Espionage

Grace-Chapter 5

Grace scanned the report that Will had just sent her. She had gone through field agent training, but she was brand new to field work. So instead of following the suspected terrorists with Will and his team, she sat stuck behind a desk with all these boring, old reports that Peter, one of the agents who worked for DSIS, had begged her to file so he could go on a date. Whoever said the life of a spy was glamorous obviously had never worked on these reports all day.

Her eyes paused on the bottom line of the report where Agent Cooper had signed his name. Irritation surfaced as she remembered his prank. She let out an indignant sigh. Did he really think he could send her flowers and chocolate and everything would be okay again?

"What's the matter, Crowther?" Agent Ryder said, sitting down on the edge of her desk. "That was a very annoyed sound you just made."

Grace shook her head. "Nothing—one of the agents just decided it was funny to lead me on a wild goose chase on my very first day."

"Sounds like you already had a run in with Isaac," Agent Ryder chuckled. "His pranks are pretty harmless for the most part, he just likes messing with people."

Rolling her eyes, Grace slapped the report into the folder in her lap and stood up. "How in the world did a guy like that become a CIA agent anyway?"

"Make no mistake," Ryder said, eyeing Grace closely. "Isaac Cooper may be a goofball, but he's also one of the best agents I've ever met. He has one of the most successful records in the CIA."

Raising her eyebrows, Grace walked over to the filing cabinet in the corner. "Well, you'd think he would have something better to do than play juvenile pranks."

Agent Ryder laughed. "Okay fine, I'll give you that. But seriously, give him a chance. He's my best friend and he's been under a lot of pressure with this assignment. Pranks are his way of blowing off steam."

Grace shook her head. She hadn't ever seen the guy in person, but she wasn't sure she even wanted to. She returned to her computer and opened Agent Cooper's agency profile. Her eyebrows climbed higher and higher on her forehead as she read. Isaac Cooper's record was impressive. Not only had he stopped a terrorist bombing on a flight over the Mediterranean, he had also managed to stop the assassination of the Vice President of the United States. Twice. The list went on and on of all Cooper's impressive feats that it became harder and harder to associate goofball Cooper with successful agent.

The phone next to her computer rang and she picked it up. "This is Crowther."

"Hey, it's Will," a cheerful voice on the other end of the line said. "I need an extra set of eyes on surveillance. Can you meet me in front of the Copenhagen Opera House in twenty minutes? One of our extremists is attending a performance there tonight."

"I can do that," Grace agreed, glancing at her watch. If she hurried, she could still grab dinner before she had to be there.

"Good," Will replied. "Oh and Crowther? Wear something fancy. You're going in as a guest."

Dang. Maybe she would have time to grab a bagel on her way, but first she needed to find a dress. She hadn't realized she would be needing formal wear on this assignment so she hadn't packed any.

"Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes."

She ended the call and grabbed her coat. If she was going to make it to the opera, she'd have to drive like a maniac.

"See ya later, Crowther," Agent Ryder called, giving her a brief wave. Grace smiled. Was it possible that she had just made a new friend? She hoped so. Denmark was really lonely without anyone to talk to.