Chapter Twelve

I woke up on my own the next morning to the sound of the hotel room door slamming. Since no one was in the room, I assumed it was Grant, leaving to do who knew what.

I rolled out of bed and did a zombie shuffle to the bathroom, still not quite awake. I figured I should take a shower now, while Grant was gone, so that he couldn't yell at me to hurry up. I took slow showers.

After I got out, got dressed, ate food, and brushed my teeth, I started to get annoyed. Grant still wasn't back. Where the heck had he gone?

I walked a lap of the room, trying to find any kind of paper or note that he might have left to tell me where he went.

Big surprise: there was nothing.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my phone, quickly dialing Ward's number. I almost threw my phone against the wall when I heard his phone ringing in the next room.

"You have got to be kidding me," I mumbled to myself. I was just about to go out looking for him when the door to the room swung open.

"Hey Slater, glad you're up," said Ward casually as he walked into the room.

"Where the hell have you been?" I demanded, crossing my arms and glaring at him.

"Scoping out activities for Kayla and Derek to do today to help establish our cover," he said calmly, making a pot of coffee and apparently not noticing the irritation on my face.

"Seriously? That's it? You were gone for hours!"

"I had to be thorough. Besides, taking my time meant I could scope out potential threats as well as tourist activities."

"And you left your phone here because...?"

"I didn't need it. Why are you so mad?" he asked, finally acknowledging my body language and tone.

"Because you left without me telling me where you were going or leaving me a way to get in touch with you!"

Grant just rolled his eyes. "You're fine. I'm fine. I don't see the big deal."

He started walking into the other room but I was not done with this argument. I moved into the doorway, blocking his path.

"Grant," I started, trying to make my expression as stern as possible, "We are spies. You've told me yourself how dangerous our work can be, how serious, and I need a way to get in touch with you in case of an emergency."

I could see him starting to give in, but he wasn't there yet. The idiot was probably still trying to maintain his macho 'I'm a top agent and I never need help' persona.

I decided to play to that persona.

"Please Grant? For my peace of mind."

"Fine," he sighed, "I'll keep my phone on and with me. But only so that you won't freak out."

Hook, line, and sinker.

"Thanks Grant," I said, giving him a brilliant smile before moving out of his way.

"You're welcome," he mumbled.

"So, what's up for today?" I asked, sitting on the bed while he moved to the bathroom.

"Well, Kayla and Derek want to make the most of their time here, so we're going to see the sights. We're going to bike around the city all day, then go on a hike tomorrow, then boat over to Narsaq the day after next."

"Sounds like a plan."

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"Ward! Slow down!" I called, trying to be inconspicuous while still being loud enough for him to hear me. We were supposed to be on a bike cruise around the countryside, but Ward kept speeding up!

"Why?" he asked, "Can't keep up?"

"You know I can," I growled, "But we are supposed to be tourists taking a relaxing ride, not working out!"

"This is a workout for you?" he teased, slowing down anyway. I just rolled my eyes and kept pedaling.

We went all around the little town, passing all kinds of different animals. I just about died when I saw a musk ox. It was so cute!

The best part: Ward had to share my enthusiasm. He was supposed to be Derek, the cheesy tourist, so when I squealed at a musk ox, for the sake of our covers, he had to agree with me and say it was adorable.

I was planning on seriously messing with him for our guided hike tomorrow.

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"This way folks," said our tour guide, motioning for Grant and I, and a few others to follow him up the path on the hill. We were walking through the scenic countryside, and it was gorgeous. But as much fun as I was having, it was finally time to put my plan into action: Operation Annoy Grant.

"Oh! Derek! Look!" I exclaimed happily, grabbing his arm and pointing to a mountain goat that had stopped in its tracks to stare at us. It was absolutely adorable, so it wasn't hard for me to act excited, but I did exaggerate my feelings a little.

"Wow! Look at him!" replied Grant, pulling out the camera, "Let's get a picture!"

He paused to take a picture, letting the rest of the group move ahead of us. As soon as they all had their backs to us, he glared at me.

"Not funny," he mumbled.

"I don't know what you're talking about Derek. Did you get that picture?" I asked innocently, smiling and moving back towards our tour group. I heard the camera snap a picture and then Ward rejoined us, once again looking like a fascinated tourist. I hadn't known him long enough to be sure, but I imagined I could feel him glowering just under the surface.

It went on like that for a few more hours. I had Grant acting exciting and taking pictures of everything, from animals to plants to pretty clouds behind mountains. I was impressed he was keeping it together so well, but I knew he'd lose his mind once he didn't have to keep his cover anymore.

I was already cackling with anticipation.

Finally, we got back to our hotel. The minute the door shut, Grant was in my face.

"Seriously Slater?" he demanded.

"Seriously what?" I asked casually as I went around him towards the bathroom.

"You were messing with me all day."

I turned to look at him, giving him a big smile. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really?" He pulled out the camera. "Then why do we have a full memory card of nothing but birds and sheep and clouds?"

"Well, for starters, it helps keep our cover. Tourists are always taking pictures."

He just kept scowling, so I continued.

"Besides, it might be nice to have some memories of this trip. We can pin them up in the cockpit of the Quinjet."

He sighed angrily and stalked out of the room. I followed.

"Dude, seriously, chill out. You need to lighten up a little. Today was a fun nature hike. Yes, I was messing with you, but you make it so easy! The littlest thing sets you off! Just because you're on a mission doesn't mean you're not allowed to enjoy life!"

"What, looking at sheep is enjoyable?"

"Yes! Come on Ward, look at this guy!" I took the camera from him and zoomed way in on the face of one of the mountain goats, then turned the display around to show Ward. And guess what? He laughed.

"See? You can make anything more enjoyable if you just try."

He shook his head, but he was smiling, so I took that as a good sign.

"You know what Slater, maybe you're right. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to enjoy myself on these missions. But be careful that you don't walk into a trap because you were too busy looking at mountain goats."

With that he walked out of the room, probably to get ready for bed. I still heard him laughing under his breath though, so it was definitely progress.

Once Ward was done in the bathroom I quickly brushed my teeth, then climbed into bed with him. The room hadn't gotten any warmer and I was starting to get used to sleeping next to him, but we both decided to move to the bed from the couch. I drifted peacefully off to sleep in the dark, quiet room. Thank goodness Grant didn't snore, otherwise I probably would've had to kill him.

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A/N: Shoutout/thank you to @TGWW_2274, @dragon-of-winter, @AlexaFilipa, @Maddiechatty, and all the other amazing readers for sticking with me, encouraging me, and giving me support and inspiration. It means a lot ❤️