“I have. There are two shipments going out in the morning. Hopefully, they’ll end up where they’re supposed to be. Yesterday there was a big brew-ha-ha over some damaged merchandise that was sent to them by mistake, but they got it taken care of quickly.” He asked her about the trip that was being planned for next week. “I still can’t find anyone that is going. There is a flight plan made out for the company jet, but no names on the schedule. I’ll keep working on that. I have about four days left to find the manifest of who is going.”
“The boss would like you to pull yourself from the job site a few days earlier than we planned. He thinks that once things start falling apart around them, they’ll start looking harder at the people who were only just hired. You’ve been there how long now?” She told him. “Yes, well, I’ll see what he wants you to do. Getting fired might be hard for you. I’m hearing about how much you’ve contributed to the work there.”
“It’s all right. Whatever is needed.” She looked out beyond where they were sitting at the families again. “Do you suppose there is a person out there for us, Craig? I don’t mean a family, but someone we can have some fun with and perhaps share a good bottle of wine with?”
“It’s doubtful to me that anyone would want an old queer vampire to share anything with them.” She laughed but kept watching the families. “Why are you asking? I’ve never heard you wish for bedpartners or even someone to share a meal with before. Are you getting too old for this, my dear?”
“No. Goodness, no. And before you ask, no, I’m not bored either. I’m just being silly, I guess.” She saw that someone was setting up a few tables. Perhaps a party was going to be going on. Gracie loved birthday parties for the little ones. As she watched the people putting tablecloths on the long tables, she spoke to Craig without turning. “When I was a child, there was a kid in my class that was having a party. Everyone was invited, even me this time. But once at the house, I knew I’d only been invited because his mother had insisted everyone be there. The gift I had was cheap and not wrapped as well as the other things. I never went to another one after that. Have you ever been to a child’s party, Craig?”
A playpen was set up for a baby, and Gracie wished she was close enough to see the child. She’d bet it had pudgy little legs and fat cheeks. The cutest babies always seemed to be ready to explode with good humor and chubby legs. Turning to ask Craig if he heard her, she saw that he was gone.
“Not nice, Craig.”
Before she turned back to the scene below her, she saw that there was ash on her clothing. A great deal of it. Counting to fifty slowly so she could think, she knew it was important to get her ass in gear and out of there. Still seated, she took the briefcase Craig carried with him everywhere he went and shoved it up under her shirt. Then she pulled out her weapon, checking to make sure it was loaded and ready to go. Reaching down to pretend to tie her shoes, she pulled out one of the extra clips and put it in her front pocket. Stretching and looking around, she stood up and made her way out of the area as quickly as she could without drawing attention to herself.
It took her four hours to lose the tag she had on her. Then another hour for her to find the man and kill him. Before she could pull the trigger on her weapon to take him out, he shot her once in the shoulder. Christ, it had knocked her back on her ass, but she’d been able to get up and get rid of the bloodstain before anyone could get to it. Chemicals were forever on her for that very move.
Whoever he was working with, they’d prepared their shooter well. He didn’t have prints on his hands or anything that would tell him apart from every other male in the world. She did, however, take a bit of his blood in a vial and put it in her case.
Knowing that going home would be a terrible move, she made her way to the safehouse she had set up. There she’d be able to get money, a list of contacts, as well as more weapons. Gracie would also be able to fix her wound and get a grip on herself. It wasn’t that she would freak out, but she needed to know who would kill an operative while sitting right next to another one.
After pulling the bullet free of her shoulder and cleaning up the wound, she took a large bottle of whisky off the shelf and drank straight from the bottle. Sitting down in the kitchen, she opened Craig’s briefcase and was startled to see her name on an envelope.
Getting herself a glass, knowing that Craig would be looking down on her, upset that she was drinking from the bottle, she poured the liquid to the top and sat back down. Emptying out the rest of the things in the case, she set the letter aside.
Her employment file was in his case, along with his own. She set those aside, wondering why he’d have them on his person. Then she looked at the map he had, as well as a few notes that had been written on it. Craig would never stoop to using GPS. He told her it was
