“Ready?”
In response,Paige impatiently reached past and buzzed Gabriel’s number. A pause, then astaticky voice. “Yes?”
“DGSI!” Paige shouted.“Open up!”
Adele thoughtshe heard a quiet static-polluted curse over the intercom, followed by thesound of thumping footsteps. A pause, then a buzz. The door clicked open.
Adele’s eyebrowsrose slightly as she stepped into the apartment with Paige in tow, the sound oftraffic fading a bit.
The green doorto their immediate left opened a second later; Gabriel Waters glared out. “What?”he demanded.
The man hadfeatures that would have been handsome if accompanied by even the barest formof personal hygiene. But the stubble on his face made it down his neck and uphis cheeks. His hair stuck out at odd angles and he had a bit of a paunch.There were beer bottles scattered around the couch behind him, and the TV wasblaring. A bag of chips rested on top of a pile of fitness DVDs.
Agent Paigefrowned at the man from the apartment hallway. “Are you Mr. Waters?”
He replied inFrench, a thick accent making it difficult to understand. “Yes, what is it?”
Adele switchedto English and said, “I’m with Interpol. My name is Agent Sharp. We would liketo ask you a few questions if you don’t mind coming with us.”
The moment shespoke English, the man’s eyes flicked away from Paige and regarded Adele. Hehad seemed annoyed at first, but at Adele’s words, his face turned pale. Hebegan to shake his head, backing slowly away. “This is a mistake,” he said inEnglish. He had a clear American accent. “Whatever you think I’ve done, I wantto assure you,” he said, trailing off, “it’s just…” He glanced between the twowomen.
Agent Paigesaid, “Don’t move,” in a low growl.
But Waterslooked back at Adele. “You’re American?” he asked.
Adele nodded. “Yes,but I’m here with Interpol investigating—hey!”
Before she couldfinish, Gabriel Waters let out a squeak of fright and began to back away. As hescarpered, he knocked over the DVDs and the chips, shaking his head and wavinghis hands.
“I’m afraid youneed to come with us!” said Adele. She found herself slowly drawing her weapon.The man took one long look at her, then spun on his heel and bolted.
Adele and Paigeshouted in unison and burst toward the door. They both tried to enter at thesame time and ended up blocking each other instead. Adele backed off and AgentPaige pushed her out of the way with a snarl and barreled into the unit. Shebroke into a sprint, racing after the man down the hallway.
Instead ofracing the same direction, Adele turned, pulled back out of the door, throughthe front entry, down the porch, and toward the side of the apartment where shehad spotted the open window.
A second later,she watched as Gabriel Waters threw himself through the window and let out a loudgrunt of pain as he landed on his ankle on the cobblestones between the hedges.He turned toward Adele, yelped, and began sprinting around the side of theapartment toward the back. He lashed out, toppling two bins and sending a stackof splintered wood scattering across the ground.
Adele kept herweapon holstered and hotfooted after him, shouting for him to stop—cries whichhe ignored.
A pause. ThenAgent Paige also emerged through the window. The older woman moved quickly,with agile motions, dropping nimbly to the cobblestones. Paige leapt over thetoppled bin and shattered wood and sprinted after Gabriel Waters, who was headingfor a brick wall in the back of the alley garden.
Adele and Paigewere nearly neck and neck, both of them shouting directions, both of themracing toward Gabriel’s frightened form.
Adele put on anextra burst of speed, but Gabriel made a sudden juke to the left, which Adeletried to follow. The garden was kept in as nearly poor condition as Gabriel’sapartment, and Adele spotted the tangled hose too late. Her foot caught and shestruggled to maintain her balance, but the distraction sent her tripping over ahedge protruding from a pile of mulch.
Adele rolledaway from the shrubs, somehow maintaining her footing. Mr. Waters was slow,though, lagging from a limp to his right ankle from jumping out of the window.A nearby horn honked loudly—whether due to traffic or the spectacle, Adele didn’tknow.
Each step of thesuspect accompanied a curse. Waters tried to wheel away from Paige, but foundAdele had cut off his escape back to the front of the apartment. He turned andflung himself at the wall, trying to drag himself up the brick structure. Buthis injured ankle wouldn’t follow his commands.
Agent Paigesurged forward, kicking out his injured leg, then shoving him to the groundwith a quick jab, and her weapon snapped from its holster. “Stop moving!” shescreamed.
Gabriel tried torise, but he found Paige’s foot in the center of his chest, holding him down.
He licked hislips, glancing at the gun. “This is all a mistake,” he said in frantic English.He tried French when Agent Paige didn’t lift her foot. “This is a mistake,” herepeated, but Adele’s reluctant partner only pushed her foot harder againsthim, eliciting a groan of pain and stemming the tide of words, English orotherwise.
Paige growled, “Don’tmove, and keep your hands where I can see them.” The older woman glanced overto where Adele approached, then back at Gabriel. “A step slow,” she said, witha smirk.
“Good job,”Adele muttered through clenched teeth. “I’ll cuff him if you keep him down.”
Gabriel waslarger than both of them, but the threat of the gun and their combined presencemade it a quick collar, and soon, they had him in handcuffs, leading him out ofthe alley garden and toward their parked vehicle.
“Mincy,” saidGabriel, whispering quietly, “my cat. Someone needs to feed her.”
Adele thoughtfor sure Agent Paige would scoff at this, but instead, her partner pushedWaters forward and said, “I’ll let an officer know.”
The two of themreached their vehicle, pushing Gabriel in the back, his hands still cuffed asAdele called in on the radio, reporting the arrest. Eventually, they pulledaway from the curb, circling the arrondissement.Adele noticed the mother in the adjacent unit to Gabriel’s, peering through thewindow, staring after them.
Adele returnedher attention to the rearview
