Clandestine

|-4-|

2:15pm

School ends and I try to follow Kiana's steps. She's in a rush which raises red flags. I push through the crowd to follow her. She gets a phone call.

"I just left school.....get it." Through the bus noises and students I couldn't hear the whole thing, but her voice sounded familiar. It was the voice I heard in the bathroom. Seems like my suspicions were correct.

With even more motivation I follow her discreetly and listen in to her call.
Most of the call was her getting annoyed at the speaker but she was heading somewhere public.

While I'm close to getting a lead, Karan calls.

I hide behind a tall bush and pick it up.
"Yeah?"
"Are u following her?"
"Yes I am, you broke my concentration."
"Well, you could have waited to get in the car instead of walking out on your own." A black car appears right by the crosswalk and I roll my eyes.

Guys and their reasons to flaunt their cars.

I ignore his request and follow her into a café. My assumptions says she works here. It says closed so I head to the back of the building and peer by a window being unseen.

I always have an earpiece in my hear incase I need it for emergency spy cases. I tune into the building and listen in.

"I'm here, you can stop pestering me", the girl says dropping her bag down.
"Did you get it? Where is it?" the other voice asks.

"No, it's still with them but I made a deal and got it."
"Then where is it?"
"It's still with them! I did my job, okay? They gonna be on my back and I ain't want any punishments."

She could be it. I ignore the sign saying it's closed and head to the front and open the door.
She turns and whoever she was talking to is gone.
"Sorry but we not open yet."
Let's play the spy façade.

"Hi, you just dropped something outside and I wanted to give it to you", I respond sweetly and pretend to pull something out of my bag. Instead I press the side of my temples and the smart contact zaps the girl causing her to stumble back and fall.
"What the f-"
I catch her and pull the back of her hands behind her and tie it up. I look up to see the other person looking at me wide eyed.
"If you run for your life and not say a word, I may leave you unharmed."
She runs away like she's chasing a donut. I hear the door jingle behind me and Karan walks in and holds the other person back before she could escape.

"Now where do you think your going?", he says gently pushing her to another seat and tying her hands. I smile knowing he knew I was giving her false hope. He pulls the blind on the Main Street window and heads to me.

"Now if you answer my questions nicely you can go", I say to Kiana.
"What the hell is this? Who are you?"
"All you need to know is I'm certified to be asking you these questions. and you better answer them honestly." "what did that woman ask you to give out at the school?"
"You go to my scho-"
"Just answer."
She sighs. "N-nothing it was just some ads for our opening night."
"That's a load of bull. Again."
"I was advertising for this café! I need my money I'm freakin broke."
"Nope, again" I say.
"I told you I-"
"Look I don't think she's it", Karan tells me.
I roll my eyes. "I'm sure she is. You saw how suspicious she's acting. It can't be because of some flyers." "now tell me the tru-"
Karan comes behind me and says quietly " she's not it Tejasswi let them go." I take a deep breath and in one swift take I untie her hands.
"If I catch you lying I'm not letting you go again."
She nods. Karan unties the other woman's hands and lightly pushes her to stand next to Kiana.
"Look here."
In a zap my retina scan scans theirs and erases the last few minutes.
"Wait we are closed how did you-"
Karan and I rush out the door and into the busy afternoon.