Chapter One
I looked back and saw they were hot on my tracks, so I carried on running towards the end of the street. I looked back again and I could see three of them at the top of the hill behind me. I searched my pockets for car keys and headed for the silver GMC Yukon parked on the curb. I unlocked the car and got in; put the keys in the ignition and drove towards Playa Del Rey. I looked in the rear view mirror; I had lost the government agents who had been following me all day. I switched on my cell phone and connected it to the laptop on the seat next to me. I opened the back of the phone and switched on the frequency jammer next to the battery. I took off my blood stained jacket and dropped it out of the window.
Playa Del Rey was bustling with locals returning from work, so I parked on the curb near the jetty. I put the laptop under the seat and put the phone back in my pocket after switching it off. I looked at the passing people to see if I had been followed. I got out and locked the car before heading towards the shopping center. Inside the center people moved in all directions, mostly towards the coffee bar on the third floor. "Lana!" Called Marc from the shop beside the escalator on the floor above me. Marc was a tall dark hared man with piercing blue eyes. "I don't know if I was followed." I said as I followed him into a women's clothes store, "Change. I need you to get out of here." He said as if he knew something was going to happen, "What's happening?" "I can't tell you because I don't know what it is yet. I'll contact you when I get the news from her." This was serious. I looked outside the store and saw three armed men at the top of the escalator. "You've got to go Marc, they're here." I pointed to the escalator, "Be careful." He left me and I quickly picked up some clothes and walked into an empty changing room. I pulled off the price tags and put them on. I peered through the shutter; one of the men put his gun back in its holster and entered the store. I picked my clothes off the floor and stood on the bench behind the door. He walked towards the changing room next to mine and pushed the door open; I drew my gun from its holster. He opened the door, after he was inside I shut the door with my foot. "I wouldn't even think about it." I got down, took the gun from his holster and placed it in mine. "You're not stupid are you." He said, "Not as stupid as you are." I put my hand inside the pocket in his jacket and found a FBI badge. His name was Antonio De Caro. He looked Italian, dark hair, dark eyes and the stripe beard under his lip. "What can I do for you Mr. De Caro?" "You know my name, it's only fair I know yours." He said, "You can call me Evans." I held the gun with two hands, "What are you going to do now Evans?" "I'm not answering your questions... Face the wall." I said after locking the door. I took out his earpiece and followed the wire to his back pocket; I pulled it out and switched it off. I looked through the shutter once again; the other two men were heading towards us. "I don't want to hurt you Antonio, we've got to make a deal." "What kind of deal?" He asked "You help me and I'll help you. Anything you want to know I'll tell you." I said, "I just want to get out of here alive... Do you have a girlfriend?" "No. Why?" He asked, "My name is Lana Evans. Don't even try to look up my file because I don't have one. I am your new girlfriend." I told him, "My girlfriend wouldn't be holding a gun to my head." I gave him my gun and he put it in his holster. "That's better." The changing room next door was pushed open. "Kiss me." He pushed me against the changing room wall and kissed me; his hand lifted my leg up to his waist and my arm went around his neck. The door was unlocked, then opened. We kissed again. "Tony?" Asked the first man, "Yeah," He said turning to face them. "You're supposed to be looking for the girl." Said the second man, "This is..." Antonio paused, "Lana," I whispered in his ear. "Lana." He said confidently, "You haven't met her yet." "Tony, who are these men?" I asked, "These are the people I work with. Tom and Chris." "Sorry to take Tony from you Lana, but he has work to do." Said the first man, "Could you just wait outside for a while. Please?" I shut the door, "Thank you." I kissed him, "What was that for?" He asked, "For not saying 'this is the girl we're after. Book her'?" "No, for not making me have to kill you and your friends." I looked into his eyes. "For that I thank you too." He replied, "Just one thing. They are not my friends." I took his hand and we went back into the main area of the store. I Stopped and pulled him close. "They don't trust you now. They will start tracking you. I need to see you to night." I whispered. "You know where I live?" "Antonio, don't under estimate me. I will see you tonight." I kissed him again, "Will you be staying?" He asked, "Yes. Don't prepare a spare bed." He smiled, "Whatever you say Lana." He kissed me, "I better go." He said so the others could hear. "Okay. I'll see you later." I let go of him and went back into the changing room. Out of my pocket I pulled Antonio's earpiece; I unplugged the microphone and put in the earpiece before switching it on. "Set up a group in Antonio De Caro's building and bug his apartment. He may be working with a known terrorist." Said one of the two men before Antonio reached them. "Hey Tony, where did you meet her?" Asked the other, "I met her in a restaurant. She was at the table opposite." He replied confidently, "Can you make it to the game tonight?" Asked the first, "No, Lana's coming over." He told them. I switched of the pack and put it in my skirt pocket. I picked up my clothes and walked over to the counter. I paid for the clothes and then went back to the car.
I switched on my cell phone and dialed Marc. "Marc. I have a new asset." I said as he answered the phone, "Do you want me to check them?" He asked "Yes. Antonio De Caro. He's a FBI agent. I need an address and profile sent to my laptop." "How did you get an FBI agent to not take you in?" He asked, "I didn't give him much of a choice. I need you to create a profile for me." I replied as I started the car. "What name are you under?" "Lana Evans. I need a new car, they are tracking me." "Lana, you're taking a big risk. They nearly shot you today; and your new asset is an agent sent to take you back to FBI headquarters." Marc sounded like he didn't want me to be in the same situation again. "I have his pack Marc. I can hear what he says and when he says it, I'll leave it in the car when you collect it. You'll need to tap into the FBI mainframe so you can watch all the feeds from the cameras Antonio's apartment. They've bugged the whole place." "How are you going to do this?" He asked, "I'll do whatever I can to get what I need." I replied knowing that he didn't want to hear that. "Andrea will be waiting for you outside the Marina Del Rey Hotel. She will be in the black Audi TT convertible, a new phone and palmpilot will be in the glove compartment." "Thank you Marc." I hung up and drove to the Del Rey Hotel further down the Pacific Coastal highway.
The Marina Del Rey Hotel was pretty quiet for the middle of the peak season; the hotel was one of the most expensive in Los Angeles, which could have been the reason for lack of interest. I could see Andrea sitting on the bonnet of the car further down the street. I parked the car and walked over to Andrea, "The clothes need to be destroyed, as with the phone and laptop." I said to her as I handed her the keys. She said nothing, just walked over to the car and drove off. The Audi's keys were behind the driver's visor; I got in and opened the glove box. I immediately switched on the palmpilot and looked at Antonio's profile. A clean agent, good education and no cases of asset loss or case breakdowns. I switched on the cell phone and dialed the office number given on his profile, "De Caro." He answered, "Hey Tony, it's Lana." I said sweetly. "Hey Lana, What do you want baby?" He asked as if he wasn't sure to trust me. "I got a surprise for you, but I want to put it in your apartment before you get back." I said desperately trying to think of an excuse. "I don't finish for another fifteen minutes, the key is under the pot by the door." He told me realizing that he was in deeper than he had thought. "That's going to make things a lot easier now. See you later." I quickly hung up and sighed with relief. I now had to arrange a 'surprise' for someone, who was my partner, who I had only known for less than an hour. I thought about what I could do on the drive to Tony's apartment
I looked back and saw they were hot on my tracks, so I carried on running towards the end of the street. I looked back again and I could see three of them at the top of the hill behind me. I searched my pockets for car keys and headed for the silver GMC Yukon parked on the curb. I unlocked the car and got in; put the keys in the ignition and drove towards Playa Del Rey. I looked in the rear view mirror; I had lost the government agents who had been following me all day. I switched on my cell phone and connected it to the laptop on the seat next to me. I opened the back of the phone and switched on the frequency jammer next to the battery. I took off my blood stained jacket and dropped it out of the window.
Playa Del Rey was bustling with locals returning from work, so I parked on the curb near the jetty. I put the laptop under the seat and put the phone back in my pocket after switching it off. I looked at the passing people to see if I had been followed. I got out and locked the car before heading towards the shopping center. Inside the center people moved in all directions, mostly towards the coffee bar on the third floor. "Lana!" Called Marc from the shop beside the escalator on the floor above me. Marc was a tall dark hared man with piercing blue eyes. "I don't know if I was followed." I said as I followed him into a women's clothes store, "Change. I need you to get out of here." He said as if he knew something was going to happen, "What's happening?" "I can't tell you because I don't know what it is yet. I'll contact you when I get the news from her." This was serious. I looked outside the store and saw three armed men at the top of the escalator. "You've got to go Marc, they're here." I pointed to the escalator, "Be careful." He left me and I quickly picked up some clothes and walked into an empty changing room. I pulled off the price tags and put them on. I peered through the shutter; one of the men put his gun back in its holster and entered the store. I picked my clothes off the floor and stood on the bench behind the door. He walked towards the changing room next to mine and pushed the door open; I drew my gun from its holster. He opened the door, after he was inside I shut the door with my foot. "I wouldn't even think about it." I got down, took the gun from his holster and placed it in mine. "You're not stupid are you." He said, "Not as stupid as you are." I put my hand inside the pocket in his jacket and found a FBI badge. His name was Antonio De Caro. He looked Italian, dark hair, dark eyes and the stripe beard under his lip. "What can I do for you Mr. De Caro?" "You know my name, it's only fair I know yours." He said, "You can call me Evans." I held the gun with two hands, "What are you going to do now Evans?" "I'm not answering your questions... Face the wall." I said after locking the door. I took out his earpiece and followed the wire to his back pocket; I pulled it out and switched it off. I looked through the shutter once again; the other two men were heading towards us. "I don't want to hurt you Antonio, we've got to make a deal." "What kind of deal?" He asked "You help me and I'll help you. Anything you want to know I'll tell you." I said, "I just want to get out of here alive... Do you have a girlfriend?" "No. Why?" He asked, "My name is Lana Evans. Don't even try to look up my file because I don't have one. I am your new girlfriend." I told him, "My girlfriend wouldn't be holding a gun to my head." I gave him my gun and he put it in his holster. "That's better." The changing room next door was pushed open. "Kiss me." He pushed me against the changing room wall and kissed me; his hand lifted my leg up to his waist and my arm went around his neck. The door was unlocked, then opened. We kissed again. "Tony?" Asked the first man, "Yeah," He said turning to face them. "You're supposed to be looking for the girl." Said the second man, "This is..." Antonio paused, "Lana," I whispered in his ear. "Lana." He said confidently, "You haven't met her yet." "Tony, who are these men?" I asked, "These are the people I work with. Tom and Chris." "Sorry to take Tony from you Lana, but he has work to do." Said the first man, "Could you just wait outside for a while. Please?" I shut the door, "Thank you." I kissed him, "What was that for?" He asked, "For not saying 'this is the girl we're after. Book her'?" "No, for not making me have to kill you and your friends." I looked into his eyes. "For that I thank you too." He replied, "Just one thing. They are not my friends." I took his hand and we went back into the main area of the store. I Stopped and pulled him close. "They don't trust you now. They will start tracking you. I need to see you to night." I whispered. "You know where I live?" "Antonio, don't under estimate me. I will see you tonight." I kissed him again, "Will you be staying?" He asked, "Yes. Don't prepare a spare bed." He smiled, "Whatever you say Lana." He kissed me, "I better go." He said so the others could hear. "Okay. I'll see you later." I let go of him and went back into the changing room. Out of my pocket I pulled Antonio's earpiece; I unplugged the microphone and put in the earpiece before switching it on. "Set up a group in Antonio De Caro's building and bug his apartment. He may be working with a known terrorist." Said one of the two men before Antonio reached them. "Hey Tony, where did you meet her?" Asked the other, "I met her in a restaurant. She was at the table opposite." He replied confidently, "Can you make it to the game tonight?" Asked the first, "No, Lana's coming over." He told them. I switched of the pack and put it in my skirt pocket. I picked up my clothes and walked over to the counter. I paid for the clothes and then went back to the car.
I switched on my cell phone and dialed Marc. "Marc. I have a new asset." I said as he answered the phone, "Do you want me to check them?" He asked "Yes. Antonio De Caro. He's a FBI agent. I need an address and profile sent to my laptop." "How did you get an FBI agent to not take you in?" He asked, "I didn't give him much of a choice. I need you to create a profile for me." I replied as I started the car. "What name are you under?" "Lana Evans. I need a new car, they are tracking me." "Lana, you're taking a big risk. They nearly shot you today; and your new asset is an agent sent to take you back to FBI headquarters." Marc sounded like he didn't want me to be in the same situation again. "I have his pack Marc. I can hear what he says and when he says it, I'll leave it in the car when you collect it. You'll need to tap into the FBI mainframe so you can watch all the feeds from the cameras Antonio's apartment. They've bugged the whole place." "How are you going to do this?" He asked, "I'll do whatever I can to get what I need." I replied knowing that he didn't want to hear that. "Andrea will be waiting for you outside the Marina Del Rey Hotel. She will be in the black Audi TT convertible, a new phone and palmpilot will be in the glove compartment." "Thank you Marc." I hung up and drove to the Del Rey Hotel further down the Pacific Coastal highway.
The Marina Del Rey Hotel was pretty quiet for the middle of the peak season; the hotel was one of the most expensive in Los Angeles, which could have been the reason for lack of interest. I could see Andrea sitting on the bonnet of the car further down the street. I parked the car and walked over to Andrea, "The clothes need to be destroyed, as with the phone and laptop." I said to her as I handed her the keys. She said nothing, just walked over to the car and drove off. The Audi's keys were behind the driver's visor; I got in and opened the glove box. I immediately switched on the palmpilot and looked at Antonio's profile. A clean agent, good education and no cases of asset loss or case breakdowns. I switched on the cell phone and dialed the office number given on his profile, "De Caro." He answered, "Hey Tony, it's Lana." I said sweetly. "Hey Lana, What do you want baby?" He asked as if he wasn't sure to trust me. "I got a surprise for you, but I want to put it in your apartment before you get back." I said desperately trying to think of an excuse. "I don't finish for another fifteen minutes, the key is under the pot by the door." He told me realizing that he was in deeper than he had thought. "That's going to make things a lot easier now. See you later." I quickly hung up and sighed with relief. I now had to arrange a 'surprise' for someone, who was my partner, who I had only known for less than an hour. I thought about what I could do on the drive to Tony's apartment