Teacher and the Thief

Chapter 26

It was now the thirteenth, and I felt okay enough to head into work. I wasn't going to just sit back and watch Trisha and her Russian buddies execute a terrorist attack. I know I've been emphasizing the idea a lot to everyone, but people will die, many innocent people. According to a hour and a half phone conversation I had with Alex yesterday, the agency has been trying to keep the terrorist attack threat under the radar from other organizations, such as Law Enforcement, Politics, etcetera, but if anything happened and we couldn't stop it, it'd be on our heads.

Why was this so difficult to do!?

"How long have you been here?" I jerked up when I heard the voice, but not the door open. "I usually get here first."

"I came in early." I replied as Milo sat down with his one laptop case and pulled out his favorite that he works on. "We need to find Trisha."

"I know, and we're getting there. But you did just wake up from a six week coma. Don't push yourself too hard." Milo suggested, but I shook my head as I scanned through security tapes from streets around her house, the hospital, and the agency for the past six weeks, trying to find anything leading to her.

"She could be right under our noses and we wouldn't even see it." I groaned, studying each picture for any little thing out of place. That one little thing will be her human error. "Could she be disguised? Or did she just flee and isn't coming back?"

"She could have." Milo replied, "But I'm not really a field agent, so I couldn't tell you much."

"Yes, but you're the smart one! Think!" I slammed my fist down on the desk, my lack of sleep and anxiety turning into some sort of rage and fearful combination. "There's something, something there that we missed, and overlooked, maybe someone who's been everywhere we've been and always blending in, so unnoticeable that we never saw anything."

He didn't reply right away and processed everything I said first, "But what?"

My head slammed down on the area of the desk in front of the keyboard, "I don't know."

Neither one of us spoke, maybe we were thinking too hard, but my thoughts were broken when I heard my phone buzz. I groaned and picked it up, looking at the text.

Call me.

"What now?" I muttered as I speed-dialed Adam, and he picked up almost immediately. "Hi."

"Hey, I was wondering if you weren't busy tomorrow, you would want to have dinner at my place? It is Valentine's Day, after all." He replied immediately, very eager and excited.

"You've received how many death threats from my father and you want to have dinner with me?" I scoffed, but glad he was kind of a rebel. It made things more interesting. "Your place at six?"

"Of course, I'll pick you up. I don't think you driving is the best plan."

"I'm fine. I'll drive over. See you then." I informed, and I hung up, turning towards Milo. "And I've got a date tomorrow."

"Of course you do." Milo groaned, but continued before I could, "You do still realize you need to stay away from him?"

"I won't stay long. And besides, nothing's happened yet." I stated, but focused back on the computer.

"Belle, I've gone through those images a hundred times at least, nothing's there." He swung around the desk and stood next to me, also staring at the screen.

"But do you know what you're looking for?"

"Belle. Stop." I looked up again to see Alex now standing in the doorframe, "They'll handle this, we're still on partial suspension."