Agent X

xx| 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙵𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗 |xx

I crept through the halls of the hotel to the top of the staircase that descended to the lobby. After glancing around the open landing for a decent hiding place, I spotted an area of the wall that jutted out. I slipped behind it. It was a narrow fit, but it did the job of concealing me from Miss Monpelie when she came down the stairs. Right now, surprise was our greatest ally.

Based on the surveillance cameras, we discovered that the French diplomat had eaten breakfast at seven in the morning and returned to her room. More than likely, she would be leaving the hotel very soon. But I was ready for her. I was determined that no matter how much she insisted on leaving the hotel on her own, I would doubly insist the opposite. We needed her to join us on the tour. The last thing that we wanted to happen was for Miss Monpelie to roam Belgium alone. It simply was not safe.

I will admit, it probably would have been more productive to follow Miss Monpelie and find out exactly what she was doing in her spare time. Unfortunately, I had already promised Mr. Le Foie that Ty, Dari, Finn, and I would accompany him and the other diplomats on a tour of the Mont des Arts.

In a brief conversation that I had with the Belgian diplomat (and primary host for the convention), I discovered that six of our nine main suspects were going on the tour. The ambassadors of the UK, US, Italy, Switzerland, and Brazil had all agreed to come with us. And of course, the Belgian diplomat was attending. In addition to our prime suspects, the representatives of Russia and Kenyan also agreed to come with us.

The only prime suspects who had not agreed were the ambassadors of Germany and Japan. That came of little surprise. Mr. Freiburg always filled his schedule to the brim. Mr. Aoki also declined the invitation due to his work in preparing for the meeting. Though he did have a high appreciation for art and the outdoors, his major presentation took precedence over the outing. Besides, he'd been to Brussels before.

The last of our prime suspects—Miss Monpelie—was most likely going to decline our invitation initially, but she was going to join us. We would make sure that she did.

Footsteps and indistinct chatter began to echo through the quiet halls. I held my breath, remaining perfectly still. Slowly, I inched my head from behind the wall to peer at the source of noise. A man in a dark suit rounded the corner. It was Mr. Aoki and his two guards. I quickly ducked back before he saw me.

The footsteps faded down the stairs. I exhaled, my heart pounding in my chest. The suspense was killing me. Why is she taking so long? What if I missed her? Or, what if she does come, but she refuses to join us?

The trouble with second guessing yourself is that your doubts snowball. I took in a deep breath and shoved my thoughts aside. It wasn't good to think negatively. It would only make me more nervous. And the more nervous I become, the higher the chance of making mistakes.

"Agent 24," Dari whispered over the radio. "This is Agent 30. Come in Agent 24."

It was semi comical that she found it necessary to speak in a low tone, since we had already decided that I would connect wireless headphones to my radio. Perhaps she's just trying to be cautious.

"I read you."

"She's coming. We'll round up the others ASAP."

"Got it. Over and out."

I prepared myself to walk from behind the corner. I heard the muffled clip-clop of heels on the carpet. It was coming closer and closer.

"Xara, she's rounding the corner!" Dari's voice rang in my ears.

I pressed the green button on the side of my radio to tell her okay. Showtime.

I strolled from my hiding spot just as the diplomat started down the steps.