Chapter Text
Bell knew she needed the unexpected downtime. She was beginning to feel the pain of grazes on her knees, bruised arms and various aches from all the action of the last week; she could do with a long bath and a long sleep, few joints and a massage. There nothing really stopping her from doing that. She had Marks and knew enough German to spend them.
But, pacing up and down the safehouse, Bell felt ready to run a marathon, go into combat with her fists, jump in the Spree and swim up till she was out of here. She was on edge, alternating between glancing up at the same board and the same group of photos and looking at the door, each time desperately trying not to look at Adler and failing. Russ. It made something flutter in her stomach every time she thought of his name.
He was pretending to be busy reading some documents, but she knew he felt her eyes burning him every time they fell upon him. Bell did not enjoy their little cold war. It ignored the fire that had come before.
They hadn’t been able to see the pandas, but Bell hadn't minded. She had been too busy pulling on his hair as he kissed down her neck, hands running down her chest, tightening round her waist. It was a beautiful blur; some screaming child had alerted their parents to their position in the shadows behind the toilet block, and they had swiftly left before the zoo staff had to make the whole thing really awkward.
Running hand in hand across Breitscheidplatz, wind rushing through her hair, Bell felt the closest thing to joy she had felt in a long, long time.
Then his cell phone had rang. And Adler, half smiling and squeezing her hand tight, suddenly stopped in his tracks and pulled his hand away.
“Adler here.”
He listened intently for a few moments.
“Copy that. I’ll get back to the warehouse and let everyone know.”
He hung up.
“Go time?” Bell had asked.
“Yep. I’ll go get the boys. You get Park.”
Without another word, he had turned to the U-Bahn station and headed down into the darkness.
Bell followed his instructions accordingly. Got her motorbike and picked up Park, exchanged a few pleasantries, then drove. She was glad she had an excuse to silently stew, revving the engine up and hitting 120kmph a little too fast.
Now they were here, waiting for Woods and Mason to come back (if they did) then waiting for whatever they found to be analysed after that. Park had gone for a sleep; Lazar was still sleeping and was due back in an hour or so. Sims had gone to get food, he claimed. So it was her and Adler, alone at least. Least they could do was have some fun with it. But Adler was so invested in being professional, he wouldn’t even switch the radio from the relentless news channel. Well, if he wouldn’t start the party, she would have to.
She went to the bathroom, and flung her satchel onto the toilet seat. She began rummaging; before their East Berlin detour, she’d gone with Park to the KaDeWe to get some new things. After all, she had been going to a bar to meet a girlfriend. A girl liked to look pretty.
Hastily she dapped her fingers in the blue shadow, rubbing it around her eyes. She smeared her crimson lipstick on her cheeks before double lining her lips. She pulled off her leather jacket and unbuttoned the lower half of her shirt, tying the two ends of it together to knot above her midriff. Her jeans had to go. Her bland white panties broke the glamorous illusion, but it didn’t matter; she’d get the reaction she needed. Besides, a great performer would be great in a potato sack.
Bell studied herself in the mirror. If a clown and a hooker had a baby, it would have been her. Exactly what she wanted.
She slipped quietly across the room, her drastic change of appearance hidden in the safehouse shadows. She got to the radio without Adler looking up. Her heart was beating like a drum, a smile dancing on her face. Show time.
“Hey!”
He looked up, frowning, when Boney M started blaring out at full volume. It clearly took all his mental strength to not let his jaw drop.
“Only Margarita love like America
Only Margarita take me to Shangri-La…”
She remembered going to a big concert, when she was only about 15. The singer had been the most glamorous woman she’d ever seen; wrapped in a fur coat more like a duvet, dripping in jewels, blonde hair coiffed to the Heavens. Her big overlined lips had eaten every word. Bell tried to channel her now.
Oh mama
Now mama
Come tell me that you wanna…”
Bell half knew the words, but it didn’t matter; her lip-sync was so comically exaggerated, as she gyrated her hips, shaking her shoulders back and forth, twirling round like a drag ballerina.
Eyes half closed, she heard Adler's chair scrape back against the floor, and his footsteps rapidly approaching. She felt his body, standing directly in front of her to try and block her way. She ignored him, and kept spinning.
“One more turn and you’ll be on the floor.”
His voice was harsh enough to make her open her eyes.
“Is that a threat?” she asked, a little breathless.
“It’s common sense. You’re going to be dizzy as Gillespie.”
Bell slowed to a stop, confused by that simile. Whatever it meant, she got the point; spots were beginning to appear in front of her eyes and she looked at Adler through a blur.
She reached out a hand to his shoulder, just to steady herself, but he flinched away before she could. It stung her like lash.
“What’s the deal, Bell? You having a breakdown?”
His eyes were inscrutable behind his dark lenses.
“Maybe I am. You would know my state of mind if you’d spoken to me at all in the last 25 hours.”
“Well I just spoke to you 25 seconds ago. My assessment is you’re looking for attention. I’m just not sure on what kind and for why, not that I really care.”
He sighed heavily and turned away. Bell felt the urge to laugh, at how stupidly serious he was, but she couldn’t get over his flinch.
“You tell me what the deal is, Russ. You interested or bored? What the hell happened between the zoo and here?”
His fist clenched and unclenched for a second and a cold chill ran down Bell’s spine. She had never, ever, seen him like this. It seemed so… uncontrolled. There was something bigger going on she didn’t know about.
“Look I—“
She pulled her shirt out of the knot and smoothed it down, then slowly approached him.
“I wasn’t trying to seduce you, or annoy you. I just thought… I just thought it would be fun. I wanted to make you laugh, for a moment. And maybe break down whatever wall has popped up between us.”
She swallowed hard. Her cheeks were hot, and she began to feel dizzy again.
“I don’t mind if we forget all about our little date. Mistakes happen. I just want you to talk to me as if I was— like I am still your friend.”
Adler’s voice was quiet, and his reply short and brutal:
“We were never friends, Bell.”
Bell felt her nostrils flare and her eyes began to burn. It had been so long, but she had thought he was the same guy she’d known back in ’68. Now, so cold and distant, she wasn’t so sure.
“We could be,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady, "if you’d ever let yourself have the luxury of trusting anyone or anything. Goddammit, after the things we’ve been through in the last week alone—“
“It’s business, Bell, it’s all a business. A massive game of chess in the dark. I don’t care who is playing alongside me. The instant you stop being of help to my win, you’re done.”
Bell’s hand stung, the force of the slap that flew out of her making her stagger back a little. Adler clutched the table beside them, knees bent, sunglasses askew.
She dropped her hand suddenly and inhaled deeply, bringing her mind back to somewhere peaceful and calm. The air was like ice. Now she understood why he wanted to focus on the job. If this was where the emotions between them would lead, it was a path they should never have laid.
A long silence, like a storm cloud, filled the air between them. There was nothing she could do now; the storm had come and part of her welcomed the chance for it to break.
“I regret that,” Bell said finally. “It’s disgraceful to use violence against a colleague. I feel your words were utterly vile and smart-mouthed, but I responded irrationally. Please accept my apologies. If you wish, I’ll leave the project.”
Calmly she strode to the bathroom and began pulling on her jeans. Her heart was still pounding and the hairs on her neck stood up. She was scared. Of her feelings, of her reactions, and of him.
The door banged open before she could do up her fly.
Without tearing his gaze away from her for a moment, Adler grabbed the hand towel, turned on the tap and soaked it. Then he gave a brief squeeze, and shoved it in her face.
“Clean that shit off your face.”
Bell met his gaze, chin up.
“No.”
He threw the towel on the floor.
“Bell—“
He hissed her name, like an adder. She flinched at it. He saw her response and leaned back. The lightning strike she had expected had lost all its charge.
“Truth is,” he began, voice soft, “you do interest me. There’s a lot deep in your mind I never knew, maybe never will. You’ve encrypted it well. But you’re not the only code breaker here. I want to find it out, almost more than solving this mystery we’re here for.”
The radio was still blaring in the next room.
"As long as the sun, continues to shine,
There’s a place in my heart for you—“
Bell filled the space between them with a single step.
“If you ever do crack the code,” she said, “please let me know what you find.”
“—Upside down, boy you turn me
Inside out and round and round—“
She stared into his face, scars and wrinkles gouged so deep under the harsh fluorescent light above. He was a chiseled masterpiece. She had never seen anything she wanted more in her life.
“Kiss me, Bell. Kiss me now before the sense you knocked out of me returns.”
She put her hands round his face, and she was surprised to find them shaking. Then she pressed her lips on his.
She pulled his lip into her mouth, feeling the warmth of his breath. He tasted of stale smoke, coffee, his scent intoxicating as heroin. There was something about this kiss that felt real in way all their playing around the day before hadn’t.
She could live and die on those lips.
Unfortunately that was the exact time the music stopped, abruptly, and she heard Sims’ keys clatter onto the table.
Adler pulled away sharply and Bell swallowed. They both stood, waiting, wondering if Sims was going to call something out for them, or just pretend they both weren’t mysteriously missing.
“Clean up,” Adler whispered. “I’ll talk to him.”
Bell began wiping her face with the discarded towel. Adler opened the door.
“Hey Sims, I was listening to that.”
“That loud? I know those bullets must have done a number on you over the years, but you ain’t that deaf yet, old man.”
“Old man? Soon as I finish having a whiz you’re gonna regret saying that.”
Adler quickly turned on the tap, just enough to trickle. He looked round at Bell. She saw his lips pressed together for a second, softly, like he was hiding a smile. Then he grabbed her by the shoulders, kissing her deeply and fiercely for a second, then began kissing her cheeks, down to her neck, till he buried his face in her hair. She felt him inhale, brushing his nose across her.
Bell held onto his shoulders tight, and whispered in his ear:
“When you finish your shift, you know where I’ll be. I won’t be sleeping.”
***
How Bell managed to drive back to her hotel was a mystery to her. Her head was spinning, heart pounding, and her hands still trembling from the impact of his kiss.
Adler had played it off as Bell had fainted and he’d helped her come to with a bit of cold water. Sims had probably not bought it. But he was the silent type, and aside from a knowing look or a jab, he would probably never indicate he thought anything was going on between them.
As soon as she got into her room, she jumped in the bath. She was sweating, still shaking— God what was happening to her? She was worse than a teenager. But she couldn’t stop smiling.
She turned on the radio and sat on the edge of the bed, brushing her hair out before it dried. Hopefully by the time it had, he would be there. She squeezed the handle of the brush tight at the thought of him.
No harm in getting herself ready for him either.
She put the brush in her mouth, lathering it with spit, imagining it was him. She wondered what he would taste like, how thick he was, how long; imagine all this frustration and desire, only for a 2 inch pecker. She snorted and the brush caught in her throat. Maybe a 2 inch was better than a choker.
Flicking her tongue around her mouth, she worked up some more saliva. Cupping her fingers, she spat into them, scooping the moisture down to her pussy. It was already wet.
Slowly, she trailed her fingers across her lips, brushing her clit gently at first. Her left leg jerked slightly; she was so turned on, she didn’t know if she could last till Adler got there.
Round her clit, and round again, her finger tips pressed. As she fully started to relax, she pressed the tip of the brush handle against her opening. It gave some resistance, but with every little throb she felt as she rubbed her clit harder and harder, the brush eventually slipped in and she gasped. How long had it been since she’d fucked? She was so tight.
She rolled over and pressed herself into her shirt. It might have been her imagination, but she swore there was a trace of Adler’s scent. It was enough. She began rocking her hips back and forth, and put her hand on her hip for a second, imagining him gripping her tight. Please, God, let him get there soon. She wanted to save it all for him, wanted to moan for him, wanted to tighten round him as he breathed hot in her ear and cum all over his cock as he came in her, filling her with a white mess. She wanted to suck him dry, swallow him, have him stand above her and drip across her tits and mouth, splatter her fresh hair with it until she had to bath again. She wanted to be his whore, his concubine, his slave.
“You started without me?”
Bell shrieked and threw herself around, the handle popping out of her as she did so, and her hands balled into fists. The door had been unlocked. Adler had finally come.
He smirked down at her, and though he was still wearing his stupid shades, she felt his eyes roaming up and down her.
“Take those off,” she said, voice weak. Her stomach was churning enough to make her sick.
“Take what off, exactly?” he asked, gesturing at his clothes. “All of it?”
Bell found her grin.
“Lock the door first.”
He obeyed her. Turning round, he pulled off his glasses, and the moonlight hit him square in the face. He looked like a phantom; a dark prince from a fairytale, the blue of his eyes giving an unholy glow. He floated towards her, placed a hand on her knee and bent down between her legs. Bell could hear nothing but her own heart, fit to burst, pounding in her ears.
Then Adler lifted his head up, and she saw he had her hairbrush in his mouth. Without moving his hands, he sucked it, pulling it deep into his mouth, a loud slurping noise followed by a deep swallow. His eyes rolled back in his head for a moment, then he let it fall to the floor.
“If the sample tastes that sweet, I’m in for a beautiful evening,” he muttered. “Tell me where you want me, Bell.”
Words failed her. She simply grabbed him, bringing him to her mouth for a kiss, then pulling him by the hair, placed his head between her legs.
***
They didn't talk much for the next five hours. Only when the sun, that had risen to its peak and was beginning its decline, started to cast long shadows across their naked bodies did Adler find something to say.
“I feel like I’ve missed you, kid.”
Down by his feet, running her hands along his thighs, Bell tilted her head back to look at him. She gave him a smile, then kissed his hip.
“I hope we’ve made up for lost time,” she said.
Adler leaned over the side of the mattress, reaching around on the floor for his shades and put them on. His face had begun to change. Bell knew it was common to get post-coital blues but this seemed more serious. He shifted himself up till he sat against the headboard, pulling his legs out of her reach.
“Bell, if you really knew me— you would want to kill me right now.”
Bell’s heart stopped. It was now time for reality. Inevitable, but unpleasant.
"Oh yeah, Mr. Monster?”
She tried to keep her voice light, coy. He probably was just thinking of his ruthless reputation. As if she didn’t know that. As if she didn't wonder at herself, sometimes, for forgiving all that. But she did know he was a monster, and she didn’t care. Adler sighed and dropped his head, unable to look at her.
“I am, Bell. In ways you wouldn’t believe. Trust me—"
“I do.”
Bell swung her legs round, and pulled herself up to lean against the wall beside him. Tenderly, she put a finger under his chin, and forced his head up, making his eyes meet hers. She could see them now, even through the tinted lenses. A whirlwind of confusion, pain, and more lay within. But more than anything she saw care. For all his talk, something in him cared about her, in ways he could never say.
And before his crisis of conscience could take hold, she pushed him back into the pillows, and planted soft kisses up his neck, along his jaw, till he gave up his lips to hers.