Chapter 1

March 1973

Sean sat staring at the same document he'd been looking at for over an hour. The words had become gibberish, taunting him on the page. He marveled, he could spend 72 hours straight in the field and it was nothing, but 8 hours in the office and his brain felt like mush. He'd been in Canada over a year now, tasked to open the Toronto field office. In that time he'd established an elite crew of agents and support staff who managed to take down several DVX operations, including discovering and turning an entire den of assassins. He was proud of the work he had done, but was ready to move on to the next assignment, the next excitement. Sean was like a shark, staying in one place was deadly and he was beginning to feel the atrophy of complacency every day he made the routine trip to and from the office and hotel.

"Bea!" he bellowed, rubbing his temples, "I'm heading out."
"Want me to call a car?"
"No. I'll walk. It's only a few blocks and I could use the fresh air," he said with a sigh as he donned his coat and scarf.

He exited into the brisk Toronto dusk, adjusting his collar and pulling on his gloves as he walked back to the Royal York Hotel, his home all these months. This was the first time he'd walked around the neighborhood and he decided to explore a bit, take in all of the sites that had sped past him from the back of a car. He came upon a pub. He'd remembered driving by the place several times, The Boar and Rabbit, he'd chuckled at the name each time. "Who came up with that?" he wondered. Now, with time on his hands, and a grumble in his stomach, he decided he might as well find out.

It was a traditional English pub, wood panelling and all. There were pictures of ancestors and favorite football clubs on the walls, English football, not the American game where only one man ever kicked. The air was stale with smoke and ale, he was certain they'd have a great shepherd's pie.

He chose a booth in the far back corner where he could observe all the entrances and exits, all the comings and goings in the main room. He did it out of habit, it was in his training. The barmaid came and he ordered a Glenlivet 12 neat and shepherd's pie, then sat back and observed the room… that's when he saw her.

Slim and graceful with chestnut curls, large brown eyes, and a British accent far too posh for her surroundings, she was too young to be there alone, but no one seemed to object. She was absolutely beguiling and seemed to hold all the men in her thrall. He watched her work, cajoling drinks, finding the guy with the most money, or at least the most money that night. When she found him she was merciless in her seduction. Whispering in his ear, laughing at his jokes. She allowed his hands to wander and rest on her shapely behind, but as he was groping her ass and whispering crude nothings into her ear, she was robbing him blind. She lifted his wallet easily, it was just there, sticking out of his pocket. Next came his pinky ring, then his watch. She left his wedding ring to remind him where he should be, home, not groping an underage girl in a bar.

She excused herself and made her way to the ladies' room, helping herself to 3 or 4 more wallets along the way. When she emerged, a few minutes later, she put the now empty wallets back into unsuspecting pockets. She was so good no one even noticed. Well, one person noticed. Sean. Game recognizes game, and Sean was impressed with what he saw.

He came back the next day and the day after that. He sat in the same booth. Ordered the same meal, the same drink, and he watched. At first she thought he might be a cop, but she saw in his eyes a compatriot. He wasn't there to stop her, he was there to watch her, to observe her. So she put on a show. She found a mark and picked a wallet right in front of him, making sure she had his eye. Counted out the dollars right there and slid them into her bra, all for his entertainment. He smiled and raised his drink with the slightest of nods. She basked in his attention.

He watched as she drank, as she seduced, as she took desperate men for all they had.

Three days he watched.
Three days he observed.
Three days he planned.

On the fourth day he finally approached her.

"Hello."
"Hello," she said with a curious smile.
"May I buy you a drink?"
She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "You know what I do to men like you, are you sure you want to chance it?"

Sean laughed at her bravado and ordered their drinks.

"Mind if we sit? I'd love to talk with you."
"Talk?" She said with a sigh, "I have work to do."

Sean opened his wallet and pulled out a pile of bills, all hundreds.

Her eyes widened.

"Will this cover your time?"
She smiled a wide open smile that would melt the coldest heart, " Yeah, that'll do. So... are you a cop?" she asked, sliding into Sean's preferred booth.
"Do you think I'd let you get away with all the things you've done if I was a cop?"
"I don't know," she shrugged, "You might if you wanted something from me. Do you want something from me?"
"I'm not a cop."
"What are you?"
"I'm a spy."

She stared at him incredulously. A spy!? That's the stuff of stories! Of movies! Soap operas! That wasn't real life. A spy!?

"A spy?" she laughed.
"I work for the WSB."
"The WSB?"
"The World Security Bureau."
"What's that?"
"It's an international intelligence agency."
"And it brought you here?"
"Sometimes intelligence brings you to Toronto."
"How unfortunate for you," she smirked.
"I wouldn't say that. If I wasn't here, I wouldn't have found you."

She stared at him, blinking.

"Seriously?"
"Yes"
"I don't understand."
"You're a natural. I want to recruit you."

She couldn't stop staring at him, like he was some sort of alien. Surely, this was a joke or a con. Revenge for all the men she'd rolled over the year? A spy? Recruit? What in the hell was going on?

Sean pulled out a card, wrote on the back, then slid it over to her.

"This is real. Here's my card. Meet me tomorrow, 10 am at this address. Do you have anything you might wear in an office?"
She blinked and gingerly took the card, it was thick with embossed letters, was this legit?
"Yeah. I have something."
"Wear that."
"Okay…" she said, still quite confused.

He finished his drink, left a pile of cash on the table, and stood to leave. She followed him out of the booth. He took her hand.

"Sean Donely."
"Anna Devane."
"Nice name. It's been a pleasure, Anna Devane. See you tomorrow."

And with a smile he was gone leaving a dazed Anna staring at his card.