We were all split up but somehow close enough that we could spot each other at a distance.
"I see him" Victoria's voice sounded through my EarPods.
I lurked across the park. It was filled with people which would make our mission a lot harder because Tolani could easily get missing in the crowd.
"Where is he?" I asked her.
"On your left. The man with the Chelsea Jersey. Such bad taste in a football club."
"No wonder he doesn't get any ladies" Mike said.
I looked to my left and instantly spotted Tolani. He was making a phone call while looking around for something – or someone.
"Thanks"
I stood in my position – waiting for him to make a move then I'll follow.
The plan is to trail him then back him into a safe corner and retrieve the files. As expected, a blue backpack hung over his shoulder. That's probably where the documents are.
In order not to make myself obvious, I bought some popcorn from a nearby shop whilst keeping Tolani at the edge of my vision.
He put the phone in his bag then started walking.
Time to move.
Spy Rule #5: When trailing someone, blend into the crowd in order to be unnoticed but never lose sight of the person!
The biggest objective of any secret agent is to be invisible. Invisibility assures you never getting caught. Although, it isn't as easy as it seems. It's not so easy to be invisible. Most people think spies dress up in all black and carry lots of gadgets round their jeans.
Hell no!
Anyone who wears all black, heavy make-up and boots in the daytime is most definitely not a spy. It's a wannabe con artist or someone just seeking attention – which is something a real spy would never do.
A real spy has no costume. A spy costume doesn't even exist! We wear whatever makes us go unnoticed. You can even wear a sweatshirt with joggers for a mission. Whatever floats your boat.
Half the whole town must be here because the place is packed or maybe it's because it's a Saturday. I tried as much as possible to blend in.
When he turned, I stayed perfectly still.
When he moved, I'd wait for a few seconds before I follow.
When something amused me, I stopped to stare.
When I passed an ice cream stand, I bought some, all the while keeping my eye on him.
It's not easy though. Not even the slightest bit.
My team mates followed suit but at different directions.
"Any sign of the editor yet?" Choi asked.
"Not at all"
All the training in the world could not have prepared me for what was about to happen next.
I was following closely behind Tolani. I was so focused that I didn't see the puddle of water in front of me. I slipped and bumped into someone before I regained my balance.
"Oops. Sorry" I told the person.
The guy turned around. I gasped when I saw who it was.
"Justin?"
He looked surprised to see me as well.
"Ada!"
He engulfed me in a warm hug. I wrapped my arms around him and sighed happily.
"You've got to be kidding me" I heard Mike say.
I couldn't care less at this point. It felt like months since we last saw each other, even though in reality it was just two days.
"Who's the hottie?" Victoria teased.
"I was so worried about you" Justin rambled "You didn't pick up my calls or answer my texts. I thought you were sick or you transferred schools..."
He stopped mid-sentence when his eyes landed on the bandage on my head. His once happy expression slowly turned into a commiserative one.
"W-what happened to you?"
"I had an accident"
"How?"
"It's a long story"
He touched the bandage softly, a deep look of worry rooted in his eyes. His expression softened.
"Sorry"
"Thanks"
"What are you doing here?"
"Out with a couple of friends"
"Cool. Where are they?"
"I can't seem to find them"
I purposely omitted the part about how I'm following a secret agent who's about to publish my agency's biggest secrets. We aren't ready for that discussion yet, are we Justin?
"I'm with my mom and my brother"
He pointed to a white woman and a boy who were playing ping pong.
"Wow" I said "She's beautiful"
"Thank you"
"Ada!" Choi screeched "We've lost sight of Tolani"
What?
Damn it. It's all my fault.
"I need to go" I told him "I'll catch up with you later"
He pouted.
"Talk tonight?'
"Definitely"
We hugged each other and just stayed there – neither of us wanting to let go first. I know all this feels too soon but it feels right. His body felt cosier than my favourite blanket at home. His strawberry scent filled my nostrils as I inhaled deeply.
All of a sudden, I forgot I was on a mission. The busy crowd seemed to disappear. Even The Conversion ceased to exist. There and then, all that mattered was this moment.
All that mattered was him.
All that mattered was us.
As his body pressed against mine, I realized that I really like Justin. I really like him.
"Okay. Love story's over" Chen said from behind me.
She pulled me away from Justin aggressively.
"Hi" Victoria waved at him "I'm Victoria"
"Hello" Justin smiled.
My body felt empty without his warmth. He still held unto my hand.
"I'm Chen and we have to go"
Chen pulled me away from Justin again. Slowly, our bodies separated from each other.
"Bye" I mouthed.
"Bye" he mouthed back.
As Chen dragged me back into the crowd of people, Justin's image slowly disappeared- as if the crowd enveloped him.
"You're an idiot!" Chen reprimanded me "Now we've lost him and it's all because of you"
"I'm sorry"
"Sorry won't fix this"
I don't regret it. I'd risk my life just to be in his arms again.
"He's cute though" Victoria said "Like really cute"
"Shut up!" Chen snapped.
"Yes ma'am"
"I see him!" Chen cried out.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Choi and Mike. Thank goodness.
We followed him into a lonely alley outside the amusement park. It was a dead end. This is where he will probably meet the editor.
He stopped in his tracks. We surrounded him in a circle. He didn't even look scared.
"What do you want?" Tolani asked us.
"Just give us the file and we'll go" Choi spoke.
"Yeah" Victoria added "We don't want any trouble"
Tolani laughed; "No"
I stepped closer to him before speaking ;"I don't think you have a choice here"
I was about to fight him for it until he pulled me to his chest and brought out a gun.
"Nobody moves or she dies"
I was shocked. I never expected that he'd be armed.
He wrapped his arm around my neck in a tight grip and pointed the gun to my head.
I shivered in fear as I felt the cold metal pressed against my skin. I closed my eyes, hoping it was all a dream but when I opened them, they were all still there. That's it, I'm screwed.
"I feel insulted that The Conversion would send a bunch of kids to fight me. What do you think you are? The teen titans?"
He laughed at his own joke.
"That wasn't even funny" Chen muttered.
"Shut up!"
"Sorry"
"You guys think I'm dumb? I knew The Conversion would send people to track me down. I even knew when someone hacked into my messages. You're an amateur by the way. You can't even cover your tracks"
"Rude!" Victoria scoffed.
"Shut up!' the rest of us chorused.
"Let her go" Mike calmly said "Please"
"You can even keep the file" Choi said.
"That'd be too easy. I want to teach The Conversion a lesson. They should never mess with me. I'll start by killing your friend over here"
My heart started beating faster than usual as tears rolled down my cheeks. I was beyond scared. I've never been in this sort of position before. What do I do? I can't die this way. I have to think of something. He's stronger than me and he'll shoot me if I dare to fight.
"Call your boss and tell him to transfer the money now" Tolani demanded.
"We'll do anything" Choi brought out his phone "Just please put the gun down"
I could see the look of fear on all their faces. We've never faced something like this before. We're just kids for Christ's sake.
"We don't want the file anymore" Victoria cried "Just let her go"
"It's too late. While miss lover girl here was talking to that boy, I gave Kayode that file. I was on to all of you the moment you stepped in this park"
Boom!
A loud gunshot was heard.
For a moment, I thought it was me. I closed my eyes and prepared for death to come. Instead, Tolani's hands loosened from my neck and his body slumped to the ground with a huge thud.
We turned around to see who it was. Our mouths hung open in both relief and shock.
"Mom?"