I’m so caught up in my head, I don’t notice Nico until his smug grin is right in front of me.
“You ready, asshole?”
I watch Nova leave in a hurry before I face Nico.
“So, he does like women. I was beginning to wonder.”
“Shut the fuck up, man.” I shove him out of my face.
“Always so testy. Come on, fucker. I’m supposed to show you the ropes or some shit.” He moves to the exit.
I soundlessly follow him around the back corner of Bella’s and toward the coast. It’s rocky over here and feels eerily like I’m walking to my death.
That is until I see an opening further down, on a spot that seems impossible to get to.
Nico keeps walking until we hit a small path that leads to the cave opening. If you didn’t know it was here, you’d miss it.
“This way,” he grunts.
Once in the cave, I see a package sitting in the back corner. The package is about the size of a large college textbook.
I slowly approach as if it’s somehow going to trigger an explosion or something, however illogical that is. Nothing happens, not that it would.
“Just grab that damn thing. Jesus,” Nico bitches from the opening.
The artifact is heavier than I anticipated, but with my job done here tonight, it’s time to go back to my apartment and get the hell away from Nico.
“I can handle it from here,” I tell him, hoping he leaves and lets me get to my car alone.
“Bossman said to show you the ropes. I’ll lead you back.”
I can tell there’s interest as to why I want to get rid of him, so I need to shut up and follow him. There needs to be no suspicion. I follow him on another path that leads to the parking lot out front of Bella’s. He’s parked right next to the opening while I have to walk more toward the front.
“Next time, park over here,” he says before getting in his car, not letting me say a word.
“Thanks, appreciate the guidance,” I grumble before heading to my SUV.
Once inside, I eyeball the package as if I have X-ray vision and can see what’s being moved. It could be one of the ancient tomes we’ve been on the hunt for. It was stolen from the MET, which prompted this entire undercover mission. We won’t get that lucky, though. This entire operation has been the antithesis of lucky. Nothing has gone to plan, and that’s why I’ve been here for-fucking-ever.
But this is a step in the right direction. When I get home, I’ll take pictures of it all and see if there’s a way to view what’s inside without disturbing the package at all. I just know Oscar will know if the smallest piece of tape is out of place.
Until then, I’ll let my mind wander to Nova. The woman who shut me down so swiftly that it’s only made me more curious about her. It seemed like she was playing hard to get, not that she was appalled by me in general. It’s making me want to figure out if I can talk to her more and see where it takes us.
The drive to my apartment is only about fifteen minutes. The bustle of New Rochelle isn’t like that of New York City. It’s calmer while still having the draws of metropolis life. You get the homey vibe of a smaller place, as well as the opportunity of the big city—a fact that Oscar loves. If he were in NYC, he would have more attention on him. Here, it’s practically a sleepy little town in comparison. One that he can control from the ground up. With easy access to the entire East Coast, it’s been foolproof for Oscar.
Once I’m back in my apartment, I go to the hidden safe in the bedroom. I exchange the artifact for a burner phone and lock it right back up. Less than five minutes later, I’m back in my SUV, heading toward the pier.
Check-ins are reserved for imperative information. I’ve been disconnected from my team for a couple of months now, but with an artifact in hand, it’s time.
The little spot under the pier takes some time to get to, but it’s private. No one can overhear me, and the sound of the waves helps discourage anyone from snooping and getting curious.
“How’s the weather where you are?” Juliette answers on the second ring. She’s the intelligence lead in our little operation. She’s a beast with computers. Her question is something she chose as a joke to make sure I wasn’t compromised.
“Sunny as ever,” I deadpan.
“You know, when I made these code phrases, I expected you to be more fun.”
“In what world is any of this fun?”
