him. She couldn't work out why Benz was keeping him alive. She was pretty sure that anyone else in his position would be six feet down by now.
She watched his brow twitch. Studying his unmoving eyes, and the corner of his mouth she determined that he was still out of it. But she didn't withdraw her eyes from his face. Was he trying to deceive her? His whole head twitched this time. He was definitely coming around. She glanced at the doorway. The door hung open on only one hinge. She wasn't sure what Benz's reaction was going to be if her found her in here with this guy. It meant she had been throwing nervous looks over her shoulder for the last half an hour, ever since she had relieved Alvaro from his guard duty.
She had expected him to return by now. He had told her he was only going for a sandwich. She smirked as she pulled a packet of cigarets out of her pocket as she remembered the woman at the corner shop. That's why he was taking so long. She located her lighter and flipped it back. It lit at once and she held it to the cigaret waiting in her mouth.
'Those will kill you you know,' she looked up into the hazel eyes she was starting to know again. He was awake and she hid her surprise.
'So will breaking and entering,' she inhaled, flipped her lighter into her pocket and blew out the smoke so quickly that it left Street in no doubt smoking was now a pack a day kind of habit for her.
'Touché,' he nodded at her, accepting his situation. She inhaled again, more deeply this time. He watched her, appalled by this new habit as she blew smoke out into the room. He never thought he would see the day when Chris would take even a drag from a smoke.
'I've never seen anyone so offended by a cig before,' she commented after noting the look on his face. Street, who thought he had been keeping his face neutral hiding his feelings, realised who he was trying to hide his feelings from. She could still tell what he was thinking. Chris had a knack for being able to suss him out, especially since they had started to confide in each other. Even though they were strangers in her eyes right now she could still read him like a book.
This was the good news he was looking for, given time he would be able to break through to her. And that's exactly what he had given them by coming here alone. He knew the team would find them, he just hoped he had enough time to get through to Chris before they did.
'Jesus, it's out,' Chris looked annoyed, but stubbed out the cigarette on the floor beside her. She left it there alongside a small pile of butts she had also discarded in the last thirty minutes.
'Thanks,' Street realised he had been staring her out. 'You were never a smoker you know,' he held his breath wondering if he had just ruined everything by jumping in the deep end.
'Sorry to disappoint,' she bit back at him rising to her feet angrily. She was going to storm off and he had lost possibly the only chance he had to talk to her. He watched her in his panic, too wrapped up in working out what he was going to say to her to get her to stay to notice immediately that she was swaying dangerously.
'Chris,' his stomach dropped. He tried to reach out to her when he caught on but his restraints held strong, 'sit down, please sit down. I'm sorry,'
'I'm fine,' she whispered resting the side of her body against the wall as she waited for her head to stop spinning.
'You're not, please,' he was struggling against the chair desperate to get to her side.
'I'm fine,' she managed to raise her voice above a whisper this time.
'I know you better than that. Sit down Chris,' his voice held both fear and command, and to both their surprise Chris let her legs give way underneath her and she slid down the wall to the floor. Street breathed a sigh of relief.
He let the silence hold for a minute before he spoke again:
'When was the last time you had something to eat?' the concern was written all over his face and no matter how annoyed Chris was at him she stopped, unable to direct her harsh words in his direction. Instead she stayed quiet ducking her head so he was unable to see her expression. He was right, she hadn't eaten in a while, possibly even days, but she wasn't about to admit it to him.
'Chris,' he spoke so softly she could have pretended not to hear it.
'Jamie, my name is Jamie. Call me Jamie,' Chris expected her voice to come out harsh and loud, and could only cringe as she heard her words come out lame and tired.
'I can't call you Jamie,' he was studying her trying to see if he was getting through to her. He could only see the top of her head. She was keeping her face hidden from him, even when she spoke.
'You can't call me Chris. I am not her.' She'd gained some of her fight back and her words stung him.
'I know you,' he insisted. 'just look at me, you know me.' Chris couldn't look at him. She needed to get out of here. There was something about this guy getting under her skin. This was not who she was, she was strong, one of Benz's top guys. She was not being railroaded by this guy who thought she was someone she was not.
