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12 The Opera

We arrived to the opera unfashionably early before the performance. Rain kept a possessive arm wrapped around my waist. He only relinquished it to guide me towards the stairs, but even then, he kept his hand on my back, as if he could not bear to stop touching me. The gesture made my inside go into an exhilarating free fall.

His suave magnetism, the luxury and elegance of the moment pulled me from the past and drew a curtain across the inevitable future where I would destroy all Rain was trying to build between us. Like a ship in the storm, he might try to steer it, but both the storm and the ship were outside of his control. I would not think of it now. For tonight, I determined live in the present.

Rain guided me into our private box, closed the door and gave me a sultry smile, before his lips laid claim to mine. The kiss was languid, sultry, hungry and very much entitled. I railed against its tenderness, closing my heart to its devastating whisper and the promises of a future I knew would be denied.

Rain pulled away. ‘Sorry, couldn’t help myself.’ He did not sound sorry at all.

‘Liar,’ I whispered and fought not to lean into him for more.

He cleared his throat, almost abashedly. ‘Lets get this mission over and done with, Rockhall, and then we can resume where we left off.’

Kyle Snow’s private box was next to ours, though far enough with the solid wall between us that eavesdropping was not an option.

Rain strode to the edge of the box. Behind the curtain near the balustrade, he pulled out a pair of copper headphones, connected to the leather encased listening device. He plugged them in and dialled back and forth to adjust them.

‘We have connection. Well done, Tick,’ he mumbled.

He handed me a pair of headphones and we sat down behind the curving balustrade wall and waited.

Gradually, the hum of voices grew louder as people began to crowd into the theatre.

‘Tell me, Rockhall,’ he said conversationally whilst we waited. ‘That day when you lingered on the edge of the roof, having chased down the suspect off it …’

‘And by that you mean let him fall instead of pulling him up,’ I said dryly.

I had cornered the Gendrian suspect. He fought back. In the tussle, he went over the edge, though it was not my intent to throw him off the roof. Somehow, he had managed to grab hold of the edge. I merely stared at him. He had shown no mercy to the Herms he’d slain in cold blood in parklands and dark alleys. I watched his face as it dawned on him that I was not going to save him. His fingers began to slip away. And then I saw it, the flicker of relief in his face as he let go. And it just seemed so easy, to just let go.

‘You stood on the edge of that roof, looking down for endlessly long minutes,’ Rain said. ‘Were you thinking of … falling after him?’

I took a moment to reflect. ‘No. I merely stood there, envying the bastard his peace. When he let go, he was almost joyous with it. I tried to imagine what it might feel like.’

‘I never was certain. When I watched you hesitate and hover there, it terrified me. It was in that moment that I suddenly understood what you meant to me, what it would cost me to see you fall and break upon the stones. I’ve pondered that moment ever since.’

‘I’ve never sought to end my life, Rain. I’ve toyed with the idea of death and what it meant to me. I even regretted not dying the day Ma was killed. I’ve been indifferent about it, and even wished for it to find me. But I never sought it.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because Ma would expect better of me. I knew if I rejected the gift of life they gave me, I’d be no better than the bastard who butchered them.’

Rain was silent, thoughtful. ‘I’ll have to add that to your profile,’ he said at length, adding a humorous note to it.

I laughed quietly. ‘You do that, Wild.’

Through the headphones, we heard the door of the booth next to our open and close.

Rain instantly straightened and pressed the record on the box. The tape cassettes began to slowly roll.

‘You’ve made a mockery of this whole enterprise, Carlson,’ said the smoky, smooth voice of Karl Snow. ‘Why is the mission not completed?’

‘Because the dogs are feral, and right now they are being fed by someone else who does not want this to come to a swift and bloody end.’ Jamie Calson sounded like exactly what they were, a ruthless, petulant playherm. ‘Which is why I wanted to speak with you. The funds are gone.’

‘Gone.’ It was stated flatly, almost dully, and yet with enough menace that Carlson stuttered when they replied.

‘I believe one of yours came to speak with one of mine and somehow, they conspired to deplete Grant’s account.’

I exchanged a glance with Rain. He frowned, then something shifted in his face, and he looked at me steadily, suspicion darkening his eyes. I deserved it. I had betrayed him to Fanigan, knowing exactly who they’d run to.

‘I’ll deal with mine, and you deal with yours,’ replied Snow. ‘In the meantime, I’ll get you more funds to re-leash the dogs and end this quickly. You’ll have it by tomorrow. And you’ll return every penny to me once the contract is yours.’

‘With interest, of course,’ Carlson added.

‘And of course, I will have your undivided support in my bid for the next presidency.’

‘Naturally.’

‘If you double cross me, Carlson …’

‘Now why on earth would I do that? Oh … unless you think I’m like Lane Parson. Although, thinking on it, I am curious, why did they double cross you and backed Wilson instead ten years ago? Seems rather ungrateful after everything you’ve done for them.’

‘Because Parson is a treacherous bastard.’

‘It wouldn’t have anything to do with you putting their kid, Asten Parson, into the ground. I’d hate for anything like that to happen to me or my own.’

‘The nosy Herm was a journalist who was probing into the affairs that didn’t concern them, and Parson had no control over them. I gave both of them plenty of warning. So, you keep control over yours, and we will remain fast and long-time friends.’

‘I assure you, our official position in the next election will be for change of leadership, for the benefit of national security of course. The security contract will of course ensure we have enough supporters to make a difference to your campaign.

‘You’ll have the contract, if you end this siege quickly before Stateguard move in to disarm the GLF.’

‘Stateguard are still trying to negotiate and buy their way out of this one. Shade has given us until tomorrow lunchtime to bring them the funds in cash, otherwise they’ll take Parson’s latest eyewatering offer to end the siege. So we need those funds quickly, Snow. Otherwise the mayor and everyone inside might yet come out of this alive and smiling.’

‘You will have the money by mid-morning tomorrow.’

At that moment, the lights dimmed, the audience grew silent, and the opera singer emerged with a flair onto the stage, and the powerful first notes of a very long act rang out through the theatre.

Rain stopped the recording. Silently, we quickly packed up, gathered the equipment, and walked out of the theatre.

We put everything into the boot of Rain’s car. Except for the tape roll, which he slipped into the pocket of his suit. We got into his car and Rain drove off.

I glanced at his jacket pocket. The recording was damning to Snow and Carlson, and even Parson of Stateguard. It was even more damning to my plans. Hawk could end this. The tape could be used to bring down and convict Snow. It could even bring down the playherm owners of Secureforce and Sateguard. But the outcome was not where I wanted it to be. Not where I needed to be. Because even if Rain brought them all down, it would never be enough. Another bastard would simply take over. This time, I wanted to be the bastard in charge. Again, my gaze flicked to the tape in his pocket, before fixing on the city outside.

Lights flashed by from the night district which never slept. A blurr of lights and people out for the night, couples walking arm in arm. Groups of friends.

After a long silence, Rain spoke, sounding grim. ‘All this because Snow wants to be president.’

I remained silent. I had already suspected as much, and this merely confirmed it. All my life I believed Gendria was behind GLF attacks. GLF had always been suspected of being state sponsored. And they were, except they were sponsored by our state. Mercenaries for hire, under the guise of ideological agenda.

Rain swore under his breath. ‘Bloody hell. It also explains why Snow backed Stateguard ten years ago. They gave Parson the same deal.’

‘Snow will be going after you,’ I said, hiding the jolt it gave me as the image of Ma’s bloodied body was suddenly replaced with Rain’s.

He gave me a sideway grin. ‘Worried about me, darling?’

‘Merely pitying the cleaner who’ll be tasked with removing your blood and brains from the carpet.’

‘You hungry?’

‘Famished.’

His lips twitched, he did not miss my meaning. ‘Later, darling. For now, I know a good Italian restaurant. It would be a shame to waste that beautiful dress you’re wearing.’

‘A date then.’

He cast me a glance. ‘An official one, and I’m paying. I’ll expect at least one adoring smile in return.’

‘I’ll work on it.’

‘You do that, Rockhall.’