Austin

            Pete drove his cab through the stop and go traffic on I35, cursing his luck the entire time. There was no wreck, no stalled car, no reason whatsoever for the traffic, other than people were being idiots and driving thirty miles an hour when they could be driving sixty.

            “Can we go any faster?” Pete’s passenger asked from the backseat. Pete closed his eyes in annoyance.

            “No ma’am, traffic, I’ll get you there as soon as I can, I promise,” Pete said. Suddenly, the traffic sped up and started accelerating through downtown Austin. Pete shook his head in amazement as he drove along. Soon, he dropped off his passenger at the Convention Center and drove down 5^th street until it hit Congress. From there he went north until he reached a parking garage. He drove up to the fifth level and parked next to an emergency phone. After unfolding himself from behind the wheel and stretching Pete sauntered over to the phone and dialed a number from memory.

            “Yeah?” a male voice asked.

            “We might have a problem,” Pete said.

            “With who?”

            “Girl Scout, who else? Jesus, Neil, I realize that I **** up the last assignment but making me a cab driver in Austin is a little harsh.”

            “Noted,” Neil said. “What’s the problem with Girl Scout?”

            “Besides that fact that we’re tailing her even though she doesn’t work for us anymore?” Pete said.

            “Yes, besides that, ****. You’re wasting my time.”

            “A thousand apologies, fearless leader,” Pete snorted. “As you know I’ve been tailing Girl Scout, and running surveillance on her place. Lately I’ve been noticing two unidentified subjects hanging around a lot.”

            “Describe them,” Neil said.

            “Both male, one’s tall and has an olive complexion, maybe Middle Eastern descent. The other is a big dude, looks like a line backer.”

            “Have they made contact with Girl Scout?” Neil asked.

            “No. In fact, they’ve never been at the same place at the same time. Anytime she goes to the bar they show up about thirty minutes after she leaves and every morning they drive the same route she runs but they do it about thirty minutes before she takes off. It’s like they know who she is but they don’t know her routine.”

            “Has Girl Scout spotted them?”

            “****, Neil, Girl Scout hasn’t spotted me. I mean, I drove her around twice and she hasn’t even picked up on the fact that it was the same driver. I think she’s losing her touch.” 

            “She’s not losing her touch, Pete. And the second you start underestimating her you’ll lose her and never be able to find her again. She’s just lulled into a false sense of security. She thinks that her big sister will be able to save her from any trouble she gets herself into,” Neil said.

            “Well call it whatever you want but Girl Scout is being watched. What do you want me to do?” Pete asked.

            “Nothing,” Neil sighed.

            “Nothing? Neil, I know you’re kind of pissed at her but she could be in serious trouble.”

            “Yeah, and so could we if she finds out that we’re still tailing her,” Neil. “She already caught Steve.”

            “She caught Steve? How the **** did she manage that?” Pete asked, impressed.

            “The moron made contact, which is why we do nothing… Keep an eye on the UNSUBs, let me know if they get any closer.”

            “What if they make a move?” Pete asked.

            “Don’t worry about that; Girl Scout can take care of herself,” Neil said.

            “Girl Scout is being tailed by a total of three people without noticing it; my confidence level isn’t too high,” Pete said.

            “Girl Scout has twenty confirmed sniper kills and a bunch more that aren’t listed anywhere. Not to mention that she took out seven cops with her bare hands before getting tased in the back. The kid’s got skills.”

            “Fine, whatever, the kid is going to get herself killed if she doesn’t start watching her back,” Pete said.

            “That’s what you’re for, Pete,” Neil said.

            “So, you want me to watch her and not do anything,” Pete said.

            “Right. Keep me up to date. Oh and Pete?”

            “What Neil?”

            “I can’t say this for certain, but I’m fairly positive that if something happens to her your **** will be eternally ****,” Neil said.

            “Ha, by you? I’ll take my chances, Neil.”

            “Oh, by me, sure, but that’s not who I’d worry about…”

            “And who is?”

            “Her big sister. Take my word for it, Pete, cover your tracks. Because if Kelly finds out you let something happen to her little sister she may just kill you… Shortly before killing me.”

            “Oh so that’s why you have me tailing this chick!” Pete laughed. “You’re scared of her sister.”

            “Pete, you have no idea,” Neil laughed. “Keep me in the loop and don’t **** lose her. She’s slippery when she wants to be.”

            “Got it,” Pete said. He hung the emergency phone up and walked back to the cab, whistling.

            Pierce sat with his head in his hands. The waves were crashing onto the shore mere meters away but all he could hear was a dull rushing in his brain.

            “Pierce, snap out of it!” Ash yelled, snapping his fingers in front of Pierce’s head. Pierce looked up at his old friend.

            “My father’s going to kill me,” Pierce said. Ash scoffed and rolled his eyes. “No, really, the bastard is going to literally kill me. I **** a spy! I brought her into our house! Do you really think he’s going to be understanding, Ash?”

            “Not at all. If your dad finds out about this he will most assuredly kill you. Lucky for you I’d find that rather unpleasant,” Ash said. “Now, what do you want to do?”

            “Go over it again,” Pierce said.

            “Pierce, Mate, I’ve told you three times,” Ash sighed.

            “So tell me four times!” Pierce yelled. “I need to think.”

            “Fine! I ran searches on both Rebecca Chandler and Katherine Mitchell. On Katherine Mitchell I pulled up a GI Bill loan application that was used to purchase a home in Austin, Texas. Sam and I went there and started poking around. These pictures were taken yesterday.” Ash paused to point to three color photos of Kate, one of her riding a motorcycle, one of her lighting a cigarette on a street corner and one of her laughing and drinking a beer with some friends.

            “She doesn’t look like a spy,” Pierce said.

            “It doesn’t matter what she looks like, Pierce. You told me to find her, what do you want me to do now?” Ash asked.

            “Bring her here,” Pierce said.

            “Pierce, it’d be a lot easier if you’d just let us take care of this over there,” Ash said.

            “She has information that I need,” Pierce said.

            “Granted, but kidnapping a trained spy and bringing her here alive is going to be tricky and way more trouble than we need. Let’s just kill her and be done with it.”

            “Do you know how she found out about our plans to kill the Prime Minister?” Pierce asked.

            “No.”

            “Do you know how she found out I was the one who kidnapped Sarah?” Pierce asked.

            “No.”

            “Well she does. And I need to know. So bring her here, I don’t care how much trouble it is, just make it happen,” Pierce said.

            “Fine, I’ll need some time. And some money. And you need to do exactly what I say for once,” Ash said.

            “Spend whatever you have to, you have a week. What would you have me do?”

            “For one, call all the boys up and get them out here for security,” Ash said.

            “Ash, it’s one girl,” Pierce laughed.

            “No, Pierce, it’s one spy.”