Chapter 1

I walk into the U.S. Embassy of London for my last day on the job. I’ve been working for the CIA for 5 years; I was a part of the Special Activities Division and head of my own little team. I worked closely with MI6, Interpol, and the United States military, specializing in counter-terrorism. I’m looking for a change of focus, moving from counter-terrorism to investigating more intricate cases like serial killers. I need to explore a different aspect of criminal behavior and actually use my PhD in psychology.

I made my way up to my friend’s office, who happened to be the deputy director of my division. I knocked on the door and heard a voice say, “Come in.”

I entered the beautiful corner office with a crinkled smile because I started to get teary-eyed. “Well, David, figured I’d come to see you before I catch my flight. I’m so ready to breathe in that American air,”

He gets up from his desk and hugs me. I sit down in one of his comfy chairs. He moves in front of his desk, faces me, and asks, “Is there any way I can convince you to stay? You have been one of the smartest and best agents I have ever seen. I was going over your rap sheet from the past 3 years you have been under me, and you and your team have stopped a record of 104 terrorist attempts just against the U.S. and 51 against other countries, not to mention everyone loves you at Interpol and MI6. I’m having a terrible time finding your replacement.”

My smile grew because he knew he was stoking my ego, sadly, it was working. “You know I can’t stand this place; I miss home, I despise the people of the U.K., and to top it all off, there’s no good food here.”

“So you’re going to leave me with these people and the shitty food?”

“You travel to your home almost every weekend, which is way more than my 3 times a year, if even. It’s just time for me to move on. And stop acting like this is the last time you’ll see me.”

“Can’t hate a man for trying. Good luck, Y/N.”

I got up from my chair, and we said our goodbyes. I made my way down to my car, taking me to the airport, and I was on my way. After a quick 8 hours, I land at the JFK airport. I hailed a taxi to my apartment in Manhattan. I unlock my door, put my stuff on the floor, and crawl into the large bed that I missed so much.

*12 .p.m*

I wake up the next day, and I started packing my bags for my quick trip to D.C. Alex Cabot, my friend, offered to stay with her during my interview tomorrow. Alex and I have a lot of history, before I worked abroad, I worked for the FBI in New York. For that job, I worked closely with the NYPD, and she was the ADA. We were in an on-and-off romantic relationship that ended when I accepted the CIA position in London, but we stayed in contact while I was working over there.

Once I arrived at her house, I saw a tall, blonde woman open the door. “Y/N! I can not believe you’re here.” She gives me a kiss on the cheek, grabs my bags, and leads me into her house.

*7 p.m*

I got settled, and we decided to go out and get some dinner. She wanted to take me to her favorite bar and restaurant so we could catch up a little bit more. I offered to drive, and we were on our way. I dropped Alex off at the front to get us a table and parked the car. I walked into the busy restaurant, and I tried to spot where Alex was seated. I then receive a text telling me where we were sitting. As soon as I started walking towards our table, I heard someone yell, “Y/N! Y/N!”