Chapter Six
Clara
Clara drove to the safe house where Seb and his friends were staying, apprehension and hope warring for dominance in her mind.
She had given Seb permission to share her story with his friends, a decision that was not made lightly.
She didn’t know them and was wary to trust them, but Seb did and that was good enough for her.
As the buildings of the city passed by her window, she wondered if they would be welcoming, or if her past would cast a shadow over their perception of her.
Pulling up outside the safe house, Clara took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. The early autumn air was crisp, a stark contrast to the warmth she hoped to find inside.
As she entered, she was immediately struck by the camaraderie that filled the room. Seb greeted her with a smile that reached his eyes, his pleasure to see her evident, and she felt hope starting to win out.
“Guys, this is Clara,” Seb announced proudly, pulling her up against his side. “I know you met briefly at the field office, but I wanted you to get to know her properly.”
One by one, his friends turned their attention to her. Ezra was the first to shoulder his way through his friends to meet her. His handshake was firm, but his smile was warm and full of exuberance. “We’ve heard a lot about you. All good, I promise,” he said with a chuckle.
Logan nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Seb hasn’t stopped talking about you. We had to hear the whole love story in full gory detail.”
“Liar!” Seb spat with a chuckle.
Clara laughed, feeling the tension ease from her shoulders.
Seb rolled his eyes playfully at his friend, but when he looked back at Clara, there was a hint of pride in his expression, and he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her temple.
Clara leaned against him, enjoying the closeness and warmth she felt whenever she was around him.
Now that there were no secrets between them, she felt that she could finally begin to embrace their bond and enjoy getting to know him better.
Carter grinned. “Don’t mind Logan. He’s just jealous he didn’t get a dramatic and romantic storybook love story of his own.”
Logan rolled his eyes.
“What Carter means to say,” Arlo said with a mock-serious tone, “is that we’re all hopeless romantics at heart.” He grinned a toothy smile at her that despite being full of warmth, made a shiver roll down her spine.
Toby had a wicked twinkle in his eye as he regarded her, “And I’m the resident expert on fine art. I once watched a documentary on Baroque paintings. So, you and I will have a lot to talk about.”
Clara threw her head back and laughed. “Really, a documentary? Then you probably know more about the subject than I do.”
Max gave a nod of acknowledgment. “It’s good to finally meet you properly, Clara. Seb’s been a lot more bearable since you showed up.”
“Hey!” Seb protested and Carter let out a boom of laughter.
The group’s easy banter and genuine warmth enveloped Clara, and she found herself smiling more freely than she had in days. The atmosphere was light, but there was an underlying current of strength and camaraderie among them. She warmed to them all instantly.
Seb ushered her into the kitchen, where the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.
“Let’s sit down and get started. We’ve got a mole to catch,” he said, a determined glint in his eye.
The team gathered around the kitchen table, their faces turning serious as the topic shifted to the mission at hand.
Clara felt a surge of gratitude for the acceptance and support she had found amongst Seb’s friends.
As they began to strategize, she focused on the task, supported by the newfound allies at her side.
As they chatted, a palpable shift from lightheartedness to seriousness fell over the group. Seb, taking the lead, laid out the situation.
“So, we need a plan that’s clever enough to draw out the mole without putting ourselves at undue risk or further compromising Clara’s double agent status,” he said.
Clara, feeling more at ease with the team, chimed in. “The mole has been leaking information to Ortega, right? So, we could use that to our advantage. Feed them misinformation.”
Max nodded thoughtfully. “But it can’t be too obvious. The mole, whoever they are, is clever. We need something subtle.”
“How about staging a fake operation by CN-6?” Logan suggested. “Something that looks legitimate but is actually a ruse.”
Toby leaned forward, his eyes lighting up with an idea. “We could create two separate operations and feed each one to Miller and Lopez. See which one gets leaked.”
Arlo rubbed his chin. “Make it something that would interest Ortega. Like a raid on a supposed stash of his. But give each of them a different location.”
Ezra added, “We can monitor both locations. If Ortega or his men show up at either, we’ll know which one of them is the mole.”
Seb turned to Clara. “What do you think? You’ve been working on this for longer than us, and you’ve worked closely with Ortega too.”
Clara pondered for a moment. “It’s risky, but it could work. We just need to make sure that the information is plausible enough for the mole to bite. There are a couple of addresses that Ortega uses to store his acquisitions and hold meetings with his associates.
“Of course, we’d be counting on the fact that he has anything stored there that CN-6 would be interested in. If he doesn’t then he might not take any action even if he does get the tipoff about the raid.”
Carter, who had been listening intently, spoke up.
“He’s clearly a man who likes keeping records.
After all, he has the ledger at his house, and there must be important evidence at the warehouse, or he wouldn’t have sent his men back there to protect it when he learned about our infiltration attempt. ”
Seb nodded. “We need to ensure that the rest of the CIA team is in the dark about this. The fewer people who know the real plan, the better. Best if we just keep it to ourselves and Miller and Lopez.”
The group nodded in agreement. The plan was taking shape, each member contributing their expertise and ideas.
Clara felt a sense of purpose she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Working with Seb and his team, she wasn’t just a lone operative anymore—she felt part of something bigger, a collective force who were working towards a common goal.
As the meeting wrapped up, they had a solid plan in place.
Everyone knew their role and what needed to be done.
The stakes were high, but together, they were determined to root out the mole and protect their mission.
Clara looked around at the faces of her new friends, feeling a renewed sense of hope and determination.
Just as the team was finalizing their plans, Clara’s phone vibrated, breaking the concentration in the room. Glancing at the screen, she saw her father’s name flash up. With an apologetic look, she excused herself and stepped away to take the call.
“Hi, Dad,” she answered, trying to keep her voice even despite the swirling emotions and the inconvenient timing.
“Clara, I’m in town,” her father said, sounding hopeful yet tentative. “I had to see you, it’s been too long so I came out to Spain especially. I was hoping we could meet for dinner later. There’s a lot that we need to talk about.”
Clara hesitated, torn between the urgency of the mission and the long-standing rift with her father. But she knew this conversation was long overdue and if he’d gone to the effort of coming to Spain to make things right with her then she should at least meet him halfway.
“Sure, Dad. I can meet you. Where?”
“Let’s meet at El Jardín. It’s a quiet place, perfect for a serious talk. And it was your mother’s favorite,” he said quietly.
A lump rose in Clara’s throat at the mention of her mother and the restaurant she had loved so much. She tried to swallow it down enough to speak.
“Okay, I’ll see you there in an hour,” she confirmed before ending the call.
Returning to the group, she explained the situation. “I’m really sorry, guys. I have to go. That was my dad. He’s here in town and wants to meet up. This is something I can’t put off.”
Seb pulled her into his side and kissed the top of her head. “We understand. Family first. Always. We’ll keep working on the plan here and I’ll catch up with you later to go over any changes.”
“Thank you.” She turned to his friends and smiled. “Thank you all, your help and support really means a lot to me.”
*
The ambiance of El Jardín, with its soft lighting and elegant decor, stood in stark contrast to the turmoil in Clara’s heart as she arrived for dinner.
The place hadn’t changed since she had last been there with her mom and it brought back an array of happy memories spent there.
She remembered the three of them there as a family on one of the occasions her dad had come over on summer vacation, and the time she had spent there alone with her mom when they’d been celebrating her cancer going into remission.
That night had been filled with hope and relief, even though it had turned out to be short lived.
Clara’s father was already there, waiting at a quiet table near the back of the room. The weight of the tension between them hung in the air as she approached.
“Clara,” her father greeted, standing up to meet her. He pulled her in for a quick hug then leaned back, his eyes searching hers. They were filled with something that looked a lot like hope.
“Hey dad,” Clara replied, taking a seat. The first few moments were filled with awkwardness as they navigated their way around pleasantries.
Finally, her father broke the silence that had fallen between them. “I’ve missed you, darling. I know I haven’t been there for you when you needed me most. I wish I could tell you how sorry I am about that.”