Allison Crane - And we listened.

Hums of a dying engine chugged nearby. Crunches of gravel beneath tyres faded. I lay still with my eyes closed. My ears pricked. Now, the feet would crunch the gravel, then the door would swing open and there would be a muffled conversation. Then silence.
At first I'd been spying, watching his every move but my vantage point was weak. A leather jacket and dark hair was all I could make out. Now, I resorted to listening.
Honestly, I was bored. My arm was not fully healed from the fall and I'd been confined to one room. My new assignment wasn't proving useful, still I couldn't help my curiosity. Why was he here? Who was he? I wanted answers.

I sat up and cracked an eye feeling a presence in the room. A pair of jet black, beady eyes greeted me. The boss. After a moment of intense staring I realised I would have the pleasure of his company on my next venture. Perhaps I'd become too slow. Dragging my heels. I stood and headed for the door. I was far from being a prisoner despite only venturing out for food. 
Our headquarters were secret, or at least they were supposed to be. This new arrival wasn't a recruit, hence why I'd been tasked with the job of finding out who he was, where he came from and what he wanted. But the only way he could have got inside is with the help of someone in the know. Following the mumbling voices to an office on the ground floor I pressed myself against the wall and strained to hear. The boss stood across from me and mirrored my action.
"He was never going to make it easy for us." said the first voice, a female.
"No, but he didn't need to be this cold. You don't deserve it." replied a second voice, a male. He spoke softly, in the back of my mind I felt the tugs of memory but I couldn't find a string to follow.
"He didn't care about us before. Why now?" the female asked exasperatedly.
"Jealousy? Guilt? I don't know. Either way we'll get through it. All of us. Together." the man replied, again his voice was soft, kind. There was something sincere and trustworthy about his words. I frowned as my boss straightened. Nothing of what we had heard pointed to a traitor or an infiltration of our organisation.
The room had gone silent. Pressing my face against the cold wood I peered through the keyhole. Something was blocking my view. All of a sudden the handle turned. My heart jumped into my throat. Scrambling to my feet I fled down the nearest corridor. Sliding around a corner I tucked myself against the wall and held my breath.
"What was that?" I heard the woman ask
"I think we've been made," the man said, quickly adding "I should go."
I held my breath until I heard the engine roar into action and the gravel crunch once again.
Looking down I noticed a graze across my knee. Red liquid ran in a slow line down my leg.

"Oh, Ted," I heard my mum say "were you earwigging? I do hope you don't report back to Allison. I would appreciate if I could tell her myself."

Allison Crane (And we listened-issue six), copyright of Lucy Holland. 09.04.2014