warfare, but he almost always met his match in Remy. Now he’d gotten himself all
worked up, and Remy was going into code-breaking mode.
Fucking great.
“Massive computing machines running on the power of a small village have
failed to break it, but if it’ll make you feel better, go right ahead and study it,” Shawn suggested with a smirk.
Remy huffed, but he turned to copy the message onto a notepad anyway.
Shawn walked over to sit on the hearth of the fireplace, watching Remy in
exasperation. Thiago and Nikolaus stopped mid-conversation and looked at him with blank expressions.
“We never had dinner,” Thiago observed, as if having missed dinner really
didn’t bother him all too much, but he needed something to talk about.
“No, we didn’t,” Shawn responded, a little surprised he hadn’t noticed the
lack of food. Remy had that effect on him at times. He forgot what he was doing and why he was doing it and knew nothing but the force of nature that was Remy’s
presence. The distraction had grown to the point that he was now more concerned
with Remy’s well-being than his own. It was one of the many reasons he’d decided to take this assignment, regardless of the almost inevitable likelihood that most of them wouldn’t live through it, and why he’d decided to do what he was doing.
Although he hated himself for his decision, he knew it was the only thing he
could do to save himself or Remy in the end. The lad wasn’t the type to live until retirement. He was too unaware of his own mortality and too willing to do the jobs others refused to do for the very reasons those less reckless individuals refused to do them. Shawn had to get him out before his sense of adventure killed them both.
He was brought out of his reverie as Remy thumped down beside him.
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“Is that the Archer’s message?” Nikolaus asked as he sat forward and stared
at Remy intently. Remy nodded, and Shawn watched Nikolaus curiously.
He hadn’t really paid much attention to the man, and he knew he should be
observing all of his companions a little closer than he had. He couldn’t simply take it for granted that they were all true to the Organization, and he also knew if he were hiding something from them like he was, no matter how trivial or critical it may be, then they could all be doing the same.
Nikolaus seemed harmless enough, though, and very genuine at that. Of
course, that could mean very little, considering Shawn’s experience with Remy and others like him. But still, Shawn didn’t get the psycho killer vibe from Nikolaus.
Thiago, on the other hand, was a different matter. Out of all five men,
Thiago worried Shawn the most. The man was suspicious to start with, which
wouldn’t help Shawn’s cause all that much, but he was also very shrewd. If one of them were going to figure out what Shawn was on about, it would be Thiago. And
there were times when Shawn watched him that the man’s eyes glazed over and he
reminded Shawn disturbingly of Brandt. Being crazy as fuck was one thing. Being
able to hide it under a normal exterior? That was deadly.
Thiago watched Nikolaus in much the same way as Shawn watched him and,
for a brief moment, Shawn entertained the idea of pulling him aside and asking the man what he thought about the young tech. Not only would he get the chance to feel Thiago out, but he also might even be able to begin to build a bit of trust with him.
But then Thiago turned to look at him, and Shawn thought he’d never seen a more
guarded expression in all his years. No. Tonight was not the night to get Thiago to open up. Something weighed heavily on the Argentinean’s mind, and Shawn would
just as soon not get into that area just yet.
“I’m convinced that the letters have something to do with it. Like a
designator or a… uh… shit, I can’t think of the word.”
“A key?”
“Yeah!”
“Remy?”
“Huh?” Remy responded innocently in response to Nikolaus’s soft words.
Shawn got the feeling that perhaps Remy had a bit more on his mind than just the
message and he shifted uncomfortably. Remy wasn’t stupid, and when he was acting
that way it meant that trouble was coming. Something weighed heavily on Remy’s
mind too, and Shawn had to get into that area. Soon.
“There’s not much point in worrying over that until we have the other half to
the code. I’ve got the computer running on it.”
“But–”
“Come on, Dixie,” Shawn huffed before Remy could go into a whole
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diatribe over how important breaking the code was. “I’ve got something you can help me with,” he added with a wink at Thiago.
A shout emitted from Brandt’s room as if on cue and Thiago grinned
crookedly.
“If he can make Carl scream like that, I’m quite worried about my turn,”
Thiago told them softly, and Shawn wondered whether he was joking. He thought not.
Carl certainly didn’t seem the type to scream.
“Uhhh….”
Shawn looked at Remy inquiringly as he stood and stretched his sore back,
but the younger man remained sitting and looked up at him blankly.
“What’s the problem?” Shawn asked curiously.
“It’s just…,” Remy trailed off and his eyes slid from Thiago and Nikolaus on
the sofa to the message in his hand, and then back to Shawn. “Oh, fine,” he finally conceded.
Thiago actually snorted in amusement. “Che,” he said sarcastically, “mierda, Shawn, you must be a real treat in the bed to warrant such enthusiasm.”
Shawn shot him his most lascivious grin and winked. “You could only be so
lucky,” he claimed enigmatically before grabbing Remy and hauling him to his feet.
He then picked him up and threw him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, gave the two surprised men on the couch a cheeky bow, and strolled out of the room.
Remy didn’t protest the high-handed treatment. The younger man didn’t
even fight him or utter so much as a squeak as Shawn carried him down the hall and into the bedroom Remy shared with Carl, and Shawn really began to worry that
something was truly wrong. Normally, Remy at least put up a token struggle.
As soon as the door slammed behind him, Shawn set Remy down none too
gently and shoved him. Remy wheeled backward but managed to catch himself before
he tumbled to the floor. He looked back at the bag of ammunition and hunting knives and various and sundry other deadly instruments that he had almost fallen onto and then looked back at Shawn accusingly.
“What’s all this then?” Shawn demanded before Remy could say anything.
“What?” Remy asked defensively, backing away a step and nudging the bag
with his heel. He suddenly reminded Shawn of a caged animal, and Shawn narrowed
his eyes in suspicion.
“What have you done?” he demanded.
“What?” Remy repeated, a little surprised now.
“You’ve done something you know I wouldn’t like,” Shawn asserted. A
nasty thought began to creep into his mind, but he did his best to suppress it. “And what the fuck was that act you were pulling out there?”
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“What act?” Remy asked, his tone once again defensive.
“Cut the crap! The act!” Shawn clarified forcefully, struggling to keep his
voice down. He brought his hands up and let his wrists go limp and began flailing and sp
eaking in a high-pitched, mocking Cajun accent. “‘ May wee, I don’t know what I’m talkin’ about. What’s going on? Why do we need this? Oh, what’s the word I’m
thinking of? Key, is that it?’” he said in mimicry of Remy. “It’s bullshit, and you’re well aware that I know it,” he finished disgustedly.
“Mon tcheue!”
“Shut up,” Shawn ordered as he began to prowl around the small room. He
saw Remy’s wide brown eyes following him, and he finally turned to face the
younger man once more. “Why are you playing games?” Shawn demanded
suspiciously.
Remy opened his mouth to speak, but snapped it closed again. Shawn’s eyes
narrowed further, and the nasty thought that had been merely creeping before
slammed into him in full force.
“What are you hiding?” he asked hesitantly, hoping Remy either wouldn’t
answer or would tell him ‘nothing.’ Anything but a hesitation.
“I….” Remy’s shoulders sagged, and he looked guiltier than Shawn had ever
seen. Remy didn’t usually show what he was feeling unless it suited his purpose, but Shawn had enough experience with him to be able to decipher the real from the fake.
His heart sank as he realized the guilt he was seeing was real.
“What’ve you done?” Shawn whispered.
Remy’s eyes hardened and he straightened his sagging shoulders.
“Why don’t you tell me?” he demanded, his voice nothing more than a harsh
whisper. “What have you done, Shawn? Hmm? Why don’t you tell me that!”
“Keep your voice down,” Shawn hissed.
“Why?” Remy challenged. “Hiding something?”
Shawn closed the distance between them and gripped Remy by the
shoulders. Remy started to protest, but Shawn held him firmly and threw him at the bed. Remy stumbled and fell against the side of the mattress, sliding down and
landing on one knee to look up at Shawn in confusion. Shawn’s heart ached as he saw the betrayed look in Remy’s eyes, but he grabbed Remy’s shirtfront and pulled him roughly back up to his feet, pinning him against the bunks and putting his face just inches from the younger man’s. “Are you accusing me of something, lad?” he snarled in the most threatening voice he could muster.
Shawn had to admit he was impressed with Remy’s reaction. He had seen
men fall to their knees and beg in the face of his most threatening personas, but Remy simply blinked and swallowed with slight difficulty.
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“You certainly are defensive for a man who’s done nothing wrong,” Remy
observed softly. It was Shawn’s turn to blink, and he released Remy’s shirt slowly as if he just realized what he was doing. Remy had certainly won that round.
They remained that way for several tense moments, and finally Shawn
stepped away and knitted his brow inquiringly.
“How much do you know?” he asked sadly.
XI.
NIKOLAUS didn’t know whether to be amused or annoyed by the behavior of his
comrades. If he were being honest with himself, he would have admitted it was a little bit of both. If these first few days were any indication, then they would never quit fucking one another long enough to get out of this fucking cabin.
He and Thiago sat silently for some time, watching the dark hallway where
Shawn and Remy had disappeared and straining to hear snatches of their
conversation. All they could hear, however, were the sounds coming from Brandt’s
room. Finally, Nikolaus turned to look at Thiago, and he found the man sitting and smiling oddly.
“They really are endearing, once you get past thinking they may want to kill
you,” Thiago said to him in amusement. Nikolaus smiled and nodded. But he couldn’t honestly say he agreed. At first he’d taken comfort from Shawn and Remy’s unusual bond, but now Nikolaus thought he sensed something that perhaps the others were
missing. The tension was obvious, but it could be chalked up to many things. Sex, for instance. Or lack thereof. It could also be chalked up to knowing the others were suspicious of them.
Nikolaus shook his head irritably. He didn’t want to get into the psychology
of the others. Just the thought of trying to diagnose Brandt made Nikolaus’s head hurt. But what Nikolaus was sensing between Remy and Shawn was not only the very
obvious and understandable tension, but also a very subtle hint of suspicion. And if Shawn and Remy were suspicious of one another, then what hope did Nikolaus or any of the others have of trusting either of them?
What had caused the sudden shift, anyway? They were certainly comfortable
enough with one another yesterday, and even this morning nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But as the day progressed Remy seemed to grow more and more tense.
Nikolaus wondered if perhaps the Archer’s message had anything to do with it.
And if it did, then why? Nikolaus’s brain revved to life as he tried to think
through the problem.
He glanced at Thiago as the shadows from the firelight danced across the
man’s handsome face. Could he trust the cagey Argentinean? He desperately wanted
someone with whom to confer, to whom he could relay his suspicions. In all honesty, he wanted someone to allay his fears, tell him there was nothing to worry about and
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their only enemy was the Archer.
He wanted someone to talk to.
Several hours ago, Nikolaus would have gone without a second thought to
Remy to voice his concerns, but now with his new suspicions in mind, Thiago seemed the most likely candidate.
Especially considering Thiago was the only one here.
Nikolaus tried to forget that he was slightly intimidated by the older man,
and he cleared his throat. Thiago looked at him inquiringly.
“May I…,” he cleared his throat again as Thiago waited patiently, and he
started over. “May I speak with you candidly?”
Thiago raised one eyebrow in amusement, but he seemed to sense Nikolaus
was a bit jumpy, and he apparently took pity on him.
“Of course you can,” he said gently. “What would you like to speak of?”
Nikolaus looked down the hall once more, then back at Thiago. He
wondered how far he should go, how much he should confide in Thiago, but then he
decided this was an all-or-nothing situation.
Thiago followed his gaze and apparently anticipated what Nikolaus had on
his mind. He smiled crookedly and returned his eyes to the fire. “I don’t like what’s going on in there any more than you do,” Thiago said with a nod toward the bedroom.
“Yes, I’ve noticed something wrong between them. No, I don’t know what it is. And God knows what they could be plotting or… but I’m trying to come to terms with the idea of working with other people, and I’m trying to come to terms with whatever it is Remy and Shawn have together. Remy says it’s love, but….”
“You don’t think so?” Nikolaus prompted as Thiago trailed off, not caring
that they were getting off the subject. It felt good to have Thiago speaking openly about anything. Thiago looked conflicted for a brief moment before his stony exterior returned.
“Do you trust me, Nikolaus?” he asked suddenly.
Nikolaus stared at him. What to say? If he said yes, would Thiago believe
him? Should he appear to think it over before answering? Should he offer his reasons behind what was essentially his blind trust? Nikolaus had never been one for face-to-face tactics. He was more of a behind-the-scenes operator, and he wasn’t sure how to handle himself with the experienced field agent.
“Yes,??
? he finally answered with as much conviction in his voice as he could
muster. Thiago gave him a faint smile.
“I’d like to say that it makes me happy to hear you say that,” the Argentinean
sighed sadly. “But if you trust me so easily, what’s to say you won’t trust others as well? What if one of them is a mole?”
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“I do trust them,” Nikolaus insisted, wondering how Thiago turned him
around so easily. One minute he was thinking of how suspicious two of the others
were, and now he was defending his own trust in them.
“If you trust them, then why are you sitting here asking me questions about
Shawn and Remy?” Thiago asked slyly.
“I don’t know. I think you’ve talked me into a circle,” Nikolaus admitted
candidly.
Thiago chuckled, and they sat in silence for some time. Eventually the
sounds from Brandt’s room faded. Nikolaus sat waiting for something to happen.
He looked at Thiago again and cleared his throat. Thiago smiled and looked
at him sideways.
“Yes?”
“What if the message is the reason they’re being– ”
“Weird?” Thiago supplied. Nikolaus nodded, and Thiago shook his head. “I
think it’s just a full moon or something.”
“I’m serious. I’ve been thinking it over. Since they know each other so well,
isn’t it possible that if one of them were the Archer, then the other might be able to break the code? Maybe that’s why Shawn didn’t want Remy working with the
message.”
Thiago frowned and opened his mouth to reply, but let it shut again and
returned his gaze to the fire. “That’s entirely possible,” he murmured.
“They’re loyal to one another, that much is obvious, but the Archer has been
killing off agents. Agents just like you and Shawn and Remy. If I found out that my best friend was really the enemy….” Nikolaus let the assertion hang in the air for Thiago to decipher. Thiago turned to look at him intently.