Princess

I didn’t have to turn around to turn around to know that Owen had barged into my room unannounced. His footsteps gave him away. I wondered for half a second what he was doing here but then realised that it didn’t really matter. Whether I liked it or not, Owen Harrison was here to butt into my business.

“You have to stop acting like this mess.” He shoved away the pile of books I had brought back from SITT for memory’s sake and sat down on my bed. Still, my eyes never left the television screen though I was hyperaware of every move he made. “I didn’t know why you were so emotional these few weeks. Then, I found out from Calloway that it’s all because of Dylan Fuller.”

I stiffened.

“I told you that you liked that kid too much. Of course, I’d never expect that Dylan could act so well, especially pretending to be a guy who liked honestly when he was bullshitting you the whole time.”

Flinching at how easily Owen implied Bullshit, the game which Dylan had taught me, I hugged my knees.

“But I didn’t come here to berate you.”

I cocked my head to the side, baffled. It was pretty obvious that I wasn’t watching the soap opera anymore but I still didn’t have to look Owen in the eye, did I?

“I think you’ve been cooped up in this room for too long. You need to get outside, at least for a while.”

It was a little confusing how Owen pretended that he was truly concerned about me. I knew that he, much like Calloway, couldn’t stand any sort of emotional weakness. I could see now that it was part of my original attraction to him—the fact that he could remain so calm and composed even when his plans were totally destroyed and then come up with another idea which would fix everything had been intoxicating. I had thought that he would be able to fix anything in the world, perhaps even me.

So why was he trying to act like he cared now? Did he really have an ulterior motive, like what Luke had implied?

I suppose it was a little strange how I still trusted Luke, even though I could see now that he knew to some extent about Dylan’s plans for me. Perhaps it was because his life hadn’t been the easiest because of Sean Fuller. And I never had a reply from Calloway about Owen’s trustworthiness…so maybe there was something here after all.

“Shake yourself out of it, Kristen. There’s no point missing someone who’s never really cared about you, Kristen. You need to focus on other things.”

If Owen was really hiding something to do with the Mafia and if I managed to earn his trust and find out what it was, perhaps I could finally see some sort of reaction on Calloway’s face... Would it be shock or disappointment? Horror or fear?

It made me gleeful to think about how upset it would make her when she found out that her favourite Agent was involved in an illegal act. After all, she enjoyed hitting people when they were down. Imagine if the tables were turned and she was the one who was suffering, the one who had been betrayed. The idea was lovely.

“Kristen? Have you been listening to me at all?”

I turned around and smiled at Owen. “Of course. And you were right.”

“You might’ve lost it, you’d never willingly admit that.” His dark eyes were penetrating.

But I was starting to understand how this acting thing worked. All I had to was to pretend that I had been the Kristen Hart that I was, the only who had hung on Owen Harrison’s every word. “I’m good. I’ve thought through things…and I guess I should take a walk or something, to get some fresh air.” I paused as though I was shy. “So, do you want to come with?”

His expression was priceless. “Uh, sure.”

It was funny how I never thought about Dylan Fuller throughout the whole exchange.
***
I was now living in one of the Agency’s rented houses, one which was rather pretty because of its view of the sea. Calloway had claimed that now that the Mafia knew who I was, they would very likely come after me for revenge, so it was safer for me to stay in a place where the Agency could most definitely keep me safe. It could’ve been true if Calloway hadn’t sent some Agents to give me round the clock protection, which she had never done before for the other Agents.

I would say that she was either afraid that I would try and find Dylan Fuller or the Mafia and be captured and thus, give them more information about the Agency. Those guards weren’t really for my protection. They were there to make sure that I didn’t leave.

Needless to say, when I told them how I was going to go for a walk with Owen Harrison, the blond guard raised his eyebrows. “I’m not sure you can do that, Hart.”

On the field, I was every bit as capable as any one of them but because of my age, of course they’d think that I was young and stupid by ‘risking my life’ to take a walk. But I didn’t say this aloud. Instead, I waited to see Owen’s response.

“Of course she can do that. Calloway didn’t give any specific instructions that she had to stay within the house at all times, did she?” His tone had a dangerous glint to it, similar to Calloway’s.

The guards exchanged glances, recognising Owen Harrison and how his rank surpassed theirs. Even then, the red-haired female replied, “No, she didn’t say that. But she did say that Hart-”

Owen changed his tone to one that silky smooth and very, very persuasive. I would’ve been charmed if it didn’t make my hair stand. “If Kristen gets into any trouble, it would be my fault. There’s nothing you need to worry about that.”

The redhead smiled while the blond man looked entirely unconvinced. However he shrugged. “Sure, I suppose you can bring her out.”

We strode out and I forced a grateful smile. “Thanks for that. I’m not sure what I’d have to do in order to get out of there if you hadn’t convinced them.”

“No, it was easy. But I wonder why Calloway was so freaking cautious this time…so many guards…” He sounded thoughtful. “I suppose she’s just concerned.”

Owen wasn’t stupid. Even though his expression gave nothing away, I could tell that he had came to the same conclusion as I had. Calloway was afraid that I would try to do something stupid. But it was interesting how he continued to try to shield me though simply because it was very unlike him. He was trying to pull something on me, that much I could see. And I did not like it one single bit.

We walked in silence for a few moments, the complex thoughts about Owen in my mind soon giving way to the sure pleasure of being outside again. I’d lost track of the amount of time I had spent in that room, watching trashy television and all the while never really absorbing anything because Jenna Fuller’s words haunted my conscience. All that she’d said about Dylan... If I hadn’t controlled myself, I would’ve lost it. Still, hiding in the room hadn’t solved anything.

I was still broken.

My slipper-clad foot stomped on the scorched grass. There were a lot of other things I could’ve thought about but yet, my mind still wandered back to Dylan Fuller. It was amazing how much power he had over me.

I wiped away the perspiration from my forehead. Without me noticing, spring had given way to summer and in my jeans, I felt distinctly uncomfortable. It was different here in Malibu--the temperatures were higher and I could spot more than a few bikinis in view. I glanced at Owen to see if he was paying them any attention, only to see that he was gazing at me, his dark eyes unreadable.

“Is there something wrong?” My tone was clipped.

Owen smiled mysteriously. “No. I just never realised that you’ve grown up.”

The last time I’d seen Owen was about a year and a half ago, so he couldn’t have meant that I’d grown physically. “I suppose that you do grow up after you’ve been betrayed multiple times.”

He winced but I could tell that he wasn’t offended. “Are you still angry about that?”
“Not angry exactly… I was just wondering why you did it.”

To his credit, Owen didn’t pretend not to understand what I was saying. Instead, he said, “I did like you, Kristen. At first, it’d just been a fun idea to get to know you better. But Calloway told me that I had to break up with you, since you were emotionally stable and completely equipped to handle new cases. Besides, even then I could tell that Calloway had high hopes for you. Dating me would’ve been a distraction.”

So he did like me after all, just not enough to stick it out with me. “I see. It does fit in with your personality.”

“Elaborate.” Owen looked slightly bemused.

“Well, you always take everything seriously, especially all the missions that you’ve been assigned. Besides, you’ve never really cared that much about your emotional ties, so even though you liked me, you’ll still do what you were supposed to.”

“You make me sound like I’m the bad guy here.” His expression was unexpectedly morose.

I shook my head, though I didn’t want to. I had to earn his trust somehow or another... “Nope, you were just doing your job. Anyway, it doesn’t really matter. It happened such a long time ago.” I could tell that he was going to say something so I quickly added, “How has the investigation for the Fuller case been going on?”

Owen mashed his lips together and looked away, but not at the bikini girls. “I don’t think you are supposed to grill me about that.”

“What about Jenna Fuller then? How’s she been?”

“She’s been cooperating with the case so far, mostly because the Agency’s agreed to drop their case against her as long as she provides evidence of whatever Sean Fuller’s been planning as well as proof of the Mafia’s illegal deals.”

It wasn’t surprising that he wouldn’t supply information about the Mafia. Aside from being a security freak, he was well known for his loyalty towards his causes. “What about Tia and Luke? Were they also caught?”

“No. The two of them were never really part of the Mafia. The last I heard, they left for Europe. Tia’s parents though...they were implicated.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realise I was holding. Tia and Luke had been good friends and I was glad that at least they managed to escape. But her parents though...could she forgive me for taking them away from her?

“That’s all I’m going to tell you, Kristen. I don’t think you need to know the rest anyway.
I nodded and allowed a small smile. He really didn’t need to divulge that information to me. The old Owen I knew wouldn’t have. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Because I like you.”