Butthe instantIzoom in,IknowCharliedoesn’t need toIDher.Istare at the woman my glasses have focused in on, momentarily stunned. “Hername isMackenzieMacNeil,”Isay at the same timeCharliedoes.
ThenCharliegasps and adds, “She’sthe woman from the restaurant inBaltimorelast night.Oh, it’s so nice to have a face to go with the voice.Youdidn’t say she was so pretty!”
“Something’swrong,”Isay. “Ididn’t get threat actor vibes from her at all.”
“Soshe’s skilled,”Ledgersays before almost immediately adding, “I’vespottedHendrickson— he looks like he’s about to make the brush pass.Yourtwo o’clock,Jace.Tanjacket.”
Ispot the guy instantly.Hisfocus is one hundred percent onMackenzieand the purse on her shoulder.Theguy isn’t the best at acting natural as he heads through the crowds of shoppers that separate him from her.
ButI’mwatching the girl, and something is off.Sheisn’t checking for a tail, scanning the area, glancing toward her exit path, or memorizing the faces of everyone around her, even surreptitiously.She’ssimply looking at dresses.
Istand, leaving my uneaten sandwich behind but taking my soda with me, and make my way toward the opening between the trees that leads to the parking lot, whereLedgerandIcan flank the woman after she receives the brush pass.AsIwalk,Charliegives us the rundown onMackenziethrough our earpieces.
“Hercover is amazing.Shelives in an accessory apartment that’s part of her sister’s home inCipherSprings.Oh!Herplace is only about three blocks from my apartment!Howwild is that?She’sa physical therapy technician and nothing at all on any bit of informationIcan find screams international terrorist.Andoh, wow, she posts on social media a lot.Andby ‘a lot,’Imean the internet is thinking about charging her rent.Strangefor someone in her line of work.”
Hendricksonis about three feet fromMackenziewhen something catches my attention on the other side of the courtyard.
“She’snot the target!”Ihiss into my comms just as the man drops the small package intoMackenzie’spurse and keeps on walking.
Charliecan see on my feed thatI’mlooking at another brunette in her mid-twenties, this one wearing a tan and black striped dress but also holding a dark pink purse. “Oh, fudge balls!” she says. “Ledger, your one-o’clock, near theJapanesemaple tree in front of the ice cream stand.”
Myeyes are back onMackenzie.It’sclear that she’s not the target simply by the way she’s acting exactly like a normal person who has absolutely no clue that the key to a weapon that can take out a small city is currently in her purse.
“I’mgoing to go steal her purse,”Ledgersays, andIcan see him moving towardMackenzie’sblind spot.
“Withall these people as witnesses?”Iask.
Frommy vantage point,Ican seeLedgeras he runs a finger over his fake mustache. “That’swhy it pays to wear a disguise for missions like these.”
Ledgeris a full six inches taller than me and has the broad shoulders of a hairless yeti.Amustache, a hat, and a jacket aren’t enough to hide a highly recognizable body.
“Okay,”Charliesays. “Assoon asHendricksondropped the key intoMackenzie’spurse, he took off to the east and went between some shrubs into the parking lot.We’vegot agents going after him.Theintended target is southwest of your location, still watching and waiting for the brush pass.”
Charlieis good at muting herself when she’s talking to other operatives and officers on the floor.Hermicrophone is good at filtering out other sounds, too, butIcan still imagine all the action that is going on back at the agency right now as they all watch this mission on the big screens while coordinating everything.
Idrop my cup into a garbage can asIhead toward the area whereLedgerstood until moments ago. “Ledger, after you get the purse, run toward the north parking lot and you’ll stay out of sight of the intended target.I’lltackle you to the ground to save the woman’s purse from her ‘thief.’Tryto spill its contents when you fall.”
“Bro,”Ledgersays, “tryto spill its contents?You’retalking to a professional, here.”
Charlieadds, “Ledger, once you get the key, bring it back here.Then,Jace, you take the purse back toMackenzie.”
“Idon’t think havingJacedo it is a good idea,”Ledgersays through our comms. “Heshould just hand it off to someone else to give to her and come with me.Weneed to get on this.”
“No,”Ihiss as loudly asIcan without the people nearest me hearing. “It’sgoing to take less than a minute for the intended target to figure out that it went to the wrong person.Shortlyafter that, her people are going to figure out who did get it and go afterMackenzie.”
“She’llbe okay,”Ledgersays. “They’llget that she’s innocent in zero time flat.Thatwoman doesn’t have a single bad guy vibe coming off her.”
“Butonce they discover that the key isn’t in her purse, whatever vibes aren’t coming offMackenziewon’t matter.Youknow it won’t.”
“Sowhat are you going to do?”
“I’mgoing to go protect her.”
Ican see thatLedgerhas stopped nearMackenzie, right in front of a rack of women’s bathrobes, like he’s shopping for a new one. “Thisis a bad idea, bro.Itshould be me staying with her.”
“No.I’mthe one who has a connection with her.”
“ButI’mthe one who is not going to fall for her.”
