"Does this look disabled?" Snow tapped the glass with his thumb.

  Leo's trachea bobbed. "No, sir."

  "Care to explain?"

  "I did as you instructed." Leo stumbled over his words. "She must've...I mean, I... I have no excuse, sir."

  "I expected more from you, Drayton." Snow sighed, caressing the player's screen, "How did she get this fixed without your knowledge?"

  He cleared his throat, "She...pushes boundaries. She is...creative... but stubborn, sir."

  "Oh, believe me." With painful slowness, he closed in, stopping mere inches from Leo. Snow reached forward, fingertips brushing an imaginary speck from Leo's shoulder. "I'm intimately aware."

  A cautious expression shot across Leo's face as he met Snow's eyes for a millisecond. Snow appeared more than a little pleased with himself as Leo's gaze dropped just as quickly.

  Shifting on his feet, fingers tapping against the cup, the peacekeeper asked, "Senator, I don't mean to overstep, but why leave the tape all this time if you aren't going to let her watch it?"

  "Did you forget all of my directions? Or does having only one ear make your hearing selective?" Snow fixed him with an icy stare. "I distinctly remember explaining myself when I had you plant it in her room."

  Leo nodded, muscles twitching along his jugular. "You said it was a gift she'd appreciate later. Something to keep you cemented in her mind."

  "At least that instruction stuck," Snow replied evenly, reclining against the edge of his desk. "A little anticipation can work wonders."

  "I don't think she's lacking anticipation where your visits are concerned, sir," Leo murmured, eyes steady on the burnished desk.

  Snow's head pitched, gaze dismembering Leo inch by inch. "Then it is working better than I could've hoped." He glanced down at the twin scars along his forearm, thumb brushing the raised skin.

  "Pain doesn't have to be loud to be effective. Sometimes, all it takes is something small. Sharp. Persistent. Like a ...splinter if you will. She pretends it doesn't bother her. Pretends it isn't there. But it is always at the back of her thoughts. And it will keep burrowing beneath her skin. She craves relief. That moment of deliverance. And against her better judgment, someday... she'll associate that relief with me."

  Leo's inflection dipped. "If I may, sir...what exactly is on the tape?"

  Snow pulled another overlong sip. "Something of considerable value."

  "What would that be?" Leo blurted too briskly.

  Snow's eyes flamed. "Her boldness appears to be contagious."

  "Apologies, Senator." Leo's chin plunged nearly to his chest.

  "The truth, Private Drayton." Snow's voice was deathly faint.

  Leo squinted, confused. "Sir?"

  Snow once again circled his scars with his thumb. "That is what lies on that tape. The truth."

  Leo stared into the depths of his cup, contemplating the Senator's answer.

  Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

  Snow tilted his head as he continued, "Speaking of which, there are a few I need from you."

  Leo's throat muscles tightened, but his face hardened into a soldier's mask.

  "Sir?"

  "Are you committed to this job?"

  Leo straightened, scar tissue tightening over the empty space where his ear had once been. "I am. I believe I have proven my loyalty, sir."

  "Good, because I need your eyes..." Snow gestured with his sloshing cup. "And, well...your ear. Your unwavering dedication. The road ahead is going to be a challenging one. I will need more than you, delivering a tape, a bouquet or a spare suture needle." He let the statement settle before adding, "She seems to trust you. Far more than she does me."

  Leo didn't nod but didn't argue. He was like a confused fly trapped in a web, being threatened yet complimented by the spider.

  Snow continued. "That trust is a tool I intend to use. Until I can claim it myself, I'll continue to borrow it from you."

  "With respect, sir, I worry you're pushing her too far. She nearly had a panic attack the other day after..."

  Snow abruptly uncurled himself from the desk, eyes transforming into daggers. "After what, Drayton? I don't recall any panic attacks in your reports."

  Leo's body turned statue-still, searching desperately for a path out of the corner he'd just backed himself into.

  "Tell me." Snow stalked closer, narrowing the distance like a falcon. "What precisely might push her to panic? The last time that I am aware of such an episode was during the Games, and then, of course, that unfortunate event just after, at the hospital."

  Leo's gaze slid for a breath to the tape player, though the rest of his body remained frozen as if trying to figure his way out of his slip-up.

  "She has seen the tape, hasn't she?"

  Leo's eyes fluttered, but his lips sealed shut.

  "You will tell me the truth, Private Drayton." Snow's tone had turned noxious.

  Leo exhaled heavily, voice rough with admission. "Yes, sir. But only part of it. I honestly tried to stop her."

  "And exactly how hard did you try?" Snow's voice was a blade's edge as he drew even closer, dominating Leo's personal space completely.

  "Like I said, sir."

  "Stubborn, right." Snow examined the scarred side of Leo's skull. "Perhaps, I should've let Percy take the other one too."

  Leo's jaw twitched, but he held any drastic reactions at bay.

  Snow continued, "It is impressive how she has managed to outmaneuver one of the finest of my peacekeepers."

  "You said you wanted her to trust me."

  Snow circled him, glass still in hand, swirling what was left. "Yes, but I also need to be able to trust you. I want full reports from now on. No more surprises."

  "Yes, sir." Leo met Snow's stare evenly.

  Snow's tone turned contemplative as he stopped just behind Leo's shoulder. "You know what is interesting? She never gave you up. Hasn't said a thing about the contents of the tape." Snow petted the rose on his chest, "She has these na?ve ideas of the world. That everything and everyone is so black and white. Saints or sinners. I've tried to explain to her how gray things really are."

  Leo turned statuesque, though his neck muscles twitched ever so slightly.

  "I wonder what she would think if she only knew the truth about... you." Snow met the man's eyes as he circled back in front of him.

  Leo's stare fixed on a distant point as if he could see miles away through the wallpapered confines of Snow's office.

  "Her opinion is irrelevant. I'm doing the job I was asked to do."

  Snow tapped a finger against his lips. Unconvinced. "If that's the case. My next question should be an easy one. Any more secrets between you two? Anything else you've left out of your reports?"

  Leo shook his head, "No, sir."

  "None at all?" Snow asked again, more baritone this time, as if the question was digging for marrow.

  "No, sir."

  "Hmmm. Keep it that way, private." Snow turned away from the peacekeeper, gazing out the dark train windows. "Tell me, does Laodamia appreciate the lengths you've gone to, for her?"

  Leo's face went rigid, frozen marble replacing flesh. The gray in his eyes darkened like clouds during an approaching storm. "Sir?"

  "You're quite the devoted son, protecting her from less... gentle hands. Gaul's imagination can be rather unpleasant, as you know."

  Leo was barely breathing, studying Snow as if he were a drooling polar bear.

  Snow tutted and gestured to the door, dismissing the other man. "I hope for her sake you keep it that way."

  Leo nodded stiffly, "Thank you, sir."

  Without a backward glance, he all but fled from the chamber. Just as his hand closed over the gilded handle of the office, Snow called out to him. "Oh, and when you get back to your train, send your sister to me."

  At the mention of Bellona, Leo bristled, brow rigid as he found Snow's eyes.

  Snow leaned back against his desk, pulling his glass to his mouth and taking an agonizing sip. "Don't look at me like that. You didn't really think you were the only Drayton on my payroll, did you?"

  He smiled, savoring the look on Leo's face.

  "One thing you should know about me. I always have a backup plan. Always."