AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Before it gets too hectic, I check Klein’s phone to ensure his mom is okay. Still asleep, and all is well. House is secure too.
Wish I could say the same for mine. A quick check of my phone shows the security system remains offline.
Someone could be in there right now. Setting a trap. Rifling through my shit.
Rolling out my shoulders, I focus on the screen in front of me and settle to watch the show.
When Shep and Aaron are told to wait at the bar for Yuri, Val squeezes my shoulder from behind, where she’s hovering nervously.
It’s endearing that my friend Shep has not one, but two people in his life who love him the way Kri and Val seem to.
And it makes me a little jealous.
I have no one.
When I was in college, something horrible happened to my little sister that changed the trajectory of my entire life. Our family hasn’t been the same since that tragic day. And it’s all my fault.
All because I let my guard down and trusted someone I shouldn’t have.
My sister paid the price for my carelessness.
And I’ve been alone ever since.
When I was recruited to join the CIA, leaving my family behind didn’t feel like a sacrifice. It was an escape. I was eager to run away so I didn’t have to witness all the suffering.
My compulsion to unearth intel about everyone around me was born from the ashes of that heinous crime.
If I’d known his past, I would have never gotten involved with him. And my sister’s innocence wouldn’t have been taken in such a brutal way.
The memories of finding her are burned into my consciousness— the pools of blood around her limp body, the deep gashes and welts on her skin, and the tattered clothing.
No matter how many girls I save from brutality, I’ll never be able to reverse what happened to her.
Never.
Moisture pools, stinging my tear ducts, but I blink it away. This isn’t the time for an emotional revelation.
Focus, Mia. Keep it together.
“Here we go,” Tomer mutters.
Shaking my head, I exhale the heavy emotions and focus on the screen.
Kri circles the inside of the bar, squaring her torso with as many patrons as possible to get us a usable view through her hidden chest cam. We could run those still shots through face rec if necessary.
On the other team, Shep addresses me through the comms by pretending to converse with Aaron. “Where’s Pete? I hope we get to see him tonight so we can catch up.” He pauses, then adds, “I’d like to fill him in on things at home and tell him the latest with my sister.”
While they were en route, we agreed on code words so he could communicate with us without anyone around him knowing.
Pete is the code name for Yev, the man who abducted Lettie. Home refers to the other mission. Sister refers to Kri. That gave us all a laugh, and there were more than a few jokes about him sleeping with his sister. Several from Kri herself.
I click on my microphone to give him a quick update.
For the next twenty minutes, not much happens. Shep and Aaron wait at the bar for Yev or Yuri to make an appearance. Meanwhile, Kri continues searching the packed bar for the tangos.
Val loses interest and returns to the movie, which is for the best.
“Jackpot,” Tomer says, pumping his fist.
