If Alex was completely honest with herself—something she couldn't always be bothered to do—she should've seen this coming. As Alex ducked into the alley face-first into a person, hands captured her upper arm. She immediately jerked away out of instinct; however, she was not let go. That was, of course, until the voice of whoever she had run into spoke.

"The end justifies the means," the voice quoted Machiavelli at her in Arabic. Alex bit down on the inside of her cheek to keep from rolling her eyes. It was a phrase echoed throughout her late childhood—or perhaps lack thereof. Whether she felt tempted to roll her eyes due to the quote itself or the reason it was spoken to her, she would never know. Machiavelli's quote about endings and justified means was a common practice in her organization. It was typically quoted to an agent on the field when information needed to be circulated. Along with the former, the phrase was strictly uttered in the agent's native language. Alex had a running theory that this was a subtle reminder that the organization knew everything about their agents and would not be afraid to use that fact against them. Alex shook away the thought.

"Where is it?" The voice demanded after a period of silence. Three men stood in front of Alex, and all of them had key facial features hidden. Alex stared at the one in the middle that she had run into.

"Where is what?" Alex shot back with the same ferocity. She had no patience for when she was stopped mid-mission. She didn't like when people got in her way. The middle man stared at her silently while the other two stared behind her. She tapped her foot against the concrete and crossed her arms attempting to look as pissed off as she could, "It's a surveillance mission. Not a retrieval."

"Where is the item's current location?" The voice was almost robotic, and Alex could feel her patience dwindling. The adrenaline from being shot at and hunted down was starting to teeter off and exhaustion was starting to settle in her bones.

"With a person I suspect has further information on it, I've contacted my superiors about it," She paused for a moment, letting the lie sink in. Her voice remained clipped, "Are we done?"

"Suspect's name?"

Alex fought down her temper as it clawed up her throat, and in the most polite voice she could muster, "I won't reveal that information in an insecure environment."

The middle man looked at her for a long moment and seemed to register that information would not be pulled from Alex. He nodded and moved to the side to let Alex pass. She purposely knocked her shoulder harshly against his as she passed and made no effort to look back. If the interaction enforced anything on Alex, it would be her determination to complete the mission; anyone else be damned.

***

3 days later...

Angus and Marley had their heads bent together as they jogged through Central Park. It had been several days since the café situation and the brief appearance of another agent. The two had yet to find an excuse to "accidentally" run into Jocelyn again after the boys walked her back to her apartment. Angus neither considered himself a lucky nor unlucky person. However, it was times like these that he thanked any higher being above. Someone in the park shouted a name, Angus looked up from his conversation to find Jocelyn waving at the two of them with another girl sitting next to her. Angus couldn't stop himself from grinning when she waved them over. As Marley and Angus got closer, they heard the tail-end of whatever Jocelyn was saying, "...these are the guys from the café I was telling you about."

Angus made eye contact with the other girl, and his grin faltered for a brief second: the girl from the rooftop. Angus recognized her eyes immediately. He stuck out his hand and introduced himself using the fake name he gave Jocelyn as Marley did the same. The girl just nodded and looked at Angus' outstretched hand with indifference. Jocelyn nudged her with her elbow, and the girl cleared her throat, "I'm Victoria."

The three were having a stare-down to see who would make the first move before Jocelyn reminded them of her presence, "Do you guys want a croissant? I got this one from the bakery, but I'm a bit full."

Marley declined at the same time Angus said yes and took the pastry. He only half listened as Marley carried the conversation. Victoria addressed Angus. There was a tone to her voice that Angus couldn't immediately place, "I can't help but notice your accent. Where was it you said you are from?"

Jocelyn spoke, "You know, I was wondering that too."

"I don't think I did say, now that I think about it," Angus replied slightly forcefully in Victoria's direction, "but I'm from England."

"What part?" Victoria's question was immediate, and something like amusement danced in her eyes as she leaned forward with her head slightly tilted. Angus saw the challenge as it was. Marley shifted his weight from one foot to the other nudging Angus as he did so; it was a warning.

"Did you say where you were from?" Angus asked back feigning curiosity.

"North Carolina," Victoria replied easily with a smile.

"What part?" Angus had never asked a question faster in his life.

Victoria opened her mouth to reply before Jocelyn interrupted, "I have class, so I've got to go. I'll see you all later?"

The three gave a different confirming reply, and Jocelyn nodded and walked away. As soon as Jocelyn was out of hearing range, Victoria stood up quickly and pointed an accusatory finger at the other two, "I don't know who you are and nor do I really care, but so help me if you two get in my way."

"Get in your way of what?" Marley asked despite knowing the answer. Victoria gave her full attention to giving him a stare that could make almost anyone wilt. She remained silent before stalking away in the direction Jocelyn had left.

Marley sighed, "We have to follow her, don't we?"

Angus grinned and took a large chunk of the croissant, "I love a good stakeout."