The Shadow
“Sixth tail in as many blocks,” Elise murmured to herself, adjusting her pace. She caught the faint reflection of a man in a brown coat hovering too long outside a boutique storefront. He wasn’t the first, and she doubted he’d be the last. Her lips curled into the faintest smirk as she crossed the street, a black stiletto clicking sharply against the pavement with every confident step.
But then, something unexpected happened. Her phone buzzed three times in quick succession—a signal from the agency. She swiftly retrieved it, a perfectly manicured finger swiping across the screen as she skimmed the encrypted message.
“Drop compromised. New location: Le Jardin Vert. Extraction in 15 minutes. Trust no one.”
The café was no longer an option. “Trust no one” meant someone within her own circle might have betrayed her. Someone wanted the Green Cipher—someone who shouldn’t have it.
Le Jardin Vert
Elise quickened her pace, blending into the weaving throng of tourists and locals. The shadows moved with her—brown coat now joined by a woman in a beret and a man pretending to tie his shoe beside a lamppost. They weren’t even trying to be subtle anymore.
Le Jardin Vert, an upscale botanical lounge hidden behind ivy-covered gates, was her destination. It was known only to those who had something worth hiding. Elise weaved behind a group of laughing partygoers to avoid the tailing figures and slipped inside just as a valet closed the door.
The lounge’s interior was intoxicating. Overhanging ferns and lavish vines wrapped around golden frames, while dim light reflected off crystal goblets. Her heels sank softly into the plush carpet as she scanned the room for her target: a man with a crimson scarf.
There he was, at the far corner, sipping a martini as if the world weren’t seconds away from chaos. Elise approached him casually and perched herself in the seat across from him.
“You’re late,” he said, barely glancing at her.
“I wasn’t late; the plan was early,” Elise retorted, setting her handbag on the table. She didn’t trust him, not entirely, but she didn’t have the luxury of indecision. Her fingers brushed the clasp of the bag, poised to transfer the microchip.
The Double Cross
Just as her hand moved, a voice boomed from behind her. “Hands up, Elise!”
She froze and turned slightly, catching sight of the man in the brown coat, his gun leveled at her. Behind him, the woman in the beret and the faux-shoelace man closed in. A flash of betrayal showed in Crimson Scarf’s eyes as he tried to raise his glass nonchalantly.
“You led them to me,” Elise hissed at him, venom coating her words. He shrugged, feigning innocence. But then, just as Brown Coat took a step toward her, Elise moved.
The handbag flew from her hand, its gold chain flashing under the lighting as it wrapped with perfect precision around the man’s gun arm. A sharp twist disarmed him, the weapon clattering to the floor. Before the other two could react, Elise delivered a roundhouse kick to Beret, who stumbled into a nearby table. Elise retrieved the microchip, tucked it into her blazer, and bolted for the nearest exit.
A Narrow Escape
Elise navigated through the labyrinth of alleyways behind Le Jardin Vert, her breath steady despite the adrenaline rushing through her veins. Cars honked in the distance, and sirens wailed somewhere far off as she found her way to a dimly lit underpass.
Waiting there was her extraction team. A sleek black car idled, its tinted windows gleaming like obsidian. The driver opened the door, and Elise slid inside, the microchip secured safely in her inner pocket. As the car sped into the dark, Elise allowed herself a small smile. Trust no one, indeed.
The world would never know she had saved it, but that was all right. She preferred it that way.
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