For the first three years of my stay on the island a plane had made a once a year flyover dropping a care package, which among other things had contained a bottle of these pills. The flyovers hadn't happened the past two years and I had just assumed it was a sign of Chantry cutting off all ties. Little had I known that the world was falling apart outside.
I was a fool to let myself be manipulated like this. People would die. It sounded like they already were though. I'd brought the folder with me and I opened it. The picture fell out of it and I picked it up. Asia Smith was a very beautiful woman. Right now she was running for her life and in peril of being captured at any moment, but all I could think about was how much I wanted to kiss her and much more.
Chantry glanced to the side at Maria seated beside him, who was fixatedly staring out her window. She'd never once looked at him unless she'd had to.
"All right Maria this isn't going to work. Speak what's on your mind. You're angry with me?"
Maria nodded, but didn't say anything. Chantry sighed and waited for her to relinquish her silence.
"I can't believe you set that girl up like that." Maria said softly, still staring out her window.
Chantry nodded, but didn't say anything.
Maria turned from the window to stare at him directly in the eye. "Would you sell me out like that?"
"If the fate of billions rested on the situation then yes I would entertain the risk of any of my agents, but they would know the stakes going in. What happened to Logan was different, and completely unexpected. I've gone through great pains to see that it never happens again."
"What happens again?" Maria pressed.
Chantry just shook his head negatively in denial of answering the question.
"I want to understand Chantry! I need to understand! It defies everything I know about you to treat what happens to another innocent individual so callously!"
Chantry craned around in his seat to see if Flint was asleep, he was. Temple was busy flying the large chopper and out of hearing range. Chantry kept his voice low, "I tell you this on the strictest confidence Maria! Logan has as much integrity of character as his brother does!"
Maria glanced back at the sleeping Flint incredulously, "I don't believe you!" Maria said, thinking back over how Logan had looked at her and the things that he had said.
"Didn't you hear what he said to me or the way he looked at me?" She asked.