MaesEchoWrites_03
The rain was a steady, rhythmic drumming against the window of the beat-up, black sedan. It was 1 AM, less than 24 hours since Chief Reyes' arrest rocked the MPD, and I was sitting shotgun next to Eli Ramirez-now less heartbroken fiancé, more gorgeous secret agent-as we staked out the Dela Vega penthouse.
"I hate stakeouts," I muttered, adjusting the baseball cap Eli had insisted I wear.
"Ang lamig, tapos puro traffic light lang ang nakikita ko."Eli flashed me a quick, devastating smile.
"Patience, Lexi. This is the difference between a forensic intern and a field operative. It's all about waiting... and then moving like a flash."
"I'm better at analyzing trace evidence than flashing, Sir," I quipped.
"Call me Eli. And you're about to be good at both. Tonight's objective is simple: retrieve the flash drive from the pedestal before the Syndicate cleans up Reyes' mess."
The apartment building was officially sealed, guarded by patrol officers still processing the
"Chief Reyes betrayal" angle. But Eli was nothing if not resourceful.
"Remember the security codes I used to get in last night? They only changed the main entrance password. The service elevator still uses the old sequence, designed by Serena herself," Eli explained, handing me a small, almost invisible lock-picking tool.
"Theater majors are very into back entrances." Inside the sealed apartment, the air still smelled faintly of antiseptic and tragedy. Yellow police tape was everywhere-a haunting reminder of the staged murder. My heart hammered against my ribs, but this time, it wasn't fear. It was pure, exhilarating purpose.
"Okay, the coast is clear," Eli whispered, moving with the quiet grace of a predator.
We reached the library.