Hi,

For some reason I particularly enjoyed writing this chapter. The song I chose is Undone by Phoria. For me the beginning of the video (and the song) is an important part of the chapter. At least that's how it feels to me. This time, more than ever, the music's important for the mood in the chapter.  I hope you'll enjoy it.

Lara

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Chapter 22

The hand was cool on my forehead, made me want to keep my eyes closed and revel in dark oblivion – just a little longer. Something cold at the tip of my tongue, then on my lips.

"Take this, come on," someone said.

I shook my head.

"Anna, drink."

I opened my eyes, moaned, and closed them.

I'm never going to use a null bomb again.

"Stubborn as ever. Drink this Anna, come on." Andy's voice was wired with steel, the kind of sound he used when he trained me. It demanded I do what he said without arguing.

The water tasted bitter, was in fact more than water.

Medicine. Yuck.

I grimaced, shrinking away from the rim of the glass against my lips. Water sloshed down my jaw and neck. I pushed his hand away, righting myself.

"Try that again and you're dead," I wheezed, opening my eyes.

Andy was smiling. Smiling. A small bona fide smile like a crack in the wall of tensed jaw muscles and determination in his eyes.

I gulped in more air and closed my eyes against the flaming pain in my lungs.

"Not funny."

"No it's not," he said.

"What happened?"

The words felt wrong and misplaced on my lips. Dammit, what happened? My head felt like a bulldozer flattened it, then turned back and drove all over it again.

The smile faded from his lips. "I found you close to the black market. You fainted and your nose was bleeding."

I righted myself, taking a good look around – if only to distract myself from what really happened. I was in a bed, not Andy's by the looks of it.

"Where are we?"

He shook his head, blond hair swinging with the motion. It was a long time since I last saw him. How long? When had I last talked to someone I could call my friend?

"This is Kenny's place. It was closer than my apartment. I figured you didn't want me to call the ambulance?"

I shook my head. "Where's Kenny?"

"At the headquarters, doing work for the Circle. Which is where you should be."

He got up, running a hand through his hair. It was even longer than the last time I saw him, as if he didn't have the time to cut or shave, or do anything else that pertained to grooming. Which case was he working on that it made him careless?

His jaw muscles worked. "Setting off a null bomb in the middle of the black market? You just confirmed everything that parts of the Circle say you are. Anna, what were you thinking?"

"Not much, I guess." The sarcasm died away with a suddenness that left a sour taste on my lips.

How much did Andy know? And, the more important question, how much could I let him know?

"What happened? Who were you running from? Why set off the null bomb?" he said.

I shook my head. "I don't know. There was a group of witches. I have no idea where they came from, and... I think they were trying to arrest me."

Or kill me.

Andy closed his eyes then stared at me. "You've been in this city for how long exactly? Dammit, why didn't you call me as soon as you were back?" He looked at me hard. Motion in the depth of his brown eyes. There was an air of disquiet around him I wasn't used to. Andy was calm and cool impersonated. The devil may care attitude had fallen off like specks of dirt.

I'm sorry, Andy.

The words should have made it past my lips. They didn't.

I stared at him for a long moment, tried to make sense of his words and that look in his eyes.

"Why did you tell Kenneth to drop the investigation?" It came out as a whisper.

Was it because he heard rumors about me and believed all of them?

He looked away. Strands of blond hair curtained part of his face and yet I could see his jaw muscles flexing, working.

"What are you not telling me, Andy? Talk to me."

He looked at me. "You know how it works, Anna. There are some things that are better left alone. At least that's what I thought at that point in time. I went to Brown as soon as I found out Travis was the traitor. I told him all I could, but it was a damn hard line to walk. He's not stupid."

While I was whisked off by the Raven and fled to Italy, he was left to go to our boss, and explain how and why we knew Travis was a traitor.

"What about the bank accounts?"

He shook his head.

I blinked. "What, you didn't tell him?"

"Anna, what was I supposed to say? For the great three witches' sake, we hacked into the Circle's databank and made a deal with half-witches we were supposed to arrest! If Brown found out how we got our hands on the information, all three of us would have been fired on the spot. We got the mole and that's what counted."

I stared at him. "Still. I don't get it. Why tell Kenneth to stop investigating?"

He got up and turned, running his fingers through the dark blond mess of hair. He picked his way through the room with ease, despite the piles of books and magazines. Apparently Kenneth was as much a geek as he looked.

Andy made his way to the window. He came to a halt in the spot where shadow forked into light and the streetlights touched the threshold of the windowsill. He let his arms fall to his sides, the muscles in his arms and shoulders muscles contracting, then relaxing like a soft sigh of relief.

"Do you know how hard I worked to get to where I am now? We're Force members, Anna, part of the highest law enforcement bodies of the country. That's it. This is where I always wanted to be. You don't get a second chance for this. I didn't want to lose that."

I drew my knees to my chest, watching his back warily. "You were not against investigating when we started out."

"I wanted to stop the Raven. Now... Things have changed."

I straightened. "Do you know what Kenneth found out?"

He exhaled harshly. "He told me today."

"Does that mean you've changed your mind?"

He nodded, still not turning around. "What else could it be? Of course I've changed my mind."

"You know that we'd not only be investigating behind the Circle's back. We might be going against it," I said. "You can still back out. Both you and Kenneth. Let me do the investigating. I'll take the blame in case things go downhill."

He laughed. It was a mirthless noise that utterly clashed with his usual carefree attitude.

"Do you really think I could do that? Turn my back on this? On you?" He turned around. "I was too late for Maria. I wasn't even in the city when she died. Not this time. I'm here now, and I'll do whatever I can to keep you alive."

He shook his head. "I've lost too many people I cared about. I'm not going through this again, Anna." His eyes held an intense glint I was well familiar with. I'd seen it in the mirror.

There was a tight knot, deep down in my throat, and a second one, twin to the first, only deeper. Somewhere in my core where no one could see.

I averted my gaze and leaned back, wincing. My shoulder felt like it had collided with a vertical bulldozer blade. I exhaled, blew air through my nose. If I kept breathing I might be able to handle this.

I almost got caught by.... Whoever those witches were, they were no rogues and they were too powerful to be half-witches, and yet not a single aura or face had resonated with me. These witches were Circle trained, but they were not Force members. That meant they had to come from outside.

I shook my head. "We've got to stop the Raven, Andy."

He nodded grimly. "I know."

A few moments of silence. His outline was harsh against the city lights from behind. White shirt, the stance of someone well-trained in the arts of combat. Even here, in this room, Andy was ready for a fight.

I closed my eyes. "I'm tired. The whole city thinks I'm a rogue. I'm not. I swear by the great three witches, I'm not."

Not where it counts.

"I know, Anna." He came closer and sat down on the other side of the bed. "Where have you been? What happened to you?"

Leaning my head against the wall, I exhaled and began recounting what little I could. I didn't look at him until I finished. I saw it in his eyes. I had his full attention. Had had it throughout the recount.

He leaned his head on his elbow, staring at me. "What did you learn when you were with the rogues?"

"Andy, I..." I hesitated.

He put his hand on my shoulder, squeezing softly. "I know you didn't go with them willingly."

I closed my eyes. "It's complicated. Trust me, I want the Raven as much behind bars as you, but..." I shook my head, voice thinning out. "Andy, I can't just go to the Circle."

Chocolate brown eyes held mine, upfront and without that sheen of duplicity I'd seen in most other players in this city. No secret motive, no attempt to trick me into yet another situation that would, at some point, come back to bite me in the ass.

He shook his head. "There's no other way. You must go to Brown."

"Andy, the whole Circle's after me. It's pointless."

Steel infused his eyes. Determination setting his jaw rigid. "No it's not. If we talk to Brown, if you tell him what happened, give him all you know about the Raven, he'll be willing to make a deal with you."

I stared at him. The idea wasn't bad, but Andy didn't know what I knew. He didn't feel the weight in my jackets – couldn't see past the clouding spells I cast over the magical artifacts I stole from the Raven. Worst of all, I didn't tell him that most of the Raven's artifacts were in the pockets of my jacket.

There was a part of me that said I should hand them over to Andy, let him return them to the Circle. A small part of me said they were weapons I might still need. And an even greater part of me was beginning to mistrust the Circle.