"Makoto Fuyumi, pleasure to meet you," a tall woman said, bending her head and bowing slightly.
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I held my hand out to the newcomer and she shook it in acceptance. She had long dark hair cascading past her shoulders, sharp, multicoloured eyes, a relatively slender, lean build, and an intimidating aura despite her general politeness. I concluded from her looks and slight accent that she was Japanese, and Quinn confirmed this.
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"She's from the Kyoto branch, which might explain why I've never seen her before. Boss says she's good at spying and intel, but I call bullshit till she proves herself," Kylie said, crossing her arms and looking at the new member almost threateningly.
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"Don't scare off the new recruit now, Ky," I responded, laying my hand on her shoulder and turning to Fuyumi. "Sorry about that, she gets aggressive sometimes, we just learn to put up with it," I added jokingly.
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"I can assure you I was favoured in my previous branch, and did my job well. Better than most, I can guarantee," the newbie said. It was either she was completely oblivious to the directed comments on her abilities, or she didn't care and was doing it to spite Kylie. Either way, I felt I was gonna like this person. Anyone who puts up with Kylie is a friend in my books.
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"Just put your trust in the head, she knows what she's doing," said a voice entering the room. The voice was ー of course ー Ray, bowing his head and greeting her.
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"Ray Peralta, happy to make your acquaintance," he said, kissing her gloved hand with a flourish. Trust Ray to go over the top.
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"Right. That's enough introducing. We've been given this--" I gestured towards the papers laid out on the desk "--and it's our job to make the most out of it. Ray, you can contact our guy in Europe, and tell him he should be expecting us. Ky, you arrange for a flight to Amsterdam. And as for you," I looked over at Fuyumi, lowering my gaze ever so slightly, "do your best, and don't fail us."
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The plane glided through the air at speeds fast enough to cut through the wind. We'd gotten the agency to pull some strings to provide us with a plane to Amsterdam as soon as possible, and so that meant we were on a private plane with an unlicensed agent as a pilot. No worries though, if we started to get attacked and the plane was crashing, there were always parachutes in the back.
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"Where d'you want me to land then?" our pilot asked.
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Ray sucked in his teeth. "See, that's the issue, we don't have a specific place yet," he explained, causing our pilot to sigh unnecessarily sharply. Moody. Isn't our fault we were practically thrown into this. Ray got up and walked towards the cockpit, seemingly showing the pilot some possible places.
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I turned to the new recruit instead. She was busily tapping away on her computer with files and documents scattered around her. She was probably the most serious about this mission out of all of us.
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"What are you-" I started.
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"Making us IDs. Figured we'd need them for the mission. I've contacted a guy I used to work with, he's making them," she interrupted. Damn. Really came prepared. Even Kylie looked impressed, leaning in to look at the IDs.
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Ray popped back in after a bit, looking directly at me. "You should probably call Lex now."
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I waved my already ringing phone in front of him.
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"Already am, but the dipshit won't answer," I muttered.
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"Hey, that's my buddy you're talking about."
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"Makes sense, you're both dipshits. Now shut up, I'm trying to call him."
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Still ringing, still no answer. Come on, pick up already.
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"Lexis here, who's this?" a voice said.
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Finally.
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"Hey Lex, it's me, Sadie."
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"What's up?"
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"We need your help. And a room."
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A black SUV slowed to a stop in front of us. The window rolled down, revealing a woman with long dark hair pulled up in a ponytail, a jawline strong enough to bend steel, and piercing grey eyes.
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"An agent. I asked her to drive us and fortunately, she agreed," Ray informed. Motherfucker knew everyone. He had backups everywhere we went, and I mean everywhere.
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"I'm familiar. Layla, isn't it?" I said, opening the car door and seating myself in the back. "We were in the same branch before I got relocated."
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"Ah. You were the kid," she recalled. "I remember you. Right little firecracker, either arguing with someone or flirting with them."
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"Yep, that's Sadie," Ray chuckled, climbing in beside me.
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What can I say? My fame spreads far and wide.
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We drove on steadily until the car slowed to a stop in front of a relatively large house. All French windows and potted trees, very nice.
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"A safe house?" I inquired.
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"A very, very safe house."
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Ray knocked with his usual jaunty tap and the door opened almost instantly. Perfect skin and a toned body with deep green eyes, Lexis Hirscht was not hard to look at.
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"Welcome. There's some food in the kitchen if you want any," Lex greeted with his cute accent, opening the door to let us in. I'd briefly had a thing with him a couple months back because he was a total hottie, but alas, just a fling.
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"Wine?" I asked hopefully.
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"Still the same Sadie," Lex laughed. "There's some in the fridge, specially bought for the occasion."
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"It's a mission, not a vacation," Ray said, but he clapped Lexis on the back. "Good to see you again."
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I poured myself a glass and mimed vomiting. Power of friendship who?
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I was seated in the upstairs lounge, spread out on the sofa with the evening twilight filtering through the thin curtains. It was a nice evening, but unfortunately, my body clock was ruined.
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Was it too late to arrange for a week off?
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I flicked through the photos, trying to guess the locations. I'd been in Amsterdam a couple other times, but this Hendrix guy barely left his motel. There were more photos of his girlfriend though. Bright and bouncy and blonde, dressed in the cutest short skirts and satin dresses. Too bad she's straight. With a boyfriend too, even if he was a soon-to-be-dead boyfriend.
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The soft, steady sound of footsteps could be heard from outside as I put the folder down. I carefully stood up and grabbed one of the many blades I keep with me, slowly edging my way towards the door. Safe houses didn't always do their job, and I was always in demand. The footsteps got nearer, and so did I. Was I really gonna get into a fight this soon? Where the hell was Lexis?
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My prayers were answered.
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"Sadie? It's me for fuck's sakes, put the blade down," Lexis said, popping his head round the door. I breathed out a sigh of relief and let him in.
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"Can't be too careful," I reasoned. He sat himself down, leaning against the coffee table.
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"Right, what do you know about this?"
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I tossed the files onto the glass, spreading out the photos labelled 'Hendrix Bowen'. He was the most clear and most recent out of all the leads, so he was gonna be the first to die.
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I sank back down into the seats as he scanned the photos. "I know his girlfriend. I've seen her around a few times. This-" he answered as he pointed at the background of one of the photos, "-is a nearby restaurant. Not fancy by any means, but she seems happy enough having their dates there. I last saw her there like last week. Alone though."
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"Where is it exactly?"
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"Ray knows it. You could get him to take you."
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"Where do you think she is now?"
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"Dunno. Probably at home with her boyfriend. I have leads, but you'll have to go from there."
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I thought about it, and figured I'd be happier collecting information and sending updates. I'd just gotten back from that wretched assassination, plus I was super jet lagged. Did I mention my body clock was, like, super fucked?
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"Nah. I'll be better off drinking wine in your hot tub. I'll get more information, and then find her tomorrow," I decided, walking away from the pretty sunset and towards the very pretty bedroom.
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Tomorrow came way too fast.
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I pulled on my boots and wore a jacket over my shirt. If they'd caught sight of the tattoo I very impulsively got that one night I drank too much, I'd be caught out easier. I slung my backpack over my shoulder, the various weapons and change of clothes banging against my side.
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I fucking hated spy missions. Infiltration? Sure. Disguise and charm? Easy. Flirt and manipulate? My specialty. But stalking a person around while they did boring shit? Not my thing.
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"Try getting into that," I heard Kylie suggest. She and Fuyumi were bent over the computer, looking for any possible information. Both were newer to the team since my old buddies got relocated, but they seemed promising. Very promising.
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"Right there! There's Hendrix! Knew it!" Kylie exclaimed triumphantly. Loved it when she was right, that girl.
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"That it is. This was only a few hours ago, he'll have been there recently," Fuyumi replied, nodding at her.
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"Been where recently?" I asked.
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"Hendrix. He's at this bar," Kylie answered. I glanced at the location, grateful to have a clear lead. Getting something out of nothing wasn't my forte. Now I didn't even need to sneak around, given everything went smoothly. Luck was in my favour today, rare.
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I took a taxi to the bar and arrived soon enough. Bar was near the red light district, no less. Weed and prostitution was legal here, so it was easy enough to spot ladies in deliciously skimpy dresses and stoners puffing away. I smoothed my dress as I got out and took my surroundings in, mumbling updates into my earpiece. Lexis was listening in on everything while Mako monitored the CCTV she hacked into.
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I walked in through the door, my heeled boots clacking against the wooden floors. The bar had a nice, warm, familiar feel. The smell of beer and middle aged guy was strong though, not a cosy sign. This bar had seen better days. The paint was chipped and dingy, with the ceiling occasionally dripping on unsuspecting victims. I ordered a drink and sat myself down on the less-than-average seats, scanning the bar. Dark hair, blue eyes. Shouldn't be too hard.
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If he was still here, that is.
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A scruffy looking guy in a flannel shirt caught my attention. He was downing beer like he hadn't drank anything for ages, slouching in a booth near the corner. This was Hendrix? Disappointing. He was relatively tall though, and handsome-ish in a skinny homeless guy way. Not my type, but I couldn't be picky.
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I slid out of my booth, making my way towards him. He barely glanced my way, far too invested in his beer to notice the fucking royalty gracing his presence. I leant towards him and greeted him.
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"Hey, what's your name?" I inquired, sitting down at the seat beside him. He turned my way, briefly acknowledging me.
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"Why do you want to know?" was his answer. His accent tinted each word. I internally flipped him off, but managed to come up with a more respectful response.
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"Because I like you and want to get to know you of course," I said. I already knew his name, and his girlfriend's name, and his job, but he didn't need to know that.
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"I'm not interested. I have a girlfriend."
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Asshole.
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"Aw come on. It doesn't need to be anything serious," I coaxed, swirling my drink around. "I just wanna have a bit of fun. I'm new here, see, and you caught my attention."
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By this time, several other guys were already looking my way, and yet he still didn't pay me any mind.
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"There are plenty others, you have lots to choose from," he said, gesturing at the other people sitting around. He looked at me when he said that ー properly this timeー and narrowed his eyes. "Besides, I don't trust random people." A chill went down my spine at that, but I shrugged it off. I was pretty sure he didn't know me, let alone the agency. Hope is crucial, Sadie. Just gotta befriend him. Hope.
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Hope fails at times, incredibly so. The guy didn't seem remotely interested, though some other dude tried chatting me up. I took his number, just for funsies, in case I was up for a one night stand someday. Hendrix gave up after a while, just asking me to come with him. He had a motel, he said, and I was free to stay there. Discounted price.
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Wasn't the welcome I was expecting. Seems like coaxing information out of him will be harder than initially planned, but I'd get through to him somehow.
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Half an hour later and I was in a car with a half-drunk uninterested guy as he drove towards his motel. Wasn't that impressive, but the location, the trees surrounding the front but not the back, and the overall structure made sense. This wasn't meant for tourists, but criminals. I slid through the wooden doors and into the lobby where I checked in. The room was plain and poky, humid and kinda gross, but decent enough. Least it was more welcoming than the bar.
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I climbed up the stairs to my room, briefly stopping to focus on a girl I'd spotted near a corner. She was quite cute. Putting her hair up in a bun. I focused on her attributes, trying to gauge whether I'd try it on with her or not. Blonde, green eyes, freckles. Hm.
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Blonde, green eyes, freckles.
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It was the girlfriend. Audrey. Astoundingly cute. Dressed in a little nightdress, evidently heading to bed. A lightbulb dinged in my head as I looked at her. If Hendrix wasn't cooperating, I could always settle for the girlfriend.
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