Operation London (16 page)

She ran to her car, heels and all
. Late as it was, she didn't want to risk being swept away by her handsome lover when there was work to be done. She could romance later. Now she had to be on target.

Ava would have changed her clothes right in the parking lot of Piper's, firefighters and all
. But she had the distinct feeling that Miguel was onto her, and she didn't need him getting involved. It would only stall the case and make him crazy with worry. So she opted to change as she drove, a technique she had mastered as a teenager buzzing from Catholic school to dance lessons to a job waiting tables at the local pizza joint all in the same day.

She drove with relative speed, considering all of the tasks she had to accomplish at once
. But speed was part of the whole package, an essential to her character and her development as a top agent. Despite all of her attention to detail and all of her keen observation, Ava London never noticed the headlights of a familiar Jeep tracking her on her trip.

When she came to the road the school was on, she pulled into the parking lot of a nearby drugstore. It was a deserted area, and so poorly lit and far from the road that no one would even notice her Audi
. Stepping out of the car, she made her way to the school gates where Magdalene and Cormac would be waiting.

The two were pouring over a schematic when she arrived
. Cormac held a tiny flashlight as Magdalene walked them through their entrance and exit procedure.

"Here is where the alarm sensor is
. This system is very complicated for a school, but I guess they're selling an image of security. Anyway, it's far from impossible. They didn't use a matrix of sensors because personnel have to use the school at night. Those janitors get in using a code and avoid the sensors by knowing where they are. But the catch is that some rooms are not to be gone into at night. That includes guidance. It does have a more thorough sensory system, but it's all in a pattern. What we can do is sneak in through the skylight, stay in the three foot by seven foot box, pick the cabinet lock and make our way out."  Magdalene pulled on one golden curl as she talked, twisting it around her finger in a gesture that denoted pure concentration.

"I don't know if that cube of space will fit me
. What will happen when I pull the safe door open?" Cormac asked.

Magdalene furrowed her brow and squinted her eyes.

"Well.....It's risky, but if you think you can do this quickly, and I'm talking to the wire five minutes in and out, I can scramble the system and force it to randomly reset. So it's cramped or quick. Your choice."

Cormac now furrowed his brow
. Ava remained quiet during their discussion. She trusted that they were both capable adults who would do what they needed to do responsibly. Hiring them as partners meant that she needed to put a good amount of trust in their ability to make decisions.

"We need scans of everything in the files, don't we?" he asked.

"Yes. I had planned to scan them and put them back into the folder so nothing would seem out of place. The less they have to link to us, the better," Ava said.

"I can't promise anything in under five
. I have a general idea of the kinds of locks used in the school from ordering records, but safes can be stored within safes. To do everything I'll take the cramped space," he decided. He set his firm mouth as he said it, his eyes narrowed to twin slits. Already he was planning his method of attack.

Ava shot a rope harpoon onto the side of the roof and the three made their way up silently paying attention to avoid any windows
. When they were on top of the building, Magdalene consulted her laptop, which was showing a grainy picture of the inside of the guidance office.

"I've tapped into the camera system and have this programmed on a two hour loop. Anyone looking in will see an empty office, so you should both be fine
. But if you trigger the sensors, the police will come to investigate. Take this powder and sprinkle a very fine amount exactly where you need to step so you can see the sensors. These glow green, not red like the movies," Magdalene said crisply.

"Won't the secretaries notice when the room looks like Christmas and smells like a baby's ass?" Cormac asked.

"It's not
baby
powder. It's much finer, much grayer and odorless. It will just give the impression of a very dusty office, and I hardly think that's unusual," Magdalene snapped back, unable to keep a little acid out of her voice.

Cormac seemed uneasy, but he got on his stomach and sprinkled the powder, finding the cube Magdalene had pointed out
. It would be a tight squeeze, but he figured he would manage. He would have to if he wanted this to work.

Lowering himself he stepped carefully, slowly, making sure he made no false moves
. The lock was unbearably easy to pick. Cormac kept his ears pasted to the safe, focusing every ounce of attention on the tumblers, listening like a mother listens for her baby's cry. When he heard the familiar settling, he rotated the dial and heard the click that made his heart sing. The door opened softly and revealed the files they needed. He knew right away that the school officials would notice anything misplaced. The files were sorted according to color as well as some complicated system of numbers.

The problem now would be keeping everything in order while they scanned
. Two of them moving and bumping would almost certainly result in someone tripping up the sensors. Cormac pointed this out in a whispered shout.

"How do you loves plan on getting the information here?  You're two tiny ones, but not so much so
. And I'm likely to knock one of you over."

Ava saw only one way to solve it.

"I'll go in upside down. I can be right next to him, but steady. There won't be any chance of my falling over," she said, even as Magdalene shook her head.

"No way
. That's not going to work, you're head will be pounding in two minutes. You'll feel like your brains are going to spill out on the floor," she hissed.

"There is really no alternative," Ava returned
.

Finally Magdalene nodded her approval, fixing a tight noose to hold Ava's feet in while
she lowered her.

Arms crossed over her chest, Ava practiced controlled breathing as she descended, trying to quell the horrible feeling all that blood in her head at once was instantly producing
. As soon as she was low enough she scanned the files as Cormac put them back in quick order. One person might have misplaced a file or forgotten or dropped something and activated an alarm. Ava's decision to partner up allowed them to conduct their business quickly and effectively.

When they had gone through the contents of the three folders reserved for Marie, Ava gave a light tug and held her breath as she was pulled up
. Her face was red and sweaty and she felt like her heart had slid down her neck and landed in her brain. Cormac shut the safe tightly and made his way up slowly. They pulled the rope in, put the window on and made their way down to the ground. Ava fought a rush of nausea that threatened to bowl her over.

No one said a word until they cleared the gates.

"We should meet about this as soon as possible. Magdalene should really go home and check on Piper. Maybe we can all have breakfast at my place?" Ava suggested. A meeting time was picked and Ava gave directions before the band dispersed, Magdalene to the left, Cormac forward and Ava to the right. They had planned to stay apart, just in case they happened to be spotted. It would be trouble if someone were able to link them.

Ava knew her new partners were as happy as she was
. They had done one hell of a job and would hopefully be rewarded with a significant lead by morning. Though in the back of her head, Ava had the nagging suspicion that something was wrong.

They hadn't triggered the alarms, because Magdalene had monitored the alarm system company's surveillance and alert screen
. They hadn't left any equipment behind. Ava was sure she had double-checked every piece they had brought with them. What was wrong?

Suddenly the night seemed very intimidating
. Darkness encroached on all sides. Ava was not used to the untamed beauty of nature, and it unleashed a pantheon of creatures and noises that ran her nerves ragged.

She focused her breathing and kept her feet moving forward
. It had been a long and tiring day for her. There had been many draining elements, and she needed sleep more than anything at that moment. Her mind was weak and afraid.

Ava breathed in and out
.
You are not afraid,
she told herself
. You trained at the best schools of self-defense on the planet. You have nothing to fear.

But she did fear
. Because even in her state of exhaustion and unease, she felt the primal panic that came with the knowledge that a predator was stalking her. It was close, whatever it was, tracking her steps. When she slowed so did it, when she sped it, it did so as well. Attuned to her body movements, focused on her patterns, it had the advantage of total observation. She wouldn't let it have the added advantage of surprise.

Increasing her tempo, she had to remind herself to stay focused, to keep a calm, cool head
. She was nearly panting, wondering when it would see fit to strike. Every muscle in her body was tensed
. I will not be prey, I will not be prey.

The mantra balanced her, gave her confidence as she approached her car
. Somehow the dirty glow of the few badly placed parking lot lights made everything eerier. She advanced on her car rapidly then stood still at the door.

Drawing her breath in and out, she focused on measuring how far away her attacker was
. She guessed about ten feet. Perking her ears, she could just make out the soft step of a foot on concrete. At five feet she could feel the slight vibrations its steps made. Whatever it was, it was large. She would need her attack to hit somewhere sensitive if it was going to count. Playing out her attack in her mind, she focused on targeting the soft, exposed area under the ribs. It was coming nearer, so she crouched, bunching her muscles and making her body completely ready. At three feet she whirled around and faced her enemy with a quick sidekick that should have hit right below the ribs on an average man, giving his internal organs a little shake down. Letting out a scream of fury, she realized in an instant that her grounded attacker was making no attempt to advance.

It was as if her head cleared in an instant
. Cupping her hand over her mouth, she forced herself to look at the man moaning and holding his hip.

"Miguel!" It was a plaintive cry, an indication she felt sorry.

What in the hell do you think you're doing here!" This was more her speed. What was this idiot doing, sticking his nose where it didn't belong and forcing her to use physical violence as well?

"I thought you might need some back up," he chuckled, wincing in pain as he did. He was lucky that he was much taller than average. Her kick had landed just above his hip. There would be a nasty bruise but little else.

"Miguel, I could have really hurt you," she said angrily, her pretty red mouth puckering in disgust as he laughed.

"You did, dulce. I am really hurt," he said emphatically, pulling himself up on one elbow as he spoke. "Now I would like to ask what the hell you're doing in a deserted parking lot at three in the morning."

Ava scowled at him as she grabbed one arm and helped him steady himself as he stumbled to standing position
. "That's not any of your business."

The laughter drained from his eyes quickly, replaced by cold, humorless anger
. "Honey, I'm not going to play around here. If we're together, that's fine. But I don't expect to be treated like an ass. You're honest with me or you find someone dumber and jerk his chain."

Ava blushed
. She knew he was right. He had been honest with her, and she hadn't even given him the respect of being honest back. Even though she knew her reasons were noble, she couldn't expect him to understand. She was also embarrassed that she had underestimated him to such an extent.

"I've partnered with Cormac MacGormaine and Magdalene McGinty
. We're on the Deltore case," she said, looking him straight in the eye.

"I thought you had given up the agent thing," he said gently.

"I thought I could. But I can't. And it feels good to be doing this."

"I won't lie to you
. I don't like it," he said, cupping her face lightly against his hand.

"I didn't ask for you to like it," she said back evenly
. "I'm really sorry I lied to you, but I didn't want you to feel like you had any reason to get involved."

"Well, I am involved now."

"In a way. But I'm a trained agent."