Chuck vs Winemaker
Chapter 1
Okay, so the Wienerlicious thing was getting a little old…. Not that she didn't like her assignment, it felt good being around Chuck and his family, and even her relationship with Casey had progressed past tolerable to a fairly comfortable partnership….all for the greater good, of course. But taking orders from a guy named Scooter was admittedly starting to get on her nerves. All she wanted was to put on her pajamas and relax…. A trip to the spa might be in order…nothing like a massage to relax and clear your head.
As she walked down the hallway to her room she decided the agenda for the rest of the evening. Order takeout, schedule time at the spa and go to sleep. Tomorrow she could get up early, go for a run and then report to Casey's apartment for debriefing. She called the front desk, fully intending on getting information on the best Chinese place for takeout and was informed there was a message waiting for her…. A piece of paper with "Omaha 11 Priority" written on it. So much for relaxation.
The phone rang at 11:00 pm sharp. Sarah stared at it for a moment before taking a deep breath and picking up the receiver. Twenty-five minutes later she was in her car with Bryce and her mind was reeling. Fulcrum had penetrated multiple government agencies, but it was much deeper then they had initially thought. Fulcrum had something on Beckman, and Beckman was being pressured to put out a burn notice on Sarah, until they could set her up to be blacklisted.
Bryce studied her as he proceeded to elaborate on the effect this could have on Chuck and his cover, how he wasn't sure how much longer Beckman could stand the pressure without something breaking, how the latest chatter indicated a kill order on Chuck from inside Fulcrum and how he didn't think Casey was involved but couldn't be sure. Sarah stared at him in shock. "You need to protect yourself, Sarah. This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. You're the only one that can keep Chuck alive and they're not going to make it easy for you. I've got to go….and Sarah…. be careful ….. this is bigger than any of us care to admit."
She stared at the empty space in the passenger seat as Bryce disappeared from her life for the third time and decided that "complicated" doesn't even come close to describing her life.