A Target's Love

9

"What?" William Quinton gripped the phone furiously, "How can that be? Nobody is supposed to get through our security, much less a. . .a woman!" He said the last two words scornfully.

Mark sighed on the other end. Sometimes William could be so misogynistic, especially regarding their line of work. A woman who was good in their field was an exception to the rule in his eyes. "I don't know what happened."

"It can't be a woman," William stated flatly.

"We found indentations in the dirt outside the west wall unique to stilettos, of all things, Will. You know, it wasn't as continuous as flat-soled shoes. And frankly, I can't see any self-respecting man in heels. She entered the compound right in the blind spot. I've been telling you we need to fix that." He paused. "I don't know how she disarmed all of our alarms, but she did."

William slammed his fist down on his desk angrily. There had to be another explanation for this feat. "She can't be alone."

"Nope, I have a strong hunch that she's working with someone."

Javier entered his father's office just then. He raised his eyebrows at his father's enraged expression.

"What's wrong?" He asked, taking a seat on the leather couch that occupied the east side of the room.

William glanced at him, then said into the phone, "I need an update as soon as there's a new development, Mark. I'll fill Javier in now."

"What's the problem now?" Javier asked, leaning forward with his hands clasped in front of him.

William frowned. "Break in at the base, that's what."

Javier sat up straighter. "You're kidding."

"Stolen ammunition and weapons, including three C4 bombs and two FG-42 machine guns."

"In the grand scheme of things, that's some awfully specific loot. Any idea who the culprit is or how they got in? I thought we upgraded security recently."

"We did. Mostly. There was a blindspot scheduled for an upgrade in a week and evidence points to it being the point of entry. Mark says the guards were on duty at the time, the cameras are all working, and the monitors were never deserted. I picked those men myself. Hardly anything gets past them."

"I never thought I'd see the day. This person's good."

"Oh, and one more thing."

"What's that?"

"It's a woman."

Javier sprang up, eyes wide. "A woman? Impossible!"

"I thought so, too. They found stiletto indentations on the ground, apparently. Mark is hardly ever wrong about anything, though this sounds as crazy as it gets."

Javier sank back into the plush leather of the sofa and closed his eyes, thinking for a moment. Suddenly, a thought hit him. Could it be?

"Renee." He muttered, loud enough for his father to hear.

William scoffed. "That Barbie? No way. She's too shallow and ditzy. Her professional background is in shopping, for Pete's sake, and her father pretty much bought her that degree. She's incapable of something like this."

Javier reconsidered. She wasn't the smartest. "You're probably right."

*****

Elizabeth had decided to walk home from work that afternoon. She'd finished up early, so instead of driving, she'd decided to enjoy the cool, fresh air and have someone take her car home later. Her shoulder-length curls danced in the wind. The only time she regretted having thick hair and letting it down was on a windy day like today. The tresses whipped in every direction, stinging her face every time they connected with her smooth skin.