The Soldier and The Spy: Tess Danvers- Episode 1

Chapter 2

Fuck her head hurt.

She could feel the trail of blood that ran down the left side of her face, its stickiness as it clung to her skin and onyx hair. They'd smashed her head against that dumpster like they were trying to open a piñata and right now she felt like one. Or rather like she was inside one. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, her hands bound between them, not that there was much room to move around anyway. She was in the trunk of a car, again not though she could see with the bag over her head but she recognized the tell-tale bouncing as they drove along to who knew where. This was not how she'd imagined spending her night. Her plan had been to sit on the couch, curled up in blankets eating take out and smoking weed until she fell asleep. Pretty much how she'd spent most nights the last few weeks but one of the luxuries of retirement was that she got to be as lazy as she wanted.

Tess had retired from the CIA three weeks ago. It had been the hardest yet simplest decision she'd ever made. After her last op... she'd just hit a point where she felt she'd done all she could, given all that she could, to the agency at least. Now it was time to see what else was out there, what she might do. She didn't have any idea what that would be but she kind of liked it that way. She was excited to explore her possibilities; it had been a long time since she'd had so many.

Since she'd been able to imagine a future that didn't involve the SAC.

Five years ago there had been a breach in the agency's database and over a dozen personnel files had been stolen and sold to the highest bidders, including hers. She had been away on an op and by the time she returned the damage had been done. Because she'd never had a place of her own her address had still been listed as Lydia's so when Keyon Akhona, a South African arms dealer with a grudge decided to pay her a visit it was her aunt who paid the price. Losing her had been soul destroying and things had only spiralled from there. Agency protocol when an operative was compromised was to kill their civilian identity but she'd refused. All her life she'd been a ghost but no more- she was done being deniable. It was time to be unassailable. And she had been. She'd found the ones who killed Lydia, who'd bought and sold her information and put as many of them behind bars as she could, and the rest in the grave, but she had never found the ones who'd stolen it in the first place. Never the person or people who had managed to hack into the CIA's most secure server and destroy so many lives; she hadn't been the only operative to lose a loved one. Which was why she'd never understood why they'd tried so hard to stop her. They'd told her to stand down, to let other teams handle it- even threatened to label her as rogue when she disobeyed. They had doubted her at every turn and every time she had proved them wrong.

Showing them what she was capable of had been one of the most satisfying things she'd ever done.

It had also put her on a lot of people's shit lists. Tess had a lot more enemies now than she'd ever thought she would but thanks to her unconventional approach she had made even more friends. And though she'd come out stronger in the end the consequences of her actions had hit her hard. One more than any other.

She'd had to say goodbye to Jay.

She hadn't been able to do it in person so instead she'd sent him and Mouse a text sending them to the memorial she'd set up in Lydia's honour. It wasn't much, just a small metal plaque beneath her favourite tree in the park near her apartment but she'd wanted to do something to remember her. To pay homage to all that she'd done for her. It had been five years now since she'd seen either of them, or at least since he'd seen her; it had been too difficult to cut contact completely so aside from looking out for him, which she would always do she'd settled for sending him a Kit-Kat in the mail whenever he was hurt or in trouble. Just something to let him know she was still out there, still cared even if she wasn't sure that he did. He had never looked for her, never tried to contact her beyond one text, right after she'd left. He'd told her to be safe and to come home and then she'd never heard from him again.

It had broken something inside her when she hadn't.

When one month became three, became six, became a year and more. For a while Tess had hated him for it, for not even trying after everything they'd been through and then she'd hated herself for putting them in this situation but in the end she'd realized it was for the best. The lives they'd chosen were too different, but that didn't mean they always would be. The promise they'd made was to the end so as long as they were alive there was hope. Which was why she'd gone to see him after leaving the hospital in Virginia. She'd left O'Hare and taken a taxi straight to his place; she'd known things had ended between him and Erin, the former detective now working on a task force with the FBI, and had thought maybe it could be their time again.

But Jay hadn't been alone. He was with Hailey Upton, the woman who had been his partner for the last two years, up until a few weeks ago at least. Just days after she'd been hurt he'd had his own brush with death in the form of a serious gunshot wound to his left shoulder, and though the blood loss had nearly killed him thankfully he'd made a full recovery. It had taken him just over a month to return to active duty, he'd actually gone back the day she'd returned to the city, and since then he'd been partnered with Kevin Atwater.

Still, all it had taken her was a glimpse into his apartment to see that regardless of their work relationship he and Hailey had deeper feelings for one another. It was obvious in the smile he gave her and the gentle hand she placed on his uninjured shoulder, and though it hurt Tess had known she needed to walk away. The last thing she wanted was to show up and cause problems for him, and if he was happy that was all that mattered.

But not right now.

No, what mattered now was that wherever she was being taken, she'd arrived.