Thanks to all those who reviewed! I haven't given up on this story at all but my schedule simply makes it hard for any work on it to get done!
Anyways, on with the story!
Tom Harris, on principal, was a naturally curious boy. Locked cupboards and hidden Christmas presents had been the bane of his existence throughout his childhood. He cherished the lock picking skills that he and Alex had perfected together by the time that they were twelve.
Moreover, he hated that Alex kept most of the details of his missions from him. It was like his own form of torture to know that there were answers within his grasp, but he respected Alex enough not to go about prying things out of him. He respected Alex a great deal, but he feared him just as much.
He knew that his friend had been through hell several times in the last year and a small part of him wished that he had been there to at least experience a part of it. He hated not knowing what was out there in the world, waiting for them.
And so when he saw Alex getting out of the black car in front of his house, he felt that old flame of curiosity rear up again. He could see the expression on Alex's face clearly from the end of the street. Confusion was not one that he was used to seeing there.
It unsettled him to see that the one person in his life who always had the answers, held all the cards, was at a loss as he stepped out of the car. For a moment he debated with himself about approaching Alex before he disappeared inside the house. Curiosity and Apprehension hashed it out in a matter of seconds, apprehension won out. If Alex was in one of his states he did not want to be there until he pulled himself out of his mood and forced himself to be sociable.
Tom turned in the opposite direction, heading back toward his own house, prepared to wait until the inevitable call came from Alex, wanting to go to the park and play a game of mock football. He would get a few snippets then and that would have to be enough for the time being.
He wouldn't have to wait long, really. Just allow Alex enough time to talk to Jack, shower and get dressed and he would call. Tom had his friend's routines down to a T and to be honest he was a little worried by that fact.
Alex was one enigma in his life that he had been able to figure out. All the months of him not being around had shed light on the small things that were no longer present when Alex was away on a mission. Tom found himself keeping careful track for reasons that he couldn't explain.
The cordless phone that he had left on his nightstand in anticipation let out a shrill ring, jerking Tom back to the here and now of things. He rolled over, shouting for his mother not to bother picking up. Snatching the phone up Tom answered the call and flopped back against his mattress.
"Hello?"
Alex's familiar voice did not greet him as he had expected. Instead it was the cool, almost automated, voice of a young woman.
"Mr. Harris, your presence has been requested by Mr. Blunt at the Royal and General Bank. We are sending a car for you immediately. It would be in your best interest for you to come as quickly as possible. We need to speak to you about the accounts of your friend, Mr. Rider."
"What are you-" Tom began but the call ended with a sharp beep. Tom looked at the phone in his hand in confusion for a moment before he got up and went to his window. Separating the blinds he peered out to the street below and felt his stomach tighten as a black car with tinted windows rolled up to the curb. It sat there expectantly and Tom bit his lip.
For a long time now he had wondered about The Royal and General and the people who ran it. It was one of the topics that Alex didn't like to talk about and he couldn't do too much investigation without raising suspicion from the government. A boy his age poking around a top secret organization was bound to bring about questions.
Tom looked back at the phone in his hand then back to the car waiting for him. Alex would be calling any minute now and they would go to the park. He would listen silently to whatever Alex had to tell him and not ask any questions because he knew that the answers he would get would give him no new information.
But he could get into that car and see firsthand what Alex experienced every time he was out of school. So what if they wanted to rope him into some spying game like they had done Alex? They couldn't really blackmail him with anything other than taking him away from his parents and that would be a relief to him. He could laugh in their faces and tell them to go ahead.
His mind made up Tom stepped away from the window and dropped the phone on his unmade bed. He shrugged on a light jacket and left his room, calling out to his mother, telling her not to wait up for him as he was going out.
She didn't answer him as Tom walked down the stairs and out the front door. He crossed the damp lawn to the black car still sitting at the curb and opened the back door before sliding into the seat. He buckled himself in and closed the door before meeting the driver's eyes in the rearview mirror.
The man didn't say anything to him as he pulled away from the curb at a steady pace. Tom kept quiet as they left Chelsea behind and headed for downtown London.
The plot thickens!
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