Page 22 of The Eagle (Spy Girl 2)
The fighter veers and changes direction causing my stomach to flip again. The amazing savory crepes trying to come back up make me think of Lorenzo, of what he said tonight.
Avionic controls flicker with activity in front of me. I focus on them, trying to clear my mind. Although I've never flown a plane, I was taught to in flight simulators, so if it was necessary, I could get by.
That was one of my goals after graduation--to get behind the controls of a real plane. Although this isn't exactly how I pictured it--in a fighter jet being raced toward Paris and my mother's assassin.
I can see stars through the canopy as well as the other fighter just off the starboard wing. I close my eyes and try to rest, but I can't.
Instead, I visualize my mission. How each disguise will work. Step by step how I will track the assassin.
And, of course, exactly how I plan to kill him.
MISSION:DAY FIVE
We land at a French air base less than ten miles from Paris, get out of the plane quickly, and are rushed by the pilots into a locker room.
"You survived," the hotshot Cobra says to me.
"No thanks to you. Somehow I don't think all those turn and burns were necessary. Were you trying to make me sick?"
"Yes, ma'am," he says in an adorable southern accent, making it hard to be mad at him. He reaches for my front zipper. "Don't forget to leave my flight suit."
I back up. "Um, I can't take it off right now."
"Why not?"
"Because the dress I was wearing when I arrived wouldn't exactly fit under it."
He cocks his head and smirks. "Are you tellin' me that you're nekked under there?"
"Almost," I reply.
"Well, hell, darling. I hate to tell you this, but that there suit is the property of the United States government. I can't allow you to leave here with it."
"Fine," I reply, stripping out of it, and now wearing nothing but my strapless bra and black lace thong.
"It's like I'm livin' a fantasy."
Ari walks by. "What the heck?"
"The pilot needs his flight suit back. Said I couldn't leave. And we need to leave now. I'll find clothes later."
Ari rushes off and comes back with a towel, wrapping it around me.
"You're being weird."
"I don't need to see my sister like that," he says, rushing me out to our car.
"Thanks for the ride, guys," I say, waving goodbye with my evening bag.
"The backpack you requested is supposed to be waiting in the car," Ari says as we get in.
"And hopefully some weapons," I add.
Thankfully, we have both in the car, and the backpack is set up exactly the way I asked. I quickly throw on my first outfit, which is a goth/biker chick look, and apply makeup while Ari drives.
GPS says we will arrive at the location where the hit is supposed to take place in twenty minutes--putting us there in just under four hours.
Once I am dressed and made up, I go through the other items in the car.
"What all did they give us?" Ari asks.
"There's a backpack for you with a change of clothes and an iPad. Two handguns--Glock for you. Sig Sauer for me. Keys to a motorbike that's parked just around corner from the hit location. A remote controlled, palm-sized drone for additional surveillance. Button-shaped pins that allow Terrance to see and hear us. And earpieces so we can hear him."
"How do you feel about that?" Ari asks.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you think having Terrance in our ear will be a help or a hindrance?"
"I think talking into our cuff will look pretty suspicious to an assassin."
"We can't risk spooking him."
I can't help but laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"You said we can't spook him. That's funny since we are spooks."
"I don't get it."
"Haven't you ever heard a spy called a spook?"
"Uh, no. Why are they called that?"
"Because they are supposed to be invisible. Like a ghost. Get it?"
"Spooks, huh?" he says, nodding his head, like he finally gets it.
"Whatever. Anyway, that's why having Terrance in our ear will be invaluable. He can hack into traffic cameras to keep an eye on the assassin, making us virtually undetectable." I hand him a small, clear earpiece. "Here, put this in and let's make sure it all works."
"I'm more concerned about my gun working," he says. "How does it look?"
"Freshly cleaned and oiled. Extra clips."
While Ari continues to race toward our destination, I get the button positioned properly on each of us, put my earpiece in, and make contact with Terrance.
"Can you hear us, T?" I ask.
"Do I have a code name now, Spy Girl?"
I laugh. "Apparently. I take it you can hear us. Are you getting visuals, as well?"
"Yes, we're up and running. Are you going to make it in time?"
"We are," Ari replies, glancing at the clock, gripping the wheel, and pressing down a little harder on the gas pedal. Then he goes, "Spy Girl?"
Terrance laughs in our ears.
We arrive at the given address and discover it's the location of a coffee shop. Ari drives past it and parks as I take in the neighborhood. It's morning in France, but most people are already at work, and traffic is minimal.
"What's the plan?" Ari asks. "Should we go inside or sit on the patio?"
"He shot the President with a sniper rifle. I feel like one of us should be on higher ground."
"Should we send up the drone for that?"
"Maybe. I just wish we knew how he was going to kill his target."
"What would you do?" he asks, which helps me visualize the process.
"It would depend what I was told about the target. For example, if the target goes to the coffee shop every day and sits inside to read the morning paper, I could poison the coffee, shoot the target with a poison dart, follow him into the bathroom and drown him, or just slit his throat. But any of those ways would mean he would die while I was there, and I wouldn't want that. Since the place isn't crowded, I'd want it to look like a heart attack or that the target had fallen asleep. It would take a waiter a bit to realize it, and I'd have already paid for my coffee and walked out the door. I could even walk by the target on my way out, bump into him, and administer a slow poison into his arm. I'd be gone before he died, and no one would be the wiser. What would you do, Ari?"
"I guess I missed class the day we had assassin training. I'd put on a mask, walk in, shoot him in the head, and walk out."
"No messing around with you. You're all force and no subtlety." I give him a smile. "I will say though, you've been doing a fine job of playing my brother."
"What's with the look?" he asks, eyeing my first disguise. "You certainly don't look like Huntley."
"That's the point." I put my chin down and speak to the button. "The drone is in my palm. She's all yours now, Terrance." There's no reply, but the little drone starts with a small buzzing sound then lifts off into the sky. "Why don't you take up a position at the bus stop, Ari. Maybe buy a paper and sit on the bench. I'll position the motorbike just down the street." I check my watch. "We have two minutes. Let's split up."
Ari buys a newspaper and takes his position on the bench. I'm on the motorbike, having just come around the corner, when I hear him shouting.
"Oh my God! The target is Clarice Vallenta. I repeat...the target is Clarice!"
"We have to stop it," I yell back. "Go!"
The sound of a gun's retort cracks through the air, and I watch as Clarice goes down in the middle of the street.
