"We can go to the Westcliff safe house from here." Henry uttered as we swiftly walked through the back streets.

"Actually, we can't, they know about that one." I corrected him quickly.

"Hyde park?"

"Compromised," I responded casually.

"Somerset house?" I raised my eyes at him. "Really?" he responded. "What about the Lake District?"

"That one is safe." I smiled.

"Well, I need to make some phones when we're safe."

"That's probably for the best."

***

After an arduous train ride and what felt like a four mile trek we arrived at the safe house. Thankfully, it wasn't occupied by anyone.

I rested my bags on the floor of the entrance. It was a small yet cozy cottage that was perfectly magical. The low ceilings and exposed wooden beams looked like something out of a fairy tale. I could tell that it hadn't been occupied in a while by the dusty scent the flowed through the air.

I made my way up to the room, taking my bags with me and Henry followed. The walls were covered in a marled pink wallpaper that was slightly peeling at the seams. Henry took off the dust sheets from the bed and changed the bed sheets to the fresh ones he had fetched from the airing cupboard on the way up.

"Would it be bad if I napped?" My eyes gazed at the freshly made bed with lust. I was aching from head to toe, with every part of my body in some kind of tension or pain.

"How can you be so unfit for an agent?" he laughed, he had been amused with my ramblings all the way here, me wanting to have a nap was just the cherry on the top for him.

"I wasn't trained to run a marathon you know." I collapsed onto the bed and the relief that hit my body was better than any chocolate I'd ever tasted.

He laid down next to me. "Are we going to talk about that kiss?" he said softly, his eyes twinkling under the light.

I furrowed my eyebrows gently. "It was part of the job."

He shifted his position, pouting his lips ever so slightly. "And I suppose sleeping with me was part of the job too."

My heart constricted with anxiety from his words. "You have to know that's not true. I didn't need an excuse to stay, you had already offered." I frowned at him. He tried to pull away from me, but I pulled him back. "I wouldn't take it back." rushed out of my mouth. "We're on the run because I slept with you and I wouldn't take it back. Not even if it meant not having this death threat over me, okay?" I rambled.

His eyes flashed to my lips and back to my eyes. "And the kiss?" he asked starkly.

"I think we can do better." I leaned in closer to him and pressed my soft lips up against his beautifully plump ones, kissing him passionately.

He pulled back from our kiss and grazed his bottom lip with his teeth.

"You're so beautiful Daisy, I," he rubbed his head nervously with his hand. "I don't want to lose you when this is all over."

My eyes wide, they gazed at him. It felt like time had stopped. My soul froze at his words. He'd woken my frosty heart, it palpitated its way free from its icy confines.

I repeated his words over and over in my head until, his delicate touch that whisked away my tear, brought me back to him. I furrowed my eyebrows slightly and swarmed my arms around him. "You're not going to."

He didn't say a word instead he expelled a breathy smile and rested his forehead on mine. We tumbled in kisses and stripped each other of our clothes. He laid my body on the bed and trailed his fingertips over my supple skin, sparking electricity throughout my body. We'd already created a hurricane, what was another storm?

He took it slow, keeping it passionate, we explored each others bodies with tender care. It wasn't like the last time we had sex, this was different, different for both of us. 

We laid next to each other, my heart hit my chest harder and harder with each beat. I really need to work out, I thought.

He laced his fingers with mine, holding my hand he rolled onto his side. His eyes drifted along my bare body. Yes, we'd seen each other naked before, but we were drunk and in heat. This time it was different, we were taking our sweet time. He released my fingers from his grip and slowly glided them over my body, like ice skaters dancing on an ice rink.

His hands stopped suddenly, he focused his attention on me with his eyes wide. "Daisy, shouldn't we have used protection?" His tone was serious and I could understand why.

I took a deep breathe, making my chest rise and fall. "I'm not going to get pregnant if that's what you mean? I can't."

A frown appeared across his forehead. "What do you mean?" he asked carefully.

I took his hand and guided it to my scars. "The stab wound caused too much trauma, they left me barren." I choked back the tears I swore I wasn't going to shed anymore.

He wiped his thumb across my cheek, caressing my skin and cupping my face. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." I gulped down my miseries and their bitter taste. A wave of guilt rolled over me. "I should probably shower." I pulled away from him, but he pulled me back. I couldn't help but be allured by his beautiful eyes. His lips pressed against mine and I didn't want to believe anything else but his touch was real.

"Henry, I really do have to shower."

Getting up from his warm embrace left me cold and unsure. Under the shower, I found myself holding my breath again, like I used to. The pitter patter of the water could only soothe my crammed brain of its judgmental thoughts so much, but I still felt a distance from myself every time these thoughts were provoked within me. Not feeling whole killed me.

I slipped out of the shower, wrapped myself in a fresh towel and walked through the hallway. The premise of safety that came with this old creaking cottage was comforting.

In the bedroom I grabbed my bag and sat down on the bed. I unzipped it and pulled out my clothes, when I saw my favourite picture. There I was, the little nine year old me, standing next to my dad. I ran my hands over the tortoise shell frame, turned it over and unclipped the back of the photo frame. I carefully removed the back and gazed at my father's handwriting, "I'll love you always my darling Daisy".

"Hey, what's that?" Henry peeped his head around the door frame.

"Just my dad." I shrugged.

He walked over and sat down on the bed next to me. I clipped the back on and turned over the picture frame.

"That's, that's your d-dad?" he stuttered. I met his gaze, his forest green eyes were now glazed over with wildfires and his eyebrows were now furrowed with intensity.

"Yes." I confirmed.

"You're, you're the flower, you're Daisy, you're his daughter." he rambled.

I took his hand in mine and stroked his cheek with my other. "You're not making any sense Henry." I tried to comfort him.

"He's an old timer Daisy, part of the organisation. He trained me, hell, he trained David." He paused for a moment, taking a breath to compose himself. "His code name was, well, his code name is, the scorpion. He-"

"Is?" I interrupted him.

"He's alive Daisy."

I knew my mother was fucking lying.

//As promised this weeks update! Thank you all for your support with this book, it means the world to me!//