3. Welcome Home #2
“Nice,” Halston said as Caroline Austin broke into a grin.
Her former CIA handler and current friend was super pretty with long blonde hair and a beautiful smile. She was smart, loyal, and someone Halston had liked—and trusted—from the jump.
After they hugged, Caroline said, “Welcome, home, Halston. Evangeline asked me here so you’d feel comfortable working with her.”
Halston shifted toward the tall brunette. “Thank you, and yes, I’m starving.”
“Let’s eat while the food is hot and you two can catch up,” Evangeline said.
They sat around the table, savoring the culinary delights. “I’ve missed American food so much,” Halston said as she bit into the gourmet burger.
Caroline cut half her salmon, moved it to Halston’s plate. “Try this.”
“I read both your files,” Evangeline said. “Caroline, you were Halston’s handler, but not during her recent assignment in Russia.”
“No, I left Langley—”
“No way,” Halston said. “I thought you’d be a lifer.”
“Same,” Caroline said. “I’m with a different covert group now. We have so much to catch up on.”
“Oh, baby, that’s a gigantic rock on your finger.” Halston admired her engagement ring. “I love it.”
“I can’t wait for you to meet my fiancé,” Caroline said.
“Evangeline, are you my new handler?”
“Yes,” Evangeline said between bites. “To make sure you’re safe, I’ll be your POC going forward. I work at Develin and Associates.”
“Her husband is The Fixer,” Caroline explained.
“What does he fix?” Halston asked.
“Situations mostly,” Evangeline replied. “He’s a DC power player and we both work for the same group as Caroline. You’ll be staying here—”
“In this luxury suite?” Halston asked. “How will I explain this?”
Pausing, Evangeline sent a text. “I sent you an address. It’s an apartment building a block from the embassy, but not the overflow apartments that house embassy employees.
Use it when you have to. It’s the opposite of this, but it won’t draw attention.
I’m surprised Natasha didn’t send you to the embassy overflow building. ”
“While I was with her, she found out her fiancé was killed by mafia, so she bolted.”
Caroline and Evangeline exchanged glances.
“Looks like there’s more to that…” Halston said.
Evangeline tucked her long, dark hair behind her ear. “We need you to stay focused on your assignment and leave the mayhem to us.”
Halston extracted a thumb drive from the false bottom of her handbag. “I was supposed to give this to my handler. Over the past nine months I’ve been downloading everything I could from Yuri Bulgrov’s computer. He changes his password every ten days, so it’s been hard as hell getting in.”
Evangeline took the drive. “Nice work.”
“Bulgrov also tasked me with an assignment on my way here,” Halston continued. “I was sent to Milan to find a thumb drive in someone’s private residence.”
Evangeline stopped chewing. Caroline stilled, her glass of water in mid-air.
A deafening silence filled the room.
Then, Evangeline cleared her throat. “Was anyone home?”
“The housekeeper showed up, but the occupant wasn’t there.” Then, she remembered seeing Caroline’s picture in the family photo. “You both know who lives there, don’t you?”
Evangeline and Caroline looked at each other.
“We do, but we can’t get into that yet,” Evangeline replied.
If anyone understood the necessity for secrets, it was her. Rather than push, Halston continued briefing her new handler. “I never found the thumb drive. Not looking forward to that convo with Bulgrov. My first big assignment was an epic fail.”
After a pregnant pause, Evangeline turned to Caroline. “Can we trust her?”
“One hundred percent,” Caroline replied.
Frustration slithered down her spine. Halston lifted the cloth napkin from her lap and set it on the table.
She rose, glared at Evangeline. “I know we just met. I know being a double agent comes with risks, but I spend nine months—nine long, lonely and sometimes terrifying months—in a country where I put myself at risk every single day. Who the hell are you to question my loyalty? And by the way, you insulted me. You didn’t have to ask Caroline.
Yes, she trusts me. Yes, we go way back.
Yes, we’re actually friends, but I’m sitting right here. You got a question about me… ask me.”
Evangeline studied her for several seconds. “That was a test. I’m sorry, Halston. I was told to do that. I brought Caroline so you’d feel safe, but we had to test your loyalty.”
Halston raised her eyebrows, shifted from Evangeline to Caroline, back to Evangeline. “Do. Not. Test. Me. Again.”
“Understood,” Evangeline said, then offered a little smile. “You’ll love my husband. You two are definitely cut from the same cloth. You cross him, he’ll put a knife in your chest.”
I hear you on that.
Halston’s blood pressure decreased, but she didn’t move.
“What can I do to make things right?” Evangeline asked.
“Have my back from this moment on,” Halston said. “I might be back in the US, but I’m still in hella danger.”
“You have my word.” Evangeline extended her hand.
Halston shook it, then made her way over to the small bar in the suite. “I haven’t had a drink in nine months.”
Except for the Chianti at the villa, but I’ll skip sharing that.
She stared at the wine selections before choosing a white. Using the electric corkscrew, she opened the bottle and poured herself a glass. “Am I drinking alone?”
“I’ll join you,” Evangeline said.
Halston poured her a glass. “Here’s to the beginning of a trusting relationship.”
Caroline raised her water glass. All three women toasted. As the dry white wine hit her taste buds, an eruption of flavors teased her tongue.
“So good.” She sat down, finished the delicious meal.
Evangeline retrieved a backpack, unearthed a phone.
“Your new burner. My number is in here, along with Caroline’s, no last names.
I’ve also added my husband, Sinclair Develin.
He’s listed as Sin. Call or text us day or night, for any reason.
We can meet as often as you need. I’ll text you regularly. ”
Halston handed Evangeline her old burner, took the new one before Evangeline gave her a credit card. Username Barbianna Bogdanova.
“That’s perfect,” Halston said. “Barbi for short.”
Next, Evangeline pulled a pair of black framed glasses from the backpack. “These have a micro camera on the frame.”
Halston leaned close and spotted a pin-sized camera on the left side of the left frame. “Touch the left frame—right here, there’s a little nib—like you’re adjusting the glasses, and you can take a photo,” Evangeline said. “If you tap twice, you can record a ten-second video.”
“Got it.” Halston slipped them on, felt the tiny bump on the frame. “How do I upload?”
“It’s automatic,” Evangeline explained. “If you’re ever in danger, we’ll be notified as soon as the photos or video reaches us. The only issue—”
“Gotta have signal.”
Evangeline nodded. “These come from inventor Crockett Wilde and his team. They’re very James Bond-ish, don’t you think?”
Halston fiddled with the spectacles. “These are great.”
“There’s one more thing,” Evangeline said. “I need to insert a chip in your neck.”
Halston barked out a laugh. “Good one.”
“It’s for your protection,” Evangeline said. “We can monitor your whereabouts. We’ve had Ops who’ve gotten kidnapped.”
That snagged Halston’s full attention.
“I have one.” Evangeline pulled her hair aside, exposing the back of her neck. “You can’t see it, but you can feel it.”
Halston ran her finger over the spot and felt a tiny bump beneath the skin. “Load me up.”
Evangeline removed a syringe from her bag, opened it, and squeezed out a small amount of liquid. “There’s the chip.”
Halston examined the dot of a metal object before moving her hair out of the way.
Evangeline swabbed the area with rubbing alcohol. “A brief sting.” She injected the chip, returned the syringe to her bag. “I look forward to working with you, Halston.”
“Please call me Barbi,” Halston said.
“Got it,” Evangeline replied.
“Smart,” Caroline added.
“It’s more about survival than anything,” Halston said. “Are there security cams in this suite?”
“No,” Evangeline replied. “They’re in public areas like the lobby, the restaurant and Bohemian-style lounge—”
“Hallways,” Caroline added.
“The hotel is owned by Rebel Dillinger. He and his wife, Brit, are also part of our top-secret organization. They know you’re staying here. What you’re doing is dangerous, so we want to make sure we’ve got eyes on you, keeping you safe.”