As I step out of the bathroom, the warm bath having soothed my tired muscles, I pause, adjusting the towel wrapped snugly around my body. My hair is piled atop in a messy bun, a few stray strands kissing my neck. The sound of incessant buzzing draws my attention, and I turn to see Marcel’s phone vibrating against the coffee table.
He’s back?
My gaze flickers to the sofa across from it, seeing Marcel sitting there, a glass of scotch in hand and brows furrowed in evident frustration. With an irritated sigh, he snatches up the phone, silences it, and tosses it back onto the table, the device skittering across the polished wood.
And in a bad mood. Great.
I watch him for a moment, taking in the tension that seems to radiate off him in waves. Alessandra’s earlier words echo in my mind, her insistence that what Marcel and I need is to reconnect.
To reconnect his penis with my vagina.
I blink at the memory,
I stare at Marcel, my heart pounding in my chest as I fight the overwhelming urge to give in, to go back to him and lose myself in his touch, in his kisses. The desire to be with him, to feel his skin against mine, is almost too much to bear. But I stand my ground, knowing we can’t keep avoiding the issues that keep pushing me away from him. After a long moment, he senses my resolve, his features hardening to a stern look as he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his gaze intent on me. “Alright, doll,” he says softly, his voice low and earnest. “Let’s talk.” I eye him for a moment, steeling myself before I finally begin. “Yesterday, with the ATF… I wasn’t trying to be brave or noble just for the sake of it. I was just… I was terrified, and so I figured if I didn’t completely fold within the first five seconds I wouldn’t seem so…weak.” His gaze sharpens, his brow furrowing with concern. “You’re not weak, Mercy. You were scared, rightfully. But terr
⊰ Marcel ⊱ The tension in the conference room is dense as I lean back in my chair, my gaze sweeping over the faces gathered around the table. Rick stands at the front, a stack of papers in his hand and a stern look on his face. “Word on the street is that Luciano is looking for a newvendorto distribute his product,” he says, his voice low and serious. “With us cutting off his transportation, he’s getting desperate.” I nod, a sense of satisfaction settling in my chest. It’s been a long, hard battle, but we’re finally starting to make some headway against the Reyes cartel. Luciano. A burning desire for vengeance has been consuming me since the day he laid hands on Mercy. The memory of her broken and bleeding, the child we created together ripped away from us… it’s a wound that will never heal. And Catalina, the venomous bitch who branded my wife like cattle, who scarred her beautiful skin… I want th
I lean back in my chair, my eyes fixed on the laptop screen as my fingers fly over the keyboard. The words flow effortlessly, the ideas for my dissertation project taking shape with each passing minute. I’m so engrossed in my work that I almost don’t hear the knock on the door. “Come in!” I call out, my gaze still glued to the screen. The door opens, and I glance up to see Frank standing in the doorway, his expression as stoic as ever. “Ma’am,” he greets me with a nod. “Marcel wants to see you in the conference room.” I tilt my head, curious. It’s not often that Marcel summons meanywhere, especially to the conference room, and certainly not in the middle of the day like this. “Did he say why?” I ask, already making sure my document has auto-saved and closing the laptop. Frank shakes his head. “No, ma’am. Just that he needs you there.” Intrigued, I follow him out of my study and through the halls, my mind racing w
I lean back in my chair, rubbing my tired eyes as I stare at the complex equations sprawled across the computer screen. It’s been a week since I agreed to help Ben and Pablo with the nano-drone project, and while the excitement of being part of something so groundbreaking still thrums through my veins, I can’t deny the toll it’s starting to take on me. Between my studies, my dissertation, and the long hours in the lab, I’m beginning to feel stretched thin. The days seem to blur together, a never-ending cycle of coffee, calculations, and the soft glow of computer screens. Am I in over my head? The thought lingers in the back of my mind as I watch Ben stand up from his workstation, stretching his arms above his head with a groan. “Anyone else ready for a lunch break?” he asks, glancing between Pablo and me. Pablo nods, pushing back from his own desk. “I could go for a burger. There’s a great little joint just a couple of miles down the road. Y’
The fluorescent lights of the campus bathroom flicker overhead as I stand at the sink, splashing cold water on my face. My head is pounding, a dull ache that’s been building behind my eyes since I finished the second round of midterm exams for the semester, just a few minutes ago. I know I should find Frank and head home, but right now, all I want is a moment of peace to myself. I need a nap. As I pat my face dry with a paper towel, I hear the sound of the door opening behind me. Glancing up, I see a woman entering, her curly blonde hair framing her face, her brown eyes sharp and assessing. Her tailored suit screams “government agent”, and immediately, my guard goes up, my heart rate rising as memories of my recent run-in with the ATF flood my mind. Please, not again… I think with desperation, anxiety washing over me as I toss the paper towel in the trash and move towards the door. I can’t do this again. But
I lay on my side, curled up in bed, the soft fabric of Marcel’s t-shirt caressing my skin. The comforting scent of him envelops me, but it does little to soothe the turmoil raging inside my mind. I can’t believe I was so naive, so trusting. Ben and Pablo, the man I’d come to consider friends, colleagues…they’d been lying to me all along. They’d managed to slip right through Marcel’s security, through all of our defenses, and I’d let them in without a second thought. How could I have been so stupid? The worst part is I actually thought I finally fit in somewhere. I actually let myself believe that Ibelonged. Did they ever need me? What was the point of bringing me in on the project? If they’re CIA, I’m sure they have all of the resources they need right at their fingertips. Why play the cruel joke of bringing me in and making me feel like I mattered? The thing of betrayal cuts deep, especially when I think of Ben. The way he’d g
The midday sun streams through the windows of my study, casting a warm glow on the polished wood of my desk. I sit motionless, staring blankly at the file in front of me. The ultimatum Agent Gallagher gave me yesterday weighs heavy on my mind.With trembling fingers, I flip open the cover, the rasp of paper against paper unnaturally loud in the stillness of the room. The thick stack of documents and photos seem to mock me. Every fiber of my being aches to dive in, to uncover the secrets Marcel has kept hidden from me for so long. But even as curiosity gnaws at my insides, I resist the temptation.He doesn’t want me to know. He doesn’t want me to see him like this.His trust in me, his unwavering faith…it’s a precious gift, one I can’t bring myself to tarnish further. By agreeing to this meeting with the CIA, I’ve already crossed a line. But to violate his wishes, to pry into the dark corners of his world that he’s so desperately tried to shield me from…
I sit at my desk, staring blankly at the computer screen. The cursor blinks mockingly at me, a bleak reminder of the unfinished assignments and looming deadlines that have been piling up, threatening to bury me alive for the past two weeks. I’ve been spending all of my time in the lab, working with Ben and Pablo, and everyday, I feel a bit of myself chip away. Each time I step foot into the room and have to sit there, pretending that I’m not constantly thinking about the truth behind the masks they wear, I want to scream. By the time the day is over, I hardly have the energy to carry myself to the shower, let alone study. I can’t do this anymore. With a heavy sigh, I open a new tab and navigate to the university’s student login portal, my fingers trembling slightly as I fill out the form to withdraw from the semester. Each click of the mouse feels like a nail in the coffin of my academic dreams, but I know I don’t have a choice. I can’t keep pretendi