Claire slowly walked further away from the city centre, down the darker and less frequented alleys, until she found her way back to the dodgy looking building that Pierre and his task force used for the investigation.
She stepped over scattered rubbish which must've fallen out of the ripped bin bags.
The stench was spreading throughout the corridor but Claire ignored it with an ease. It reminded her of her own flat that she lived in for years while working for the Diamond Corporate.
She walked up the stairs and she reached a door that was slightly ajar.
Her heart sped up with a feeling that something wasn't right. With utmost caution she pushed the door and stepped into the flat.
"Pierre?" Claire whispered into the room which was in disarray. Papers were laying on the floor, notes on the walls were ripped or missing.
"Who are you?" A man asked as he placed a cold blade against her neck. Claire froze and her eyes widened. She didn't recognise the man. He was certainly not one of the people that she saw with Pierre the other day.
"Chill out, Diego." A woman with long curls of black hair spoke up as she came out of the adjacent room. Her gaze was fixated on the stapled bits of paper that she held in her hands and she didn't even bother looking up at Claire. The man named Diego moved the knife away from Claire's neck but still watched her warily. "Martin, someone's looking for you." The woman spoke into the room that she just came out of. Pierre came out of the room. He didn't look well. His hair was in a mess and he looked exhausted.
"Sorry, Claire. We have been compromised." Pierre said instead of a welcome.
"Compromised?" Claire repeated, dumbfounded.
"Claire Thompson, isn't it?" The woman spoke as she looked up at Claire for the first time. Her eyes were honey brown. Yet, Claire felt like something about the woman's look wasn't quite right. "Or Elise?"
"Yes?" That's all Claire could say.
"This place has been found and many files have gone missing. Not only you have been compromised but so was the entire mission. I am Rosa Summers from International Crime Agency. This is my colleague, Diego. We are here to see what level of threat this information will have and the whole operation." Woman walked towards Claire and shook her hand. Rosa's handshake was strong and firm, and reassuring. Although Rosa seemed young, confident and competent.
"And?" Claire felt a pit in her stomach.
"Honestly? They know everything." Rosa said with calmness as if this wasn't the worst news ever. "They know of your death scheme. They know where everyone is. Your family. Mr Moore's family. They know of your marriage. Everything there is to know, they know."
"They?"
"I understand you worked on the Michael Moore's case and that he was also Martin's focus. My team is looking at this much more holistically. In particular, we are investigating Group X. It doesn't mean we are not concerned about Michael Moore but there's an overarching threat to all of us."
"Pierre mentioned Group X before." Claire mumbled.
"That's good. We spoke about it with Martin's team before. But in short, they are in the shadows. They aren't as obvious as Michael Moore." Rosa explained. Rosa waved her hand, inviting Claire to walk into adjacent room that was now empty. "Recently they have kidnapped someone for ransom to fund their further work. They do not actively hurt people, but their interest is in influencing what is happening worldwide." Rosa let out a sigh. "You must be aware how challenging this situation is, right?" Rosa sat on the edge of the desk. "I am not certain whether you can be kept safe under current measures. But… we can provide you with safety without a spectacle."
"How?"
"Honestly?" Rosa smiled. "I will assess the situation and I'll get in touch with the whole plan. But, we take an approach that we will give you the tools to defend yourself. So, teach you how to spot the cameras, cctv, spies etc. and we will train to use firearms. But we will still provide you with our own security."
"What about Gabriel?"
"Your husband?" Rosa clarified.
"Yes, Gabriel Moore."
"He will be given the same amount of security as you."
Claire listened attentively as she gave away her phone and any other devices she had. Rosa gave her a briefcase and slowly explained what different items in it did. With apprehension she went out with Rosa towards a secluded area in the suburb where she was shown how to use the gun she was given, how to load it and unload it, and how to store it securely. It was an experience that Claire definitely didn't expect.
"So, what is your job?" Claire asked Rosa trying to strike a conversation as she clumsily loaded the gun.
"Hard to tell." Rosa smiled at her in a friendly way. "I am trying to stop crime in the most generic terms. Anything vile or inhumane ends up in our department, but the kind of vile and inhumane that no one else can stop. Lots of organised crime but also serial killers, pedophiles. The worst of the worst."
"Why did you choose this?"
"I didn't. I was selected."
"When did you start doing this work?"
"As a teen."
"That must've been tough." Claire felt immense amount of sympathy for the woman who seemed close to her age.
"It is what it is." Rosa shrugged. "Use your dominant eye and try to see as if you looked through the gun." Rosa squatted beside Claire. "I have one question. Knowing what Michael Moore did to you and your family, what made you marry his son?"
"Truthfully, a need over the want. I started to work for diamond corporate because I was trying to poke around everything that Michael Moore has done, but I stayed because I needed a stable income. Gabriel proposed the marriage which would mean I had access to finances to support my parents."
"You're very honest." Rosa smiled at Claire.
"Things changed though."
"How?"
"I truly fell in love with him. It wasn't a love from the first sight, but the one that grew as I learnt who he was."
"That's very sweet. He seemed to care when he was in the news and in court."
"I think he does." Claire admitted. "What do you think?"
"I cannot tell you what your husband is like. What I know is that people can be vile and hide it in plain sight. I see the worst of humanity on daily basis. I saw loving fathers that raped young girls on the cheerleading team they were coaching. I saw doting husbands that killed their wives in fits of rage."
"How do you live with that? How do you trust people?"
"I don't. I sleep with a gun in my bedside table and a knife under my pillow."
"That checks out." Claire shot the gun at a target very badly.
"Correct your angular shift based on where you've shot just now."
"Do you have anyone?"
"Pfft…" Rosa scoffed at the question. "Well… it's complicated."
"It always is." Claire agreed. Rosa stood up and helped her correct the posture and grip on the gun. "I don't think I am capable of shooting anyone. Have you ever shot anyone?"
"Yes."
"Did you ever kill anyone?"
"Once. It was an accident."
"What happened?"
"A very miscalculated action which ended up with me being injured and another person dead."
"Are you allowed to tell me that?"
"Probably not. But I am not known for being the most obedient in my agency."
"What are you known for?"
"I'm good at what I do. I've stopped hundreds of people from killing. I saved maybe thousands of people. I follow my own judgment and values."
"What are your values?"
"Protect the vulnerable, the weak, the defenceless."
"Do you consider me defenceless?"
"Not anymore. I'm giving you a chance of protecting yourself from someone who is very dangerous and killed many."
"And what if I kill him?"
"I'll call it an accident."
"You have some messed up morals."
"I've worked long enough in the agency to know that the boundaries blur very easily and very far." Rosa helped to unload the gun and showed Claire how to hold onto it under her cardigan, concealing it. "You've got the basics. I'll get you more practice in the next few days and more survival tips. But I think I'll let you go today."
"Thank you, Agent Summers."
Claire went back in the car with Rosa who dropped her off in the city, just opposite her new apartment.
Claire bid her goodbye and walked away from the black car, climbing up the stairs to the very nice and slightly posh apartment.