Suddenly the cop got apologetic. “I didn’t realize you all were working on a case. I’ll put in a call downtown… ”
“Don’t bother,” the woman said. “We know who to call.”
She grabbed Sean by the arm and led him away from the cop and the guard, who were both staring wide mouthed at the two as they disappeared into the thinning flow of people.
Once they were out of sight, the woman picked up her pace and turned right, heading for one of the elevators in the recesses of the stadium.
“Nice job, Emily,” Sean said.
“Less than a week with the agency, and I’m already bailing you out? Not a good way to start, Agent Wyatt. I certainly hope this isn’t going to be a recurring theme.”
Sean had graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in psychology and not a clue how he was going to use it. He had an affinity for history, but there wasn’t much of a future in that, unless of course he went to work for his friend Tommy Schultz. That would be a last resort. Tommy, being the friend that he was, had offered Sean a good-paying job as a security specialist for his fledgling artifact recovery agency, but Sean had always wanted to forge his own path.
An interview with the Justice Department had led to some unexpected opportunities. Eventually, he was corralled into a special branch of the government called Axis, a small agency that carried only a handful of field agents at any given time. Sean had never imagined in a million years that he would become a spy. But after passing the series of strenuous tests, he’d been left with few reasons to say no. The only thing that held him back was how heartbreaking it would be to his parents if he were to be killed in the line of duty. The money was good, though, and the job played to Sean’s strengths.
He was the kind of person who excelled under pressure, and he almost never cracked. When others panicked, Sean made calm decisions. Those qualities were something the government prized for its field agents. Apparently, Axis was even more stringent with their requirements.
“Don’t worry, Em. I won’t get in too much trouble. I doubt you’ll have to bail me out more than two or three times.” He twisted his head to the side and passed her a wry grin.
The elevator doors opened, and they stepped in. When the doors closed, she spoke, keeping her eyes forward as she did so. “Please don’t call me that, Agent Wyatt. You and I are not friends. We work for the same agency and therefore are teammates, but do not mistake that for some kind of platonic relationship.”
He pursed his lips and nodded. “Fair enough, Agent Starks. Although it would be a lot simpler if we just used first names. Just saying.”
“I disagree.”
He gave a nod and stared ahead at the doors. A moment later they opened again, and the two found themselves on the ground floor. They exited, and Emily led the way out and to the right toward one of the private parking lots where the players kept their vehicles.
“I’m sorry,” Sean said. “Where are we going? My car is on the other side of the stadium. And that reminds me: What in the world are you doing here anyway? You don’t look like you’re dressed for a baseball game.”
“I’m not,” she said. Her shoes clicked loudly on the brickwork underfoot. “And your car will be fine here. We received a call. The director asked me to bring you in.”
Sean’s somewhat jovial mood immediately darkened. His eyes narrowed, and he glanced at her as they stalked down the sidewalk into the lot. It was never good news when the director called.
“What’s going on?”
She stopped at a red Volvo sedan and got in the driver’s side. He hopped in next to her and stared, waiting for an answer.
Emily revved the engine to life and backed out of her parking spot, spun the wheel around, and steered the vehicle out onto the packed city street.
“I don’t know, exactly,” she answered after coming to a stop at a red light. “The director didn’t tell me. He just said to bring you in and told me where you were sitting at the Braves game.”
Sean frowned. “He knew where I was sitting? I scalped that ticket.”
She turned slightly to the right and shot him a devious glance. “They know everything, Sean. Sooner you understand that, the better.”
He shook off the thought. “I guess it’s a good thing I’m on the team then, huh?”
“We’ll see.”
The light turned green, and before he could question her sinister comment she stepped on the gas and whipped the car onto the street to the left. She sped ahead and then jerked the wheel right to merge onto the ramp that took them onto Interstate 75 heading north.
“We really need lights on our cars, you know?” He made the comment as Emily swerved around slower cars in the right two lanes.
“That would draw too much attention. Sort of like your little stunt at the game earlier today.”
Sean was incredulous. “Wait a minute. That guy was going to kill someone. I did what I was supposed to do.”
“Maybe,” she said. “Or maybe that is a police matter.”
He could feel the blood pulsing into his head, pounding hard with every heartbeat. “What, you’re saying I should have just let that guy kill the first baseman?”
“Not necessarily. But you’re essentially a spy now, Agent Wyatt. If you draw attention to yourself, your identity could be compromised.”
Emily Starks hadn’t been with Axis much longer than Sean. From time to time, however, she used that sliver of experience to give him guidance — guidance he felt wasn’t needed.
He decided to use his go-to move that usually worked in situations like this. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful in the future.” Sean knew an unwinnable argument when he heard one.
She bought his fake surrender. “Good. You know I tell you these things for your own good, right? I just don’t want you to get compromised. That leads to trouble.”
“That’s very sweet of you.”
She yanked the wheel to the right, and his head smacked against the window. He winced from the sudden pain and grabbed his scalp.
“It’s not just for your own good. It’s for the good of the agency and all of us who work for Axis. You screw up; we all pay the price. If one of us gets tagged, the rest of us can, too. I’d prefer not to be dodging bullets when I’m not on a mission.”
He went on the offensive. “Seems to me that part of the job is we’re always on a mission, even when we aren’t necessarily taking orders.”
She went silent, which he took to mean she agreed.
Emily exited the freeway and navigated the traffic across the main part of downtown until they reached the area close to the Georgia Dome.
“I thought we were going to the main office,” Sean said. “The airport is the other direction.”
“One, you probably should have mentioned that before we headed north. And two, I know. We’re taking a helicopter to the airport. I’m dropping off this vehicle for another agent.”
“Oh.” He felt silly for asking.
“Sooner or later, Agent Wyatt, you’re going to need to learn to trust me.”
He responded by muttering under his breath, “And sooner or later, we are going to need to start using first names.”
Her head snapped in his direction, but he was staring out the window as the Peach Tree Westin passed by in the window. “What was that?”
“Hmm?” Sean looked over at her and shook his head. “Oh, nothing.”
2
“Thank you for coming in on such short notice, Sean.”
The Axis director gave a curt nod from the other side of his massive desk.