The Gender Game (21 page)

"I have a new name for you, by the way," I said.

He groaned, slamming the seat shut. He climbed on to the motorbike and I slid on behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"Do you want to know what it is?"

"I'm sure you're going to tell me anyway," he grunted.

"Viggo 'The Victor' Croft."

He kicked off and joined the road. Beneath the roar of the engine, I caught him mutter, "You have a nerve, Violet Bertrand."

T
here was
bad traffic on the way back to Lee's. Apparently, there had been a major crash on one of the highways, which caused a ripple effect of solid jams throughout the city. Viggo ended up completely retracing our route, even back past the Brunswick, to take a longer route home. He rode through the city closer to his side of the mountains, northwest of the palace. It was a relief to leave the noise and smoke behind as we climbed the mountains; the fresh air, tinged with the scent of pine, was bliss.

It was a mild night. Viggo got hot beneath his coat at one point; I helped peel it off his shoulders and kept it on my lap so he wouldn't have to stop to remove it, leaving me to feel the muscles beneath his t-shirt as I resumed my hold on him.

Viggo smelled like the pines. Rugged, virile. Maybe it was because he lived out here. The ends of his loosened hair touched my forehead as I rested my cheek against his back. I felt sheltered, safe. Truth be told, I was feeling sleepy now, too, and I closed my eyes for the rest of the journey.

By the time we thundered into Lee's drive, it was later than Lee had been expecting. The kitchen lights were on, the blinds half closed.

I got off the motorbike.

"Good night," I whispered.

"Night," he murmured.

His eyes glinted in the moonlight as I held his gaze a few seconds longer before turning and heading to the house. As Viggo had done the night before, he waited until Lee had opened up before riding off.

Unlike the night before, Lee was still dressed in his work clothes. A navy blue suit.

"What took you so long?" he asked as he closed the door after me. His face was tense.

"A ton of traffic," I said. "We had to go a roundabout way to get here."

We moved into the kitchen. When he offered me dinner, I accepted it. As he went about heating something up, he asked, "So how was Viggo? What did you talk about?"

"He won in the second round," I said. "It was great. I waited right by the cage and watched up close—I wore my cap, of course. And after the fight some agent from the PFL came to see him in his changing room. I've been trying to encourage Viggo to move up to his level, and when the agent offered him a new contract tonight, he finally accepted it."

The spoon Lee had been using to stir a saucepan dropped to the stove with a clatter. He spun around to face me, his expression shocked.

"You
encouraged
him to do that? What were you thinking?"

I stared at him in confusion, my lips parting. "I-I don't understand."

"Why would you encourage him to move up to the PFL? It didn't occur to you that this could mess up his entire schedule? His training, his fights! For heaven's sake, Violet. I warned you not to lose focus!"

I found myself stumbling for words, unsure of what to say. Lee was right. I hadn't given the slightest thought what consequences might ensue if he joined the PFL. His entire schedule that I'd gone to the trouble of noting down could be turned on its head. For all we knew, Viggo might be offered a PFL fight on the night of the banquet.

"As it stood," Lee went on, "that night was completely blank for him. He even had a night off his duties as a warden—I checked. He was to be replaced by someone else that evening. We had this all battened down, dammit!"

Lee sank down in a chair, running his fingers nervously through his hair.

My breathing quickened. What had I just done? Of course, Viggo might've accepted the contract anyway. Mr. Sands and the contract might've been enough to convince him… though I couldn't help but feel that my encouragement had played a part in it. Viggo was a stubborn man. He might not have even heard Mr. Sands out if I hadn't been there encouraging him to listen.

"Oh, this is a mess," Lee breathed. "A complete mess… Did they discuss the next fight in the changing room? Any kind of schedule at all?"

I shook my head. "No. The agent just said that he would be in touch tomorrow morning."

"He might even shift gyms for this. How are we going to figure out his updated schedule?"

"I-I could just ask him when the fight is."

Lee let out a breath, still looking irritated.

The smell of burning filled the room. Whatever Lee was heating up was getting ruined. But he could hardly bring himself to care. I had lost all my appetite now, anyway.

Crap. What have I done?

I sat in my chair, frozen, watching Lee tentatively as he buried his head in his hands. Then, with a deep sigh, he raised his head and looked me. "I'm just… trying to understand how you could have possibly thought that encouraging him was a good idea."

I was thinking of Viggo, of him being paid more and treated better.

"I’m sorry," I said. "I've been trying to make friends with him and I… I slipped up."

"We can't afford slip-ups. And do I need to remind you that my life is on the line just as much as yours is in this?"

"I know,” I said through clenched teeth.
Even though I seem to be the one taking on the major risks all the time
. I felt like snapping something back at him, but I held my tongue. I knew I had messed up.

Lee stood up and turned off the heat beneath the sizzling pan before proceeding to throw the food in the trash.

Even though I no longer wanted to eat, I remained in my seat while Lee prepared a second dinner for me. When he placed a plate in front of me, I picked at the food, hardly able to swallow.

I felt like I was losing myself on this mission.

I pushed the food away after I'd eaten all that I could and drank from the glass of water he'd set down for me.

Lee's mood had quieted. "Okay," he said, sighing. "Look, Violet. I know this is hard. Trust me, I do. And we all make mistakes… But you've
got
to stay focused. Everyone is counting on you."

I managed a nod. "A reunion with my brother is on the line, too." I wasn't sure whether he knew that.

Biting his lower lip, he stood up. "Okay. I'm heading to bed." He began moving toward the door, but as he passed my seat, he stopped. He glanced down at me still in my chair, a furtive look in his eyes. Unexpectedly, he stooped. A second later, his moist lips were pressing against the side of my neck, beneath my right ear, in a firm, chaste kiss. And then, just as suddenly, he drew away.

"Good night," he managed, before sweeping out of the kitchen.

I stared at the empty doorway in a daze, my fingers raising to the side of my neck. I felt the skin where his lips had been.

What was that about?

Why would he do it?

I struggled for the next ten minutes to make sense of Lee's kiss. It had come so abruptly. So unexpectedly. From nowhere.

In the end, there was only one thing I could conclude:

Maybe I'm not the only one losing focus.

M
y sleep was
fitful that night. A recurring nightmare plagued me, a nightmare about a young boy sitting in a row boat in the middle of a river, being swept away by a current. The harrowing feeling of being able to do nothing but stand and stare remained with me after I woke up drenched in sweat. I glanced out of the window, whose blinds I'd forgotten to draw last night. The horizon glowed orange with the first signs of dawn. I checked the clock by my bedside. Five-thirty a.m.

I breathed in deeply through my nose. I wished that I could take a pill and forget about everything. Become a robot. I grimaced to myself. King Maxen's Benuxupane pills didn't seem like such a bad idea right now.

I took a hot shower, which helped to calm me. Like with Viggo, running water had a way of clearing my head.

I was no stranger to adversity. I'd been through harder times than this before and pulled through. I'd pull through again now. We didn't have long to go anyway, and then this would all be over.

After finishing in the shower and dressing—I didn't bother to dry my hair—I went downstairs. The kitchen was empty, but I could hear Lee upstairs. His shower was running.

I fixed myself some honey and ginger tea and settled down at the table. Samuel came in to greet me with a groggy woof before allowing me to stroke his head. It was raining outside, the first rain since I'd arrived.

By the time I'd finished my tea, Lee creaked down the staircase and emerged in the kitchen.

The first few seconds of his arrival were the worst. My stomach somersaulted as last night replayed in my mind. He also seemed awkward. He murmured a quick good morning before busying himself by the sink.

It appeared that he was going to act like the kiss hadn't happened.

"So, uh, what's on the agenda today?" I asked him. I was wondering what time Viggo would come for me, though he wouldn't have called yet. It was still too early.

"You're not going to see Viggo today." Lee's answer came.

I stared at the back of his head as he hunched over the sink.

What? Why?
I wanted to blurt. But I held back. Why was I so bothered anyway whether I saw Viggo or not?

It was the abrupt reminder of Lee's power over me that threw me off.

"I've already left a message on his phone," he said.

“All right," I replied, trying to sound unruffled. I needed to cooperate with Lee, not fight him, for everyone's sake.

"Instead," Lee went on, "you're going to help me with something down at the lab." He turned away from the sink and sat opposite me at the table with a glass of water, still not meeting my eyes directly. He reached into his right pocket and pulled out a phone. "Alastair is due to make a call in about… one minute."

Barely a few seconds after Lee had spoken, the phone rang. The number flashed up as "Mariana"—apparently a disguise, presumably in case Lee's phone ever got stolen. Lee picked it up and pressed it to his ear. "Yes."

He uttered a few more "yes's" and "fine's", before handing the phone to me.

"Yeah?" I said.

"Good to hear from you, Violet," Alastair's pitchy voice replied.

"Things are going fine," I told him flatly, before he could ask the question. "There's really not a lot to talk about. The banquet is drawing closer and we're preparing for it as best we can."

"Good. Good. We're very glad to hear that." A pause. "You'll be seeing your brother soon, and you're making your nation proud, Violet… Never forget that."

I answered with silence. Alastair requested to be handed back to Lee and I handed back the phone wordlessly for Lee to wrap up the conversation.

"So, about today," Lee went on. "We need to leave for the lab in half an hour. I'll explain more on the journey."

I stayed in my seat while Lee left the kitchen. I heard him open the front door, then came his crunching footsteps in the driveway. The garage door creaked, and then an engine sounded: not a motorcycle. It sounded more like a car.

I headed to the window to see a brown five-seater roll into the center of the drive. Lee killed the engine, got out and hurried back to the house.

I met him in the hallway. "I didn't know you had a car," I commented.

"I rented it yesterday," he said. "Forecast predicted it would be rainy, and we can't afford to get wet today." He eyed me. "If you're ready we might as well leave now… Though we’ll need to fix you up with your disguise first."

My curiosity, or rather, apprehension, was growing regarding what exactly Lee had in store for us. I followed him up to my bedroom where my costume was kept. Things felt awkward again as he got up close to put on my wig and help me with my facial hair and contact lenses. But his expression remained businesslike.

I changed into the body suit before pulling on a deep brown suit. Then, after popping some Deepvox pills and checking my appearance with Lee, we left the house.

"You sure this costume is a good idea?" I asked as we got in the car. I felt uneasy about going to the lab dressed like this. People had seen me before as a woman. They might recognize me even in this disguise. Plus, how would Lee explain who I was if we bumped into someone?

"Don't worry," Lee replied. "I've thought about it."

Watching the road slip away beneath us, my eyes glazed over as we rolled down the mountain. I tried not to worry, but failed. I didn't like feeling dependent on anyone—man or woman. In fact, I abhorred it. I hated not being clear on the plan in my own head. But it wasn't worth causing more tension between Lee and me. I had to keep biting my tongue.
This will be over soon.

"Since it's early on a public holiday—the late King Patrick's coronation," Lee said, "the city won't be crowded. And the lab should be mostly empty. You're going to install one of the explosives we'll need for the lab… The one we require to blast open the egg's glass casing."

My heart skipped a beat. "Are you serious?"

"Quite serious."

"I have no idea how to handle explosives."

"Again, don't worry. I'll advise you what to do."

"What about the other explosives?" I asked him. "Have you installed those already?"

"No, but the others I've figured out how to handle without you. It's just this one you need to take charge of."

Lee proceeded to tell me in detail about where and how to correctly install the explosive device.

A
rriving at the lab
, Lee punched in the code to get us into the parking lot and parked as close to the entrance as he could. He reached an arm around the back of my seat and removed an unassuming brown bag, which he placed between my legs. Then he handed me a pager, which I stuffed into my pocket.

Now all that remained was action. He gave me a firm nod before stepping out of the car.

I watched Lee hurry to the building through the rain. He let himself inside, and his shadow disappeared behind the glass.

I stared down at the pager. In about fifteen minutes, he should be buzzing me.

I kept watch of the digital clock above the dashboard, my fingers clenching around the handle of the bag. Soon only one minute was left. Thirty seconds. Ten seconds… The pager buzzed five seconds late.

I took my cue to leave.

I pulled on a raincoat that had been stuffed inside the back pouch of Lee's seat, positioning the hood low over my face. I slipped the bag beneath my arm, making sure the overcoat covered it, then exited the car and hurried to the entrance.

Lee was waiting behind the glass doors and after he let me inside, we immediately parted ways—I headed toward the staircase that was located near the elevators, while Lee headed to the room behind the reception desk.

I scaled the stairs as fast as I could, breathing hard by the time I arrived on the top floor. Stepping out into the corridor, I recognized it from my previous visit. I no longer had to keep the hood over my head here. Lee's job during the minutes I'd waited in the car had been to stall the cameras recording in the entrance area, the staircase and up here… Just for fifteen minutes. I had to be fast.

As I reached the door of the lab, I buzzed Lee. A few seconds later, the door clicked open, Lee manipulating it from the downstairs control panel.

Stepping inside, I held my breath and gazed around. The lab was empty, eerily quiet. I let the door close behind me before working my way toward the glass cabinet at the back of the room. Toward the silver egg.

This damn egg. There had really better be something valuable in it.

By using the word "installing", Lee had made this job sound far more complicated than it actually was, at least for today. All I had to do was drop off a package of small explosives and hide them here so that they would be ready for the night of the party. He had advised me where I should put them.

My eyes panned to the light above me. It was wide, flat, and circular and fixed into the ceiling. Sliding a hand into the front pocket of the bag, I drew out a few screwdrivers before standing on a table. I raised my arms and began trying to find the right fit. I found one that slotted into the screws perfectly, though they were tightly fit. It wasn't a quick process to unscrew all the screws, especially since my nerves kept causing the screwdriver to slip in my hands. I feared I wouldn't make the fifteen minutes in time.

I exhaled in relief as the light finally came off. I glanced down at the clock by the door—seven minutes left. I placed the light carefully on the table—the last thing I needed was for it to shatter. Then I dug another hand into my bag and pulled out a foil package. I felt four heavy cylindrical objects inside as I stuffed the package through the gaping hole in the ceiling. I positioned them just by the edge, easy for me to reach in a hurry. Then I stooped down for the light fitting and worked as quickly as I could to reposition the screws. It was depressing to think I'd have to go through this all again on the night of the banquet.

The buzzer vibrated in my pocket just as I had one screw left.

Ugh. Screw you, Lee. I'm almost done…

I had the screw at just the right angle. If I let go, I'd have to start this one again, and I was running dangerously low on time. I spent the next minute refining the angle before leaping down to the floor and tucking the chair beneath the table where I'd found it.

The pager had vibrated twice more since then. When I pulled out the device from my pocket and checked it, my blood ran cold.

"GET OUT OF THE LAB!!!"

My heart in my throat, I grabbed the bag and bolted for the door.

Out of the lab? What does that even mean? Out of this particular lab, or out of the building?

But as I reached within ten feet of the exit, I froze. Footsteps sounded outside. I should have checked the pager the second Lee sent the first message. It was too late now. I was trapped.

I looked frantically around the room for a hiding place. I had no time to even consider whether diving beneath the table closest to me would be the best option. A few seconds after I'd slid beneath the furniture, the door glided open. Footsteps entered.

I clasped a palm over my mouth, trying to stifle my breathing. A man in corduroy pants walked past my table, continuing down the aisle. He was dragging behind him a suction cleaner. Why hadn't Lee known about it? I was trusting him blindly. He was supposed to have thought through all this.
I'm putting my life in that man’s hands!

The intruder walked to the end of the aisle and started up the machine. The room filled with white noise.

My fingers unsteady, I reached for my pager and punched in a message.
"STUCK INSIDE. WHAT NOW?"

I stared down tensely at the device after sending it
. Come on, man!

Lee's reply arrived forty seconds later:

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE."

What? For how long?

The cleaner was moving slowly but steadily toward my end of the room. He was cleaning thoroughly, too, making sure that he got every last bit of dirt out from underneath the tables.

He was going to find me.

Just as I was contemplating darting beneath a different table—one further away that would hopefully buy me some more time—the door opened again, and in stepped a second cleaner… also with a suction machine. He started cleaning much closer to me. At the rate he was sweeping across the floor, he was going to reach me in less than a minute.

"TRAPPED,"
I paged.

I clutched the device, waiting with bated breath for Lee's response. It wasn't coming.

The second cleaner arrived within five feet. Then four. Then three. Then…

The suction broom took its first swipe beneath my table, missing my left foot by a fraction. Clutching the bag, I spread myself as flat against the wall as I could, leaving as little of me touching the ground as possible. But it wasn't going to be enough. The machine moved forward again, this time aimed directly at my feet. Like a rabbit caught in the headlights, I closed my eyes, steeling myself for the impact while hoping against hope that he might mistake me for a table leg.

The broom hit me. But as it did, an alarm rang out, so loud it felt like my eardrums would split.

Although the broom had touched me, the guy became too distracted to check what he'd hit. He dropped the machine, and so did his colleague. The two of them rushed out of the room.

I took a moment to steady my breathing, drawing in a long, quiet breath.

Then I moved forward and peered out from under the table. Now I needed to get out while I could.

Making sure that my mustache, beard and hair were still on straight—just in case I got spotted outside—I left my spot beneath the table and headed for the door. But for the second time, it opened before I could reach it. There hadn't even been footsteps to warn me. I didn't even have time to throw myself under a table.

It was Lee and I had never been happier to see that man. He scanned the lab wide-eyed before taking my arm and pulling me out of the room.

The corridor was empty, but he did not head back to the same stairwell that I had come up. Instead we moved in the opposite direction down another hallway, before reaching a red door. As Lee opened it, a damp breeze swiped at my face. It led outside, to a narrow metal staircase scaling the back wall of the building. Lee pulled me outside into the rain and we clambered down the steps as fast as we dared.