Once again, thanks so much for the feedback. Big thanks to demonbookworm101, Pengu2510, Dr Alice, ladylampetia, Pandora'sMoon, JessahmeWren, and anyone else reading along! Just a heads up! I will be out of town this coming weekend, so I may not update until Mon. or Tues. of this coming week.

I just hope I can keep up with this pacing I've got! Oh, and here's more Red. :)

(x)

Roof of 1813 U Street NW

Washington, DC

Red used the grappling gun and climbed onto the roof of the adjoining building cleanly and easily. Once he stood on solid ground, he drew in a deep breath, reached into his side pocket, and took out a handkerchief. He patted his brow as if he'd just participated in a rousing round of croquet. As he did so, he scanned the immediate area. Someone else might not have seen her. In fact, that's no doubt what she'd been counting on.

He strode forward. "Good evening, Casey."

Not ten feet away from him, a thin rail of a figure stepped out, dressed from head to toe in dark clothes to blend in among the shadows. The only thing that stood out was her bright red curls from underneath her hood. "Hey, Red."

They smiled at each other pleasantly, like two friends who had just met in the world's most unlikely backwaters.

"This better be good," he said. "I gave up my hat for this."

"You'll get another one. The same one. Probably."

"I've returned your device in fine working order." He held it out.

She stepped forward uncertainly, took it from him, and stepped back. "Didn't expect anything less."

"Well, I know how you like your toys."

She shifted in place. "Been awhile."

"Nine months," he said.

She did some math. "Thought it was a year."

"Well, a year since the last time you saw me." He appraised her. "You're taller."

"I got this growth spurt. It's weird, too. Everybody else in my family's real short, and all the ladies have these big hips and boobs. Someone forgot to put me on that list, I guess." Casey kept talking. "It's okay though. It comes in handy for crawling in and out of tight spaces, like air vents and some cooling pipes… It's good for hiding and things like tight rope walking, yoga, hula-hooping..."

Red kept his eyes on hers. She was scared. She didn't want him to know she was, which was of course what made it so obvious.

She didn't like silence, so she kept it at bay. "You look the same though."

"You still dress like you're going to a poetry rap group."

"You still dress like you're about to board the Titanic. Or meet up with your ska band." She nodded to him. "Did you get the painting?"

"I did."

She watched him. "…How'd that go?"

Red said, "I liked it so much that I didn't want to have to send it to its owner and his many wives. Though it arrived. On time and in excellent condition."

"What a coincidence. So did the money you wired."

"I trust it was put to use."

"Had to pay for the passport and a plane ticket to St. Petersburg somehow."

Red drew closer. He wanted to see if Casey would instinctively back up. Though she might have wanted to, she didn't budge. He took a breath and turned to immediate business. "You're trying to see how close you can get," he said. "You're getting… very close, just so you know." He studied her. "The way I see it, you called me here for one of two reasons. You either want to see if you can take me on, like one of your sculptures or paintings or Faberge eggs, because that would say something about the level of experience you've reached. Or conversely, you're hopeful that in the midst of all this you'll be able to fall into my good graces. What graces there are to be had."

Part of her cavalier act dropped. Her eyes showed some of their fear. "I needed an answer to a question."

"Do you have it?"

She watched him, like he was a live wire or a hungry lion or a shark in blood-infested waters. "I didn't mean…" She struggled with her words. It wasn't like her. "I didn't know they'd put out a contract on you, too."

"But you knew they'd put out a contract."

"On me. Afterwards, I understood that would happen."

He crossed his arms and held his chin in his hand. "You seem to be branching outside of your comfort zone. Very quickly, I might add." He sucked in a breath and held out his arm to glance at his watch. "By the way, I'm not sure how much time we have. The agency is steps behind, but not entire staircases behind, just so you know."

"Heard a rumor about that," she said. "Someone said you were working for them."

"And you didn't believe it."

"I believed you were there. Took a lot of time and networking and finger crossing to hack into the place, so you better freakin' believe I knew you were there."

"When I gave you the first rule, computer hacking wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

She glanced to the side sheepishly. "Yeah, well. Hacking's not my strong suit. I had some help."

"They did find you fairly quickly."

"I knew I wasn't good enough to get away with that one, so I made it work for me." Then she said, "But don't worry. I didn't think you were working for them."

"Since when have you known me to work for anyone?"

She grinned. "Well, whenever I do think you're working for someone, I find out they're working for you. They just don't know it yet."

Red smiled as she had her answer.

Casey repeated herself and seemed to want to level with him. "But I need you to know." She shook her head for emphasis. "I never wanted this to happen to you."

"Though you did involve me."

She opened up her hands. "You did tell me that I needed to align myself with someone who had clout and a reputation for getting things done."

"And here I thought you weren't listening." Red said, "I also suggested that you should change your handle."

She shrugged. "What's that rule number three? Four? I forget."

Red ignored the question. "It's hackneyed."

"I like cats."

"That's apparent. To the point of beating a long deceased horse."

She managed a smile, but didn't say anything. She just watched him.

He watched back and said, "You think I'm here to kill you."

She didn't correct him. "If you are, I wanted to know it because I heard it from you in person."

"Do you think I'm here to kill you now?"

"No," she said trying to be confident, though her scratchy voice gave her away. "I think you'd find a way to do it where it would be fitting and appropriate, not on some rooftop somewhere. And I didn't think hacking into your agency would push you enough to pull a gun on me."

"You know, there are more subtle ways to attract my attention."

She shrugged. "If I'm on my way out, I may as well have some fun."

Red considered things before he said, "Before I answer your question, I need you to answer mine."

She raised her head in attention and made a guess. "You want to know who gave me this job."

"I am curious, though that wasn't my question."

Casey looked at him apologetically. "I'd tell you, but I don't think that'd help me."

He appeared unbothered. "It really shouldn't be long before I have that information."

She waited and then asked, "So what's your question?"

"Why in the world, Casey, would you accept this job from what I imagine would be a well-connected spy or motivated exporter who is interested in Syria's military locations, when you knew it was only a matter of time before it would become a matter of international significance?"

She steeled herself over and looked him straight in the eye. "I needed a challenge. Like you said. I needed something bigger, something to give me my own name outside of yours."

Red sucked in a breath as he realized. "Oh my. You didn't know."

"Look, I…" She seemed to be jumping right back into her lie, when she stopped herself and said instead, "It was just a job."

"You thought it was only the painting."

Her voice raised. "It wasn't even the only painting I was getting that week, when you count the one for your friend the sheik or the Sharif or whatever he calls himself." She laughed nervously as she said, "I mean, I take jobs all the time. I have another job right now. I'm a busy girl, you know?"

He couldn't help but look at her oddly. "You took another job. In the middle of this?"

"It's not hard," she said dryly. "I'm working for idiots. It'll be over tomorrow."

"And just as I was about to suggest that you consider keeping a low profile."

She looked at him. "Well, I'm gonna need some money after this, don't you think?"

Red watched her, thought for a moment, and took in all the things that statement meant. He then said, "I don't know whether to feel a swell of awe or repugnance for your blatant and determined recklessness."

"It's okay. You can feel both. No, you can. A therapist told me that once."

Red smiled despite himself. It faded away sadly as he had a thought and spoke it aloud. "They're going to kill you. Once they get done with whatever they choose to do to you first."

Casey said, "But you're not the one who's gonna do it, are you?"

"Killing you is not particularly my style and would be somewhat counterproductive." He had a thought and added, "Though you could spend time thinking about, oh the couple hundred or so other motivated parties who no doubt in their wanderings happened upon that contract."

"Are you worried about it?" she countered.

"I have an array of resources."

She nodded and stared down at the ground. In the span of a few seconds, she went from looking relieved to looking worried. "You want to know what's funny?"

"You borrowing dialogue from a '90s video game in your hacking debut?"

She looked at him. "I thought that hearing you weren't going to kill me would make me feel better. I almost didn't expect to hear it, you know? I mean I had a whole plan for it, if you were the one who was gonna pull the trigger. I'd ask you for more time, even offer to let you come with me while I wrapped up some affairs. I figured you'd be fair about it. When this whole time, I should have been coming up with a plan for if it wasn't you."

"Well," he said. "I'm sorry to disappoint."

She smiled. "I told myself you'd be straight with me, no matter what the answer was."

"Did that give you the stones to set up this meeting?"

Casey pursed her lips and shrugged. It made her look even younger than her years. "I've always had stones."

"That is what you peddle."

She released a long breath into the cool wind around her. She looked like could use a cigarette or maybe one of the fingers of Scotch they sold in the building next door. "All right, that's what I needed to know." She started to back up. "Thanks, Red. You're a class act."

Red called after her. "You gave the agents your name. Your real name."

"My real first name," she corrected from a few feet away.

"Interesting choice given recent events, wouldn't you agree?"

She grinned easily. "What name do you like? I'll give 'em that one next time."

"I've always been partial to Elizabeth myself."

"That's the name of that one agent," Casey said, not missing a tick. "You got a thing for her or something?"

"If you're implying that I've spent a fair amount of time in her company recently, you wouldn't be incorrect."

"Seemed like a nice lady," she said. "Tell her no hard feelings, okay?"

"Is that also what I should tell the Syrians?"

She bit her bottom lip and said, "Maybe you're the one I should be telling that to." Then she said, "Don't get caught, okay?"

"Interesting remark. Considering it's exactly the advice I was about to give you."

"I don't get caught."

"Well… just that once."

"That had extenuating, uh, circumstances. Also, the guy never turned me in, so…" Casey was already to the edge of roof. "It was good seeing you, Red. I won't see you anymore though. Take care of yourself." He heard the firing of the grappling gun, and then she disappeared from sight.

Red breathed in a deep breath and released it. He then lifted his cell phone to his ear. "Dembe. I'm going to need you to acquire some information from a hospital outside Minneapolis. Anchor Behavioral Health. Also, I'll need you to get in touch with our contact in Moscow." Red listened and then replied brightly, "A ride? No. No, I believe one is about to be provided for me."