A/N: Hello again my darlings! Thank you for the reviews and giving your opinions on the title for the other story. (It's ready to post soon. It will be 3k+ but it'll only be a one-shot. Don't worry about reviewing "Late," as long as you enjoyed the story- I'm happy, but thank you for the review Char!

A/NN: I changed my Tumblr handle to That-writer-girl (it's something of that sort but my tag is for sure "Gallagher espionage")

Hope you enjoy!

~Shay

By the time my early dinner with Belle rolled around, I was emotional exhausted. My time getting ready, with Joe and Ray help, was very therapeutic but not good for my legs. I didn't have the heart to tell Joe no, so I was in a shorts and a plaid button down. If he was trying to upsale me as a lesbian, he was choosing the most stereotypical path possible.

The cafe wasn't busy, but I had to shoo away three waiters within three minutes. Then I ordered a beer when the fourth waiter came up.

As I waited for the beer, I took to frowning at the clock. It was already 15 after 3 and the soft tick of the second hand was only serving as a faint reminder of Belle's lateness.

30 after, I re-dialed the number Belle had called me from. It went straight to voice mail, and my eyes widened in shock when I realized the voice mail was said entirely in Russian. That is fucking suspicious.

"Name and number. I'll get back to you."

Sure, I had answered my phone in a cold manner, but nothing was more clinical than that answering machine.

I gave it ten more minutes before I slipped off of the stool and began stalking toward the door. If I was moody before, it had no comparison to now. Nearly four, and I had three hours to kill still. I toyed with the phone in my hand before I flipped it open and dialed the number than had come with the case.

"Name and ID?"

"Atalania, 0783920. Is the line secure?"

"Yes sir'ie. I'm your handler, you need more info right?" I stopped in my tracks, I sure as hell wasn't expecting a southern gal as a handler.

"Yes. Where can we meet?"

"The football stadium. fifteen minutes, you can have me for two hours and then I'm gone. If you're not alone, I'm gone. If your late, I'm gone. If you're being followed, I'm gone." I was in the process of replying when I was met with dial tone.

I began making my way toward the large football field on the edge of town, but once again stopped in my tracks. This time, it was because of a different southern beauty. Belle. She was in the road up ahead with another man, laughing. Betrayal blossomed in my chest, and I chastised myself. She could do what ever the hell she pleased.

"This is why you didn't show?" I asked her, viciously aware I was wasting precious time.

"Clarice! I'm- I'm sorry. I got held up-

"I can see that. It's okay, I'm meeting up with a friend in the next few minutes anyways."

"Why don't you come to dinner with us?" Her male counterpart asked, and I smiled sweetly, noting his handsomeness - a modern day blonde, blue-eyed man but she offset him spectacularly.

"I would rather not intrude. Have a nice evening Belle."

"I'm sorry Clarice." I heard her call, and I stopped dead in my tracks- remembering the voice mail.

"Are you Russian by the way?"

She had a look of confusion on her face before nodding.

"My mother was native and my whole family lives there. You're the only person besides them that has my personal number." She admitted, and the man she was with looked shocked (which made me feel much better).

I walked until I was out of their site, and then I began running and made it with only a minute to spare. A minute to find my handler in a sea of people. Of course a football game would be going on, so I quickly eliminated people, wishing I hadn't wasted time with Belle and her boyfriend.

A woman. Alone. She was very high strung on the phone. Fidgeting. The last one eliminated everyone except a mildly attractive woman at the top of the bleachers. She glanced at her watch and was standing up to leave when I reached her.

"I still have 15 seconds." I smiled, and she smiled in return.

She stuck her hand out and I took it reflexively, then dropped it nearly immediately. Her hand curled open to reveal something with a sharp point, and I was very glad for my sensitive palms, this was admittedly not the only time they saved my ass. I felt the object before she could stick me, but that didn't matter, she lunged forward and shoved her hand into my collarbone.

"I've had a really bad couple of weeks, been knocked out a lot. So I'm going to be pissed when I wake up."

"Relax. It's just insurance. I can't have you knowing the exact operation I'm working from until it's time for you to leave."

"Insurance how?" I questioned, placing my hand over the stinging area.

"It's poison. It will kill you if not treated in the next three hours."

It only took a couple minutes to make it to her hotel room. It was bare with a backpack in the corner, she was ready to go if anything went sideways. The moment we stepped through the doors, she wanted it to be over with as fast as possible.

"Shoot. Ask away. I answer anything that won't damage his assassination."

"How did the secret service know where to find me when I tried to get the case?"

"That's still being determined. It's believed they intercepted the call."

"Do they know who I am? I mean, was the man able to identify me?"

"No, and you're lucky he was a rookie. Had it been his partner who was in the room, and him in the tree with a rifle... you'd probably be dead."

So it hadn't been the man who shot me. I didn't know whether or not t be offended that I was marked from a tree.

"Why is the CIA interested in a secret service informant?"

"I told them you would ask!" She exclaimed suddenly, and I nearly jumped. I was being awfully paranoid.

"Sorry. Uhm, the informant was the cause of very many Cia lives lost on foreign soil. He has the SS convinced that the people he worked for will make an attempt on the president's life. My contact inside the ring says no such plan is in movement since election is coming up anyways."

"Okay, now answer my question. The CIA doesn't send a skilled assassin to do a hit because of revenge. So, what's the real reason." She seemed to cringe as I asked, but slowly answered.

"He... knows some, stuff, that would he very harmful to us if it were to get out." Once she said this, I needed no more information, but I wanted to see what I could learn.

"How dangerous?"

"It would hurt a lot of our sisters."

"Okay."

"Okay? Okay what?"

"Okay that's all I need to know. Just deliver him."

"I don't know your real name, but my name is Charlotte and I'd love to help you anyway I could." She said, sincerity pouring from her and I nodded- allowing her to write her number on my Palm.

That's as far as I could trust her for now, if she didn't know my name, then there was a reason for it. I wanted to trust her though, and I hoped I could.
Once she injected me, I didn't waste time hanging around. I hadn't been on this side of roseville since... junior year of school, but it wasn't something I could forget. I was just about to check the time when my phone rang, the ID popped up immediately.

Contact: Red.

"Yo yo." I answered and heard him snort.

"I'll be on the edge of town in twenty with the girls. Left a bag of clothes by the dumpster nearest to Gallagher. Meet me."

I hung up and began sprinting with a grin on my face. Things like this always brought back the thrill of a mission for me. Time limit. Objective. Changing clothes. I slid in between the throngs of people at the Faire, some clowns, some carnies, some festive goers. I took it all in.

A man was kissing upon a woman. I bet her husband wouldn't like that.

A kid was looking for trouble. That store has more security than you think.

A woman and man were fighting. Leave her, it never stayed verbal for long.

I turned away and focused on the objective, just 15 minutes...