The Company

II

"Whoa, Ani! You trying to break my arm?" Cameron asked, smiling slyly as I pulled him through the door.

"You're not funny, Cam. What are you doing here? You promised me you wouldn't follow me or try to find me!"

I stepped outside and looked up and down the hallway, trying to see if anyone might have followed him. It was stupid, really. If they had, they certainly wouldn't have let me see them standing there. I stepped back in and pushed the door closed, then locked it. I turned to face Cameron, furious that he was standing in my apartment. He looked down, realizing that I hadn't let go of his hand as I went through the process of shutting and locking the door. I let go and stepped away quickly.

"I was just supposed to let you go it alone?" he asked, sounding frustrated, "You and I both know that they're coming after you. You honestly expected me to just sit there and let them hunt you? Or even worse, get handed a contract to kill you?"

I sighed heavily, knowing full well that it was unrealistic for me to think that he would have kept his promise. I wouldn't have kept it either if the roles were reversed. I knew I was being unfair, but I was still angry. He was putting himself in the same danger as I was, but he hadn't had to. He could have stayed there, continuing on with the life as if nothing had happened. He wasn't the one who had demanded disciplinary action against another agent, then betrayed the company when no action was taken. It was my fault that he had made the decision that he made. He was my partner, and I knew when I made my choices that he wouldn't let me make them alone. I was just too selfish at the time that I made them, not giving him a thought at all in my anger.

"No, I know, I'm sorry," I said, looking at the floor, "I wouldn't have either. God, I'm so sorry I got us into this mess. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Come on, Ani, you knew what you were doing then, just like you know now. There was no way you could go right back to work like nothing happened after that job with Justin. I wouldn't have been able to do it either. And, honestly, I'm glad that you left. I didn't want to be a part of it anymore either."

"I know that I made the right choice for myself. I just didn't want to make that choice for both of us, Cam. You're hunted now, too. When did you leave?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, letting it flop down across his eyes as he let it go.

"About three weeks ago. It took me that long to find you. You're damn good, Ani."

"I learned from you," I told him, softly punching his arm, "but how did you find me?"

He laughed, "Don't worry, it wasn't a way that any of the rest of them could figure out. I assumed that you wouldn't go too far. You and I both know that we are going to have to bring them down if we are ever going to be able to stop running. So I started hacking into the high school computers around the city and the neighboring cities. You used Anilese Markoff. Like we talked about, if anything ever went wrong."

"You're right, I guess I should have known that would lead you right to me. I guess I was hoping that you weren't looking for me. I hoped you would stay there."

"You didn't actually hope that, did you?" he asked softly, like he needed my permission to be standing in front of me. I knew that it didn't matter, and there was no way I was going to be able to make him leave. More than that, I realized that I didn't want him to.

I stepped forward and put my arms around him, surprising both of us. He stood frozen for a moment, then hugged me back, squeezing gently. I sighed heavily, letting out some of the stress that I had been holding onto for what seemed like forever. I found myself being grateful to Cameron for breaking his promise.

"I guess I just didn't realize how badly I did not want to do this without you," I whispered aloud, freezing and waiting for his reaction.

"I don't want you to. You have no idea how badly I wish you had just told me that night that you were leaving and let me go with you."

I sighed again and stepped back, "We can't stay here, Cam. I was planning to leave today, I've already been here too long."

"I guess it's a good thing I showed up when I did, then, huh? Any idea where we're going to stay now?"

"And what makes you think that you're going to be staying with me?"

"I'm here, you're not going to get rid of me now, Ani," he said with that adorable half-smile he always gave when he was teasing me. "Besides, I've already been enrolled in the same school as you. It'll be easier to carpool with us living together."

We were at the new apartment a couple of hours later, after taking three different trains separately, taking as many precautions as we possibly could. I was always left feeling uneasy after a move, wondering if I made a mistake I didn't think I was making, or if I missed some sign that someone was following me. I usually spent a couple of days worrying and looking over my shoulder before I finally settled down. Cam did not have the same concerns that I did. He seemed perfectly content in our new place, casually looking around and staring out the window like we were normal people, excited to move into a brand-new home.

"Seriously, Cam?" I finally said, frustrated beyond belief, "Get away from the windows!"

"Chill out, Ani, no one has any clue that we're here. And the ones that do have no idea who we are. We're safe."

"You know better than that. Aren't you the one who's always telling me to stay on my toes? To stay alert and prepared?"

He walked over and pulled me into a hug, startling me.

"Breathe, Ani. You're so high-strung, you're going to make people start wondering what's going on with us."

I took a deep breath and let it out as he let me go. I knew he was right. People would realize that there was something wrong with me. The landlord was still in the kitchen, fixing something on the sink for us. Apparently, we moved in a lot sooner than he thought we were going to. He was going to start to wonder if Cam was keeping me there against my will or something. I shook my arms in an effort to relax my shoulders and walked to the window.

"Sorry, Cam," I muttered, putting my fingers against the glass pane in front of me, "I'm always freaked when I move. I guess this is all finally starting to take a toll on me."

He walked up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder, "You're not in this alone anymore, Ani, I've got your back. You can relax at least a little bit."

I smiled and turned to him, "I promise I'll try."

He reached up and gripped my chin gently, looking at me seriously. I furrowed my brow, confused.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Ani. I promise," he whispered.

I was frozen in place, his hand holding my chin, his face so close to mine. I could feel his breath mingling with mine, and I started to tremble. All I had to do was lean in just a little closer--

"All right, that should do it!" the landlord suddenly exclaimed, walking into the room.

I blinked quickly and stepped away from Cam, trying to work through the fog in my brain. That would have been a very dangerous mistake. There was no way that Cam and I could be together like that. The risk of us being so caught up with each other that we would make a mistake and get caught was too much to take. Even if I wanted to be with him more than I had ever wanted anything else in my life.

Cam looked at me, and I had a sudden suspicion that he was feeling the same way. It was probably my imagination, though. Maybe when we were free. If we ever got to be free again.