My Spy

Chapter 11


Chloe sat in her robe on the small balcony of her hotel, sipping a coffee while keeping her eyes on the front entrance of the hotel across the street. The hotel where Beca and the Bellas were staying.

After she had unpacked, Chloe had discovered that her room gave her a perfect view of the other hotel as well as the area surrounding both. And the view from her balcony gave her a front-row seat to the comings and goings happening at the other hotel.

Three stories up, with a railing hiding most of her from view, Chloe watched the early morning hustle and bustle on the street and sidewalk below. She suddenly set her cup on the small table and sat straight up in her chair.

Beca and the Bellas were coming out of the hotel. It took all her willpower not to jump up and run across the street to Beca.

Chloe sighed and sat back down when she saw the girls turn and start walking away from their hotel. With all the sounds that were assaulting her ears, she swears she can hear Beca's laugh. She smiled and looked away when a horn honked to the right.

Her smile dropped when she saw three men walking in the direction of the girls; Chloe thought she recognized one of them.

"Fergus Hobart," Chloe muttered, jumping up and running back inside.

She came out, carrying her FBI issued Glock, and looked back to where she had seen Hobart and his men; they were gone. Chloe searched around and spotted the Bellas continuing to walk up the street away from the hotel.

"Dammit!" Chloe muttered.

She ran back inside and hurriedly got dressed. Once dressed she left her room and ran across the hall to her Uncle Matt's room. She knocked and waited.

Matt opened the door and Chloe blurted out, "Hobart's here."

"What?" Matt asked as Chloe pushed her way into his room.

"I just saw him," Chloe said. "It was him and two of his men."

"Why were we not notified that he had arrived in Paris?" Matt asked.

"I don't know," Chloe said, running a hand through her hair as she paced back and forth. "But it was definitely him; I saw him from my balcony. Be-, the Bellas were on the sidewalk walking toward him, so I went inside to grab my gun, just in case. When I stepped back out, I didn't see him. The Bellas were okay, but he's here and he apparently knows where they are staying; where Amy is staying."

"Go back to your room and watch for Hobart," Matt said. "I'll get Jason and we'll hang out in the lobby for a bit. If you see Hobart anywhere near the hotel, call me, and Jason and I will follow him. Okay?"

"Got it," Chloe said and rushed out the door.

~~ My Spy ~~

Chloe did as instructed and was currently sitting on her balcony with a small pair of high-powered binoculars. She scanned the street from the left and then to her right, taking in every person. Her lips curled into a smile when she saw Beca's face pop into view. She lowered the binoculars and saw the Bellas were making their way back to the hotel. They were currently looking into a shop window, pointing at various items on display.

A movement caught her eye and she raised the binoculars again. She caught sight of three men who had stopped just behind the Bellas. She zoomed in and a small gasp escaped her lips. She grabbed her phone and called her Uncle Matt.

"Did you spot something, Chloe?" Matt asked as soon as he answered the call.

"The Bellas are on their way back to the hotel," Chloe said. "And Hobart and two of his men are following them. I'm coming down."

"No!" Matt said quickly. "Jason and I will take care of it."

"But, I-"

"Just hold your position, Beale," Matt said. "We'll call you back if we need you. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Chloe snapped.

Matt ended the call and Chloe went back to watching Fergus Hobart and his men.

The Bellas were at the hotel entrance with Amy bringing up the rear. Chloe watched as Amy stopped and looked back the way she had just come from. Fergus Hobart stopped and looked at Amy. He held his arms out like he was waiting for her to run into them.

Chloe could see they were speaking but couldn't hear what was being said.

"Hobart is outside with Fat Amy," Chloe texted to Jason and Matt.

Both men read the text.

"Jason, you stay inside," Matt said. "Amy's seen you. I'll make sure she's okay, just keep an eye out and be ready if anything should happen."

"Yes, sir," Jason said and stood by the window, hidden by a large plant.

Matt saw the other Bellas looking back at the main entrance. Jessica walked over and looked outside to see where Amy was.

"She's still outside," Jessica said, as she made it back to the group. "She's yelling at some guy."

Matt casually strolled out of the hotel and heard Amy and Fergus yelling at each other.

"Excuse me, miss," Matt said to Amy, getting her attention. "Is this man bothering you?"

"It's just a small family disagreement," Fergus said, glaring at Matt. "And none of your concern. So, why don't you just move along now?"

"I wasn't talking to you," Matt said, looking directly at Fergus. "I was talking to the young lady." Matt then turned his gaze to Amy. "Are you okay? Do you want me to escort you into the hotel?"

"Yes, please," Amy said, turning her back on Fergus.

"This isn't over, Patricia," Fergus yelled as Matt followed Amy inside. "I'm not going anywhere until I get what's rightfully mine."

Jason watched as Matt and Amy came into the hotel lobby. He looked out the window and saw Fergus Hobart and his men walking back in the direction they had come from. He also noticed Chloe coming out of their hotel.

Jason hurried out the door and made his way to Chloe. Chloe was halfway across the street when Jason ran to her and pulled her to him in a hug.

"What the Hell are you doing, Jason?" Chloe asked, trying to push him away from her.

"You need to go back to your hotel," Jason said, turning her around. "The Bellas can't know you're here, remember?"

Jason took Chloe's arm and held it as if they were out for a casual stroll.

"But, I need to make sure Beca is okay," Chloe said, looking back at the other hotel.

"She's fine," Jason said, leading Chloe back into her hotel. "I promise. She and the rest of the Bellas were worried about Amy, but once she came in with the Director, they calmed down."

"Where's their security?" Chloe asked. "They are supposed to have a security detail protecting them. Where the Hell are they?"

"I don't know," Jason said. "But, I promise I'll find out."

Chloe paused at the door and looked back across the street. Matt had left the hotel and was walking in their direction. Chloe and Jason went inside to wait for Matt.

~~ My Spy ~~

"Who was that guy, Amy?" Aubrey asked once Amy was back with the group.

"I don't know," Amy said, shrugging. "He apparently got his knickers in a bunch because he thought I purposely bumped into him."

Aubrey bought the explanation. When Amy didn't say anything more, the Bellas started talking and agreed to go to their rooms to get ready and then meet at the pool. Beca hung back and walked beside Amy.

"Was that your dad?" Beca whispered. "How does he know where you are?

"That was him," Amy said. "I don't know how he found me."

"Are you going to be okay?" Beca asked. "Maybe we should say something to Chicago or Zeke. Make sure they keep an eye on you and watch out for your dad."

Beca looked around. "Where the Hell are they anyway? Aren't they supposed to be protecting us while we're here?"

~~ My Spy ~~

Chloe and Jason had been waiting in the hotel bar for Matt. After a few minutes, Chloe stood and walked over to look out the front window. She saw Matt pacing in front of the hotel, with his phone up to his ear.

She rejoined Jason, informing him that Matt was taking a call.

"I wonder who he's talking to," Chloe said. "I hope it isn't about my Aunt Peggy."

"Maybe it's about Hobart," Jason replied.

"Hmm, maybe," Chloe said.

Matt entered the bar and made his way over to them, sitting in the vacant chair next to Chloe.

"The French authorities have located Hobart's yacht," Matt said

"Great!" Chloe said. "Where is it? We need to search it."

"Hold on," Matt said, holding up his hands to stop Chloe. "We need to do this by the book. We don't want Hobart getting off on a technicality."

"I'm sure I can get on board tonight and do a search," Chloe said. "I'll wear an earpiece and camera and record everything that we can use in court or wherever."

"We will do that. The French authorities have agreed to honor any U.S. search warrants we have for Hobart," Matt said. "Including the one for his yacht. But we have to do this strategically. If Hobart has any idea we are FBI, and that we're here for him, he'll be gone before we even make it to the yacht. We need to make a plan."

Matt, Chloe, and Jason worked together for over an hour until Matt was satisfied with the plan they had formulated.

"You ready for this, Chloe?" Jason asked as they stood to go to their rooms to get everything ready.

"I'm ready," Chloe said emphatically.

~~ My Spy ~~

While Chloe was working out their plan with Matt and Jason, Beca and the Bellas were sitting around the pool. Theo, one of DJ Khaled's producers, spotted them and made his way over.

"There's your boyfriend, Beca," Emily said, chuckling at the face Beca made.

"I have no interest in him like that," Beca said.

"That may be true," CR said. "But he sure does seem to have an interest in you like that."

"Excuse me, Beca," Theo said, stopping next to Beca. "May I borrow you for a moment?"

"Um, sure," Beca said, looking around at the girls and standing. "I'll meet you guys later. Just text me where you're going to be."

"Okay," the girls call out.

Theo takes Beca's arm and leads her inside the hotel.

"Where are you taking me?" Beca asked once they were inside.

"Khaled wants to talk to you."

"What? Why?"

"I'll let him tell you."

"Maybe it's about the contest," Jessica said, as they all watched Beca and Theo go into the hotel.

"What else could it be?" Ashley asked.

"He could be asking her out," Emily said.

"If that's true," Aubrey said, chuckling. "I'd love to be a fly on the wall to hear that epic rejection."

The other girls laughed and settled back to continue their sunbathing.

"Where's Amy?" Aubrey asked, suddenly looking around. "I'm a bit worried about her since that incident earlier."

"I think she was going to stay in her room to take a nap," CR said.

"Oh," Aubrey said. "So, what should we do about dinner?"

Aubrey settled back down as the girls started throwing out ideas for dinner.

~~ My Spy ~~

Chloe and Jason spent some time on the army base, collecting everything Chloe would need to get to and search Fergus Hobart's yacht. She walked away with full scuba gear, an underwater GPS, and a spotlight to guide her through the dark waters.

While Chloe and Jason did their thing, the Director was meeting with the French authorities to coordinate Hobart's takedown once Chloe gave them the go-ahead.

Everything was falling neatly into place and Chloe could not be happier. Once they had Fergus Hobart in custody, she and Beca could reunite and get reacquainted. Chloe blushed slightly and got a faraway look in her eyes, as intimate thoughts of Beca took over her mind.

"You okay, Chloe?" Jason asked, bringing Chloe out of her head. "Where'd you go just now?"

"What?" Chloe said. "Sorry, I guess I just got lost in my head for a second. We need to go; we're supposed to meet up with the Director."

"Okay," Jason said and led Chloe to their car.

Thirty minutes later, the three agents were in the Director's hotel room, going over the plan.

"The French police and harbor patrol have boats manned and at the ready," Matt said. "We just need to be sure there are actually guns on the yacht. The French will take Hobart and his men into custody. The French courts are not as lenient as U.S. and Australian courts, so once convicted, Hobart will go away for a long, long time. We just need to get them the evidence."

"We will," Chloe said.

"Good," Matt said. "Now, once we get to the marina that is closest to where Hobart's yacht is anchored, there will be a motorboat that you and Chloe will take to get as close to the yacht as possible without being seen. Once you do, Chloe, you will have to get to the yacht from underwater."

"Yes, sir," Chloe said.

"We've checked all the equipment and everything is good to go," Jason said.

"Excellent," Matt said. "Let's get ready and meet back here in thirty to head to the marina."

"Yes, sir," Chloe and Jason said.

~~ My Spy ~~

The Bellas had finished dinner at a small bistro just down the block from their hotel. Aubrey had sent Beca and Amy a text letting them know where they were but neither of them had shown up.

"Where do you think Amy and Beca are?" Emily asked Aubrey.

"I don't know," Aubrey said. "Beca's been with that Theo guy for a while now."

"What do you think he wanted to talk to Beca about?" Ashley asked.

"I thought it would be about the contest," Aubrey said. "But it shouldn't take this long to tell her whether we won or lost."

"I checked Amy's room to see if she wanted to join us for dinner," Flo said. "But there was no answer. You don't think something happened to her, do you?"

"I hope not," Ashley said.

Just then a man walked up to the table.

"Excuse me," the man said in a heavy French accent. "Are you the Barden Bellas?"

"Yes," Flo said, quickly as the other girls nodded.

"I am Henri," the man said. "I have been asked to escort you ladies to the event."

"What event?" Aubrey asked, looking at the other girls. "No one mentioned an event for this evening."

"They said it was something about an announcement," Henri said.

"We must have won," Jessica exclaimed.

"We have to wait for our friends," Emily said. "Beca and Amy aren't with us."

"They are already there," Henri said. "With Chicago."

"No wonder they didn't meet us," CR said.

"Come on, ladies," Flo said, taking Henri's arm. "Let's not keep this handsome Frenchman waiting."

The girls were excited as they grabbed their belongings and followed Henri.

~~ My Spy ~~

After the meeting with Jason and her Uncle Matt, Chloe went to her room to change. She opted to wear shorts and a tank top since they would be less constrictive under the wetsuit.

Jason spent his time checking the van they were using to make sure everything they needed was loaded and ready to go.

Matt went over the plan in his head a few times; he was satisfied that the plan was perfect on paper and now it just had to be executed.

Thirty minutes after leaving Matt alone, Chloe was the first to return. Jason came in just a few minutes behind her.

"The van is ready to go when we are," Jason reported.

"It will be dark soon," Matt said. "We should go now."

The three agents left Matt's room and made their way down to the van in the hotel's parking garage. Matt got behind the wheel, while Chloe and Jason got into the back.

"It should take us about thirty minutes to get to the marina," Matt said as he pulled out of the garage.

Jason helped Chloe get ready as they drove through the streets of Paris on their way to the marina. As a final touch, Chloe put her earpiece in and Jason did a check to make sure it was working.

"Don't forget to check the camera," Matt said from the front of the van.

"It's good to go," Jason said, looking at his laptop.

"Okay, we're here," Matt said. "I'll pull around to the entrance to the dock to let you two out. Then I'll be going to meet with the authorities to help coordinate Hobart's arrest. Okay?"

"Roger that," Chloe said.

"Got it, sir," Jason said.

Once the van stopped, Chloe and Jason grabbed their equipment and made their way down the dock to the slip where the motorboat was waiting for them. They loaded everything on and pushed off from the dock.

Jason started the motor and steered the boat through the water. After about ten minutes, he stopped and turned off the motor. He reached under his seat and pulled out the anchor, dropping it over the side.

"This is as close as we can get," Jason said. "The yacht is just over there."

Chloe looked to where Jason was pointing and tugged on her oxygen tank. She placed the face mask over her face and took a couple of breaths, giving Jason the thumbs up to let him know she was ready.

Chloe sat on the side of the boat and fell backward into the water. She popped up and Jason handed over the GPS and light. He tapped Chloe on the shoulder and Chloe sank down into the water.

Once submerged, Chloe turned the GPS on and watched the tracker come to life, giving off an eerie green glow. The glow wasn't enough to see in the dark, murky water so Chloe switched on the light that would help guide her.

The trip from the motorboat to the yacht didn't take long. Chloe slowly brought her head out of the water and checked the yacht for any movement. Seeing none, she climbed onto the back of the boat.

Chloe quickly removed her oxygen tank and left it on the back of the boat with her face mask and flippers. She heard what sounded like screaming and quickly looked around, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. Thinking it was just noise from another boat carrying over the water, she ignored it and quickly made her way to the lower decks.

"Are you getting a clear picture?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, I'm getting it," Jason's reply came through Chloe's earpiece.

Chloe quietly opened the door to the room on her right, taking special care to search every corner before entering.

"Bingo!" Chloe said when she saw that there were several crates in the room.

"Open them up and let's see what's inside," Jason said.

"Copy that," Chloe said.

Just then Chloe heard what sounded like a scuffle.

"Hang on a second, Jason," Chloe said. "I think someone's coming. I need to check it out."

"Be careful," Jason said.

Chloe took her Glock from the bag that was slung over her shoulder. She slowly opened the door, gun at the ready, and quickly looked out. She was shocked to see Amy placing a chair under the handle of the door at the end of the hall.

"Amy?" Chloe whisper-yelled, causing Amy to turn toward her in a fighting stance.

"Chloe?" Amy said, seeing the redhead. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Chloe responded as Amy approached her.

"My father kidnapped the Bellas," Amy said, causing Chloe's heart to drop to her stomach. "He threatened to kill them if I didn't show up. So, Beca and I came to rescue them."

"Beca's here, too?" Chloe asked, and looked up toward the ceiling when her ears registered that someone was singing. She looked at Amy with a raised eyebrow.

"That's Beca and the Bellas causing a distraction for me," Amy said.

"A distraction?" Chloe looked at Amy. "What did you do?"

"I sort of set it up so there would be a couple of tiny explosions," Amy said.

"Did you hear that, Jason?" Chloe said.

"I've already notified the Director," Jason said in Chloe's ear. "He said, rescuing the Bellas is now your top priority."

"Got it," Chloe said, looking at Amy. "Show me how to get up top."

"This way," Amy said and led Chloe toward a door.

Chloe followed Amy until they reached a second flight of stairs; Amy stopped.

"I'm going up top and cause a different diversion," Amy said. "You go through that door and you'll see my dad and probably a couple of his guys. The Bellas should be off to your left."

"What about you?" Chloe asked. "What are you going to do to distract them?"

"Don't worry about me," Amy said. "You'll know when to come in. Trust me. Beca would kill me if I let anything happen to you."

"Okay," Chloe said, unable to keep the smile off her face. "Be careful."

Amy nodded and ran up the stairs. Chloe slowly cracked open the door and could see the backs of three men. She looked to their left and could see the Bellas dancing and singing. She saw Beca look up and then start waving the Bellas back, making it look as if it was all a part of the dance routine.

Chloe got ready for whatever was about to happen. Amy suddenly came crashing through the skylight, foam from a fire extinguisher going everywhere. Amy swung the hose back and forth, spraying the foam all over her father and his men.

"Freedom!" Amy yelled.

Amy's yelled, spurred Chloe into action and she rushed through the door, pushing the first man into Hobart, causing all three to fall to the deck in a tangle of limbs.

Chloe could barely see the Bellas through the foam but it looked as if they had started running toward the back of the boat. Chloe heard several splashes, confirming that they did indeed jump off the boat.

The first explosion hit as Chloe kicked one of the men to make him drop the gun he had raised toward Amy. The three men struggled to get off each other and tried to stand.

"Amy, come on," Chloe heard Beca yell.

Amy dropped the fire extinguisher and Chloe watched as Beca grabbed Amy's arm and dragged her to the back of the boat. Beca never looked back so she never saw Chloe.

A sense of relief washed over Chloe when she heard their splashes, indicating that they, too, had jumped off.

Chloe noticed Fergus Hobart had made it to his knees, pausing just long enough for Chloe to quickly execute a roundhouse kick to his head, knocking him out. She ran in the same direction that Amy and Beca had gone, just as another explosion ripped through the boat.

~~ My Spy ~~

Amy hit the water hard and came up sputtering.

"Beca!" Amy cried out.

"I'm right here," Beca replied as she swam over to Amy.

"Did Chloe make it off the boat?" Amy asked.

"What?" Beca screeched. "Chloe was on the boat?"

"Oh, my God!" the Bellas said collectively.

"Yeah, she was on the boat," Amy said. "The last I saw her she was tackling my dad to the deck."

"Chloe!" Beca started yelling and whipping her head around looking to see if Chloe was in the water. "Chloe! Please answer me! Chloe!"

"Chloe!" the rest of the Bellas joined Beca in calling out for the former Bella.