Page 48 of Targeted By Vengeance

Happiness had found her in the little moments. I wanted to bring it to her in all of them.

Simone glanced up from her work, noticing my presence. “Hey, you’re back,” she said, offering me a small smile. “What did your handler want?”

“Nothing,” I lied. “Just checking in.” I nodded at the notes. “Did you finish picking out all the agents associated with Vasquez and your father?”

Simone stared at me for a moment, noticing the shield I’d put up. Her lips tugged downward as she turned her attention back to the notebook at her side. “Mostly,” she said. “Right now, I’ve got about seven names including my godfather. I know all of them. They were all colleagues or bosses of my father’s.”

I took my place back in the empty spot amongst the notes beside her. “You sound surprised.”

“I know I shouldn’t be by this point, but…” She shook her head. Her fingers trailed over the edges of the paper where the names were written. “Some of them babysat me. Picked me up from school if my parents were working late. Showed up to the house when we had Superbowl parties. They all even attended his funeral. I don’t understand how they could make their tears look so real.”

I leaned forward to peck a kiss on her shoulder. “Because it’s something a heart like yours could never do. Remember, they’re snakes, Simone; they adapt to whatever skin benefits them at any given moment.”

“Yeah,” she murmured, solemnity still clinging to her voice. She blinked away the moisture forming in her eyes and looked back at me. “Here,” she said, shoving her half-eaten slice towards my lips. “You’ve barely eaten today.”

I opened my mouth and took a bite of the pizza.

Simone watched me chew, her eyes softening with an emotion I couldn’t name. She raised her hand to my mouth and wiped tomato sauce off the corner with her thumb. Her hand lingered on my face, her clean fingers caressing my jaw. “You know you can talk to me,” she said. “You don’t have to be strong for the both of us all the time.”

“I know.” I leaned in to kiss her. “And I will when I’m ready.”

Simone kissed me again, this time our lips lingering against each other in slow, lazy kisses.

At times like this, I wished I could kiss her all the time. Her lips were so lush, so soft, so sweet. If time worked differently, if our lives weren’t so busy, I don’t think I’d ever stop.

Simone gave me a smile as she pulled away. Her eyes studied my face again, taking advantage of the guard I’d let down. Her expression dimmed as she caught a glimpse of what was hiding behind it.

“So, do you have any ideas for the next name on the list?” I asked, changing the subject before she could try to pry again.

“Yeah,” she said, her smile growing wider. “And I think you’re going to like them.”

THE AGENT

With one final jiggle of the silver pin in my hand, the locks finally clicked on the other end. I let out the breath I’d been holding as I gently pushed the door open. Breaking and entering was undoubtedly easier when all you had to do was disable some alarms. Maneuvering locks was a skill in and of itself - one I had to master quickly.

Thomas Reddison was still old school when it came to his security measures. He didn’t arm his private investigation firm with high-tech alarms or cameras. Just a bunch of locks on every single door.

Mateo and Maria thought that would work better in my favor considering the deed I was here to do, but really all it did was add another bullet to my to-do list for this assignment.

I peered through the tiny crack of the door, using the moonlight to check for any unexpected movement. The office had closed down a few hours ago, but Thomas often came back to his office in the dead of night, unable to put down whatever work he’d started. It was a habit he probably picked up while he was still working at the agency. Rarely could we resist the urge to leave unfinished work on our desks.

Only the air particles floating through the light caught my eye. I’d beat him here - just as I’d planned.

I slipped into the office, slapped the timed door jammer against the side and shut the door behind me. The lock clicked again as I set it back into place. Everything needed to be in the exact order he’d left them in. I couldn’t risk even the slightest hint of suspicion. Not if I wanted to catch him completely off guard.

I tiptoed over the file cabinet and pulled out the middle drawer. The abundance of files inside would’ve deterred a regular burglar. But I knew all the tricks. Lodged in the front, wedged between the file folders and the metal of the drawer, was a gun.

I plucked it out from its place before pushing the drawer back in.

The framed photos atop his desk caught my eye as I walked towards it. Most of them were of his wife and children, but some were from his time in the agency. Of his glory days.

Faded photos of him with medals and awards also came with faces that were no longer here. My chest tightened when I realized my father was one of them.

Just when I thought I couldn’t hate the man more, here he was: with a photo of his arms around the mentee he gave a death sentence to and the one he ordered to deliver it. I hoped he felt sick whenever he looked at it.

I settled into his desk chair and tapped at the keys on his keyboard. Maria had already accessed it remotely, giving me the freedom I needed to click around and find the evidence I needed to seal this deal.

Just as I’d set up the files and browser I needed, the sound of footsteps echoed from afar.