Kate

Many thoughts were swirling through my head as I sat on the bed in the dorm room I shared with Bethany. The police were probably already locking Valerie up in jail for who knew how long. Not only have I lost Valerie, but I most definitely lost her trust in me as well.

I looked up when I heard the door open. Bethany and Caitlin silently walked in and sat on either side of me.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this..." Bethany trailed off, gazing at me wearily. She then locked eyes with Caitlin and forced a smile. "So I'll just let Caitlin do it."

If nothing was wrong with the world, I would have laughed or even cracked a smile. But everything was wrong, so I just stared at my hands.

"Susan gave us an update about--" Caitlin began, before I interrupted.

"I could care less about what Susan said. She ruined Valerie's life. Now I have to face those consequences," I snapped.

"--Valerie. Would you like to hear it?" Caitlin continued, as if I hadn't spoken. I felt pretty bad, but I did not apologize. I only nodded.

"Valerie was put into jail for two months. The only way to get her out sooner is by solving this mission and bringing the real criminal to justice," Caitlin explained. "Now, I printed out a map of Brooklyn. This is reportedly the last place Jack was seen."

Caitlin took out a folded map from her pant pocket. She unfolded it and spread it out for us to see. There were a series of X's marked in different areas.

"The X's represent places where he was spotted. I think we should check out those locations first, then go to surrounding areas," Caitlin explained.

Bethany nodded. "I also made arrangements with a private police car to take us around Brooklyn."

"Thank you. Wait, is there an X on Flatbush?" I asked, growing worried. Flatbush was one of the worst areas of Brooklyn. Crime and poverty littered its streets. Taxis rarely passed, and if they did, police officers were sure to accompany them.

"Like I said, I made arrangements with--" Bethany began to say.

"We know!" Caitlin and I exclaimed. Bethany took one look at us and started to laugh. I finally understood why Bethany was recruited to Black Rose. Not only was she a good spy, but she helped relieve tension by cracking jokes.

"We better head out soon. This case won't solve itself," Caitlin said, dusting off her pants.

"You're right," I replied. Even though I didn't want to go to Brooklyn, I had to free Valerie from jail. That required me to face my fears and become less anxious.

We exited the room and walked outside. The sun was beginning to set, which meant we needed to hurry up. There was no use searching in the dark.

Just as expected, a black sedan pulled up in front of the facility. The driver rolled down his window halfway. His face was covered in shadows. "You must be Bethany, Caitlin, and Kate. Come on in," a deep voice said.

I hesitated as Bethany opened the door for me. This didn't seem right. Whenever we had to drive in someone else's car, they tended to show their face first. This man was concealed in shadows... and secrets.

"Wait," I whispered, loud enough for Bethany to hear me. "Close the door and back away. Something doesn't feel right."

Just as Bethany closed the door, there was a loud gunshot. I looked around the area to make sure no one was shot. Bethany and Caitlin were fine, but their eyes were trained on the entrance to Black Rose.

"Get out of the car!" Garret yelled from the door, cocking his gun again. The driver had rolled up his window and was now backing up.

Caitlin took action. She darted to the nearest vehicle, which happened to be a Hummer, and buckled herself inside. She sped behind the sedan, blocking its path.

The sedan, not willing to give up, tried to circle around the car, but Caitlin was too fast. She backed the Hummer up so it blocked the path again.

By now, Bethany and I were already in our respective cars, forming a barrier on either side of the sedan. The sedan stopped. Realizing there was no way out, the man in the car opened the door and began to run.

Garret shot at the ground, probably hoping to scare the man rather than shoot him. The man continued to run all the way to the road. There was no way to stop him.

All the while, I watched the man run. His black hair whipped around his face. His tall frame helped him in his escape. Right at that very moment, I knew we had almost caught him.

We had almost caught Jack.

♡

"Did anyone get the car's license plate?" Susan asked. We were all crowded inside her office like we were earlier today.

We all shook our heads. Between all the events that had happened, we still managed not to get the license plate number. I was feeling less like a professional spy every day and more like an inexperienced newcomer.

"I know it was Jack. I'm sure of it," I announced. Susan glanced at me, then back at her paperwork.

"How do you know this?" she asked.

Honestly, I was not one hundred percent sure, but I was going with my instincts. They seemed to be right most of the time.

"He matched Jack's description perfectly," I answered.

"Perfectly? Kate, what you need to learn is that nothing in the spy business is perfect," Susan replied. She shot me a sympathetic smile.

My anger flared. Of course she didn't believe me. "Oh, sorry. Bad choice of words. I am sure he matched the description well. Oh, is that the right word? Probably not," I snapped, sarcasm evident in my biting tone.

"Kate, what has gotten into you? We have provided you with an amazing job and now you seem ungrateful," Susan replied sharply. She was now glaring at me.

"You did not provide me with an amazing job. Harry did, but now he's gone. Along with Valerie, who you put in jail. You have the wrong enemy, Susan. The real enemy is you," I growled. I knew I was getting out of control, but I couldn't stop myself.

"You're off the job. You will no longer be working on this mission. You are suspended for two months," Susan said calmly. Her face showed no emotion.

"What?" I stuttered. I could not believe what had just happened. The consequence hit me suddenly.

I was no longer able to help Valerie.

The walls started to close in on me. I dashed to the door and yanked it open. I ignored Bethany's shouts to come back. I ran out of Black Rose and down towards the road. I knew exactly where I was going.

I was going to make things right with Valerie.