Secret Sniper

Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

As I sit in the private CIA jet, I look out the window, only to see the darkness that surrounds it. I turn my head to examine my crew. I'm flying with Natalie's sister, FBI Agent Courtney Rodriguez, and my handler, CIA Agent Michael Thomas. Courtney, laying down on one of the jet's couches, is asleep. I've known Courtney just as long as I've known Natalie, but I've always been closer to Courtney than I have been to Natalie. I'm kind of glad I'm working on this case with her, but the only downer it that she doesn't even know we're hunting down her own sister to snipe her. She turns onto her side, still asleep, now facing the aisle. She's beautiful, I must admit, especially when she's sleeping. I know, I know, I shouldn't be thinking this as a married man, but well, if a woman is beautiful, she's beautiful. Across from me in another chair is Michael, also asleep. I, though, am too anxious fall asleep. I feel a buzz in my side pant pocket and pull out my phone.

"A text?" I whisper to myself. "I see Adriana misses me already," I smile. I open the text and see I have received pictures of Adriana. "Correct Eric," I say to myself. But after taking a closer look, I'm a little confused, though, because the photos aren't sent from Adriana. It's from a private number, one my phone doesn't recognize. I look closely into a specific picture and recognize there's a white blur on the edges of the photo. *A window frame?* my conscience questions. I program my phone to focus the picture a little more clearly and can see that the white blurs are window frames. I also see there's a net pattern between the camera and where Adriana's standing in the house. *A window screen*, I conclude.

"Kidnappers? Robbers?" I wonder. I close the app and immediately call Adriana.

One ring.. Two rin-

"Eric?" Adriana answers. She sounds scared, anxious.

"Adriana? Are you okay?" I ask quickly, leaning toward the edge of my chair.

"I'm fine, but there're people surrounding the house. FBI agents," she exhales shakily. "What's going on?"

"I honestly have no idea. Courtney or Michael never told me anything about this," I glance over at Courtney, then at Michael, who are still fast asleep. "Then again, I don't even know if they know about this."

"So what do I do?" she inquires.

"Just stay put. One sec, let me wake them to see what's going on," I say, starting to reach for Michael to wake him.

"No no no, you don't have to. Well not now, anyway. Let them rest," she replies quickly.

"Adriana, you're life could be at risk. I have to wake them," I respond firmly.

"Fine," she sighs.

I put her on speaker phone as I reach over and tap Michael's knee. He doesn't move, so I shake him a little.

"Michael," I whisper.

"Hm?" he opens one eye, sitting up. "What is it Eric?"

"Did you know anything about the agents surrounding my house?" I ask.

"Um, no.. CIA agents?" he sits up a little straighter.

"No, FBI agents," I say.

"FBI?" Michael glances back at Courtney who happens to be sleeping through all of this.

"Yeah, wake her for me," I nod my chin in Courtney's direction. He nods, getting up to wake her.

"Hun, you still there?" I say into the phone.

"Yeah, I'm here. Soo if Michael doesn't know, does this mean Courtney doesn't either?" she responds.

"Not necessarily," Courtney announces from where she sits on the couch, rubbing her forehead. She gets up and sits on the arm of my chair. "We've sent six FBI agents there to surveil Adriana's every move to ma-"

"*You* sent them here? Without even letting the rest of your crew know??" Adriana almost exclaims, cutting off Courtney.

"I did. I was ordered not to let the CIA agents know until we were aboard the jet or until another FBI agent sent the pictures," Courtney says in a 'as-a-matter-of-fact' tone. "I didn't want to be the bearer of bad news so I let my other colleagues do the job."

"This wasn't in the packet!" Adriana shouts through the phone.

"Technically it was. Those six other FBI agents listed with my name were assigned to keep an eye you. But what wasn't in the packet was the fact that if Eric doesn't shoot our target, you'll be the next one," Courtney snaps. Little does she know that if I do shoot our target, she won't be too proud of this accomplished mission.

"Ladies, ladies," Michael soothes. "Hey, weren't you two friends? What happened to that?"

I hear Adriana sigh through the speaker. "My bad. Lost my temper Court," she says.

"It's cool, I'm sorry too," Courtney apologizes.

"Hey, listen, I've gotta go. Work," Adriana announces. "Love you hun."

"Love you too, bye," I say as I hang up.

"So. What was *that*?" Michael asks, looking up at Courtney.

"Ugh, I don't know. Just so much pressure with this mission," she replies.

"You have noo idea," I lean back in my chair, looking out the window.