"About time.", Timo huffed as you opened the door for him to enter.

As always, he had the perfect cover for his job. He was dressed in one of the official work uniforms of the hotel, a miracle how he got his hands on that one, and was actually pushing a cart of the housekeeping staff.

Quickly, he grabbed the do-not-disturb-sign and put it outside before closing the door and locking it.

"We were busy.", Price repeated.

He was still in his underwear.

Timo looked him up and down.

"I can tell..."

Even though the Germans average men weren't small by no means, Price still managed to make Timo look like a school boy.

"Put that on.", you threw a robe at the Brit.

It wouldn't fit him in the slightest, but at least the important bits and pieces would be covered.

Rolling his eyes, he did as you said.

He really was more confident in his looks than expected.
After your first meeting you had expected him to be reserved, prudish even, just like the British typically were.

Unless they were partying on the Spanish islands. Then they turned into absolute burdens for society.

But Price wasn't like that.

He carried his head high and didn't make a big deal out of his well build physique. But he didn't mind showing it either.

Clearing his throat, Timo reached to the bottom of a bucket and pulled out a sealed envelope.

You accepted it.

It was quite thick, you were able to feel many loose papers and some hard shells like the case of a CD or a USB stick.

"That's... a lot.", you noted and glanced at him. "Where did you get all of this?"

Timo threw a glance out the window.

He seemed nervous.

"Months of work.", he answered.

Price frowned.

"You gathered months of intel and didn't share it with anyone?", he asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "That doesn't seem like a good work ethic."

The expression on Timo's face darkened.

"You never worked undercover, pal?", he asked back. "It's a long, hard road."

Price's eyes narrowed.

"Sure, mate. Go on."

"Right...", Timo turned back to you. "It seems like a lot, but the content isn't much. Just a few faces and locations. You would have to check them out yourself."

Nodding, you turned the envelope to look at the seal.

It was unbroken.

But something caught your eye.

The paper of the envelope was darkened around the seal. It looked like it had been moved.

Your eyes jumped back to Timo. But you didn't say anything, just smiled.

"We'll look into it.", you gave him a nod of the head. "Weapons?"

"Stored in a laundry carriage, lowest level of the hotel.", he said. "It's not much, just some handguns and one rifle."

"That one's on me.", Price said.

You hummed.

It wasn't as if you were a bad shot, but Price preferred the rifle as his weapon of choice and was obviously more skilled in that area.

Your abilities were focused on handguns and close combat such as knifes.

In general, the two of you made a good team.

He took care of the far range while you kept people from stabbing him in the back.

A dream team, how others would have called it. If only your personalities weren't like day and night.

"How do we get access?", you asked and handed Price the envelope for him to see.

He caught the hint, looked at it from all sides as if he was judging the quality of the intel, and nodded satisfied.

"Take my staff ID. Should work."

"Alright.", he smiled his lipless smile.

It was a more passive aggressive kind of smile than he used to give you.

A shadow crossed Timo's face. But he quickly turned towards the door again before anyone could notice.

His hand was already on the door handle as he threw a glance back over his shoulder.

"Captain.", he said, all gloomy all of a sudden. "I know you perform miracles sometimes, but don't mess with things bigger than you. At some point, even someone as lucky as you will run out."

With those words he dragged his cart back into the corridor and vanished.

A moment of silence passed.

Neither you nor Price said something. All you did was stare at the door.

There was a small door viewer. Usually it could only be used to look from inside outside.

But someone with the right tools could reverse and spy into the room as well.

A dull feeling knocked against the back of your head.

But you weren't able to act on it.

Timo had been a good friend for years now. He had always done a good job.

And yet.

He had never acted this suspicious. Usually, he was careful like no other, a bit scared of everything even.

A rabbit would have suited him, careful yet always listening.

It seemed off for him to give you advice. Usually, he thought of you as some who got their hands dirty so he didn't have to.

Frowning, you curled your lips and wanted to turn to Price.

Maybe you had just imagined this weird behaviour.

But all of a sudden his hand snapped forward.

Without warning he pulled you into a heated kiss.

His lips collided with yours.

He still tasted of alcohol and fruit juice. But this time there was also a minty hint, probably toothpaste.

Greedily, he deepened the kiss while the scratchy hair of his beard tickled your chin.

With your eyes closed you wrapped your arms around his neck and gave him more freedom to guide you.

Without hesitation he took a few steps back and let himself fall to the floor.

You dropped with him.

Heat rose to your face.

Maybe it was the rest of the alcohol. Maybe it was the fact that he played with your tongue as if he never knew anything else.

Either way, what he did was enough to make you crave more again.

But he stopped almost immediately.

"He's hiding something.", he whispered in his rough voice.

Baffled, you blinked.

"Huh?", a thin smile appeared on your lips.

"Your friend. He's hiding something. The envelope was damaged."