Chapter Two

"This is ridiculous," Nettles complained "It's freezing up here." He shivered in the cold wind. They had arranged to meet him, but he'd specified it had to be on this mountain top.
"He's here," Jamieson said quietly and Nettles looked up. Through the swirling snow, a man emerged. He had a medium mass of neat silver grey hair on his head, which his eyes matched, being the colour of stone.
"Gentlemen," he said in a deep, calm voice that matched his appearance and bowed, which they returned.
"I think you know why we're here," Jamieson stated, fixing his gaze on the other mans face.

"Brett," he breathed, saying her name seemed painful to him.
Nettles enjoyed the older mans discomfort "She must be tamed."
"She is untameable," he replied slowly "But then I suppose you already know that."
"Unfortunately, yes," Jamieson admitted "We thought she'd listen to you."
"Brett doesn't listen to anyone," he responded.

"Perhaps you could try," Nettles suggested "There may be something in it for you."
"I do not want your money," the older man replied "Send her up here. I will be waiting."
"Fine," Jamieson nodded "Come Nettles, we must arrange it." And both men began to descend the mount.

---

Lacing her black boots, Brett felt a feeling stir inside of her. Something was happening, she could tell. She just didn't know exactly what.
"Brett!" Nettles shouted from downstairs. Taking her time, because she knew it annoyed him, she appeared at the top of the stairs.
"Yes?"
"You've got a target," he handed her a piece of paper "It's up in the mountains."
"Is this it?" she indicated the paper "Don't I need some more information?"
"It's a simple get in and out again op, Brett," Nettles responded wearily, heading for his study "How difficult can it be?"
Shrugging her shoulders, she jogged upstairs to the helicopter pad.

When they reached the summit, she clambered out, moving carefully. Snow swirled around her in clouds, as she squinted to try and ascertain where she was.

"Brett," she looked up to see a figure forming out of the weather.
"Who's there?" she tugged her twin Sais from their sheaths and wielded them in the unknown persons direction. The mist cleared and her stomach clenched. "Stone."
"You're the same," he smiled, his eyes lighting up.

"No I'm not," she responded defiantly "You're mistaken." He hadn't changed, except for a few extra wrinkles.

"I know you, Brett."
"No you don't!" she exclaimed "No one does."
"I care about you," he added.

"Not quite enough though, right?" she shook her head as angry tears sprang to her eyes "Not enough to save them."
"They were dead before I got there, Brett," he looked down regretfully "And I blame myself everyday."
"You?" she scoffed "You blame yourself?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"
"They were my parents, Stone!" she screamed, then lowered her voice "And he was my boyfriend."
"I know, and I'm sorry," he apologized "We weren't quick enough. I wasn't quick enough."
"Damn right," she whispered tearfully. He moved closer and she stepped back. "Don't touch me."
"You can't keep pushing me away, Brett," she was startled to hear the emotion in his voice "I'm all you've got."
She looked up from the ground with hard, ice cold eyes "Then I have nothing."

---

"You set me up, you bastard!" she yelled, grabbing Nettles by his neck and slamming him up against the wall on her return. Jamieson's hand tightened around the gun in the holster at his waist but Nettles shook his head.
"Of course I did," he choked out "Did you expect better?" she frowned, dropping him to the ground, turning away. He rubbed his neck where marks where imprinted "Do you even deserve better?"

"No," she said bitterly, turning to look back at him "Since when have you been in league with Stone."
"I needed to work out how to get through to you," Nettles replied simply, lifting a bottle of single malt whisky from the glass cabinet "We've got a big job coming up."
"And when were you going to tell me about this?" she watched him closely.

"As soon as I knew you were ready to deal with it," he poured himself a large shot, which was more like a glass "Are you?"
The obvious, clichéd answer hung in the air, but she chose not to use it. "Of course."

"Good," he settled himself on the chair opposite Jamieson as she stalked out angrily.

Who the hell did Nettles think he was, the Mafia? The irony in her statement would have made her smile, if she wasn't so angry. He was the Mafia. Well, practically.

And Stone couldn't just waltz back into her life and expect to be instantly forgiven. Nothing ever worked like that.

She clambered into her bed, tugging off her clothes and settling her head deep into the pillow

---.

A young girl ran through the hedges, running her hands down the leaves. She was running but not too quickly, she didn't want to be too far away to be caught. She paused on a corner, her hair flying around her head, light dancing in her pretty eyes.
She screamed as a boy jumped out from behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, holding her close. Her chest rose and fell at double quick time, as he squeezed her skin gently.

Her eyes widened as he left forward to devour her mouth in a hungry kiss. When they drew apart, she could feel the flush heating her cheeks and smiled. But suddenly his face drained of all colour, his lips parted as he tried to speak, his eyes became empty black sockets, his skin seemed to wither and rot away.

"NO!" Brett screamed, bolting upright in bed, cold perspiration dripping down his back. "Chris," she sobbed. Sometimes, even though it had been years, she still reached out in the night, hoping maybe that this was all just a dream. She flopped back down on the bed, tears dripping down her face and onto the sheets.

Normally she would never let herself be this vulnerable, but things seemed to be affecting her more lately. She was just as good as she had ever been, but now her actions haunted her.

And it wasn't impeding her skills, just her sleeping, which was still an issue in itself.

Getting up, Brett walked over to the wall and ran her hand over its smooth surface, instantly feeling calmer.

Hearing someone calling from downstairs she tugged on some pyjama bottoms and went down.

Tex, bleary eyed and topless was standing in front of Nettles, wiping sleep away with his hands.
"What?" Brett asked, slightly breathlessly.

"I need to speak to both of you, in my office," he began to walk away from them "Now."
Following behind him and walking side by side, Tex shot her a mischievous smirk. She thought about kicking him, preferably in the groin, but decided against it. He wasn't worth it.

Entering the spacious but dark office, Brett leaned against a wall propping her foot up on it to support herself.
Tex collapsed into one of the hard backed chairs in front of the large imposing desk that Nettles himself sat behind. Brett noticed that Jamieson was sitting by the fire, swilling Scotch in his glass, staring hard into the flames.

"We have an important job," Nettles pushed a thick paper file across the table towards Tex, who inspected it uninterestedly.

"They're always important, what gives this one precedent?" Brett enquired, watching Nettles' face.

"He's tried to thwart us before," Nettles responded, sitting back in his seat "Interfering in things that are my business."
"So basically he pissed you off, and we have to deal with it," Tex replied shortly. Brett had to admit, she was thinking the same thing.

"Yes," Jamieson said quietly, not looking at them "Yes that's why."
Brett and Tex both stared at him for a moment, shocked that he'd actually spoken. "Okay, well just as long as we know," Tex smiled nervously, then got up and headed for the door.
"You leave at first light tomorrow," Nettles said as they opened the door. They both nodded in unison before walking down the corridor and back upstairs.