Seventeen

New York is nothing like London. The cities lie on opposite ends of the spectrum from each other. The people are different. The air is different. The buildings are different. Everything is different. Archer doesn't like the differences. As he strolls down the sidewalk with a cigarette perched between his lips, he decides that he much prefers London to New York and that New York is nothing more than a means to an end now, despite previously having been the end goal when he was in Africa. Things changed and now the city was nothing more than a stepping stone to find a real end.

Archer doesn't know the streets and consequently has no destination in mind as he wanders around aimlessly. As far as he's concerned, he's just killing time. He buys a pack of cigarettes and smokes one every couple of hours as he walks with the flow of people. Up and down sidewalks, across streets, into shops, out of shops. While he doesn't like the city, he likes feeling like a nobody in it. He's anonymous here. No one knows he pushes stones, no one knows he's an ex-mercenary who has killed more people than he cares to remember. Archer likes the feeling, but not enough to want to stay in New York. He wants to leave as soon as possible, he needs to.

His exit strategy is all he can think about. This place isn't like Sierra Leone, he doesn't know the ins and outs of New York the way he knows his home. There are no shops here for him to pop into to sell a diamond for a quick buck — that sort of business could get you arrested in America. More over, the fact that Archer doesn't know anyone in the stone industry here further turns him off the idea of finding his own contact. There are too many ways to make a mistake in New York and mistakes are something Archer has worked his whole life to avoid. He doesn't know who he can and can't trust and he refuses to play a that guessing game on foreign soil. He decides that unless Maddy gives him the card of her contact, he's going to have to call his own contact in Sierra Leone and make some sort of flight arrangement to get him out of America and back to Africa.

Archer returns to the apartment well after the sun has gone down. It's dark and quiet and Maddy and Solomon are both asleep. Hearing their quiet snores in the dead silence of the apartment only make Archer realize how wide awake he feels. Solomon is asleep in the bed at the back of the apartment and Maddy is curled up in her cocoon of blankets on the sofa. Archer licks the nicotine off his lips as he bends over to remove his shoes. He puts them down on the cool wood silently and then makes his way across the apartment.

He goes to sit in the corner at Maddy's reading nook. Her bag is on the table on top of her laptop and he wastes no time unzipping it and looking through it for the card of her diamond contact. Archer remembers the man's name — Anthony. He needs the card with Anthony's name on it. He rummages through the main pocket of her bag, pulling her notebooks out and leafing through them carefully. The pages are thick and smell strongly of ink and dirt. No card. He pulls another book and flips through it, and again, no card. He puts the books back into her bag and begins checking through the side pockets, but his frantic search is interrupted when he feels a hand on his shoulder.

Instinctively, he raises his arm and spins around and grabs the hand on his shoulder, twisting it harshly. When he realizes it's just Maddy, she's on her knees yelping like an injured animal.

"Fucking christ, Maddy!" He barks. He releases her wrist and she falls completely to the floor.

Solomon rouses instantly and is on his feet in a matter of seconds. "Miss Bowen, what is going on?"

"Go back to sleep, Solomon," Archer answers. He kicks the stool out of the way and kneels down in front of Maddy, lifting her up by her shoulders. "What were you thinking, huh?"

"You almost broke my wrist, Archer," she hisses in a shrill whisper. She shrugs his hands off her and falls back onto her heels as she massages where he grabbed her. "What's the matter with you?"

"What's the matter with you!" He retorts, narrowing his eyes ferociously. "I've told you plenty of times not to sneak up on me! I could kill you!"

"Mister Archer," Solomon says, approaching the pair.

"I said go back to sleep, huh!"

Archer stands quickly and storms over to Solomon, shoving him towards the bed. Solomon resists against Archer's push and stands his ground, and that simple gesture is enough to throw Archer into a fit of anger. More forcefully, he grabs Solomon's shoulders and throws him back. Solomon reaches for Archer's arm and the two men fall to the floor grappling each other.

Maddy scrambles to her feet and rushes over to them. She has adrenaline pulsing through her and she's not thinking clearly. She grabs at Archer's arm and tries to pull him off, but her attempt is unsuccessful. Archer pounds down on Solomon with his fists and Maddy goes in again to try and grab his arm. He yanks it free from her hands and winds it back for a punch, but just like the incident in the plane, he connects with Maddy and she finds herself on the floor again. She feels a sharp sting on her cheek and she knows instantly that he's just re-opened her gash. When she brings her hand to her cheek, the warm blood she touches confirms her suspicion.

Archer glances over his shoulder at her. His brows knit together seeing the distressed look on her face and Solomon takes the opportunity to punch Archer off him. Solomon rolls away from Archer and stands up quickly. His chest is pounding and he struggles to slow his breathing.

"Miss Bowen," he says, going to her side.

"Get away from her, Solomon!"

Archer pushes himself off the floor and walks over to her. When he extends his hand down to her, she turns away from him and picks herself off the floor. Archer hears her draw in a hiccuped breath and his stomach drops.

"Miss Bowen," Solomon says in a low voice. "Let me help you."

"No I'm fine," she replies quickly, shaking her head. She starts in the direction of the bathroom. "I'm fine, go back to sleep, Solomon."

"Miss Bo—"

"I'm fine, really."

"Maddy," Archer's strides are wide and he puts his hand on the back of her shoulder.

This time, Maddy is the one who is quick to turn around and swat his hand away. In the faint light of the apartment, he can see the shine beneath her eyes and the way her neck tenses with a choked back sob. He shakes his head apologetically and goes to open his mouth, but Maddy reaches into the pocket of her pajama pants and throws a small card at him. It falls to the floor by his feet as she storms off into the bathroom. The door slams and the lock clicks and Archer stands listening to the tap running.

He bends over and picks the card up. He's both dismayed and pleased to see Anthony Peters written on it in thin black type. Under his name are two numbers and an address. This is the card he was looking for — Maddy had it all along. He feels even worse knowing she must have known to keep it on her instead of in her bag to avoid having it stolen. He slides it into his pocket and licks his lips. He can taste blood, but not enough to put him off.

He makes his way to the bathroom and leans his forehead against the closed door. He knocks twice.

"Maddy," he says.

The water from the tap stops. He hears her walk away from the door, presumably to get a towel. He listens to her light footsteps for a moment before the tap is turned on again.

"Maddy," he repeats. "Maddy, let me in."

Archer knocks twice more. He stands independent from the door and paces around in circles. The steady flow of the water in the sink is interrupted every few seconds when Maddy puts the corner of the towel under the tap. He goes back over to the door, and just before he knocks again, he hears the lock click open. He put his hand on the doorknob and twists it to push the door open slowly.

Maddy is leaning over the counter with her face close to the mirror as she dabs her gash gently. The towel she's using is blotched with blood, and though the sight of blood is nothing new to Archer, it bothers him knowing it's Maddy's blood. He scans her face and notices her eyes — it's clear that she's been crying. Archer steps into the bathroom with his tail between his legs and closes the door behind him. He leans back on it as he chews on the insides of his cheeks.

"I've been to Bosnia and Afghanistan and Africa," she says thoughtfully, eyes fixed on her reflection in the mirror. Her voice is raspy with a mixture of sleep and distress. "I've been in the middle of wars… and never, ever have I been injured on such a regular basis."

Archers swallows.

"You have what you were looking for in my bag," she tells him.

"Maddy," her name falls out of his mouth saturated with guilt. "Maddy, look at me for a second, huh."

She doesn't respond. She just keeps dabbing the corner of the towel against her cut without so much as a flinch or a hiss. Maddy is just as stubborn as Archer is, he sees this now. He steps towards her and wraps one hand around her wrist and uses the other to take the towel from her. She does nothing to protest when he puts her hand down to her side. He lowers his head hoping to catch her gaze but she squeezes her eyes closed. He watches as her lashes thicken with tears. She hiccups in a strained inhale when she feels two big tears roll down her face.

Archer swallows hard. He licks his lips and tastes the sharp coppery taste of his own blood. He reaches up to Maddy's cheek and gently brushes his thumb over the apple of her cheek. His pinky finger grazes the smooth line of her jaw as she chokes in a ragged inhale. She sniffles furiously and shakes her head away from his hand, but Archer's contact with her skin doesn't break. His fingers find their way to her chin and he tilts her head just slightly enough for him to bow his own head down to kiss the tender skin around her injury. The sharp smell of her blood makes the insides of his nostrils tingle.

"Maddy," he speaks quietly as his lips hover near her face. "Open your eyes, huh?"

She shakes her head and sucks her lips in. Archer clenches his jaw and sighs. He drops his hand from her face to her shoulders. He turns her around so that her back is facing the mirror, and without warning, he lifts her up by her hips so that she's sitting on the counter. Maddy's eyes open in surprise and she catches Archer's glare. He averts his eyes quickly as he takes up the towel to hold under the tap as he twists the handle for hot water. He wets the towel and then brings it up to her cheek.

"Let me clean you up, huh."