Twelve- More screams

“So,” Chloe leaned in on the wash basin. “If it is not a car's plate number, does it at least have something to do with a car?”

“No.” Agent Connor made a tutting sound before continuing. “Suarez thinks it might be a coded bank account number. So, I think we could work with that and sees what comes out of it.”

“This Miss Sanquire, what do we know about her so far?”

“She owns a clothing line and changes boyfriends the way she does with clothes.”

“Is she rich enough to pay Nathaniel twenty million pounds?”

“Actually, no.” Chloe's ears picked a knock from outside.

“I see. I have to go, sir.”

“ Good work so far Chloe, just make sure to go about undetected.”

She took a look at her dirty uniform which reminded her of the remaining work waiting for her in what Amir called his

personal space

. “I sure will sir.”

As the call ended, Chloe turned off the tap, and took a deep breath which she instantly regretted- she had also inhaled dust in Amir's abandoned space. Just when she thought she knew the nook and cranny of the house, there turned out to be another room tucked in what she could call a basement.

“What were you doing in there for so long?” Gabriel asked as he got off the wall he was leaning on before she came out.

“I was relieving myself? Why are you so concerned about m- what I am doing?”

“Well,” he walked to her front and looked down at her, his right hand reaching for hers. “Your work has been so much for the past few days, I was afraid you might have fainted in the bathroom or something.”

Chloe watched his face, the words which she could utter still unclear. When the words came, she asked him, “Do you always care this way for everyone you know?”

“Well, not everyone I know. Just people I happen to care for .”

“You care for me?” Chloe was fazed.

His eyes peering, Gabriel said, “You seem surprised.”

“It has been a while since anyone told me that.” Her back retreated onto the wall as the past came rushing. Indeed no one ever told her they cared about her. Most people hated her, she could still feel the effect of their dislike of date. The one person that always told her to never mind them was no longer around to tell her that he cared.

Heck, when he left, people hated her the more. But in the end, she didn't give two fucks about all of them.

“Hello. Earth to Chloe.” She looked right into his eyes. “What do you mean by it has been a while? Didn't your parents…”

“I never had any.” His words had turned on the hard side of her. “I need to get back to work.” He blocked her way.

"I am honestly not going to ask you the details, but I am always here. Just know that." Chloe past couldn't as her eyes squeezed shut. She always thought she could handle her whenever it came up, but she really couldn't.

“I should get going.”

“When you are done with work and all freshened up, come up to the library, you need to see something.”

“Okay.” And she walked away.

“Oh good, I thought you would never show up,” Lucille said as she struggled with an unpacked box.

“Here.” Chloe gave her a hand and they both moved the box to the centre of the room which was more than halfway clean. Nodding her head to approve of their well-done job, Chloe's mind went to earlier with Gabriel. She wondered how life would be if she didn't have a reason to be working with the Agency.

Immediately pushing that aside, she reached for the contents of the box which turned out to be balls used for Christmas decorations before stealing a look at Lucille. The lady was being too quiet, it was unusual of her. After her sexcapade with Amir, she had been so solemn you would think she had just made a heavy confession to a priest.

Even though something within Chloe told her to keep her concerns to herself like Lucille probably wanted, she just wanted to ask. But before she could, a scream came, like the one she heard when she had just arrived at their house.

This time, it was clear that it wasn't a recording. It sounded like it came from the other side, it was so loud and real, Chloe shivered a bit as she paused to listen for another one. Convinced that she had not imagined it, she glanced at Lucille who immediately looked away.

She had that look again. The look that said she wanted to tell her something so bad. But Chloe wasn't going to push it. Likewise, she was going to be patient about the scream she just heard. She was going to take her time and prove that the scream was real.

And… that was all she thought of until they finished their work in that room.

~

After she got into comfortable jeans which she coupled with a blue tee-shirt that had a bunny drawn on it, she made for the library. On her way, her eyes landed on Nathaniel's door and she wondered why on earth a part of her felt she could be with him.

Not only did it threaten to jeopardize the mission at some point, but a relationship at that moment also sounded foreign to Chloe. She wanted to have a taste of it, but it still sounded foreign to her.

As she climbed up the stairs that led to the library, she noticed a little placard that read;

WELCOME

.

Not particularly sure what to make of it, she shrugged and entered the room where about ten balloons greeted her.

“Uh… okay?” She said to no one in particular. Her eyes began to search for Gabriel and then she saw another placard that read;

SORRY ABOUT LAST TIME

. There was a little arrow that pointed towards the shelves underneath the words.

They led her to another one that read;

I MUST HAVE LOOKED LIKE A FOOL

.

Next to it was another that said;

LET ME MAKE IT UP TO YOU?

Chloe was not going to lie to herself, she was amused. As her hand reached for the little card that was protruding from where it was tucked and opened it, her heart or some certain part of her chest flipped a bit.

HOW ABOUT A DATE?

“What do you have there?” Gabriel asked out of nowhere. He must have sneaked up on her.

“I think Nathaniel wants to go on another date.” She almost slapped herself for attempting to smile.

“Uh?”

“This?” She showed him the card. “This is Nathaniel's doing right?”

“Of course.” He chuckled. “I helped him fish out the idea.”

Chloe made a face. “It does seem a bit cheesy though.”

“Does it? So,” he motioned at the card. “Are you thinking of going?”

“Hmm, I guess I need it as a form of relaxation.”

He guessed. “I was thinking the same thing.

The scream came again Chloe froze. This time it was different was distant, yes. But that was not it. It definitely was not the same scream as before.

"Chloe, are you fine?" She came back to the room.

Sighing, she said, “Yes, I am. I guess my body is already crying for sleep.”

He smiled at her. “You had a long day.”

“I will get going now.”

“Don't forget to come down for dinner."

She nodded and walked out of the room in small steps. She wanted to hear that sound again.

But it never came.

When she entered her room, she knew she had to find the source of the noise and fast.

And by fast, it meant that night.