There was an itching on her back, right in the middle. It was an odd feeling, one she didn’t like. It felt as though someone was watching her.
Cautiously, and slowly, she turned around to look back in the direction of the door she’d come out of. There was no one there.
It wasn’t as though the streets were empty. Several young men with overcoats and attache cases brushed past her, and one stopped to hail a cab. Many others were walking along, minding their own business.There didn’t appear to be anyone watching her. But she could still feel that itch.
She shook her head, and resumed walking, trying to ignore the fear that was beginning to settle into her stomach. As she headed down the stairs into the station, she quickly glanced up and behind her. There was no one there. The feeling began sliding away.
With a sigh, she entered the turnstile, then headed for the platform to wait for the next train to DuPont. As she went down the final flight of stairs, the feeling of being watched returned, this time very strong. Once again, surreptitious glances revealed no one, but her senses were on full alert, and she felt herself move with a quickened step.
When she got to the platform, Alex leaned against the wall near where the front of the train would pull to a stop. There, she shifted her briefcase, and unbuttoned her coat. Her hand stayed in front of her, within easy reach of the gun she carried in a shoulder holster. The feeling was still there, though not as strong. It didn’t go away, and she didn’t move.
The train pulled in to the station, and Alex listened to the loudspeaker confirm that it was headed to DuPont. She didn’t move. She waited until most of the people were either into the cars, or headed for the stairs, then she took a good look around. Again, no one appeared to be watching her.
Just as the bell sounded that the doors were closing, Alex shot away from the wall, and onto the first car. The doors closed immediately behind her, almost on the back end of her briefcase. She turned back to the door, watching as the train began to move and the view of the station was replaced with the dark cement of the underground tunnel. She waited for a moment longer, feeling the fear dissipate as the itch in her back disappeared. She sat down opposite the doors and stared at them thoughtfully.
Could she have just been paranoid? After all, she’d had an assassin sitting in her office tonight. Anyone would be nervous after that. She could have just been scaring herself, right?
But then again, she’d had an assassin in her office. An assassin that had seemed to exude shadows even in the well lit office cubicles. And Alex’s instincts were very good.
Suddenly feeling exhausted, Alex settled into her seat and leaned her head against the window. The feeling of being watched was gone, and hadn’t come back since she boarded the train. Once she got to her stop, it wasn’t a long walk home, and before she knew it, she’d be in that hot bath, with Appleby doing his balancing act on the rim of the tub.
But even as she waited, she kept her coat open, and her hand resting just inside it.
Just in case.
*******************************************************
Teren Mylos watched the FBI agent as she went down the steps at the Metro station. She’d been surprised to realize that the agent was aware of being followed. She waited near the top of the stairs, counting slowly to ten, then walked down the flight. She saw her quarry pass through the turnstile, and she got into a long line of people waiting to do the same. Again, she noticed Agent Reis looking around her cautiously. She waited until Reis reached the platform before descending to it herself.
Standing well back in the shadows near the stairs, Teren had a good look at Alex. Her back was to a wall, and she’d unbuttoned her coat. Knowing her gun was within easy reach of Alex’s hand, Teren almost smiled. Almost exactly what she would have done.
She had to give Reis credit, when she jumped onto the train at the last minute. By being in the first car, it was the first one to leave the station, taking the agent out of shooting range, if anyone was inclined to do that. It also prevented anyone else from boarding the train after Alex. By waiting so long, Alex had made her pursuer wonder if she was going to board the train at all. That could have left the hunter standing while her or his quarry rode safely away.
Again, Teren smiled. That would only work, she thought, if the hunter didn’t know where the woman was going. If he or she did know, then they’d be waiting for Alex at DuPont Circle. That could be dangerous for the small agent.
Good thing the hunter wasn’t really hunting.
As she climbed the stairs back up to the station, Teren found herself impressed that Alex had known she was there. She knew she should have been able to conceal herself from the likes of Alex Reis, but she hadn’t been able to pull it off. It had appeared that Reis knew she was being followed almost from the moment she’d left the FBI building. Unusual, unexpected, but Teren was not unhappy that the younger agent had demonstrated the ability to sense her surroundings. It had been her own strong senses that had kept her alive many times. She hoped the same technique would keep Alex safe as well.
After all, Alex appeared to be a damn good FBI agent. She was quick, and smart, and not easily intimidated. Teren knew that was going to be important if Alex was to solve her current case. And Teren wanted it solved. She knew that the people behind Perry’s death were probably behind many more. She wanted Alex to lead her to them.
Of course, then Teren and Alex would have a problem. Alex would want the guilty party taken to jail. Teren would want them taken to the morgue.
Teren glanced at her watch. It was almost seven-thirty. She’d be late to her class, but if she hurried, she could be there by quarter ‘til. Already constructing her excuse, Teren slid behind the wheel of her Nissan, and pulled away from the curb.
Chapter Five
Alex looked grumpy but semi-coherent as she got into David’s car. Without comment, David handed her a donut and a cup of hot chocolate. As he drove, Alex ate. Other than the engine and the radio, silence ruled the car as David pulled on the interstate to take them into Baltimore.
She finished the donut and crumbled the paper, still slowly sipping at the cup in her hand. With a glance at David, Alex sat up a little straighter, and rubbed her eyes.
“I thought you were just going home after we talked last night. You look like you were up all night. What happened?”
“Couldn’t sleep much. Think Cliff’ll kill me if I slip home for a nap this afternoon?”
“Can’t tell you. But you do look beat. Any reason you were up?”
“Don’t laugh. I was having bad dreams.”
David smiled, but managed not to even chuckle at his partner.
“You, bad dreams? You’re the one who stayed up watching horror movies all night on Halloween — when there was a thunderstorm raging, I might add.”
“I know.”
She was quiet longer than he liked. “Want to talk about it?”
Alex sighed. “I can’t prove it, but I think someone was following me last night.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“No. It could have been my imagination. After all, when you’ve spent part of the evening talking to a CIA assassin, you kind of get the heebie-jeebies anyway. But I could swear there was somebody there.”
“Wait, hold on. What assassin?”
“Teren Mylos. I told you about her, remember?”
“The frostbite bitch?”
“I didn’t call her that.”
“No, but if you couldn’t charm her, she deserves the name. She’s an assassin?”
“Yeah. That’s the bad news. The good news is, she’s on our side.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means she’s searching for the same guys we are. She thinks they may have had something to do with her partner’s death.”