What She Thought She Knew (Rachel Moore Mystery Book 1), стр. 13

free from all of the obstacles and duties that were placed upon me. I was simply Rachel Moore: an average woman with a taste for adventure.

Moments like that, all I wanted to do was say "to hell with this", and go far away to make my own life. That was not possible in present times, though. Not until the Phantoms were stopped once and for all.

Motivated, I sped up my bike, and zoomed past the countless cars on the busy streets of New York. Just one out of millions of people aiming towards a goal.

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A while later, I arrived at the contact's location. It was in a quiet suburban neighborhood with not many people out. I suppose the contact chose this location due to the lack of eyes and ears that could have potentially spied on us.

I dropped off my bike in a well-lit area as I didn't want it to get stolen.

I walked aimlessly towards the local strip mall.

There were only a few individuals out, most likely doing some last minute errands before heading home for the night.

As I looked at my watch, I saw that it was already 7pm. I stood there, and looked around for any sign of the contact.

As if reading my mind, a whistle caught my attention.

I turned around and saw a young man with a baseball cap leaning against the opposite wall.

Once he realized that I noticed him, he gestured for me to follow, and disappeared behind the building.

I looked around cautiously, before I made my way over to where he went. One could never be too careful in life, especially with my luck.

Once around the other side of the building, the whistle came again.

I saw whom I assumed to have been the contact leaning once more on the wall.

His cap shaded his face, but I was able to make out a faint scar over his nose.

"You a Seeker agent?" He asked in his gruff voice.

I automatically snapped to attention as I put on my professional air. "That's correct." I answered. "According to the file, you have information about someone who had contact with Phantom agents."

"I've got information alright, but first, I'll ask you a question." The contact slightly leaned forward. "How willing are you to get rid of the Phantoms?"

His question surprised me.

"The Seekers will do anything to stop the Phantoms. They have to be stopped." I answered confidently.

"I didn't ask what the Seekers would do. I asked how far are you willing to go?"

I couldn't help but blink repeatedly. Was he testing me?

I spent about half a minute carefully coming up with an appropriate answer. "I'd say that I would be prepared to do whatever it takes to stop the Phantoms, even if it costs me my life."

"Even if there's collateral damage?"

I became increasingly bothered by the man's questions. I was supposed to interrogate him, not the other way around.

I took in a deep breath as I willed myself to not snap at him. "Collateral damage can never be avoided, but I will do everything I can to minimize it."

My answer seemed to have satisfied the contact for he leaned back into a relaxed position. "Alright Seeker, ask away." He stated casually.

I got straight to the point. "Who is this person, and what is done during his dealings with the Phantoms?"

The contact chuckled at my directness. "His name is Martin Hill. He runs the local bar in this area, though you'll never see him there. Thinks he's some big shot ever since he started winning money in online poker events. Normally, his activities wouldn't have bothered anyone; that is until he started mixing with the wrong people."

"The Phantoms." I mumbled.

"Exactly." The contact confirmed. "A couple of months ago, he started doing deals with them; just the occasional trade. Now there's a rumor going around saying that he's actively feeding these Phantoms information on your organization: weaknesses, security codes, current missions, personal records on agents, etc…"

"My God." I said. "Is he a spy?"

The man shrugged carelessly. "I don't know Seeker, you tell me. If you think your pitiful organization is incorruptible, then you're in for a rude awakening."

I fought the urge to rebuke the man. "Where can I find him?" I asked as I anticipated the answer.

"You won't find him at all." The contact replied. "He's learned how to hide, although, there is one event you can catch him at."

"What's that?" I asked.

"On May 16th, there's gonna be some kind of musical event that he'll be attending."

"Salute to Vienna." I stated.

The contact nodded. "Yeah, that one. That's your best bet of catching him so that you Seekers can question him yourselves." The man then removed his weight from the wall. "I told you everything that I know. So now that we're done, I'll just be on my way."

I placed my arm on the wall, and used it as a physical barrier. "Not so fast," I stated. "You're well informed about this Martin Hill. Why are you helping us?"

An amused smirk teased at the corner of the contact's lips. "Just trying to be a law-abiding citizen," he simply said. He then lowered his head, his cap casted his face in the shadows. "A simple lookover can tell one more than they need to know about a person."

With that, he stepped around my arm and walked away.

Before I had a chance to stop him, the contact disappeared into the alleyway.

I stared for a moment, thinking over what he just said. What was that supposed to mean?

Shaking my head, I walked back to my bike, and processed all the information the contact told me.

Salute to Vienna: that was the same musical event that the Guardian invited me to. Was it possible that he knew about the connection?

There was only