Evenfall (77 page)

Sin turned away from the window and headed for the door, grabbing his phone as an afterthought. He needed to be out of the apartment, he decided. He needed some kind of distraction or the ridiculous thoughts would haunt him for the rest of the night.

He didn't know why the thoughts of his parents came so frequently now. It had something to do with the flashes he'd seen during the mission in New Orleans but he didn't want to think about that. In fact he wanted to avoid it at all costs. What he'd seen had scared him and he wasn't normally scared by much.

He left the apartment and went downstairs, glancing at the usual guards who stood at the entrance before heading outside. Once again the guard warned him that it was freezing, but Sin ignored him and stepped out into the biting wind with no jacket or sweater to protect him. He ignored the temporary discomfort caused by the cold and walked in no particular direction. He thought about going to the gym but he'd already exercised once that day and if he was honest with himself, he'd admit that it did very little to clear his mind anymore.

As he wandered around the courtyard, he saw several agents wrapped in heavy coats giving him strange looks but he wasn't sure if it was because he was under dressed or because he was… well, him. The thought was effective in allowing him to forget about his father but it turned his mind towards Boyd again, and the things that had happened since the mission in France.

The idea of people harassing Boyd, physically as well as verbally, made Sin hot with anger.

"--it pisses me off so much that maybe Jeffrey or Owen said something."

Sin froze in mid-step and felt himself go still. In the midst of being incarcerated and drugged he'd entirely forgotten Ryan's comment.
Until now.

Anger coursed through him, warming his body enough that he completely forgot about the cold; he turned around and began to walk towards the building where Jeffrey lived. Even though Ryan had added the possibility of it having been Owen, Sin seriously doubted it. Jeffrey had never liked Boyd, and it was more likely that he would be the one talking about it than Owen.

Sin's stride was like that of a predatory cat and the people who passed him didn't take their time moving out of his way. He knew where Jeffrey lived for the same reason that he knew mostly every agent's identity and residence; they were his enemies and any good killer knew his enemies almost as well as he knew himself.

He entered the building with relatively few problems from the guards, claiming he was going to one of the common areas. He ran up the stairs to Jeffrey's apartment on the eleventh floor. He knocked several times to no avail and he wasn't sure whether Jeffrey was not home or simply ignoring him. The idea made his temper flare even further and for a moment he could only stand there with his hands balled into fists, frustrated and annoyed and with no way of relieving it. He didn't know if his anger was irrational and at the moment he didn't care.

Sin didn't know what he intended to do once he had Jeffrey alone but for the moment he didn't care and was only focused on the fact that he didn't plan to hang around in the hallway waiting for the idiot to return. Instead, he began moving automatically down the hallway, not really sure if he should just come back at a later time or kill time in the complex until he saw Jeffrey.

But he didn't want to come back later.

He wanted to confront Jeffrey now when the realization of what the man had done was fresh in his mind; now that the anger was burning hot within him. He didn't want his temper to cool. He didn't want the next time he saw Jeffrey to be when Carhart was there to intervene. But at the same time he had to admit to himself that perhaps it was better if that was the case. Boyd had gone through a lot of trouble to free him and it was entirely possible that a confrontation with Jeffrey could wind up putting him right back in the box.

He'd almost decided to leave, to follow the part of his brain that was telling him to just walk away and let it go, when a supply clerk pushing a huge cart full of laundry came out of one of the apartments on the floor. Before Sin even realized what he was doing, he was stalking behind the young man silently in the shadows. It was painfully easy to lift the man's wallet and remove his keycard. Sin was already disappearing down the hallway before the man even noticed that there was someone else in the hall with him.

The keycard that supply clerks possessed served as a kind of skeleton key for whatever wing they were in charge of and opened every door in that area. Sin found it somewhat amusing that it'd been so easy to lift the damn thing but supply clerks weren't exactly trained to be as aware of their surroundings as other agents were so it wasn't really that surprising.

All thoughts of abandoning his temporary mission fled his mind and he used the card to enter Jeffrey's apartment without further problems. It was stylishly decorated in an elegant, minimal way, with furniture that was either red or brown. Everything he could see had an earthy feel to it and Sin was quite disgusted by the sheer amount of creativity Jeffrey had put into decorating the place. He stalked around the apartment, expression as dark as his mood.

He realized that Jeffrey really wasn't home. He hung around for nearly an hour brooding, reflecting, and effectively growing angrier, until finally there was noise outside the door and it swung open.

Jeffrey had his arms filled with files and panels and was watching the floor as he talked on a cell phone held to his ear by his shoulder. "Yes," he said impatiently. "I realize this, but I can't possibly get it done in two days. ...No, that's unacceptable."

Kicking the door shut behind him, he automatically flipped a light on as he passed and carefully set the pile on a table next to the door. He didn't seem to notice Sin, but it had been dark when he entered and he had yet to look in his direction. "Listen, I just got back to my apartment and I haven't even had the chance to check my messages. I'll see if he called. Yes. I'll do that too."

Without even saying goodbye, he flipped his phone shut and turned around as he looked up. He was so surprised when he saw Sin that he actually jumped and yelled, "Holy--!" Glancing around wildly as if searching for exits or back-up, he turned wide eyes back to Sin. "What the
hell--
 
How did you get in here? What are you doing here?"

"I came to chat," Sin said flatly, standing up and walking towards Jeffrey.

Automatically starting to back away, Jeffrey gripped his cell phone as if it would protect him. "What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously, eyes narrowed. He glanced around quickly once more then returned his stare to Sin as he grew increasingly more paranoid. "We can talk later. Why are you in my home?"
Sin continued to walk towards Jeffrey who kept backing up without looking where he was going. Briefly, Jeffrey looked toward the door as if he wanted to run but that exit was quickly intercepted by Sin. There was no way Jeffrey would go past him and Sin kept moving closer until he was effectively invading the other man's personal space and had him backed against the wall.

"I want to talk now."

The second Jeffrey hit the wall he started to slide to the side as if in the hopes of escaping. "We can talk just fine across the room. Why the hell are you getting so close?" The last question came out as an alarmed hiss.

Strong hands grabbed the front of Jeffrey's shirt, pulling him forward and then slamming him against the wall. "Shut the fuck up and don't move again," he said flatly. Sin's face darkened and his eyes narrowed as he placed a hand on either side of Jeffrey's head and leaned in close.

Jeffrey stared at him, eyes very wide and mouth a little slack. Even so he said as calmly as he could probably manage, "Alright. You have my attention... What do you want?"

"Why are you afraid of me?"

"Because you're a fucking psychopath who just pushed me into the wall," Jeffrey snapped, some of his attitude appearing impatiently. He seemed to realize that it was not the best thing to say, however, because immediately he frowned and looked a little apprehensive.

"You've never seen me become a fucking psychopath." Sin dropped his hands and leaned back for a moment as if to give Jeffrey some room. Without warning, he wrapped a hand around the man's throat, lifting him clear off the floor with surprising strength and slamming him against the wall again. "But you will if you fuck with me."

Jeffrey choked and his head smacked against the wall. Eyes widening in fear and anger, he tried to pry Sin's hands off his throat while his feet kicked helplessly against the wall. "What the fuck!" he managed hoarsely, panicked. "I didn't do anything. I haven't fucked with you!"

"I don't care what you people do to me. I don't care what you think of me," Sin continued as if he hadn't heard Jeffrey, ignoring the way the man clawed at his hand helplessly. "I don't care that you think I'm a depraved killer who murders and rapes for sport. I don't care that you hate me and probably want me dead. Your words hold very little consequence to me."

His eyes narrowed further and his hand tightened around Jeffrey's throat. "But I do care about what you do to Boyd."

Eyes widening, Jeffrey tried to say something but he only choked. He tried to kick Sin away but he was not particularly strong and it did nothing to alleviate the pressure on his neck. Tears started to gather at the edges of his eyes as he struggled to breathe and he shook his head a little; though it was unclear whether he was denying doing anything or just trying to silently ask Sin not to kill him.

Sin stared at Jeffrey coolly for several moments before abruptly releasing him and allowing the man to fall to the floor at his boots. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

Coughing and drawing in deep, shaky breaths, Jeffrey crouched and didn't answer for a minute. "What," he gasped finally, anger and fear making his voice quake, "the hell are you talking about? I haven't done anything to him!"

Sin's temper flared and he fought the urge to smash in Jeffrey's face with a kick. He opted instead to press the steel toe of his boot against the man's chest, once again pinning him to the wall. "Who told you to open your fucking mouth about the assignment in France?"

A flash of guilt passed through Jeffrey's face with a faint grimace. He took a moment to respond, still panting to catch his breath. His eyes were narrowed when he looked up.

"What are you, going to beat me up about that? I'm not going to talk to you like this. Let me up and we'll have a civilized conversation." '
You asshole'
seemed to hang in the air.

"You're lucky I don't rip your arms off about it," Sin replied but released Jeffrey. He took a step back, crossing his arms over his chest and glowering down at him.

Jeffrey stood with all the dignity he could muster after being thrown around and he straightened his shirt rather importantly. Giving Sin a sidelong, very suspicious look, he skirted around him and headed for the living room. He paused before sitting down, as if waiting for Sin to come over and sit first as he was the guest.

"Tell me what your actual problem is and we can discuss it," Jeffrey said with a hint of irritation. One hand rose to rub his throat unconsciously. "Threatening me won't ease your mind and it certainly won't make
me
happy."

"Your happiness is not my concern," Sin retorted. He followed Jeffrey over to the couch, looking at it dubiously without sitting down. "Are you aware of the fact that Boyd was jumped in the courtyard, among other things, because of your burning desire to spread the word on his sex life?" Jeffrey narrowed his eyes, looking affronted. "If you must know, yes, I am aware of it. I didn't mean for it to happen. I told only two people in passing, but sometimes even one is enough."

Sin stared at him for a moment before exhaling slowly. "What the hell is your problem with him anyway?"

"I don't like him," Jeffrey said bluntly, though it twisted easily to his usual taunting nature. "Are you going to attack me again because I'm saying bad words about your little... partner?" There was no doubt he meant that more than one way. "Or would you like to sit down and be a normal guest?"

Sin made a face and sprawled onto the couch, slamming his dirty boots down on the coffee table. "Better?"

Glaring at the boots, Jeffrey sat down rather primly on the edge of a chair. "Well. I can hardly expect more, I suppose." He sighed, irritated. "What were you wanting out of this interrogation, anyway?"

"I'd intended to break your nose and possibly other body parts as well," Sin drawled. "But I'd like to know exactly how these rumors came about before I make a decision. I normally wouldn't give a fuck what who said about what, but at the moment, I do."

"How eloquent." Jeffrey sighed and sat back in the chair, one hand moving to cover his eyes. "You likely won't believe me, but I truly didn't intend for it to go so far. I simply told my two closest colleagues about it because I thought it was funny."

He raised an eyebrow and surveyed Sin from beneath his hand. "Many of us dislike both Beaulieus, although you didn't hear me say that. She's been ruthless as long as I've known but suddenly her son appeared and now it's nothing but favoritism. He rose through the ranks despite not deserving it. In fact, there's absolutely nothing special about him at all, yet he gets whatever he wants due to his mother. So when he messed up in such a scandalous way, of course I wanted to share. I never told my friends to tell others but apparently they did. I thought it served him right for everyone to know but after the courtyard incident, I did feel a little bad."