The Assassin In 5F

by Nana Malone

  I wrenched my chin away. “Don't touch me.”

  “Right. It won't happen again. It's that guy, isn't it?”

  “What guy?”

  “The one who came over here, throwing off all the she's mine now, asshole vibes. He at least looks like the type to protect you.”

  “When will guys like you realize that girls like me don't need protection?”

  “You don't need physical protection. You're the strongest operative I've ever known. But you need to watch your heart. Someone is going to trample on it, and it's going to be ugly.”

  “Newsflash, asshole, someone already has.”

  He nodded and stepped back. “Yeah, I'm that asshole. So at least let me fix what I broke. If you want some information, ask for it. Don't go digging in places that are public where someone can see you. Find someone you trust and have them do it. Never get it yourself. You were almost caught today. Be more careful.”

  I searched his gaze for some kind of explanation. “Why are you helping me?”

  He sighed. “One day, you're going to figure it out.” Then he turned his back and stalked away.

  When he was gone, I sagged against the wall, trying to catch my breath. And that was how Addie found me.

  One look at my face and she said, “What the hell just happened?”

  * * *

  Lyra

  I dragged Addie to the coffee shop off the corner of the park near the office and spilled my guts, and all she did was stare.

  Full stupor. Slow blinking. Several attempts to open her mouth then close it and stare.

  Addie blinked at me once, twice, a third time. “You shot Marcus?”

  “Yes, but only because he’s Exodus.” I really needed her to catch up.

  “Then he rose from the dead, and you had dirty sex on his apartment floor like a couple of wild animals.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Well, to be fair, he’s not undead. This isn’t one of your paranormal romances, but yes, there was sex…” I shifted in my seat at the café, watching the light play off of my glass.

  She smirked. “Dirty-talking, pull-your-hair sex?”

  I rolled my eyes and shrugged. “Yes. Damn. Would you focus?”

  She sipped her tea. “Okay, I just had to let that sink in. You had that kind of sex we dream about and you didn’t call me. It’s fine.”

  If fine meant slightly irritated. “I’m sorry, okay?”

  “Apology accepted,” she said hastily. “Now… What the fuck? He’s Exodus?”

  That was the appropriate response. “I know. How did I not see this?”

  She seemed to ponder this a moment. “Okay. And well, to be fair, he didn’t know you were Firm. You are both excellent liars.”

  “What am I going to do?”

  “Right now, nothing. We need to dig further into his claim.”

  I pulled out the flash drive with the files I’d downloaded from records. “Already on it.”

  “Fuck, Lyra. Is this why Tyler cornered you? Did he catch you in the act?”

  “No, but he claims to know what I did.” I sighed. “I had to know.”

  “Does your faith in Marcus have anything to do with the orgasms he gave you?”

  Maybe.

  “No, it has nothing to do with fucking orgasms. He didn't need to come back. He didn't need to try and convince me that he was one of the good guys. He could have just run. Acted like nothing happened. Instead, he came looking for me. Which told me that he was telling the truth. Or at least some version of it.”

  She shook her head. “But the night of the mission, you said he was down.”

  “Well, he was down. Now he's not.”

  “You know how to kill, Ly.” With a deep breath, she added, “So what are we going to tell Roz?”

  That was the problem. If I told her I’d disobeyed a direct order, I’d be done. “Nothing, because what I saw on record tells me that at least some of what Marcus says is true.”

  “And that leaves us with us possibly having a mole. You need to get in front of this. Cut Tyler off at the pass. He clearly is up to no good.”

  “But with what? She’ll need proof.”

  She pointed at my flash drive. “Buy yourself the time you need to get it. Report him for his stunt in the hallway.”

  “You think that will work?”

  “You were seen, right?”

  I nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Then it’s enough to plant doubt,” Addie said. “And in the meantime, we find out who sent this communication.”

  “That’s the plan.” I just had no idea how.

  “And don’t think we’re done with the Exodus agent either. We just have bigger fish to fry.” Addie winked at me. “Just try not to shag him again until we know if he’s evil, okay?”

  My mouth fell open. “It’s not happening again. Ever.”

  “I love you, Lyra, but given the way you’re shifting in your chair, the question is when and not if.”

  Damn her to hell. She was probably right.

  Chapter 5

  Lyra

  “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  I stood behind Addie where she sat in the desk chair in Marcus’s apartment. We were going to hack into the fucking Firm like a couple of crazy people. And I certainly didn’t want to do it at home. It was unlikely that Marcus was coming back.

  Is that what you want?

  “Yes, I want to do this,” I said with false conviction.

  “All right, I'm going to ping us off several relays, but we need to get information and get out. We can't fuck around. We need to be stealthy and fast. Do you understand me? No dicking around because you think you see something interesting. Do you get me?”

  “Yes, yes. Hit it and quit it, etc., etc.”

  She shook her head. “We’ve been friends too long.”

  “Yes, I know. But you want answers too. Better we do it together.”

  “Yeah.”

  Her fingers flew at the keyboard. I was wondering why she never became a tech, but then I remembered one time she told me she preferred the action. She didn't want to be just stuck in the office. Which I understood. That need to be able to feel like you were making a bigger difference, I got that.

  I watched her while biting my nail anxiously. And then she clapped her hands. “Hot damn, that worked. Start the timer.”

  We knew we didn't have long. And after Tyler's little stunt, I knew he was watching us, or me anyway, so we really had to do this fast.

  “Um, records. Files. Send relays. Check any other mission where Exodus showed up.”

  She nodded and kept typing. “Okay, I see the send relays. Looks like it was two messages.”

  My belly knotted. How bad was this?

  Addie’s hands stopped moving. “Holy fuck.”

  “What is it?”

  “The communication lists locations, dates, and agents on the mission along with skill sets.”

  “No.” My world axis spun. I hadn’t believed Marcus, but he’d been right. Did that mean someone had told Prochenko where to find me?

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Addie said.

  “How can I not think it?”

  She tapped on the keyboard, and I could only presume she was logging out.

  I said, “Look, it doesn’t make sense. I want to point the finger at Tyler, I do. And I think he’s definitely up to something, but he didn’t show up until after Prochenko.”

  “Yeah, but you know what? Prochenko really did go after you, specifically. He stole your purse, remember?”

  I ground my teeth, thinking of that purse. My fucking purse. My mother's purse. Asshole.

  “Okay, so it was just pure luck that I had Marcus with me?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe. I wish I could say more.”

  We kept looking and I checked the clock. Sweat started to drip between my shoulder blades. What we were doing was an enormous risk. Tyler had already warned me that he'd erased my impromptu walkabout in the records, so I couldn’
t help feeling uneasy. Why had Tyler helped me? Was he somehow involved in any of this?

  “Can you do me a favor? Just take a look at Tyler’s files.”

  She blew out a breath. “Oh, thank God. I didn't think you’d ask.”

  “I want to know what he's up to and why he helped me.”

  “Yeah, I wondered about that too, but let's just both agree that he's not to be trusted.”

  “Of course not.”

  “I know you have a soft spot for him.” She slid me a side-eye. “I'm just making sure that you're not falling for that again.”

  “Um, I already have one guy who I know I can't trust. I don't need to do it with another.”

  She pointed at the screen. “Here, on the Damascus job. Tyler was part of the mission, and the target was rescued. But when I looked at the follow up, it seems the victim’s husband stepped down as finance minister right before his wife was rescued. Just like our last job.”

  * * *

  Lyra

  This was a risk.

  But maybe Roz would be willing to listen. All I had to do was convince her I was scared of Tyler and didn’t just have some petty vendetta against him. Which, for the record, I did not.

  Liar.

  When I knocked on her door, she glanced up from her paperwork. “Hi, Lyra. What’s up?”

  “Do you have a minute?”

  She nodded. “For you, always. Shut the door.” I went in, wiping the sweat off of my hands. She didn’t miss a beat. “What’s wrong, honey?”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  She laughed. “Let me guess, Tyler?”

  I took a deep breath to steady myself. “Yes. I have some concerns.”

  “You know what's funny? Earlier, he was in here talking to me about you.”

  My stomach muscles turned to Jello. “What?”

  “He said that you're making impulsive decisions in the field.”

  Who the fuck did he think he was? Did he really think he was going to get to me through my mentor?

  “I’m following my training.”

  She steepled her fingers. “I hate to agree with him, but we both know you do tend to be impulsive.”

  She might have been right, but the sting of betrayal pierced me. “Right.”

  “Oh come on, Lyra. You know you're impulsive. I know you're impulsive. Hell, it was one of the reasons I selected you. You think fast on your feet. When something goes wrong in the field, you rely on your training, but you rely on your instincts too. I would say you're probably too emotional, but your impulsivity? That’s why you're here.”

  “Poor impulse control. Tyler makes me sound like a serial killer when he’s the one with a screw loose.”

  Her lips pulled into a wry smile. “Oh, hush now. What's the problem?”

  “Look, I'm not a child coming to complain about her little brother.” Sort of.

  “Oh, good, because that would be awkward, considering the two of you used to, you know.”

  I rolled my eyes. “This isn't funny, Roz.”

  She put her hands up. “Okay, sorry, it's not funny. But you have to see the irony in the two of you coming to me to mediate.”

  “I'm not coming to you to mediate. I'm worried that Tyler is up to something. Yesterday he cornered me and threatened me. I even have a witness.”

  Her eyes went wide. “That's a serious allegation.”

  “Don’t believe me? Ask Kramer. He saw us.”

  “He saw what exactly?”

  “Tyler attempting to choke me out.” Okay, it was a mild exaggeration. I could have fought off any real attack. But still.

  She sighed and sat back. “I see we have a problem.”

  “You think?”

  Then she asked me the unexpected. “How are you feeling after the shooting?”

  I kept my face perfectly neutral. “I feel fine.”

  “On comms, you seemed hesitant.”

  “Well, everyone's been all up my ass about not killing anybody anymore.”

  She nodded. “Not up your ass, Lyra. I just need you to preserve human life.”

  “Except not Exodus human life?”

  “Well, we're to preserve human life that could be useful. How's that?”

  It bothered me what a loose relationship we had with who was useful and who was not. That would never sit well.

  Roz continued. “I hear you where Tyler is concerned. There are other factors in play here, but I’ll speak with him.”

  I stared at her. She’d speak with him? I’d told her I had proof of him choking me, and she was going to speak with him. “Excuse me?” My brows rose.

  “Let's just say I'm aware of your history together. I know the two of you don't always make the best decisions when it comes to each other.”

  “Wow.”

  “Just speaking the truth, love. You both make the worst decisions when the other one is involved. So I already had someone watching him. And you. But you’ve been surprising. I thought you'd be mooning after he returned to LA, but it seems that you have actually gotten over the events of last year around your breakup.”

  “I have a job to do.”

  “And I have to tell you, I'm impressed that you listened, because I know how difficult that is for you.”

  “Difficult? Is that what you’d call this situation?” My heart hammered against my ribs.

  “Look, let me talk to him. I'm going to look into it. I am listening to you. I know you don't trust him. And if there's a fly in my ointment, I want to know. In the meantime, Lyra, you know it’s been a while since you’ve had a vacation. I think maybe you could use a few days off.”

  “I don't need days off.”

  “Lyra, I told you already. You work too much. You work too hard.”

  “And I told you, I like working. It means I don't have to sit around doing nothing. I hate that.”

  “It also means you don't have to think. You don't have to be alone. A few days off will do you good. Take a week.”

  I ground my teeth. “Roz, I'm telling you, I don't need—”

  “We all need some time to reset, Lyra. I promise you. In the meantime, I will look into this. But please be careful. We all know how dangerous Tyler can be. He might have a pretty face, but he can be treacherous. And I want you to be cautious.”

  It was the first time she had acknowledged that Tyler could be dangerous to me. But again, like that was information I didn't have. She’d just never said it out loud before.

  “Okay, I'll take a week. But can you please keep me posted on what's happening with this?”

  “Yeah, I'm on it. And Lyra, thank you. What would I do without you as my right hand?”

  “Luckily, you don't have to find out.”

  I walked out, hoping to God I'd done the right thing.

  Chapter 6

  Marcus

  Touching Lyra had been a mistake.

  You think?

  I sat across from Michael in our central conference room, needing some answers. The walls were dark and stoic, the lights harsh.

  Michael asked, “How are you feeling? Rhodes mentioned that you are now taking up residence at the safe house.”

  “I am. Just making sure. Nothing like getting shot center mass to shake things up for you.”

  Michael rubbed his jaw. “Right. So your shooter, was she Firm?”

  He was trying to trip me up. “I didn't say my shooter was a female.”

  Michael just grinned. “Listen, Marcus, we're just trying to do the right thing. Help us help you. It can be heard on the comms playback from that night.”

  “Actually, you know what? I know one thing that can help me. I want to know about The Firm. You were here in the early days. What happened?”

  Michael sighed. “It's old news.”

  “It's not old news to me. And if it can still affect me, then I want to know. The agent, the one who shot me, seemed to be under the impression that I was an Exodus agent hell-bent on murder.”

  Michael frowned then. “That
's bullshit.”

  “Yeah, I know. But that's what she believed. It’s why I was unceremoniously shot, so I need someone to explain it to me.”

  He sighed. “All right, fine. When Orion McClintock and Aiden Saint-James formed The Section, they had a joint philosophy. Right the world's most evil and deadliest wrongs. For ten years, they managed to overlook their differences. And then they couldn’t, so they went their separate ways. And in that transition, there were some who prospered.”

  “Terrorists?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Among others. Lots of bad guys with political agendas, and a few who are more interested in sowing the seeds of chaos and lining their own pockets but not in doing any real damage.”

  I sat in steady silence as he spoke, hoping anything he said might help fill in the blanks.

  “Yeah. In the early years after the split,” he continued, “it was chaos. And as we started to work with different governmental departments, there was competition between the two organizations. But you know the folks with letter agencies. They don't really care who they use as long as they have someone to use.”

  “Okay, so when did The Firm go bad?”

  He ran a hand through his hair as he sat back. “Rumor was, that's why they broke up in the first place. Because Aiden Saint-James was in bed with terrorists.”

  I frowned at that. “Was it proven?”

  Michael shook his head. “On several missions, agents were lost and important files went missing. During the reorganization of the two agencies, terrorists prospered without anyone to keep them in line. It was a shame because McClintock and Saint-James were as tight as brothers.”

  “So no one tried to verify The Firm’s ties to terrorists?”

  “Are you kidding me? Of course, I tried to verify. There were two agents known by their call signs as Rogue and Renegade. They tried to leave the Firm. They had information on all their dirty dealings. They were married, I think, but they were killed.”

  I shook my head. “Fuck.”