Before We Fall

Chapter 1

Riley Donovan ^^^^^^

I traced the top of my glass as I waited. Glancing up at the clock on the wall, seeing the arrival time had gone and passed. Fabric rustled and I glanced at the man across from me.

"You're late." I told him. The boy gulped in slight fear, but he spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. I was making sure I wasn't followed. Please excuse my lateness." He asked forgiveness.

"Nevermind that, tell me." I ordered him. He nodded and pulled out a small paper from his pocket. He unfolded it.

"He's moving after something. Something big." He answered me. My ears perked up at the forth coming information.

"What is it?" I asked him to continue. The boy's face drained of all emotion.

"I..I...I don't know." He answered what I already figured out. My jaw tightened as I leaned forward.

"Then why are you here?" I hissed at him. Anger filling up my voice.

"I-I-I-I yo-you sent-" "I don't care if I sent for you. You should have stayed and gathered more information then this useless one." I interrupted him, jerking the paper from his hands. I stood up, placing a few coins on the table, glaring at the boy.

"You've wasted my time with pointless information. Have a good day, Mr. Smith." I angrily told him before walking out. I slid into the car that was waiting for me and it pulled away from the curb and out of the city.

"He had absolutely nothing. All he said that they were going after something big but he didn't know what." I cursed the boy's name as arms wrapped around me from behind and rubbed their thumbs over my knuckles, which had reddened from punching.

"You need to calm down." Howard whispered in my ear.

"Why do we hire spies if they are not going to do their job and be spies?" I questioned Howard as I moved out of his arms. I grabbed the gun from the table and uncocked it. I placed it back on the table and looked back at Howard. He had an eyebrow raised at me. "What?"

"How did this happen?" He questioned me.

"How did what happened?" I snapped back. He smiled and leaned his back against the table.

"How did all the love and care from your father turn into this? So much anger and hatred? I remember when you were kind and gently, so caring. Like your father, the most gently man in the whole world. What happened to that lady?" He asked.

"The war." The door to our right yanked opened and a officer walked into the room.

"Sorry to interrupt, ma'am but the General is requesting yours and Mr. Stark's presence." I nodded at the officer and followed after him. Howard included. The officer led us to the conference room and the General turned to us.

"General." I greeted him.

"Donovan. You get packed. You too, Stark. You're both going back to the states."