the heartbreaking tale of lost love, we called it a night. Gaige offered to help Molly to her bed and, to my surprise, she accepted. I retreated to my own sanctuary for some much needed sleep.
With the doors to the patio open, the screen pulled shut to keep out pesky island critters, a cool breeze swept through my room. Bypassing my usual nightly routine, I collapsed into bed exhausted. For a long moment, I lay snuggled under the light comforter and simply listened to the island’s soundtrack. Ocean waves crashed gently on the shore, insects sang chirpy mating songs to one another, wind rustled leaves at a slow leisurely pace.
I closed my eyes and succumbed to fatigue.
THE NEXT MORNING , I was still groggy. Excitement over the impending run and the possibility of hunting down a lead on my locket had replaced my doubts over whether I was truly ready for such a complicated mission. Trudging into the kitchen, I pressed a sequence of buttons on the coffeemaker and waited for my latte to brew.
My roommate shuffled barefoot from her room, her kimono pulled snugly around her.
“You didn’t need to get up. You should be sleeping,” I said, holding out the latte I’d made for myself to her. “Here, I’ll make another.”
“You’re too good to me,” she replied, accepting the mug. “And I wanted to see you off, I can go back to bed later.”
I repeated the command sequence on the coffeemaker as Molly sipped foam from her cup. Once my coffee was done brewing, we headed outside to sit on the patio and drink our morning pick-me-ups while watching the island come to life.
“You guys will be careful, right?” Molly asked after we’d been sitting in companionable silence for several minutes.
“Of course, we’re always careful,” I told her.
“Gaige told me about what happened in Florence. You were almost caught, Stassi. That’s not like you.”
I’d purposely not told her what had happened, not wanting to worry her while she was dealing with health issues. Gaige had such a big mouth.
“No,” I admitted. “It was kind of a mess, but we figured it out. We always do.” I smiled at my roommate. “We’ll be fine. Gaige has my back and I have his.”
Her concern was genuine and not unexpected after her own near miss. Being chased by Napoleon’s men had been scary, but was nothing compared to being burned at the stake. Or so I imagined. The thought made me shudder. It was sobering to really think about how dangerous our jobs could be.
“It’s not that, exactly. I know you guys take care of each other,” Molly replied quietly. “I just have a bad feeling about this one. Like it’s…I don’t know how to explain it. I just worry about you.”
I leaned over and hugged her gently.
“I know you do. I’ll check in regularly with customs, though. I’ll be sure Cyrus knows that you need to be kept in the loop, okay?”
This seemed to mollify Molly a little, but worry still creased her forehead. My excitement dimmed further at her concern. Molly was the opposite of a worrywart, so this was new territory.
After we finished our coffees, Molly followed me into my room while I changed and packed a few necessities for the run. Untimely possessions were most often confiscated at customs, but a few were allowed, if the agent was a lenient one. Items like my eucalyptus face cream and special mint candies that were made on the island went into my small duffle bag. Once I added my camera, charger, and Qube, I zipped the bag shut. The tech would be necessary for this mission and every syndicate house had numerous safes to keep the items hidden from prying eyes.
I didn’t bother with clothes since everything from my underwear to my headwear would be provided by customs, including period appropriate bedclothes in case someone stumbled into my bedroom by mistake. Heaven forbid an intruder find me wearing pink sleep shorts with little green palm trees and run off yelling about some girl in
With the doors to the patio open, the screen pulled shut to keep out pesky island critters, a cool breeze swept through my room. Bypassing my usual nightly routine, I collapsed into bed exhausted. For a long moment, I lay snuggled under the light comforter and simply listened to the island’s soundtrack. Ocean waves crashed gently on the shore, insects sang chirpy mating songs to one another, wind rustled leaves at a slow leisurely pace.
I closed my eyes and succumbed to fatigue.
THE NEXT MORNING , I was still groggy. Excitement over the impending run and the possibility of hunting down a lead on my locket had replaced my doubts over whether I was truly ready for such a complicated mission. Trudging into the kitchen, I pressed a sequence of buttons on the coffeemaker and waited for my latte to brew.
My roommate shuffled barefoot from her room, her kimono pulled snugly around her.
“You didn’t need to get up. You should be sleeping,” I said, holding out the latte I’d made for myself to her. “Here, I’ll make another.”
“You’re too good to me,” she replied, accepting the mug. “And I wanted to see you off, I can go back to bed later.”
I repeated the command sequence on the coffeemaker as Molly sipped foam from her cup. Once my coffee was done brewing, we headed outside to sit on the patio and drink our morning pick-me-ups while watching the island come to life.
“You guys will be careful, right?” Molly asked after we’d been sitting in companionable silence for several minutes.
“Of course, we’re always careful,” I told her.
“Gaige told me about what happened in Florence. You were almost caught, Stassi. That’s not like you.”
I’d purposely not told her what had happened, not wanting to worry her while she was dealing with health issues. Gaige had such a big mouth.
“No,” I admitted. “It was kind of a mess, but we figured it out. We always do.” I smiled at my roommate. “We’ll be fine. Gaige has my back and I have his.”
Her concern was genuine and not unexpected after her own near miss. Being chased by Napoleon’s men had been scary, but was nothing compared to being burned at the stake. Or so I imagined. The thought made me shudder. It was sobering to really think about how dangerous our jobs could be.
“It’s not that, exactly. I know you guys take care of each other,” Molly replied quietly. “I just have a bad feeling about this one. Like it’s…I don’t know how to explain it. I just worry about you.”
I leaned over and hugged her gently.
“I know you do. I’ll check in regularly with customs, though. I’ll be sure Cyrus knows that you need to be kept in the loop, okay?”
This seemed to mollify Molly a little, but worry still creased her forehead. My excitement dimmed further at her concern. Molly was the opposite of a worrywart, so this was new territory.
After we finished our coffees, Molly followed me into my room while I changed and packed a few necessities for the run. Untimely possessions were most often confiscated at customs, but a few were allowed, if the agent was a lenient one. Items like my eucalyptus face cream and special mint candies that were made on the island went into my small duffle bag. Once I added my camera, charger, and Qube, I zipped the bag shut. The tech would be necessary for this mission and every syndicate house had numerous safes to keep the items hidden from prying eyes.
I didn’t bother with clothes since everything from my underwear to my headwear would be provided by customs, including period appropriate bedclothes in case someone stumbled into my bedroom by mistake. Heaven forbid an intruder find me wearing pink sleep shorts with little green palm trees and run off yelling about some girl in
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