[COMPLETED - book 1]
Bourne shook his head. "No, you see, you're getting it wrong. I don't want you to go as boyfriend and girlfriend, I want you two to go as husband and wife."
"Married?" They said in unison. Vanessa stopped in her tracks and put h...
And that was the worst feeling he had ever encountered.
~~~
Vanessa Vaughen
"Giselle says it's up here, down this... uh, alley," Vanessa pointed towards an exit from the highway.
"Are you sure about this?" Vanessa looked over to an uncomfortable-looking Matt in the driver's seat.
"Nervous?" She grinned.
"Me? Nervous? No... it's just that I've come to the realization that the people in horror movies really like to play with reality."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that if I see one ghost I'm running for my life and if you're not in the car, I'm leaving you behind."
Vanessa knew he was joking to lighten the mood, but as they got closer into the sketchy area and the sun started dimming away, she couldn't help but get a tad tense.
"Cut the headlights," she whispered.
"If I cut the lights, I won't be able to see."
"Just be quiet and cut the lights."
Matt cut the lights. A chime lit up Vanessa's phone.
Gi-Gi: Hunt and I are parked in the other direction. We'll stay here until you tell us what's up.
"Wimps," Vanessa scoffed.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, it's just you and me, rookie."
"What happened to the rest of our team?"
"They aren't field agents, Benson. It's just us two."
"Wimps," Matt muttered under his breath.
Vanessa grinned. "Okay, let's go."
Taking one final breath and a confident nod to her partner, they made their way out of the car. Vanessa gripped the weapon she held inside her jacket.
"Just keep quiet until Giselle locates the dot. We'll be fine."
"So, I know I should've asked earlier, but how exactly do you use a gun? You know... for safety measures."
Vanessa stopped. "You don't know how to use a gun?"
"No, Vanessa, unlike you, I am a regular civilian who has never had the use for one. So no, I don't know how to use a gun, that shouldn't be an actual question."
Vanessa started to get irritated. "Well, then why are you working as a field agent if you don't even know how to use a proper weapon?"
Matthew sighed. "I didn't know Bourne would stoop so low as to assign me with this. I should have just said no."
Vanessa was already ahead of him in the alley. There was a stench coming from somewhere.
"I don't see any trash bins, what do you think that smell is coming from?"
"I don't know..."
Her phone chimed again, which felt much louder than the other times.
Gi-Gi: I see where you are, turn left.
"Looks like we're following that smell, c'mon," Vanessa said.
She did as was told and they both made their way towards the even smaller alley.
"Abandoned buildings, gang signs, graffiti thugs, who knows what these walls have seen. Even death, maybe?"
"Will you just shut up and stay quiet."
"Alright, alright, sorry," Matt kept following her.
"Ugh, it smells worse, what even is that?" Vanessa poked the flashlight button on her phone.
"Wait, wait, look at that," Matt stood closer to her and pointed in the distance.
"Is that what I think it is?"
They both made their way to what was a dirty, dented and shattered black van.
"I don't understand, how is it all the way over here?" Matthew questioned.
Vans: we found the tech van.
Gi-Gi: seriously? that's the red dot the system was tracking. okay, we're heading over.
"Vanessa, you have got to take a look at this."
Matthew was walking around the van. The windows were smashed, bullet holes dented the sides.
"You think Warner's gang did that?" He asked.
"I don't know, let's wait until Giselle and Charlie get here."
Soon enough the team was together, observing the exterior of what used to be a great tech van.
"We should look inside. Maybe Kaufman left something for us," Charlie suggested.
"Alright, you two go check it out, me and Matt will keep guard, just in case."
Charlie broke through one of the side doors. "Whatever that smell was, it's coming from here."
"Let me see," Giselle turned on one of the flashlights.
It wasn't too long before a shriek sounded.
"Gi, what is it?"
Giselle, Charlie, Matthew and Vanessa all crowded the open side door.
"Oh... Kaufman," Giselle covered her mouth.
"So that's where the smell is coming from."
Inside the van laid a rotting body from a friend they used to know. They could see the dried blood coming from a large wound at the side of his body.
None of them spoke a word. Nothing needed to be said. They were all thinking the same thing.
Kaufman is dead.
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