"What?" I said and twisted my eyebrows in a confusion. Who the hell was Alexander Stone? I glanced sideways at Vince for help, but only found him narrowing his eyes at the man in front of us who looked to be only a few years older than Caleb.

Mr Stone, however, offered us both another patient smile before he then repeated; "Alexander Stone. Of course you've come to know me under another identity; I'm A, the man whom your friend has been corresponding with."

"Wait, shit," I said and now lowered my gun ever so slightly to stare at him in mortification. "You're A?"

"In the flesh," He replied and flashed me a million dollar smile that probably would've made my panties drop if they weren't in the pocket of Vince. "Good to finally meet you properly."

"Properly?" I questioned, but then remembered why his face looked familiar. "Wait, you were our pilot... the one who flew us to Italy and back."

Mr Stone chuckled shortly, then nodded. "Yes, that was me. I would've asked if you enjoyed the flight, but I know for a fact that you did."

I was too caught up in shock to even get affected by his crass comment, because I just realized I recognized him from somewhere else as well. He had been on one of the pictures Vince had shown me in my apartment, back when he showed up wounded. His picture, along with Caleb and the tattooed guy who remained nameless, were the ones he had emphasized as the ones who started all this. The reason we were on this mission.

"Why are you here?" I decided to question when he calmly sat down in the leather chair again, seemingly unbothered by the fact that me and Vince were still pointing our guns at him.

"Same reason I know you're here," He replied and now shifted his eyes to Howard whom I had almost forgotten was in the room as well, still sitting stiffly in his chair. "To talk with our mutual friend here."

"Then start talking," I demanded. I didn't trust him one bit. The cocky, better-knowing smirk on his lips was pissing me off. He was acting like he was king of the world. "I'm not lowering my gun until you get that Australian accent flowing and begin telling us your purpose of being here."

"Well, my Australian accent usually tends to work a bit better when it's not being held at gunpoint." He replied and glared at my gun.

I gritted my teeth, ready to plant a bullet in his arm to get him humming like a didgeridoo, but then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Vince lowering his gun. I stared at him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"He's unarmed," Vince said and holstered his gun. "Let's hear him out."

"Ha sempre così poca fiducia nella gente?" Mr Stone surprised me by saying in more than a fluent Italian accent. He rose a brow at Vince, a little smirk lifting to his lips.

If Vince was surprised, he didn't show it. Instead he shot him a flat look before replying. "Vuoi dire con la gente che nasconde la sua identità?"

Whatever he said made Mr Stone silently chuckle and then lower his head slightly. "Touché."

Vince gave him a stern look, but then turned to me. "Lower the gun and let's hear what he has to say, tesoro."

I still didn't trust him, but if Vince did, it was good enough for me. Reluctantly, I therefore lowered my glock and holstered it as well. "Fine. Speak up then."

Mr Stone gave a polite smile and then turned his eyes back to Howard who had remained silent through our back-and-forth. Instantly, I saw Mr Stone's eyes chill and turn hostile. "Well. As I was explaining to your boss here before you two arrived, the whole deal with you two and your false treason, agent Wilkins, has to do with C.E.N.T.U.R.I.E.S, the company your boss has been quietly working for," He told and eyed Howard out for a reaction. "I told him about the plan, the USB and the fact that you two would be joining us any minute."

Howard pursed his lips tightly and clenched his fists on his thighs. "You certainly have done your homework, Mr Stone."

"I'm not a man you can hide anything from," Mr Stone replied in a cold voice. "And I'm definitely not someone you want to play against in this game. I've been aware of your involvement in the program for some time now, Mr Howard, and I'm not happy about what I uncovered."

"And what is that?" I shot in and arched my brow.

Mr Stone leaned back in his chair, but continued to keep his teal eyes fixated on Howard. "Why don't you let your boss explain that himself."

I turned my eyes towards Howard who looked at me with regret. I pressed my lips tightly together, because I didn't want him getting under my skin. "Tell me, Howard. Please, this has gone far enough."

He closed his eyes, then sighed heavily and nodded in agreement. "You're right. I never imagined this becoming the end result when I first learned of the program. I never wanted this."

"Wanted what?" I pressed.

Howard sighed again and then tiredly pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing his eyes. "It was a few years back, when the FBI seized the assets of a business man named Theodore Stone. He was arrested for countless crimes, but during prison transfer, he sadly got murdered by another inmate. That left the authorities to sift through all his existing businesses and partnerships, and that's when they stumbled upon an unregistered company called C.E.N.T.U.R.I.E.S."

I frowned and listened closely to what Howard told me, but I hadn't missed the small flash of anger that flashed across Mr Stone's face at the mention of what I had to assume was a family member since they shared the same last name – his father, most likely.

"When it turned out that the company was doing unlicensed practices, the CIA swooped in to take over the case," Howard continued to tell. "I was one of the supervisors in charge at the time that were overseeing the investigation of the company. Only, during the first week, before we had barely begun, we were told the case was dropped and that we were to leave it be. Understandably, that order had the entire team confused, but we followed it nonetheless. It had come from high above," He emphasized and looked at Mr Stone who clenched his jaw.

"Then what happened?" I pressed on.

"I couldn't let it go. Before the files were taken from us, I was investigating the company's lab equipment. The stuff they were using were mostly custom made and were being used for the wrong purposes," He told and creased his eyebrows, as if going back to that moment. "I knew I shouldn't have, but I decided to go investigate the lab in person."

"And that was your largest mistake," Mr Stone noted unarguably. Howard looked at him as he sat up and folded his hands on the table. "They never let you go after you stepped into that lab, and you've been under their thumb ever since, haven't you?"

I glared at Howard in shock as he sighed and nodded slowly. "They told me if I ever spoke of what I had seen in there, they'd harm my family. My three girls and my wife. I have a grandchild on the way," He said and closed his eyes mournfully. "So I promised them I wouldn't tell anyone of what I saw."

"And since then, you've helped them cover up their tracks," Mr Stone said and leaned back in his chair again, his eyes chilled. "Every time their name was whispered, you shouted loudly about something else to cover the mumbles. Whenever a mysterious missing-person's file came up that involved a smart individual, you made it go away. You buried their file in the supercomputer, making sure that nobody could access it – well, almost nobody."

Howard looked up at Mr Stone who stared hard at him. He then nodded quietly and pressed his lips tightly together. "I had a choice between letting my family get harmed or—"

"—or letting innocent children get harmed and experimented on," Mr Stone interjected and crossed his arms. "You chose, Mr Howard. You chose to keep quiet."

"I was protecting my family!" Howard argued and I now saw his nostrils flare. "I am not proud of what I did. Every taken child I've covered up for them sits on my conscious, but I love my family, Mr Stone. I would do anything to keep them safe. Anything."

Something flashed across Mr Stone's face. The tight expression on his face softened and he for some reason uncrossed his arms. He however quickly clenched his jaw after another moment and then shook his head. "Well. As loving as that may be, it still doesn't excuse all the kids who now sits in a lab somewhere with needles in their arms all day long. A wrong has happened and this is your chance to make it right," He stated and now leaned forward to glare at my boss. "Tell me, do you play chess, Mr Howard?"

Howard frowned, but then nodded. "I play chess with my youngest daughter every Friday."

"Well then you know the game very well," Mr Stone told and squared his shoulders. "This is a game of chess, Mr Howard. Me against C.E.N.T.U.R.I.E.S. These two are my springers," He nodded to me and Vince, "And you are but a pawn. The question is... which side are you on?"

Howard's eyes flickered for a moment, but he remained quiet.

"Like I told you when we started this conversation, I'm not man you want to play against. If this truly is chess, then I'm the motherfucking king," Mr Stone continued and growled at Howard with thundering eyes. "The game doesn't end until I'm lying down dead, and I've got a lot of moves left, Mr Howard. Strategy and freethinking are my strengths, so if you choose their side, you better be prepared to lose. Let these two agents be an example of my resources," He said and gestured to me and Vince again. "They just broke into the state-of-the-art, top-secured CIA. Want to see what else I can do? Then make your move."

Howard stared at Mr Stone for a long time, then finally cleared his throat. He fixed his tie a little, then sat up. "I have no interest in playing against you, Mr Stone. I've been trying to retire for years, but C.E.N.T.U.R.I.E.S hasn't allowed me to withdraw from their game. If I can, then I choose your side," He said and met Mr Stone with a sober look. "Promise my family safety and I'll gladly cooperate with everything."

Mr Stone's lips lifted into a tight smile. He then nodded and sat up. "Consider your family under my protection then, Mr Howard, but if I do this for you, there are things I first need you to do for me," He explained. "But trust me when I say they'll be the last things you'll ever have to do as a CIA agent."

Howard exhaled heavily. "What are they?"

"First," Mr Stone started and met his eyes directly. "You clear these two agents names. This whole manhunt for their lives will be cancelled and they will both be granted immunity for any crimes they may have committed," He demanded, making me drop my jaw. "Both of them will be able to walk out through the front doors today as free people. If one person lays even a finger on them or me for that matter, be sure that every file on the CIA's supercomputer gets leaked into the public. Ain't that right, Caleb?"

"You got it, boss." A smug voice suddenly boomed over the intercom system.

Mr Stone smirked a little, but then raised a brow at Howard. "Are we clear?"

Howard pressed his lips tightly together, but nodded steadily. "Anything else?"

"Yes," Stone said and grew serious again. "You'll hand me every file, hard or data, that you have on C.E.N.T.U.R.I.E.S, and trust that I'll know if you keep anything from me."

"You have my word."

"Then you have mine," Mr Stone smiled and then gave him a nod. "Now that I've gotten everything I need from you, I believe this is where we part." He stood up and held out his hand to Howard who arose as well and buttoned his suit. "You have things to do, and after that, you'll be a retired man."

Howard gave a relieved sigh and then shook his hand. "Thank you, Mr Stone. It'll take time to clear their names, but I promise I'll make it happen."

"Don't worry," Mr Stone assured. "I've got someone to help you with the legal authorization. Caleb?"

"Way ahead of you," The intercom buzzed again with Caleb's voice. "The paperwork you need to clear their names are being printed in the office 56H down the hall. I've also sent an email to the people you need to clear it with. There should be a meeting scheduled by tomorrow."

Howard blew out a breath. "He sure is fast."

Mr Stone nodded with a calm smile. "Good day, Mr Howard."

Howard gave one last nod, then turned to me and Vince. I had stood up as well and was looking at him, not really knowing what to say. The shame in his eyes was as bright as the halo on mother Mary and baby Jesus, and it rendered me speechless. What did you say to someone who had done something like this?

Howard looked down at last and walked up to me. He slightly turned his head my way and then quietly said, "I'm sorry, Rya."

I didn't respond, but instead just turned my head away and let him walk past me. He walked out of the office and closed the door behind him silently.

It was all finally over.

"So," Mr Stone now said and sat down in the leather chair again. "I can imagine you have some questions for me you'd like me to answer before I depart as well."

Only about a million.

I turned my eyes to him again, catching that Vince did the same. I then took Howard's seat and sat down in front of Mr Stone, straightening my back. "I want to know the whole story. Not just what happened from Howard's side, but how this company even came to be," I said and stared hard at him. "And what your role in all of this is. Who are you really?"

Mr Stone leaned back in the chair and sighed a long sigh. "That's a very lengthy story. You sure you got time for it?"

"Since were just here anyway," I remarked and crossed my legs. "You were the ones who brought us here after all. Why did you do that, if I may ask? If you knew all about Howard's involvement, then why make us go through the trouble of breaking into the CIA?"

"To prove a point," He replied and glanced briefly at Vince who was staying quiet in this whole conversation. "Mostly to Howard, but also to C.E.N.T.U.R.I.E.S. They know what you guys did here today and it'll spook them."

"Wonderful. Next time you want to make a point, please risk your own life." I stated, watching his lips twitch a little. "But how did you come to know of them? That man, Theodore Stone..."

He instantly tensed up and gritted his teeth. "...Was my father. And the reason I know about C.E.N.T.U.R.I.E.S is because... the program was originally created for me."

My mouth fell open. I took a moment to simply stare at the ridiculously handsome man in the suit sitting across from me and then tried to comprehend how a whole company could've been created for him. Did that mean... he was a genius as well? "Explain."

Mr Stone sighed again and looked down. "Like I said, it's a long story. I have what is called an eidetic memory, also known as a photographic memory; Perfect recall. I never forget and I can store any information in my head I consume. In other words, I'm a human memory card, the holy grail of brains," He explained when both me and Vince frowned. "A case as profound and extreme as mine hasn't been seen in almost 75 years, so naturally, every scientist in the world has wanted to test me and run experiments on me to find my limits. I've wanted no participation in any of that and my father didn't approve."

"Wow," I said, a little stunned. "And I thought I was fucked up."

Mr Stone smiled a little. "I didn't know my dad growing up, but the night I turned eighteen, he reached out to me. He told me that now that I was of age, he wanted to recruit me for his company – told me he wanted my brain. I should've taken that very literally."

"No kidding."

"When I refused, he proceeded to make my life very miserable, the details of which I won't go into, but in the end, he was dealt with and under unfortunate circumstances got killed – an event I had nothing to do with, I want to emphasize," He said and shot us both a look. "He died and left me all of his assets and businesses in his last will, all of which I've spent my life since trying to clean up."

"How kindhearted of you."

Mr Stone didn't let my tired sarcasm affect him. "Once I became aware of the program named C.E.N.T.U.R.I.E.S that I was now the owner of, I did everything I could to dismantle it and shut it down, but it turned out it was a lot harder than just withdrawing my father's funds and support. The government bought the company under closed wraps and silent bargains, and that, at last, brings us to here," Alex said. "I've been trying to get to the bottom of this, but without the option to walk into the lab and dismantle it personally, I ran out of options. That's when I reached out to Caleb who then later reached out to you guys, after carefully planning with me. All this time you've been working for me, and everything Caleb's done so far has been coming back to me as well."

"Wait, so you've never actually seen the C.E.N.T.U.R.I.E.S lab?" I asked with a raised brow. "You never been inside it and seen what they do for yourself?"

"Respectfully, if I set my foot in the C.E.N.T.U.R.I.E.S lab, they'd never let me see the light of day again, Agent Wilkins," He said and sent a tight smile my way. "But I've never needed to see the inside. The research I found, plus the people I spoke to who escaped, they painted a very vivid image of what went on in there. What still does," He corrected and sighed tiredly. He rubbed his eyes, but then shook his head. "At least now they won't have the CIA to cover for them."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I can intercept their businesses much faster now," He told. "I can only prevent them kidnapping kids if I know it's happening. The CIA has been—Howard had been—covering for them, but not anymore. Hopefully, this makes stopping the kidnappings faster."

"Unbelievable," I whispered to myself and closed my eyes. I honestly still couldn't fathom how the government could support this. Human experiments – on kids, no less. If they had to experiment on humans, why couldn't they have used pedophiles or rapists?

"Luckily you won't have to concern yourselves with it anymore," Mr Stone told and glanced at me and Vince. "I've been handling this for years and I won't be stopping until the program is dismantled. Caleb will continue to assist me whenever I need his expertise."

"So just like that, huh? We've done our part and now we're off duty?"

"If you want to." Mr Stone affirmed and smiled. "There might come a day where I could use your help again, but you're free to do as you like. Though I should warn you, I don't think you'll be getting your job back here at the CIA."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "After this, I won't ever work for them again. I'm done with the government."

"Well like I said, that's up to you," Mr Stone said and now stood up. Me and Vince automatically did the same. "After the final meeting this week, your names will be cleared and you'll live free lives. I'll monitor that all the arrangements pulls through, then have Caleb contact you when it's all done."

I blew out a breath and tried to comprehend everything. We walked into this building ranking on America's top 10 most wanted list and walked out as free people. All because of this one man and whoever he was. I still wasn't completely sure.

"I've got one last question before you go," I said and looked at Stone when he walked around the table, towards the door. He stopped up and looked back at me. "You said this was a game of chess and you were the King... well, can I ask you then, who's your Queen?"

I could tell the question took him by surprise. His back turned a little rigid, but he quickly composed himself. He shot me a little smile, but there was something off about it. "I hope to meet you both again some day. Stay safe."

And with that, he gave us both one last nod before he left. The door closed and then me and Vince were left behind, both kind of speechless.

"Well," I said and glanced towards him, noticing a little smirk on his lips. "What? How come you were you so quiet this whole time?"

Vince chuckled silently, then decided to close the distance between us and embrace me. Confused, I let him hug me.

"Uh, Vince..."

"I dare you to ask me who my Queen is, dolcezza."

I rolled my eyes again and then smiled, shaking my head against his chest. "I already know."

"Then tell me," He whispered, pulling back to look at me, cupping my face. "Tell me who I love."

I gulped heavily. Love. There it was again. There was just one thing now; it didn't scare me anymore.

"Bob," I grinned sassily and then watched as he rolled his eyes at me now. "You love him, just admit it. You've had a crush on him ever since you stepped into my apartment. It's the only reason you've stayed with me so lo—"

Vince shut me up with his mouth and I grinned back against lips. He pressed me tightly against him and I wrapped my arms around his neck, drawing him down closer. If this was love, then I was never falling out of it again.

When Vince finally drew back a bit and allowed us both to catch our breaths, I let my eyes stay closed and simply rested against his sexy frame. All of this hunk loved me. I couldn't really believe it, but then again, these days I couldn't really believe anything.

"So," I finally said after a while where none of us really spoke. "What do you want to do now?"

I opened my eyes to look up at Vince. I knew exactly what he wanted. His smirk said it all.

"I want to make macaronis."

• • •

Baby pasta.