Into the Ocean.

January of 1993.

Vancouver.

It's risky to approach the same dangerous target twice, especially if they told you politely to buzz off last time. But there was something about Amelia that made me think she would be the key to all of this – I was going to balance my plan on her.

I sat down beside her at the bar, ordering a gin and tonic, top shelf.

She took a deep breath before she looked over at me. "I'm getting a serious case of déjà vu."

"Miss me?" I sipped my drink, giving my most charming smile.

Amelia narrowed her eyes. Brown, maybe hazel. It was hard to tell behind the dark eyeliner, and hard to focus on when her lips were nearby. "I wouldn't say that, exactly."

"I still need a meeting with your boss."

"Your persistence is… a little sad, honestly. Jacob told you no, I told you no. And yet, here you are. Do you think that's a smart way to behave?" She leaned in, her voice low, and put her hand on my knee. "Did you think that might be dangerous?"

I put my hand over hers, removing it and letting it drop between us. "Like I said before, I-"

"Yes, yes, you have a million-dollar idea." She turned back to her drink, staring pointedly away from me. "So does everyone. What makes you special?"

"Well, my persistence, for one."

She smiled, "Perhaps. What I don't understand is why you would want to leave your cushy job."

"I never said I wanted to leave."

She cocked an eyebrow, "So you get a meeting. You present your idea, and you get a cut of the profits. What do you do next?"

"I put it straight in my kid's piggybank."

"Ahh. The catch. He's married."

"Divorced, actually, thanks for asking." I took another drink, taking it down to half. It was probably unwise, but I had high hopes for this conversation. I had to sell it. "Listen, I make enough money to get by, but the world is changing. And I want to change with it."

She was intrigued, but still, she said, "You'll have to look elsewhere for your revolution, then. My acquaintance has discerning tastes, and she would never agree to meet with some stranger off of the street – especially not a cop."

Maybe I was wrong about this conversation going well.

She seemed to be done with me.

I finished my drink, leaning into her as I slid off the barstool, "Like I told your buddy Jacob, if you change your mind, I'll be around."

I left through the back, taking a deep breath of fresh air in the alleyway. It was covered in bright graffiti and littered with garbage – but I could breathe out here. Amelia made it hard to focus.

She came out behind me.

"Change your mind already?" I wondered.

She pulled the gun out of the back of her pants, letting the clip down to show me that it was loaded this time. "You have guts, Michael. I like that. But I can't help but wonder if you're trying to worm your way into my circle – a legitimate business, by the way."

I smirked, hiding my alarm. "What, you think I'm undercover? You think I pulled a gun on that random guy while I was following police protocol? Let me let you in on a little secret – I didn't know the gun wasn't loaded. I figured, hey, what the hell, who cares if we got one less dishwasher." I raised my voice, advancing on her despite the weapon between us. "It should be clear by now that I only want one thing – I want to get paid."

She held the gun up, pointing it squarely at my chest. "Against the wall, cop."

I backed up, turning to face the wall. She patted me down, and then said, "Turn around."

Once I was facing her, she lowered the gun, still holding it firmly in one hand – and she used the other hand to untuck my shirt. I shivered as she ran her hand beneath it, up my stomach, over my chest, and around my back. She stood close to me, too close, and hummed to herself.

"I guess you're not wearing a wire."

"Oh, is that what this is about?"

"You said you only wanted one thing, but I think you were lying." Amelia ventured closer, tucking the gun into her pants. "I can see it in your eyes."

She kissed me.

I had never felt anything quite like that. The moment her lips met mine, I forgot about the mission, about what she had done to Dino in the alley. Suddenly her hands were on me, and my hands were on her, and lightning was running through my veins.

I was painfully aware of the danger, of how wrong it was, but none of that could stop me. It felt like nothing could stop me.

Amelia was wild and rough, a sharp contrast to any woman I had ever been with.

She was impossible to resist, a crashing wave that dragged me into the ocean.