My pulse pounded in my ears, making it hard to understand the voices raging on the earpiece, but the panicked tone came through loud and clear. I made out that Dufor’s train had arrived at his stop. Over it all, I could hear the frustrated voice of Rosabella, and heat seared through my heart. I was letting her down.
I called out, “Two minutes. I’ll have the drive back in two minutes.” Please let me get the drive. Please. And then there was silence. I pushed on my com as I ran, my eyes focused on that jacket. Nothing. No sound. It was just as well, I had other things to occupy my brain and body right now.
The thief was fast. I had to give him that. But thanks to rigorous physical training, I was faster. I closed the distance between us with a burst of speed. Only a bit further. I reached out and caught a fistful of his jacket, but he simply shrugged it off and ducked behind a corner. I let the jacket fall to the ground and turned the corner after him. The alley’s narrow walkway was packed with people. I looked around, frantic, running down the walkway, bumping into people as I went, searching for him and any doors or windows he could have entered. As I made it to the end, it was obvious there were none, only solid stucco walls on both sides of me. He was gone.
I rubbed my hands roughly over my face and shook my head. This was not good. My chest squeezed with what this would mean. My mind scrambled for solutions—I needed to find that thief. I gritted my teeth and fought back a groan. I’d had him—his jacket had been in my hands, that yellow sun taunted my memory.
There was nothing for it. The drive was long gone by now. I needed to get back to headquarters and start brainstorming with my team how we were going to get that information. We’d just have to convince Dufor to recopy it. I knew he’d be reluctant, but perhaps he could be persuaded. I took a deep breath, fighting back the wave of nausea and despair that threatened to crash over me. Dufor would have to help us. He was our only hope now. I ran back the way I’d come, bumping through the crowds to the metro, people calling out about my lack of footwear. C’est dégoutant, ça!
As I gasped for air, waiting on the platform for the train to arrive, Ace’s voice sounded in my ear once again. “Christy. Christy. Do you read? Report to headquarters immediately.” His voice was loud and clear. “Dufor is dead.”
Chapter 2
I called Ace as soon as I exited the metro and found a quiet spot.
“What happened, Ace? Tell me it’s not true. He can’t be dead.” Heat seared my heart, and I gripped the back of a bench to steady myself.
“Someone stabbed him three times before shoving him off the train at his exit.” His Canadian French was so distinctly different from what I’d learned during my three-month intensive training, I had to focus to catch every word.
I gasped. “This is all my fault. I never should have left him.” I stood still, my hand grasping the bench tightly.
There was a slight pause. “You had to get the drive, Christy. Dufor knew the risk.”
I tilted my head to the sky and closed my burning eyes to prevent the tears. “I didn’t get it, Ace. The thief—he just disappeared.”
For a moment, there was nothing but stunned silence. Then Ace said, “Come in, Christy. We’ll figure this out.” His voice was firm, but lacked its usual confidence when giving instruction.
“Okay.” It was almost a whisper as I stood.
“Are you okay?”
I didn’t answer.
“We’re meeting in the conference room. It’s all going to be okay. Don’t worry.”
“I’ll be there soon.” My head hung down as I walked toward the building that housed Division.
I walked to headquarters, barely registering my surroundings. My chest felt tight, and guilt ate at me. Dufor had been my responsibility, and he’d been killed on my watch. I kept seeing his face—the look of utter dismay right before I’d left him on the train. The decision to go after the drive played over and over in my mind and for a terrible second, I thought about running away so I wouldn’t have to face my team. I trudged up the stairs. I was a failure in the worst way, and someone had died because of my error. I wiped my hands on my skirt before grabbing the door handle and entering the building. I wished I could talk to Jeremy.
After taking the stairs to the basement, I pulled open the first door on the left, marked Médecine Gaston. To a civilian, it appeared to be the entrance to a doctor’s office, complete with receptionist, chairs, magazines, and crappy music playing. I looked up in hopes of clearing the tears that welled up in my eyes. I shook my head and glanced at the placard next to the door for a fraction of a second, allowing the hidden retinal scanner to scan my eye. The lock on the door slid open silently.
The door handle scanned my fingerprint and sent my identification to the receptionist’s computer. Once the computer confirmed I was a valid agent, she buzzed me through to the scanner room. The full body scanner was the last defense against anyone trying to forge an agent’s identity. I took deep breaths, trying to stop the shivers that threatened to overpower me. Once I was verified, a door unlocked, allowing me access to the enormous underground space Division claimed.
