The One That Got Away (The Bounty Hunter Trilogy)

Chapter eleven

Alec's phone made a noise and he startled, stepping back so quickly from Magnus that he almost lost his balance. Magnus seemed just as startled, if not even more. There was a foreign expression on his face, when Alec stared at him, one he couldn't decipher. He fished out his phone, trying not to think about how close he had been to kissing the man in front if him. He looked at the phone and back at Magnus, who had turned his back on him. "It's Simon, he needs me to go over the photo..." Alec said, trailing off a little and Magnus turned around again, smiling. His eyes seemed... sad. "Of course. I'll be going to get ready. Let me know when we can formulate a plan." the conman said, waving his hand elegantly and turned on his heel, stalking out of the room just as soon as Alec had nodded towards him. The bountyhunter breathed out. He felt like Magnus might have been mad at him. It didn't matter, though, because Alec couldn't go around kissing the people he was supposed to catch and dispose. But as hard as Alec tried, he couldn't see Magnus as one of those people. Way too quickly had the man found a way into Alec's heart.

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of Magnus's breath against his lips. He went down to the computer room, founding Simon sitting behind the desk. "Hey, you okay? You look pale." Simon asked and Alec nodded quickly. "Just a headache. Is this it?" Alec changed the subject and stared at the screen. There was Clary and Jonathan, in an alleyway in front of a cafe. They looked to be having a conversation and both were wearing attire that said 'we don't want to draw attention to ourselves'. It looked insanely real. "Simon, this is amazing. It's like this actually happened." Alec said, awe evident in his voice. "Thanks." Simon said, looking relieved and a little shy. Alec patted his shoulder and went back upstairs.

After a few hours, everything was ready, all they needed to do, was to have Magnus contact Valentine, in hopes that he would take the bait. They were all in the ops room, waiting for the conman to emerge. He did, looking much like the first time Alec had met him. He was dressed all in black, which was weird, considering the way Magnus usually liked to dress - but even he knew when to act all business. His black trousers allowed him to move quickly and over the black shirt he was wearing a long black coat. His hair were still full of blue glitter, though. It made Alec smile a little, but he forced his face to be serious when Isabelle caught him, giving him a strange look. Magnus clapped his hands. "Alright, let's get this party started!" he said enthusiastically and Alec gave him a glare. Magnus smirked a bit and then took out his phone, waving it in front of them. "I already texted him, by the way. Well, not him. Raphael, I still have his number from before. He delivered my message to Valentine, who is willing to meet!" the man stated, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "That's good, but we have to be careful, okay? Isabelle and I will be coming with you, to keep an eye-" Alec started but Magnus cut him off. "If you two come along, he will surely either kill me and you, or won't even bother to show up. He will spot you a mile away. Either you stay here, or, if you really need to be there, I suggest you find a hiding spot at least a few blocks away." Magnus replied.

Isabelle crossed her elbows but looked thoughtful. "He's got a point, Alec. We can't do anything, but be ready to help if need be. We might as well go with Magnus's plan." she said, looking at Alec reproachfully. Alec groaned. "Fine. When are we leaving?" he asked, eyeing Magnus. He looked so damn good, even in all black and his wicked smile made Alec shiver. "At 1 a.m. He sent me a location, here." he said, showing Simon his phone. The nerd glanced at it and then typed it into the computer, making a red dot appear just outside the city. "Isn't that the abandoned mine?" Jace asked now, standing next to Clary. They seemed closer than before and Alec suspected, that the fact that Clary was being hunted by her murderous brother had activated a protective side of Jace usually reserved for Isabelle. He smiled to himself, but nodded. "Looks like it. Alright, we'll be here." he said, pointing to a spot just a few miles further from the red dot. "Magnus will go in, try to convince Valentine that he is on their side and we will wait for him. If he succeeds, we will all meet back here. If something goes wrong..." Alec trailed off, giving Isabelle a look and she nodded, clicking her tongue. "Then he will regret it, immensely." she smiled, her perfect teeth gleaming under the lamps.