
      Complicated - SR 2


      Author: aria


      Rated: R



      Chapter 3
      Darien hauled himself out from underneath the large form and half crawled, 
      half dragged himself over to the ledge to see if he could see anything.
      Nothing.
      Swearing to himself but feeling a bit better that he wasnt staring at 
      some splattered bodies, Darien turned around ready to kill the person who 
      had stopped him from following Serena. When he actually saw him, some of 
      his anger evaporated.
      "Jadeite?" He glared at the large blonde as he started down the stairs. 
      "Why the hell did you stop me?"
      Jadeite was behind him all the way. "I didnt think you breaking your neck 
      would be the best way to help her."
      Darien grumbled something incoherent and turned the corner to the alley.
      There was no one in sight.
      Darien thought he saw a brief look of worry when he added, "She can take 
      care of herself you know."
      "But can she handle two guys while falling off a building?" He ran past 
      what looked like a hunk of skin hanging off of the side of a dumpster. 
      Disgusted, he too a closer look. Whoever had lost that sure definitely 
      would not be happy camper right at this moment. He hoped that that person 
      was not Serena.
      He and Jadeite traded a look and continued following a trail of blood to 
      the curb where it disappeared.
      "Theyve got a car." The two men looked up and down the street in a futile 
      attempt to find Serenas kidnappers. There was no way they were going to 
      find a single car in this. Darien looked at all the cars in the Roman rush 
      hour in contempt.
      Dariens mind immediately began running through all the names of the 
      contacts he had in Rome during his time with Luna, as well as the ones he 
      had on the other side of the law and looked at the tall blonde at his 
side.
      Jadeite knew what he was thinking. "My cars around here."
      He led them through another alley and over to a luxurious looking vehicle. 
      Darien couldnt hide his smirk. The man didnt know the meaning of the 
      word slum. He shook his head again. As a matter of fact none of them 
      knew how to slum it. Dariens lip curled at the edges a little when he 
      remembered Serenas reaction when he suggested they go camping with just 
      them and a couple of sleeping bags.
      His mood quickly slipped again when his mind returned to the sight of her 
      being dragged off the roof. For the first time, Serena actually looked 
      frightened, and that worried him more than anything else.
      Darien stared sullenly out of the window. What was she going to tell him? 
      Who would want her right now? Where was she? Was she ok?
      He closed his eyes trying to get a grip on his emotions. Darien couldnt 
      afford to let his feeling cloud his judgement. Not now. There was too much 
      at stake.
      "Jadeite, is Marchetti still running the show here?"
      Jadeite shifted and turned to Darien. "He is."
      From the look on the other mans face and the tone of his voice, Darien 
      could see he was as happy as himself about what had happened.
      "Well find her Darien, no matter what the cost."
      "Im going to hold you to that." Darien could think of a few ways of 
      getting some quick answers. "We should call Luna, shell want to help."
      Jadeite shook his head. "After we talk to Marchetti. I know what youre 
      thinking and getting everyone involved is not always the best idea."
      "Im sure wed be able to make some real headway if we do."
      "Intimidation wont work with these people. You should now that." He 
      slammed the car into gear. "You forget how things work here."
      Darien shrugged. He hadnt forgotten, he just didnt particularly care for 
      sitting and waiting while they traded pleasantries with a bunch of people 
      he didnt like.
      They arrived at an out of the way restaurant and got out of the car.
      Jadeite straightened his clothes. Then looked over at he Darien. He tried 
      to hide the grimace but didnt do too well.
      Darien felt like hell and seeing the look on Jadeites face confirmed that 
      he looked like he felt. He ran his hand through his hair. He hadnt seen a 
      shower or a razor in too long; his clothes were slept in, and anyone 
      standing next to the Armani clad man with him would look like a pauper. He 
      just hoped his appearance wouldnt sour anybodys charitable spirit.
      "Just follow my lead." Jadeite took the dominant role and walked into the 
      dimly lit restaurant first.
      Darien quickly spotted the greyed haired man surrounded by his men at a 
      table near the back of the room.
      He spotted them in the same instant.
      "Well, who do we have here?" He eyed them both as if he didnt recognize 
      them. "Jadeite Schmidt and is that Darien Spencer?"
      "Cut the cr"
      Jadeite stepped in front of Darien before he could seriously insult 
      anyone. "Poor Darien here hasnt had much rest lately. Youll have to 
      excuse his irritability."
      Marchetti seemed to consider it for a moment then nodded indicating the 
      chairs before him. "Please sit. Are you hungry? A drink perhaps?"
      "No, thank you. We need to pick your brain for a moment and then well be 
      on our way."
      The older man leaned back in his seat and nodded. "Of course."
      Jadeite leaned forward. "Its about Serena."
      "And where is the lovely Ms. Hayes?"
      Darien joined in now. "Thats what wed like to know. She was kidnapped 
      earlier today and we want to know if you have any idea who could have done 
      it and why."
      Jadeite rolled his eyes at Dariens lack of tact and nodded.
      "I have no idea why anyone would take her." He shook his head at the look 
      Darien shot him. "You know me, Spencer, Im a man of my word. I swear we 
      have nothing to do with her disappearance."
      "If you hear anything, youll let us know?"
      "Of course."
      Darien was the first to stand. "Thank you. You know how to get in touch 
      with us."
      Marchetti stood up and clapped him on the back. "Dont worry. She can take 
      care of herself."
      Darien was really starting to wish people would stop saying that. 
"Thanks."
      He and Jadeite returned to the car, Darien slumped into the passenger seat 
      and left the driving to Jadeite.
      "So now what?"
      "I want to go back to the roof. We might have missed something."
      "Darien...we didnt miss anything." He looked over at Darien and sighed a 
      little. The poor guy. What he must be going through. He knew he still 
      cared greatly for Serena. It was there in every word, every look they 
      shared. He knew how he would feel if it was Raye in that situation. His 
      stomach clenched at the thought. Jadeite thought he was keeping pretty 
      calm considering the circumstances.
      "So you think that I should just go to a hotel and sit there while some 
      maniac is doing god knows what to Serena?" he shook his head. "Nope. Sorry 
      I cant do that."
      "I know how you feel but what can you do besides comb the streets for 
her?"
      "Thats better than sitting on my butt worrying. At least then Id be 
      doing something."
      "It wouldnt get you anywhere and you know it. So just sit back and try to 
      relax, will you?"
      "Easy for you to say." Darien rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his 
      hands. "Where are you staying?"
      "Where do I always stay?"
      Darien closed his eyes for the rest of the ride wishing that when he 
      opened them that it would be one huge horrible nightmare.
      " I think you should just go back to your hotel and take a shower--"
      "And relax?" His eyes turned to ice when he turned to Jadeite once more. 
      "Let me ask you this. If Raye had been the one to go missing, would you be 
      able to relax?"
      Jadeite sighed. "Of course not. Im just saying you need to take a break. 
      Even if it's for a few minutes. Youre going to burn out and you won't be 
      any help to anyone, least of all Serena."
      As much as he hated to admit it, Jadeite was right. He nodded slowly. 
      "Just an hour. Just long enough for me to get my self together, and then 
      we're back out here. Alright?"
      "Great. That'll give me enough time to ask around to see if anyone knows 
      what's going on." he swiftly turned a corner. "Where are you staying?"
      "Wherever you are." Darien hadn't even had time to take a breath let alone 
      book himself into a hotel.
      Darien really was in bad shape and Jadeite completely understood. He 
      looked like any man would when the love of his life had just disappeared.
      ----
      They spent the next week scouring Rome. But there was no trace of her and 
      no one seemed to know anything. No matter who they talked to, no matter 
      how influential they were, the answer they received was always no.
      Day by day, Darien sat and stared out of the window aimlessly. What in the 
      world could have happened to her? How the hell could he let that happen to 
      her? Feeling completely inept, he glared at his reflection in the pane of 
      glass barring him from the rest of the world.
      "We'll find her. Even if we have to turn Italy on its ear we'll find her."
      "I hope youre serious about that, because I know I sure as hell will." He 
      turned to the man at his side and saw how serious Jadeite was. Darien knew 
      he could count on him to back him up no matter what was thrown at them. 
      "Do you have any idea what the heck is going on here?"
      "Not a clue."
      "Do you at least know what she wanted to talk to me about?" He couldn't 
      hide the plea in his voice.
      Jadeite winced. So she didn't even get to tell him. "I don't know."
      Darien wasn't convinced. He knew that Jadeite was her confidant, if anyone 
      knew it would be him. "She must have told you. She tells you everything."
      "Sorry, she didn't. I'm sure it wasn't that important." Jadeite kicked 
      himself for that one. He wanted to tell his friend, but he knew Serena 
      wanted to tell him herself. Of course that left him with a very persistent 
      Darien. The only way he would relax a little was if there was nothing more 
      on his mind. Serena going missing was more than he could handle at the 
      moment. He really didn't need any more. Darien was getting more desperate. 
      This was getting serious. In the beginning he was able to delude himself a 
      little, that she could take care of herself. That she could handle any 
      situation by herself. But after seven days and not hearing so much as a 
      peep from her made his whole being quake. Something was very wrong here.
      Darien slumped back into his seat and sighed. This was impossible. He knew 
      Jadeite knew but once that guy swore he wouldn't say anything, there was 
      nothing on this earth that would make him tell. Damn him and his nobility.
      ----
      Rome was a bust. If anyone knew anything, there werent going to tell them 
      any time soon. They decided it was best to get back to London and start 
      from square one.
      Darien stood on the balcony of the apartment staring out at the city, 
      watching the lights glimmer in the distance, not seeing for a second the 
      beauty of the ancient Ville. It was becoming a ritual to him, scouring the 
      city from his window. He only wished that it would do some good.
      "Serena, where are you?" The breeze floated his words away into the still 
      night. He could feel the beginnings of a tear form in his eye and angrily 
      swiped them away. He should have been able to protect her. He never should 
      have walked out on them in the first place. If he had only been able to 
      put aside his own fears, she might have never gotten into this mess.
      Darien smiled wryly to himself. He was stuck in the middle of what he 
      feared the most and it all happened because he walked away.
      He felt like someone had punched him in the gut and he swore to himself 
      that he would bring her back. And once he did, he was going to tell her 
      his true feelings and never let her go again.
      He looked out at the sprawling city spread out at his feet once again. 
      That was if he ever found her again.
      Darien kicked himself mentally for letting his thoughts stray. First thing 
      first, he was going to find her.
      There was a knock at the door and he strode purposely toward it. He knew 
      Jadeite would be coming over in a bit to resume their quest and he was 
      anxious to get started.
      Jadeite stood on the other side of the door looking as grim as ever. 
      "Ready?"
      "Always."
      They headed to Lunas office together. They decided it would be good to 
      get some more information and some back up as well. Both could come in 
      handy at the moment.
      When they arrived Luna was waiting for them, as were several other people, 
      only a few of whom Darien recognized.
      "Darien, Jadeite." Luna nodded her greetings. "Any word?"
      Darien shook his head sullenly.
      She could almost feel the pain that he was going through, it was etched so 
      plainly on his face. Her lips twisted into a pained smile and patted him 
      on the shoulder. "Here are a few people I thought might be able to help 
      you two out."
      "Konbanwa, Darien."
      Darien turned immediately. He recognized that voice. "Akemi, Im glad 
      youre here." He took her hand and shook it.
      "Of course we came," Her two brothers materialized behind her. "Weve been 
      so worried since we heard."
      Darien traded nods with Taiki and Yaten. "Thank you."
      On the other side of the room were several other people. He recognized 
      Haruka, Setsuna and Demando but he couldnt recall ever meeting the other 
      two women. They all nodded at him, looking completely serious and ready to 
      go.
      Luna walked over to him and started the introductions.
      She led him over to a rather pretty brunette who looked too shy and mousy 
      to be there.
      "This is Amy, shes the resident genius."
      She blushed a little and smiled shyly. "You flatter me Luna. Im here to 
      help in any way I can."
      Darien nodded his thanks and shook her hand.
      Luna moved on down the line. "And this is Lita. The gutsiest woman next to 
      Haruka over there."
      Lita brushed her auburn ponytail out of her face and shook his hand 
      forcefully. "Just let me know how I can help."
      "Thanks."
      Demando walked forward now. "So whats the plan?"
      Darien put up his hand. "I have a few people coming too." As soon as he 
      said the words he could feel the tension sizzle in the air. "I know what 
      youre thinking, and its not like that. You dont have to worry about 
      them." He looked each and everyone in the eyes. "Trust me."
      Seconds later three men arrived ushered into the room by security. They 
      looked grim until they saw Darien, who waved off the security. "Its 
      alright. Theyre with me."
      Luna nodded and they left the room.
      Jadeite looked at them and then questioningly at Darien. "These are your 
      friends from high school right?" His eyes bugged when Darien confirmed 
      suspicions with a nod. "How in the hell are a writer, an accountant and an 
      engineer going to help us?"
      The tall blonde with snowy white hair shook his head. "Well we didnt 
      exactly tell you the truth that night. Of course neither did two other 
      people, if I recall correctly." He stared into Jadeites eyes reminding 
      him of the story he and Serena came up with."
      Jadeite found the grace to blush a little. "What are you guys then?"
      Darien clapped the other two men on the shoulders. "Special Op."
      Groans could be heard from around the room.
      The newcomer with short dark curly brown hair stepped forward. "We dont 
      care about you guys. We dont care what youve done or what youre going 
      to do. All we care about is Serena."
      Zoisite ran his hand through his honey colored hair and nodded. "You dont 
      have to worry about us."
      Darien made the introductions then. "Everyone, meet Malachite, Nephlite 
      and Zoisite. Theyve known Serena as long as I have. And I can assure you 
      that you can trust them. You have my word."
      Everyone seemed to breathe just a little easier and were able to shake 
      hands. They had to start trusting sometime if they were going to work 
      together.
      Darien and Jadeite took center stage in the middle of the room. "Ok you 
      guys. Im sure you all heard what happened. Serena was kidnapped in Rome. 
      We asked around the city and then some, but no one seems to know whats 
      going on. No one there has a motive to want her out of the picture."
      Jadeite nodded. "Which is why were back here. Have any of you heard 
      anything remotely of interest?"
      The grim circle of men and women shook their heads.
      Akemi was the first to speak, it seemed her mild temperament did have a 
      boiling point. "Weve got to get her back! Shes like a sister to each and 
      every one of us. No matter what the cost, you can count on us."
      He could feel himself start to loose him composure again and Darien 
      savagely fought the urge to cry out back down and responded with a calm, 
      "I think we should split up in groups and take up any lead we can find. 
      Who has she had contact with? Who would hold a grudge? Anything you can 
      think of."
      Luna nodded. "My files are at your disposal. Anything you need just let me 
      know."
      They broke into groups. Darien, Jadeite, Demando, Akemi and Setsuna were 
      together; Haruka, Amy, Zoisite, Malachite and Lita were another group. 
      Nephlite, Taiki and Yaten stayed behind to research and see what they 
      could dig up.
      They all stood huddled around the computers while they brought up all the 
      information they could about Serena, her jobs and the people they 
involved.
      Darien scanned the images and information as they flashed past on the 
      monitors. He read in depth reports about everything she had done since she 
      started working for Luna and his stomach churned at some of the things 
      that she had been through. She was one tough cookie. Shaking his head he 
      read some more.
      He put his hand on Nephlites shoulder when he found an interesting 
      tidbit. In the beginning, a year before he caught up with her, she had 
      done a job in Italy. But that was where the information stopped.
      "Luna?" she appeared at his side immediately. "Where is the rest of the 
      info on this job?"
      She took command of the machine and started searching for the missing 
      material. "I dont know. It should be here with everything else." She 
      typed a moment more and shook her head. "I dont understand. It was here 
      before."
      Setsuna and Amy stepped forward. "Well see what we can do." Each woman 
      took a different terminal and got to work.
      Darien looked at Luna, "What can you tell me about it? Whatever you can 
      remember."
      Luna nodded and paced around the room, deep in thought. "She had just 
      started working for me and was learning the ropes." She gestured at 
      Jadeite. "You were with her. And so was Demando if I remember."
      Demando nodded. "Yes I remember. "We had to retrieve some sort of chemical 
      or something."
      Jadeite shook his head. "It was a bacterial culture. From the clutches of 
      a scientist."
      Luna nodded and continued. "His name was Dr. Tomoe. The job was botched 
      from the beginning. There were some wires that got crossed and you all 
      targeted the wrong man."
      Jadeites handsome features twisted into a grimace. "We figured it out at 
      the last minute and pulled out but something went wrong and the mans 
      house went up in flames."
      "Killing the scientist and his family in their sleep." Demando dragged his 
      hands through the pale strands of his hair.
      Darien felt his stomach sinking. He could just imagine what Serena had 
      gone through.
      Jadeite nodded as if hed read his fiends mind. "She was so guilt ridden. 
      Especially when she heard that the mans daughter had been killed as well. 
      She was barely thirteen and just arrived from boarding school."
      The room fell silent as everyone processed the information. But it was 
      soon broken by a little shout from Amy.
      "I got it. Someone had hacked the info and tried to get rid of it. But I 
      got a trace."
      Darien already had his coat half on. "Where are they?"
      "Here in London."
      ----
      Darien walked down the street toward the address that Amy gave them. He 
      looked over at a car parked on the side of the road and nodded at the two 
      shadows inside. Jadeite and Demando were settled there just in case 
      anything went wrong.
      He walked on. Darien was always glad for a little back up.
      Being in such a fashionable neighborhood, he should have dressed up a 
      little and he was well aware of the looks people gave him. Darien didnt 
      give a damn though. They could stare all they wanted. All he wanted was to 
      have Serena back in one piece and in his arms once more.
      He strode past a boisterous pub and listened to the sounds of laughter and 
      merriment, and wondered if he would ever feel that way again.
      Walking quickly with his head down avoiding the glances of a couple of 
      women standing in the doorway, Darien caught a glimpse of someone out of 
      the corner of his eye and whipped around.
      A familiar flash of blonde peeked from beneath a plain hat as a figure 
      moved past him.
      On impulse he grabbed her arm and hauled her toward him.
      Darien dragged off the hat and turned her to face him. The sight of her 
      face nearly had him singing for joy. Fighting for a breath, he managed a 
      choked, "Serena?"
      She looked stunned for a moment before a beautiful smile spread over her 
      face and she threw herself into his arms.
      "Oh god, Serena!" He didnt know if he wanted to shout or cry at the 
      happiness threatening to burst his heart. Darien settled with burying his 
      nose in her neck and holding her to him. "I never thought Id see you 
      again."
      He looked up and saw that the other two men had seen what was going on and 
      had brought the car to them before leaping out of the vehicle themselves.
      "Serena!"
      Within seconds they were enveloped in another two pairs of arms.
      Darien managed to extricate himself from the tangle and pulled Serena out 
      with him. "Come on. Lets get you home."
      ----
      They couldnt get home soon enough for Darien. All he wanted to do was to 
      make sure she was all right and then hold her and never let go again. When 
      they pulled up to their building, Darien looked at Jadeite and Demando 
      letting them know that he wanted some alone time with her.
      They nodded and smiled at them. "Goodnight guys. Well see you in the 
      morning.
      He dragged her into the room with him and simply stood there holding her. 
      He was so elated that he didn't notice how she hesitated before hugging 
      him back. "Are you alright? What the hell happened to you?" He stopped and 
      hugged her again. "I dont care. All I care about is you being here 
      without a single scratch on you." he stared at her incredulously. She had 
      been gone for god knows how long and she didnt even have a scratch on 
      her. After that last moment, when she went off the roof, he wasn't sure 
      what condition to expect her to be in. But this was very good.
      Darien swung her up into his arms and carried her over to the couch. 
      "Sere, I love you. I was a fool to walk out on you. I was such an idiot!" 
      he continued when she just stared at him. "I know what I did to you was 
      the worst. But I swear Ill change. If you want to jump off of cliffs, 
      Ill jump off with you. Just say you'll take me back."
      Darien looked at the woman in his arms and frowned when she didn't answer 
      right away. He steeled himself for the rejection he was sure was coming. 
      "Just give it to me straight, Sere." He could take it. Really he could.
      "What's wrong?" Worried that he had hurt her; he pulled her down so she 
      was lying on his lap. "Did I hurt you?"
      She shook her head slowly. "No I just need to wind down."
      He leaned back, puzzled. She used to love cuddling with him after a job. 
      It was like a relaxation ritual or something. He decided not to push it. 
      She must have been through a lot. Darien ran his fingers through her hair, 
      twisting the flaxen strands through them.
      "Can I get you anything? Are you feeling alright?"
      She simply nodded and closed her eyes.
      "You must be tired." Feeling out of place, he easily picked her up and 
      carried her to the bedroom. He laid her on the bed and looked over her 
      sleeping form.
      Because it just felt right, he walked back out to the living room and 
      flopped onto the couch. "Night, sere."
      ----
      Over the next few days, Serena seemed to snap out of her trance, though 
      she didn't really seem to come around to Darien.
      That was really starting to worry him. Late one evening he gave Jadeite a 
      call.
      "Hey, it's me."
      "Whats the matter?"
      "What did Serena have to tell me?"
      Jadeite paused for a moment, unsure of how to approach him. "I dont 
know."
      "Bullshit. You know, I know you do. Why the hell won't you tell me?" Why 
      the hell wouldn't she tell him?
      "Why is it bothering you now? Youve been fine for since she got back 
      haven't you?"
      "Not exactly." there was this feeling that Darien couldn't shake. It was 
      like he knew her but also as if she were a complete stranger. He couldn't 
      help but think that it had something to do with what she had to tell him. 
      "Just tell me."
      "Whats going on with you two? When he left them they looked as though 
      they were on their way to getting a back together again. And he couldn't 
      be happier about it. If there were two people that belonged together it 
      was those two. "What are you talking about?"
      "Serena just doesnt seem like herself. Theres just something about her 
      that is off."
      "How so?" intrigued, Jadeite sat up and turned on the lamp at his bedside. 
      He glanced at his watch and barely registered that it was 4am.
      "I can't explain it. Somethings just not right. Shes not the person I 
      know."
      Jadeite knew that Darien of all people knew Serena better than anyone 
      else, sometime even better than Serena knew herself. And what he just told 
      him worried him. Still he swore not to tell her secret so he devised 
      another plan of action. "Are you sure there something wrong with her?"
      " Of course. I wouldn't have called you otherwise." Darien dragged his 
      hand through his unruly hair and looked at the door to Serena's room.
      "I know, Im sorry. Theres one way to find out for sure. Get me a blood 
      sample."
      "What? How the heck is that supposed to help?"
      "Trust me. Im sure you still remember how to get a sample. Just do and 
      bring it over to Baxters lab. Ill meet you there."
      "Fine. Ill be there within the hour." Darien hung up and tip toed to the 
      bedroom door. He stopped on his side and pondered the best course of 
      action. He felt a little guilty for what he was about to do. Maybe she 
      just needed some space? What she went through must have been quite an 
      ordeal; she hadn't even wanted to talk about it.
      That was another thing that bothered him. She said she loved him, and then 
      she barely spoke to him since the confession. The Serena he knew could 
      talk to him abut everything. But she barely acknowledged his existence.
      He would do it. If there was something wrong with her he wanted to know 
      about it and maybe even help her.
      Darien crept through the still room over to the far wall and waved his 
      hand over a small picture of the two of them. To most people it looked 
      like any other picture. But on closer inspection it was a scanning plate 
      used to access a secret room hidden in the walls of their apartment.
      The walls slid open with a muted beep and Darien walked in. Inside they 
      kept all of their equipment they used on their jobs. He walked past all 
      the bags and weapons and went straight for the pen like instruments housed 
      at the far end of the room near the computers. Hiding it in his hand he 
      walked back out of the room pausing only long enough to hear the wall 
      slide securely closed once more.
      He headed back to the bedroom and pushed the door open as quietly as he 
      could.
      Serena lay asleep on the bed, looking as angelic as always.
      Silently he crept to the side of the bed and knelt down, looking for the 
      best spot to collect his sample. Her arm was the best bet. It was the only 
      spot exposed and wouldn't be all that sensitive to the jab.
      Darien took a breath and pressed the instrument into her arm for a 
      fraction of a second before removing it again.
      That done he stood up and prepared to walk out when her voice, groggy and 
      faint, stopped him. "Where are you going?"
      "No where. I was just getting in." Darien sat on the chair at the side of 
      the room and decided to test out a theory. "Sere. I love you. I always 
      have and always will.
      She leaned over and kissed him tenderly. Darien felt the bile rise in his 
      throat and waited what he hoped was a decent length of time before 
      breaking contact. There was such a lack of feeling on her side that he had 
      to stop. Darien forced a smile and said, "I'm a little restless so Im 
      just going out for a little walk."
      Cornflower blue eyes turned to his and her lips curved beautifully. "Ok, 
      Ill see you in a little while then. And I love you too Darren."
      He didnt answer but simply turned his back and walked out of the room.