Fourteen

The mission was a total fail.

Nothing big happened, tonight. We come back with nothing new. Nothing connected with the word Bird, Master, or Circle.

I don't know if Mr. Neil or the North Agency still think about that when we go on missions. But I do. I know there's more to The Bird Mission we did that night. That's how we decided to name it. After each important mission, we always name them.

Since we have this mysterious list of names, Mr. Neil sent Andrew and I on a new mission tonight to try and find something that could help us understand what this list is about. Brandon was still recovering from his injuries, and Nova, being the sweetest girlfriend, chose to stay with him.

When we enter the room, Mr. Neil turns around and Brandon stands up from his seat behind the table. Nova is nowhere to be found.

"So?" Mr. Neil asks us as I take off my jacket with a sigh.

"Nothing. Jack Smith is a very boring man." I shake my head and walk over to the list we printed. I grab a pen and scratch his name.

Crossing my arms, I lean against the table and glance up at them.

"How is that possible? I mean, if this list is very important, why don't we find anything? Nothing happened tonight." I frown, shaking my head. "This is odd."

"I don't know if it's a good or bad thing," Brandon declares, his own eyebrows furrowed.

Mr. Neil stays quiet a moment before he nods. "Let's try again tomorrow with another name. Brandon, would you be able to go on a mission?"

"Sure. I was already fine. I could have gone with them, tonight," he says, crossing his arms.

His eyes meet mine and I look away. Since what happened, I can't look him in the eyes, remembering that he knows that I'm up to something.

I still can't believe that what happened to him is somehow my fault.

Again. Luckily, he didn't die. How would you have reacted, Sophia?

I clench my fists and look at Mr. Neil.

"Right. Tomorrow. I'll stay at the agency for the night. If you excuse me, I need a shower," I say, turning to leave the room.

"Great work tonight, Agent Montgomery," Garry declares in my back and I glance at him over my shoulder.

"It's not like I've done anything." I shrug but give him a small smile nonetheless before I walk away.

*

"Ready?"

I turn my head to look at Brandon. When I realize he was talking to me, I take a deep breath. Now I remember why this felt familiar, that night at the Masquerade Ball with Andrew.

Our eyes are locked when I reply. "Are you?"

He must remember, too. And I hate myself for doing this. I shouldn't do that. I shouldn't remember the past.

Focus, Sophia. Ignore him and focus on the damn mission. That's all that matters.

Thankfully, Nova interrupts this moment.

"Let's go," she declares, glancing at me a long second before she smiles at Brandon.

News flash: we are still not best friends.

"Why do I feel like tonight is not going to end well?" Andrew mutters to my right, shaking his head.

"Thanks for the optimism." I sigh, before I narrow my eyes at him. "You won't do anything stupid, right? We're just here to watch."

He only rolls his eyes.

The target of the night: Charles Barton.

One of the names on the list. With our researches, we haven't found a lot. Male, thirty years old, and possibly a criminal.

We're all crouched on the ground, hidden from all eyes. The building in front of us is apparently what we need to watch. Charles Barton might be in there, but it's still possible he's not.

A few minutes pass. A woman enters the building, a man comes out. It takes another three minutes before we see another man walking out. I narrow my eyes, looking at his expensive suit, his dark skin...

"It's him," I declare as I watch the man walking towards a black car.

"How do you know?" Nova narrows her eyes at me.

"I just know," I reply, not looking in her direction.

And somehow, the man seems familiar.

"Okay, let's follow him," Brandon says, standing up from his hiding place.

Nova frowns, glancing at him. "But what if she's wrong?"

I grit my teeth. Not only she's talking as if I'm not just beside her, but she's saying that I'm wrong. I don't know what's worse.

"You can stay here and keep watching this building," I propose bitterly, standing up as well. "I'm going."

"I'll come with you," Brandon says, loading his gun.

Not a good idea.

But we don't have time for that. So I just start to walk away, not looking to see who's following me.

I climb in the car and when I look to my right, Brandon's in the passenger seat.

"Let's go," he declares calmly.

I sigh before I speak to Andrew through our earpieces. "Keep me updated. And keep an eye on her."

We can't fail this, tonight. We need answers. But knowing that Andrew is with Nova doesn't reassure me. Last time, he couldn't even stop her to do something stupid.

I follow the car at a respectable distance. Silence falls inside the vehicle, and I don't dare to glance at Brandon. He's the first one to say something.

I wish he didn't.

"Are you sure of yourself?" he asks, but somehow, there is no doubt in his voice, so I wonder why he bothers asking.

Nodding, I keep my eyes in front of me. "I am. If you didn't believe me, then why did you choose to come? You could have stayed with Nova and Andrew."

A few seconds pass before he answers.

"I want you to trust me, too."

His words shock me, but I keep a blank face and focus on the car ahead of us.

You shouldn't even trust me. Just like you shouldn't be alive, right now.

Blinking a few times, I try to relax my shoulders as the car in front of us comes to a stop. I park the car a bit farther to not be noticed and watch as the man climbs out of the black vehicle. My eyebrows furrow when I see him disappearing in a dark alley.

Great. A dark alley, again.

"What's going on?" I mutter under my breath, undoing my belt.

"I guess we're about to find out," Brandon says, glancing at me before he climbs out of the car.

We carefully get closer to where the man disappeared. The black car is already gone.

"We just saw a man that looks suspicious," Andrew's voice stops the both of us, and we wait for more. "We'll see what happens. Maybe it's him."

I glance at Brandon, and we both stare at each other for a few seconds before we make our way to the alley.

He grabs my arm before I can go farther, and we hide behind the wall. I take a careful look at the alley and I notice that the man is not alone. I try to see more of his face, but it's too dark. Shaking my head, I look at the other men that he's facing. All of them are wearing suits.

"You again," one of the men declares in a hard voice. "Why isn't the Master here, this time?"

Master.

"He trusts me enough to let me do the talking part. Plus, it's too risky for him to go out. For The Circle."

The Circle.

"And the Bird?" the man replies, raising an eyebrow.

The Bird.

"Yes. If the Bird sees him..."

I glance at Brandon. We finally get our answers. I knew it.

Something big is going on. And it all has to do with the list.

*

Next chapter is already PUBLISHED.

I'll see you there! 👋🏼😏