Spies

Chapter 3

P.S. - I don't know why the phone app version is putting the copyright page before this one. Is this a problem for everyone?

....

You have got to be kidding me.

"What?" he replies.

Did I say that out loud...

"I can verify that you, indeed, said that aloud," Alex answers.

I looked at him and then closed my eyes. Why did he have to be Alessandro.

"So you are my new partner. Took you a while to show up," he said, pulling up Gaia's chair from her desk to sit near me.

"What do you mean it took me long enough?" I asked him. "I wasn't even aware of the changes 'the higher ups' made until this morning," I said, looking at him, making air quotes.

"It was processed months ago," he sighed, leaning back in the chair. "I'm sure they were planning it for months though. They basically just sprang it on us."

"I know. Just wondering why,"

He shrugged and played with random things on my desk. "Anyhow, no using crying over spilled milk." He got closer to me and whispered with a wink and a smirk, "Let's get to know each other before we start cases."

The close proximity and the masculine scent of his cologne clouded me. For a couple seconds, I was left speechless. "Ummmm..."

Fortunately, the phone rang, distracting both of us. Alex grabbed the phone before I could, saying, "Hello..." looking at my desk name card, "Calliope Andino's phone. How may I help you?" I tried to grab the phone but he stood up from his seat and continued to have a conversation with the person on the other end. He had turned away from me with my cordless desk phone and I could not make out what he was saying.

"Come back here," I whispered after him when he disappeared with the phone. After a few minutes, he returned with a file and the phone.

"We have a case," he placed the file in front of me. I took a sip of my coffee and picked up the file.

"What's it about?"

"Check it," he said, pulling out his phone from his pocket and sitting down.

I opened the file and read through it. It basically looked like a basic robbery case. Why would we be dealing with this?

"Judging by the look on your face, you're thinking the same thing I was. I don't know why we got this case either," he said before look down at his phone. Usually, these types of cases were given to the police departments of the area.

"Well," I closed the file and placed it on my desk. "At least we know it must be a very high-level robbery case. Or someone important was involved."

"True," he said, getting up and still looking at his phone. "Well, I gotta go."

"What,"

"I'll be back. Just read up on the case without me and I'll catch up later," he explained, finally looking up and placing his phone in his pocket. "Don't miss me too much, sweetheart," he said with a wink. Then, he just left before I could reply.

So I guess I have to do all the work.

I picked back up the file and thoroughly read the details of the case we were assigned. It was a basic robbery case. Gang involvement suspicions and possible suspects. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Even the gangs involved were low profile.

I closed the file and sipped my almost empty cup of coffee. My mind wandered off to random things but the most prominent one was my new partner. Where did he run off to? Why was I partnered up with him? Why do I even have a partner?

After 15 minutes of blankly staring into space with my cup to my lips, I set it down and put on my computer. I had a pile of work that needed my attention from when I left. Updating cases files, financial reports and budgets for special cases and evaluations still need to be done.

When I finished the work and had a couple breaks in between, it was the end of my first day back. Alex had still not returned and I had not heard from him for the rest of the day. Gaia and her partner had returned hours ago with leads from their case and were in the Research and Operations room.

This was almost the area of the building, besides the training range and staff rooms, where agents of special technological talents find information for field agents to help with cases. There are 30 agents designated in this area - research analysts, crime scene analysts, chemists, forensic pathologists, and information security analysts. The area is divided between the technological research team and the natural science research team in order to prevent contamination of evidence in both cases.

"You are going out with us tonight," Gaia said, walking with Chara towards me in designated staff room. They had both changed from their casual outfits this morning back to work attire.

"No I'm not," I replied quickly. "Wait, why?"

"Number one, I wasn't asking," she said, sitting on my desk counting on her fingers. "Number two, you have to tell me about the trip and all those sexy guys you turned down and/or shot."

"I didn't shoot anyone," I interrupted, slightly offended. Meanwhile, Chara was packing up her purse and putting on her jacket.

"Yeah right," she replied with an eye roll and a smile. "And number three," she whispered, looking around, "I still have to tell you the thing."

Oh right. I had totally forgot that she had something to tell me this morning before we were interrupted.

After a while, I caved with a sigh, "Fine. Where are we going?"

She jumped up with glee, throwing on her coat. She grabbed mine from the the back of my chair and threw it on top of me. "It's a surprise. Just come on," she squealed happily as she walked to the elevator.

I looked at Chara, " Did she eat or drink anything sugary?"

"How did you know?" she said, looking at me with surprise.

I shrugged, "I know Gaia. She is more...... cheery when she's had sugar."

"She just ate a leftover donut from the kitchen and drank iced tea before that."

"Uggghhhh," I sighed. "Well, prepare for a night with a normally cheery Gaia on a sugar high at a bar."

She looked at me as I got up and put on my coat, "How do you-"

"I just do," I said with a smile.

We both left it at that and went to the elevator.

In my mind, all that was repeating was: Please let Gaia pick somewhere decent.