Nova had to walk fast if she wanted to get to Derek on time, before anyone suspected anything. She couldn't blow this up, not when they were so close.
Clutching the pendrive in her palm, she made her way out of her office and into Derek's as fast as she could.
It was time for lunch already; she could see Derek's secretary packing up to leave for lunch. Nova made sure to pass on a giddy smile when she passed her and she hoped it came across as a shy smile so that it'd look like she was going to Derek to do the couple-y stuff and not because she had to tip him off about her own secretary's suspicious behaviour.
As soon as she entered Derek's office she made sure to click the door shut so that no one could enter. Then, she made her way towards the wide-eyed but cute-looking Derek who had a bunch of papers in hand. He wasn't looking at them anymore though, how could he when his 'fiancé' was barging in his office unannounced. But Nova had no time to be flustered about stuff like that. Yes, she was very much infatuated with the man and if she could, she would definitely have a whole office situated inside of Derek's own huge one, but those things could wait. She was now an agent before his fiancé. And the time to act that way had come.
"Genelia knows," said Nova, taking a seat in front of Derek, who was now placing the bunch of papers he had been previously going through neatly inside a blue file.
"Who?" he asked which caused Nova to roll her eyes. And she did, roll her eyes that is. She wasn't sure where all these new Nova traits were coming from but by looking at Derek's raised eyes, she knew that he at least wasn't against the action.
"Genelia, my secretary? The one who walked in on us when we-"
"Oh, yes. I remember," Derek said quickly, looking away from her for a split second as he lifted a hand up to his neck. Nova felt warmth travel up her own neck when she realised what she almost blurted out. God, she was an absolute mess today, wasn't she? When she didn't speak for a few more seconds after that, Derek asked, "What about her?" and Nova sprung to action once again.
"Oh, she knows."
"Knows what?"
"Yes, about you. Your past. What happened in Cambridge. She knows."
"She knows?"
"Yes, I only found out today."
"How?"
"Derek, you won't believe me, I mean I can hardly believe it myself but, she can be dangerous. Something's not right with her and I had my doubts since a few days ago but I didn't give them much thought and I know â " she added quickly when Derek tilted his head a certain angle and closed his eyes for a second, exhaling a breath. That was his expression for when he didn't approve of something.
"â I know I should've told you about it and I was going to but I just â I'm sorry. I'll be sure to never repeat this mistake again but â yes. She knows. It was this morning, I had just entered my cabin and I was just sitting there, waiting for my laptop to boot as I looked through some files when she came in with my morning coffee â and Derek, I didn't even hear her enter. How can that be? But, yes, so she came in all happy and bubbly and cheery â just like she had been that day when â yeah so. She asks me why I was so happy because apparently I was glowing and I told her what I thought any engaged woman who wants to get married as soon as possible would â I told her it was just pre-wedding glow â"
"â You what?"
"â Yes! I know, I'm so embarrassed right now telling you this but â oh, well, so that's when she completely changes. Like, she's not smiling anymore, she's not even moving an inch and when I ask her she suddenly lashes out. She said she knew you and she knew what you did and that she thought we were just acting and lying about this relationship, she thought we just wanted to gain fame and get Watson & Co. going up all the while my father also gets benefitted. She thought this wasn't real but when she knew that we actually were going to get married she began, like, warning me and stuff and â yeah, so that's how I found out."
Nova realised she wasn't behaving like her normal self at all, but she couldn't help it right now. Not once in her entire life had she ever made any mistake in any task that was given to her. Not even once. So to know now that she could have put the operation in danger by not letting Derek know about her suspicions about Genelia sooner was putting her in stress. And while she was someone who worked just about right under stress, the fact that this could prove to be something that could make Derek upset just erased any sense of rationality from within her. Right now, all she wanted was to let him know how incredibly apologetic she was. To put it bluntly, Nova was desperate, and as much as she didn't like the fact that she was, it still didn't stop her from continuing on when Derek didn't say anything for quite a while.
"And don't worry about her finding out that I'm suspecting her, I didn't let her think that I thought of her weirdly. I just behaved like any psychologist would â I told her to get some rest, drink some water. And I said I'd talk to her later so â"
"Here," suddenly there was a glass of water placed right in front of her face. Lifting her gaze up for the first time ever since she sat down in front of him, she saw that Derek was no more seated in the seat across from hers. He was, in fact, standing beside her chair now, holding a glass of water which looked very appeasing to her at the moment. So, without a second to spare she mumbled a quick 'thank you, Derek' and took the glass in both her hands and drank.
Gulping down the water as fast as she could, Nova then set the glass back on the table and looked up at Derek. "I am really sorry, Derek, and I know just an apology won't do anything to solve our problem but I just- I was going to tell you. I swear I was but then I just- I don't know. I'm just really, really sorry."
Derek kept looking at her for a while, not saying anything but not looking like he was angry either and that was putting Nova on edge. Was he too mad?
"I'll be honest, Ms. Newton," he began and Nova shrunk in her seat. Ms. Newton. "You messed up."
Looking back down at her hands, she began fondling with her fingers, thinking of all the ways she could undo this mess. But before she could blame herself too much, she felt Derek's palm embracing hers, which also stopped her fidgeting.
"But there's no time to dwell on mistakes. I know you can come up with something for this situation, just like you've been doing for any other situation we've had up till now. It is not alright, but we will have to make it alright."
Something about Derek's words, something about the way he said them seemed to turn a switch inside Nova. Because as she looked into his eyes, as he had bent down in front of her to minimize that distance between their faces and get a closer look, to show her that he believed in her all just through her eyes, Nova began to believe in herself too. She wasn't thinking of what she could've done, what she should've done â no, not anymore. Now, she was thinking about what needed to be done, what she absolutely had to do. And so, with a slight nod, Nova looked away from Derek's sparkling blue eyes, took a deep breath and got to work.
"We have to inform Jason and James. Get them to work as soon as possible. We don't know just who exactly Genelia is and even though I am seventy percent sure that she doesn't doubt me, we still have to take care of the thirty percent of the possibility that she might. She's been so smooth, she's been right under our noses, we cannot be underestimating her. Not now." With that said, she received a nod from Derek and they both dialed up their assistants, ready to tackle this situation.
----
"It was hard to look into her since she doesn't have a surname."
"She doesn't?"
"No," said James. "She's basically been a ghost for the past seven years; only a few months back did she first appear in a pharmacy â that was the first time she was seen in seven years. There's no record of her anywhere."
James and Jason had arrived within ten minutes of calling them, and now here all four of them â Nova, Derek, James and Jason â were, gathered around Derek's glass table, taking up the space on the sofas.
This seemed like a serious matter now, with all of them on the same positions as they were before whenever any serious problem arose. Nova had even started her journey from this very place, gathered around this very table and seated on the very sofa chair she was on now.
"How did she land the job then?" Derek enquired, looking over at the papers James had brought with him.
"Through Lee."
"Lee?" Asked Nova, not really expecting his name to come up now, since she thought she was the only one who suspected both of them already knowing each other. But apparently, her suspicions were correct and backed up with proof too.
"Yes, he knows her. They've been seen together a lot and he was the one to interview her as well. No one questioned because none of the higher ups were present and Lee was the one in charge."
"Didn't you receive her file, Ms. Newton?" Nova stiffened at the question.
"I did but I never got to read it," she said, keeping her voice steady. "She was supposed to be my assistant so I thought the file was just a formality since I was sure the higher ups would've proofread it. She never seemed suspicious up till now either so I had no reason to read that file." No matter how guilty and responsible she felt at the moment, Nova knew this was not the time to indulge with those emotions. This was working hours, and she had to give her all.
"But what about the mental state data?" It was Jason who asked that.
"She said she isn't included in that data since she doesn't work under you," she said that nodding at Derek. Sighing, she continued. "And I believed her, that's on me, I apologise."
"No, it's not just you," Derek said through a sigh. "We've all been at fault here. She did nothing that's too smart; we just let it slide and didn't think much of it. If she does have anything to do with Lee or the case, and if she decides to fuck shit up, it'll be on all of us."
As Derek said that, it was made even more clearer as to why Derek was at the position he was at now at such a young age. He had what it takes, and he kept proving that fact time and time again. It made Nova respect him more, it made her admire him even more as an officer than she already did.
"But now that we know we should hurry." Suggested James, pulling Nova out of her Derek-praising trance. Something wasn't right with her today; she was starting to doubt it now.
"You're right, we should. Where is she now?" Derek questioned.
"Leaving the building."
"What?"
"Probably to have lunch?" Provided Nova, and even she could tell what nonsense that thought was but still, it slipped past her lips, unfiltered. Something was definitely not right with her.
"Ms. Newton, that woman managed to be under our noses with everything in her resume incomplete and enough to question her â for a whole month. She's been in front of our eyes this entire time. You think she wouldn't know if she fucked up? You think she won't run off to report everything to whoever she works for?" And she knew what Derek was saying was right, and she knew this even before she opened her mouth but- just what was wrong with her today!
"But she can't contact Lee â" Jason began only to be cut off by Derek again.
"Who's to say it's just Lee? Could be even more people involved. We've already tracked mafia business from Italy, for all we know she could be on her way to alert them right this instant."
"Then we should â" But before Nova could finish her sentence Derek was already getting up on his feet and taking out his gun from a drawer. Dialing a number â most probably Officer Penton's â he reported the situation briefly, let them know about the possibility of needing backup, and ended the call.
"Damn right we should."
----
"She literally disappeared through thin air. How could she disappear through thin air? How is that even possible?" Jason mumbled to himself as he sat at the driver's seat, driving towards Genelia's recorded address. It was most probably false but they had to try. Besides, even if it wasn't the real place, they could still hunt for clues with the help of the fake address.
"The woman managed to remain vanished for years, Jason, do you still wonder how?" Nova told him, her head still feeling a little strange, as if the connection between her head and mouth was glitching or something. It was a little better now; she'd drunk lots of water before getting in the car.
The sun was starting to go down now too, the dull brightness of the winter morning dulling down even more â though it still provided plenty of light. But she knew, it wasn't going to be like this for long. No, it'll be sundown soon, and then it'll be pitch black and the cold was going to be worse â even worse if it started raining â and the task to track down Genelia would turn out to be even harder than it already was. And Nova couldn't afford that. No, she could definitely not afford that.
"But still, being gone for years is very different from disappearing all of a sudden." Jason went on, dragging Nova away from her doubts. This was not the time.
As much as Nova wanted to have a focused mindset, she just couldn't help but wonder about the things Jason kept pointing out.
He was right, how she managed to vanish for all those years in and of itself was a big question. How come no one reported her ever, how come no one ever came looking for her. Even if she were an orphan she would still have to be a part of some orphanage or foster home or something. But nothing, there was absolutely nothing. And now was a new story entirely. She was right there a second and then â poof, vanished the next. Something wasn't adding up right. How come no CCTV cameras recorded her leaving? How come no one saw her leaving. It was as if she never even â
"She couldn't have been in the country for those years, but we know she's here this time. And we saw her leave. How could she â"
No.
"We saw her leave?" Asked Nova, trying to sound as confident as she could because if her suspicions were true again then that would mean that they have been wasting time for about â almost two hours already. Oh no, this was bad.
"Yes, when I told you she was leaving the building back in Derek's office." Jason answered and Nova did not like where he was going with this.
"Had she left the building then?"
"No, she had been talking to the receptionist at the ground floor."
"So you didn't see her leave the building at all?" It seemed as if Jason was beginning to catch up on the direction Nova was thinking because just like Nova was sure her face must look, Jason's was starting to look the same way â colour already starting to drain out, eyes widened and breath hitched in the throat, lips parted.
"...No."
"Crap." She was right and she didn't like that she was â not one bit.
"You contact James and tell him about the possibility of Genelia still being in the building." Quickly trying to get her head working again and trying to take control of the situation, Nova commanded Jason so that he would stop fretting and get focused too. It wasn't his fault, but, if Genelia managed to escape and if she caused some great trouble, he would have to take the greatest fall â after Nova that is. And she could not let that happen, and neither could she let him start doubting everything now.
"Yes ma'am," Came Jason's breathy reply which was not a good indication.
"Jason, hey. Look, stop the car for a second," Nova said, her voice soft, tone smooth.
Jason didn't argue and quickly took the car to the side of the deserted road and pulled over. The route they were taking back to the building was a shortcut and filled with fields and empty roads. Not much transport travelled here, and maybe they shouldn't have taken this route in their haste after all.
Quickly handing him a bottle of water and patting his shoulder, Nova told him to drink up. "It's going to be okay, you hear me, Jason?" Rubbing her palm on Jason's shoulder, she began trying to get him back in the present. "She's not going anywhere and don't you fret about anything else. We're going to get her and then we're going to get all your questions answered, okay? So just take deep breaths and drink up â that's right, and don't let any stray thoughts hinder you. Okay? If you get distracted it's only going to be difficult for everybody. And we don't want that â we don't want Genelia to escape. We don't want that, do we, Jason?"
Nova shook him slightly when he gulped audibly. "...No," he said, almost as a whisper.
"What? What was that, Jason? I'm not quite sure I heard you. Speak up."
"No." Jason said a bit louder.
"No, what, Jason?"
"No, we don't want Genelia to escape!" Jason finally said that in a more assured tone.
"Yes, that's right. Are you feeling okay now?" Nova inquired.
"Yes, much better. Thank you, Ms. Newton, for helping me out I just â it won't happen again." Jason assured and giving him a reassuring nod back, Nova signaled him to get going. There was no more time to waste.
"How much time till we get back?" She couldn't help but ask a few minutes after they were back on the road. The sun had gone down now, all that remained in the sky were shades of blue that were starting to blend in with the dark purple to then ultimately mix in with the darkness of the entire sky. This wasn't a good sign but they couldn't be complaining â Nova couldn't be complaining. It was their own fault that all of them were here.
Firstlly, it was Nova's fault for not notifying Derek, then it was Derek's; for not inquiring for the report, then Jason's for not telling them if he really saw Genelia leave the building and then James's for not looking either. But mainly, it was hers and that fact alone had Nova's heart and head messed up. But she had to keep it together.
"We're too far away right now, ma'am, so at least half an hour." That wasn't good seeing the darkness that was quickly enveloping them, and it was a no-moon-night too which meant absolutely no helping light whatsoever. Nothing was in their favour today it seemed. And now to top it all off, Nova's stomach had started feeling weird, too.
"Okay, nothing much we can do, we'll have to wait. I can't believe this is hap â did you get in contact with James?" Nova asked, quickly diverting her own worries to the situation at hand. Nova was the definition of a mess today, and she was not holding up well with that fact.
"Trying, ma'am."
"Okay."
"Yes, James?" Nova looked over at Jason when he spoke into the earpiece, some sense of relief taking over her at the fact that Nova wasn't alone, Nova and Jason weren't alone. That James was there too, that Derek was right there with them too.
"Yes, we're heading back... We'll be later than you." Another wave of relief washed over her at that. So they will already be there.
"Tell them not to wait for us but to keep us updated." Nova said to Jason who passed on the message to James and after a couple more words, he ended the call.
Okay, Nova thought, things were looking to be in control for now.
For now, Nova didn't like the sound of that. But again, she didn't know the future and she could definitely not be relying on it to always come out in her favour. The entirety of today was enough to prove that fact â that nothing was always going to go her way, no matter how hard she tried. But yes, she could not be slacking off anymore, once proved to be enough of a problem, she didn't even want to think of a second time. And she won't let there be a second time. She won't.
"How much time?" She asked again.
"Ten more minutes, ma'am, we're almost there."
Ten more minutes did not mean almost but she'll take what she gets. She didn't really have any room to complain.
Glancing at the dark and empty road in front of her and wishing they would get to their destination sooner by some miracle, she then looked back at Jason.
Only to see that he was tense. He sat there, his shoulders visibly strained, his knuckles going white on the steering wheel and his jaw clenched as he kept looking at the side mirror.
"What's wrong?" Nova asked, already feeling something dark crawling up her spine.
"A car's been following us." Jason answered, his tone dark.
Gulping thickly, she looked at the side mirror and sure enough â a black SUV was right behind them.
"How long?" Nova's tone matched Jason's as she said that, strained and breathy.
"Five minutes." That was not good.
"Couldn't be a coincidence?" She asked, wanting to take all the possibilities into consideration.
"Not with the way it's been on our tail without even a car's distance." Nova didn't like the sound of that.
"Isn't that the wrong way to follow someone?" She couldn't help but wonder because surely, they would want to keep a distance so as to not be noticed? Unless...
"It is but not when you're desperate and not when you don't care if the other party knows. Especially when you're travelling in a deserted road. The odds aren't in our favour." Jason was now speaking in a way that had Nova on edge. He seemed to be rambling about himself. And that tone accompanied with his white face and white knuckles and the bones of his throat visible, it only spooked Nova even more.
"What do you-?" She still took a chance, still tried to get a clear answer.
"It means we're in trouble, Ms. Newton."
She shouldn't have. Because now her breath was hitched in her throat, the previous feeling in the pit of her stomach began growing rapidly, her heart beating fast, her head spinning and it seemed like she just couldn't breathe.
This couldn't be happening, no, this wasn't real. Ten minutes, they were only ten minutes away how could it â
"Jason," Nova called. "Jason you see that, too, right? You â"
But there was no way Nova could say it and there was no way Jason wasn't seeing it. The SUV had picked up speed and it wasn't that far away from their own car. And judging by the constant acceleration the SUV was coming towards them, there was no way Nova and Jason couldn't tell what was going to occur.
"Derek," Nova managed to still think even when she was panicking. "Call Derek. Now."
"Ye-Yes, ma'am."
From her peripheral, Nova could see Jason was trying to reach James but it seemed like the call wasn't being answered. This won't do.
"Leave it, you focus on not getting us killed, I'll phone Derek," saying that Nova fished out her phone and speed-dialed Derek. On the other hand, Jason was now taking care of delaying the impact of the other car crashing into them, foot not once getting off of the acceleration.
Nova took notice of how fast they were going now, but all she could think of was reaching to Derek soon and to reach Watson & Co. as soon as possible.
Pick up, pick up, pick up â
"Ms. Newton?"
"Derek! An SUV, black, speeding towards us, aiming to hit, most likely, like, I'm ninety-nine percent certain its aiming to hit and we're â we've managed to avoid the collision up till now but â but the route we've taken is deserted, you know the one, right? The shortcut. We're five minutes away and I â I see the city lights from here but â"
"Number, Ms. Newton. Give me the number."
"Number, yes, yes, the number, it's..." squinting her eyes as the side mirror she reported the number to him all the while looking straight the car which was now speeding up even faster.
"Derek. Derek, I â I don't think we can dodge this it's â"
But before she could say anything else, the first hit came. And it was clear that whoever was in the vehicle was not going to be holding back. But no matter how long Nova had kept looking at the SUV, she still couldn't prepare for the first hit. Which was why she shook to her core when it happened â because of fear, shock, something else, she didn't know. All she knew was that her phone dropped from her hands, and when she involuntarily jumped from her seat the seatbelt dug into her chest making it even harder to breathe and when her head hit the window, all she saw was black.
But somewhere in the background, she knew she heard a call of her name.
------------
A/N:
Ayo, I'm back! Things are looking to be quite troublesome, eh? I'm loving this tho, hope you are too ;)
And before anyone decides to come onto Nova, let me remind you that this is her first mission ever and this is the first time she's being followed by a huge ass car and is about to get hit. She grew up in a quiet and comfortable environment, remember? So, yeah, can't really blame her.
Anyways! Comment, vote, add, share, follow, support, enjoy, stay safe, take care, be good, be healthy, drink lots of water and keep that immunity strong!
I'll be going again now, see you in the next chap! Bye-bye!
-Z.