“Target approaching from the south,” Noah’s voice crackles through my earpiece.He’s positioned as a jogger in Gramercy Park, giving him clear sight lines to the restaurant’s main entrance.Jake sits beside me, eyes fixed on the screens, his finger tapping the comms console.This is the third assignment I’ve worked with Jake.He flew in last night to assist today.
I lean forward, adjusting the audio levels as Elena Vasquez comes into view on monitor three.She moves with the fluid confidence of someone who’s never doubted her place in the world—elegant gray coat, designer handbag, silver hair perfectly styled despite the October wind.Two men flank her at a discreet distance, clearly security aiming to blend in.
“She brought backup,” I murmur into my comm unit.
“Copy that,” Hudson’s voice responds from command, monitoring from KOAN’s mobile relay a few blocks out.“Quinn, are you picking up any electronic interference?”
“Negative,” she replies through the comm—her voice faint, piped in from the ops hub’s digital feed.“If they’re jamming, it’s passive.”
Through the restaurant’s front windows, I watch Elena enter and speak briefly with the hostess.Adrien sits at a corner table, visible through the large windows facing the street—exactly where we want him for optimal surveillance coverage.
The audio crackles to life as Elena approaches his table.
“Mr.d’Avricourt.”Her voice carries a slight Boston accent, blended with New York speed.
“Ms.Vasquez.Thank you for agreeing to meet.”
“Of course.Please, sit.”
I close my eyes, listening to the subtle sounds of chairs moving, the clink of water glasses.Elena’s voice again, warmer now, the tone of someone settling into familiar territory.
“I understand you’re looking to replace an employee.”
“Word travels fast in certain circles.”Adrien’s response is measured, professional.We rehearsed this—keep her talking, get her comfortable, then gradually probe for information about her buyers.
“In my business, information is currency.Your...former associate...was quite valuable to my organization.I assume you’d prefer to maintain the relationship rather than see it dissolve entirely.”
My fingers tighten around the audio controls.She’s talking about Eddie like a business asset, which he essentially was.The casual way she discusses human intelligence sources makes my skin crawl—it’s everything I hated about the darker side of the CIA.
“That depends entirely on the terms,” Adrien says.“And on understanding exactly what kind of business relationship this would be.”
“Straightforward consulting.I have clients who value certain types of information—market trends, regulatory insights, personal details that affect business decisions.Your establishment provides a unique vantage point for observing the intersection of power and...vulnerability.”
Through the restaurant window, I watch Elena gesture subtly with her hands, her body language open and confident.She believes she’s in control of this conversation.
“And the recent unpleasantness with the senator?”Adrien asks.
Elena’s laugh carries clearly through the audio feed.“Senator Crawford represents exactly the kind of challenge my clients appreciate.A man with principles who can be...encouraged...to see reason through proper motivation.”
“Is that common?Using personal indiscretions to influence legislative votes?”
“Mr.d’Avricourt, you’d be amazed how often personal failings prove useful in political negotiations.Though I must say, sexual impropriety is becoming less effective these days.People are so much more forgiving of human nature than they used to be.”
One of Elena’s security team moves closer to the restaurant window, speaking into what appears to be a phone but is probably a communication device.Through the monitors, I watch him scan the street methodically.He pauses mid-scan, eyes catching on the reflection from our windshield.
“He’s clocking us,” I whisper.
“Confirm visual?”Hudson asks.
“Tall guy, dark coat—north-facing window reflection.He’s narrowing in.”
The security man continues his scan, then speaks again into his device.On the audio feed, Elena’s voice shifts subtly—still pleasant, but with an edge of alertness.
“I’m curious, Mr.d’Avricourt.This conversation feels somewhat...official.Are we being recorded?”
Shit.She knows.
Adrien’s response comes smoothly, as we practiced.“In my business, discretion is everything.I wouldn’t risk that lightly.”
