Evenfall (33 page)

They were still thirty miles out when Boyd realized he hadn't told Sin what Andrews had said.

"It will be in the report but in the event you don't read it, Andrews named his contact with Janus. His name is Thierry Beauvais and the connection was gained through Andrews' cousi
n, who's an escort in England."

The reaction to this was unexpected. A long suffering sigh escaped Sin's full lips and he visibly grimaced. "I hate that little French fuck."

Boyd raised his eyebrows. "You know him?"

"I've had to meet with him twice before. He tantalizes the Agency with information and makes us jump through hoops to get it. I fail utterly at dealing with him. It would be best if I didn't see him ever again."

"I see," Boyd said after a beat of silence. That was certainly interesting. "Did something happen when you saw him before?"

There was a brief, almost uncomfortable silence before Sin said shortly, "You could say that."

Boyd looked at him sidelong but didn't have a response to that. It made him wonder what had happened but he didn't get the impression that Sin would answer. He supposed he'd pushed it enough already, getting the answers he had.

They ended up falling into silence again and this time neither of them made any effort to interrupt it. The rest of the trip passed without incident, although Boyd noticed that the sheen of sweat on Sin's face seemed to grow more pronounced over time. When they reached the Agency, Sin left for his apartment without another word.

It didn't take Boyd long to submit his report and he headed home immediately afterward.
He ended up making some tea and then realized he didn't know exactly what he wanted to do. He debated it for a few moments and then decided to finish looking into the information Ryan had provided him.

At first, a lot of what he found was similar to what he'd seen before. There were excerpts from reports, some more images, some video clips from missions, and more background. One thing Boyd noted was that there still wasn't a lot about Sin's early life.

There was nothing on his mother and all it really said about his father was that he'd been a well-known, well-regarded agent. Boyd suspected there had to have been more on a man who'd apparently spent years at the Agency. He wondered whether the lack of it was due to information being on lock down. It was also possible Ryan simply hadn't been interested in gathering any of that since he'd grown up on compound and likely already knew anything he wanted to about Emilio Vega.

Whatever the case, Boyd still had a few folders to go through when he ended up clicking on one of several files with extensions he didn't recognize. They were named variations of 'cam01' and it quickly became apparent why.

An image of an empty apartment came on screen; the walls were white and the furniture was plain but looked as though it would be comfortable enough. He heard sound over the speakers and realized that this was a video. He didn't see anything happening but there seemed to be shadows passing just on the edge of the screen.

He closed down the file and clicked on the others, flipping through a bedroom and a kitchen until Sin's face was abruptly on screen. It was startling and a little alarming, since Sin was staring seemingly straight out the screen at Boyd. It took Boyd a moment to realize based on clues in the background that this appeared to be a camera of some sort in a bathroom mirror.

At first, Boyd thought these were videos but he realized as he watched that they weren't. This appeared to be a live feed to cameras that Ryan had hacked into.

He didn't have much time to think about those implications as his attention was instead caught by what Sin was doing.

Sin was very pale, his naturally olive complexion ashen. His lips were parted as his breath came out labored and choppy, eyebrows drawn together as he tended to himself with trembling hands. His eyes were glazed slightly, his full lips pressed into a tight line.

It was startling to see such a stoic man show pain and it made Boyd's attention zero in completely on the screen. He forgot about the tea, he forgot about the other files. He couldn't look away from Sin and the glimpse of an open expression such as he hadn't seen since Sin had run out of the cabin.

On the screen, Sin shifted and looked down until black and red hair hid part of his face. He appeared to be taping up his arm with a bandage that was already stained crimson. Now that Boyd could see his chest and arms, he also saw that there was a variety of lacerations and bruises on Sin aside from whatever wound he was tending to-- including a bruise that was an intense shade of purple and covered his entire left side. Judging from what Boyd could see of the sink, the arm wound was more serious than the rest. Blood was everywhere; running down his arm and leaving small puddles in the sink. Boyd then saw the pliers, peroxide, and the unmistakable sheen of a bullet coated in blood.

Boyd's thoughts stilled and he stared in muted surprise and a hint of discomfort.

After a moment of gripping the sides of the sink with his long slender fingers, Sin stepped back. All he wore were loose jeans that hung precariously on his thin hips. He grabbed a small pill bottle from the counter with a grimace, opened it and swallowed a handful dry. He tossed the bottle back into the sink and stood there for a moment, looking at the mirror.

He truly looked terrible and for a moment, Boyd wondered if the other man had gotten some kind of infection. He'd suffered with blood loss and an exposed wound for hours. It would explain the sweat and his pallor.

After a moment Sin took a long deep breath and seemed to be trying to get himself together. He stood up straight, ran a hand through his unruly black hair and wiped sweat from his face. But the movement caused him to grimace again, his teeth flashing as he clenched them. It wasn't obvious if it was the arm wound causing him such tremendous pain or the entire collection that he'd accumulated during the mission.

He stayed that way for a moment longer before a resigned look crossed his striking features and Sin climbed into the tub. He curled up in there, facing away.

Boyd couldn't drag his eyes from the screen, even when Sin lay there for a long time. He had obviously been hurt saving Boyd. With the amount of gunfire that had been flying around, at least as far as he remembered, it was a testament to Sin's skill and speed that he didn't have more wounds. But then, the fact that he'd been hit at all showed how difficult it must have been.

It caused a flash of guilt in Boyd. At the same time, it made him wonder why Sin had hidden it. Was it simply ingrained to show no weakness to anyone since it seemed like so many people at the Agency preyed on him? Or had it been something specific to Boyd? It had seemed like Sin thought of him a little more as a partner but perhaps he still didn't trust Boyd despite the fact that he'd saved his life.
Whatever the case, something about seeing vulnerability in a man who otherwise exuded such strength caught Boyd's attention in a way he hadn't expected. That glimpse of Sin seemed so elusive compared to the way he conducted himself on a daily basis.

Something in Boyd reacted to it; something that felt a connection and made him want to see more of that side of Sin. It made him not want to look away from the screen so he wouldn't miss another fluctuation; another moment of openness in an otherwise guarded face.

At length, Sin stilled and it seemed as though he could be trying to sleep. When it was apparent nothing was changing in the bathroom, Boyd flipped back to the other files, paying more attention this time. It appeared to be an Agency apartment, which was unsurprising since this was probably where Sin lived.

If that was the case, Sin apparently didn't have privacy anywhere.

There was a camera view for seemingly every angle of his apartment. The fact that Boyd would be able to see Sin in his bedroom, in the bathroom, in what seemed to be every inch of an apartment... His eyes narrowed and lips thinned, and he leaned back in his chair.

He didn't like it. As a person who valued his privacy, the idea of everything being on display was disturbing. Especially in the shower, since he didn't even look at himself in the mirror when he was in the bathroom. He always looked away and didn't feel comfortable with the air hitting the bare skin of his torso even when he was alone. It was mildly nauseating to put himself in Sin's place and think of everything being bared without his permission.

Did Sin know about the cameras?

Was any of this with his consent? Doubtful. Did he know he was being watched? Maybe he did but again, Boyd doubted he'd known about the one in the bathroom. A man who had ridden in silence with a gunshot wound wouldn't have let pain show so easily if he'd known anyone would see it.

It made Boyd wonder who all had access to these feeds. Who may be watching now as well, analyzing Sin and noting any vulnerabilities.

===

The next morning seemed to come too soon. Boyd had ended up going through the rest of the information and then watching Sin sleep for an extended period of time. He didn't know how long he was up and he didn't know why he'd watched Sin for so long.

He couldn't forget Sin's pained expression or the glimpse of emotion before Sin had run from the cabin. Those moments contrasted with so many of the other times he'd been around Sin and it made him wonder what had been happening behind those sarcastic looks all along.

He found it to be distracting and tried to push it out of his mind.

He may have been successful if it hadn't been for the fact that when he walked into the conference room for the debriefing, Sin was there. It was the first time Sin had shown for a debriefing and it was surprising enough to Boyd that his steps slowed when he walked in.

Sin looked up at him steadily, eyebrows rising. "Late."

Boyd couldn't help staring at Sin. If he hadn't watched the live feed, he would not have believed that Sin was injured, nor that the vulnerable look he'd seen would ever be on that face. At the moment, Sin had more of a silent 'I told you so' look than anything.

It took a moment but Boyd got himself to move again, continuing toward the chair he typically used. Which turned out to be next to the one Sin had chosen. No one else had arrived yet and Boyd considered replying that he was early but he was more curious about Sin's presence.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he sat down.

"If I'm going to start being your partner, I supposed it meant I had to show up here." Sin slouched in his chair and eyeballed Boyd from under his overly long bangs. "Why? Do you want me to go?"

"Of course not," Boyd said, pushing the chair at an angle so he could see Sin without craning his neck. "I was simply surprised to see you."

"I see." Sin looked at him and began absently tearing at a frayed pocket in his cargo pants.

Boyd continued to watch Sin. Nothing changed; the room remained silent and no one walked in. After a moment, he decided to try to see if Sin would voluntarily acknowledge his wound or whether he would keep it a secret.

"Incidentally, how are you?" Boyd asked. "I didn't think to ask you yesterday if you had any troubles executing the mission."

"It went as expected," was the vague response. Sin's green eyes slid away as he answered, focusing briefly on the door.

Boyd watched Sin thoughtfully. He supposed that could be a true enough answer; it would have been expected that with such heavy gunfire Sin would get hit at some point. But if he hadn't known Sin had been injured he would have assumed that meant there were no issues.

He wondered if Sin had purposefully chosen that wording so as not to lie or whether it was incidental. Was he simply trying to be vague enough to stop Boyd from questioning him further?

He couldn't push the subject without making it known that he'd seen the live feed, which he was hesitant to do. He didn't think Sin would appreciate the invasion of privacy. Yet he didn't want to give up the chance to see those glimpses of the more open, vulnerable man behind that strong demeanor.

Boyd's gaze lingered on Sin's features, which he couldn't help distantly noting added to his allure, before he looked away with a nod. "I wanted you to know that I appreciate your willingness to help and interact."

Sin made a face, eyes swinging back to Boyd. "Don't start thanking me. I almost killed you five hours before the mission."

"It doesn't matter," Boyd said impassively with a shrug. "It would have been an accident."

This earned him another incredulous glare. "Well it matters to me. If I'd have killed your dumb ass, the odds of me finding as good a partner are slim to none. So just ensure that you don't pass on too quickly. I'm starting to get used to you."

The comment caused Boyd to look over at Sin with a more alert expression than he'd had since they'd met. He stared at Sin a moment, his lips parting and eyebrows shifting up slightly as he searched Sin's expression, but words wouldn't immediately come to him.

The distant emptiness he typically surrounded himself with cleared for a moment at the surprising idea that someone cared about his life. That Sin actually did want him as a partner and that it wasn't meaningless to him if he died.

Even his mother didn't seem to care if he lived or died and most of the people on compound had thought Boyd wouldn't last more than a few weeks. Many of them seemed to hope that would be the case. Boyd himself was already resigned to the idea of his death so having Sin, of all people, comment against it made a strange sense of warmth flood through him.