Single Lady Spy 01 - The End of Me

instantly. My stomach clenched as Coop nodded and turned the phone, "She is."
    An older man, who I recognized, smiled at me, "Evie, I am so sorry about James." I hated FaceTime , I realized that right then .
    I smiled politely, "Thank you, Commander." I felt sick seeing his withered face. God, I was getting old.
    He smiled, "You know we need you, right?"
    I nodded once. What else was I going to say? He was the commander in charge of the CI unit , I was part of . He was it.
    "That’s a good girl, your father would be proud of you. Coop will get you outfitted and ready. Our Intel says they’ll be calling you tomorrow or contacting you at the funeral. We need to know we can count on you to help fix the situations your husband left us all with." He nodded and then Coop turned the phone back around. "You know your orders!" he barked at Coop, who pressed a button and put the phone down.
    I started to laugh, possibly from the scotch and possibly from the ridiculousness of it all. I shook my head and covered my eyes. I understood the threat in the call. If I didn’t play ball, they would make sure I fried for his crimes, somehow. The phone call was to ensure I would play ball. I knew it and so did they. I would be guilty of co-conspiring to commit terrorism or God only knew what.
    I wondered if they'd already put some coke in my underwear drawer; I could go for a hit.
    Tears threatened when I put it all together in a big pile and looked at it. The information, the death, the possibility of working again, all of it. The pile was too big to handle. It was too much to take on.
    I stood from the chair and bolted for the door.
    Coop moved fast, and as I opened the door, he slammed it shut. He pressed himself against me, shoving me into the door. He wrapped his arms around me, as I cried into my hands.

Chapter Three - The possible end of me

    We were silent during the drive home, maybe because he held me when I cried, and it was awkward as ass. I was hoping it was more that he really didn’t talk much, unless it was to mock me. Then he seemed like he had tons to say.
    I glanced at him, "You drank as much as me. You shouldn’t be driving either."
    He grinned, "You sound like my mother."
    My eyes narrowed, "Well, maybe that’s because I'm almost old enough to be your mother."
    He laughed, "You're thirty six, I'm twenty-eight."
    I frowned, "You look like twenty-two, tops."
    He nodded, "Yup. It’s good for what I do. I've been doing this a lot longer than you."
    I looked back out the window, "You still shouldn’t be driving."
    His tone changed, "I got this. Don’t worry about me. Worry about your kids."
    My head snapped back, "What is that supposed to mean?"
    He took the exit for Weston, driving far too fast, "It means you need to do this the best you can. I'll be here for you, but all I can do is hope you have the training you’ll need for this. The number one skill of any CI officer is belief. You need to believe. ‘Cause if you don’t, they won't either. Now take this package inside, go over it and then burn it." He pulled the cab onto my street and parked in my driveway with a jerk.
    "You drive too fast," I snarled and snatched the package. I jumped out of the car and slammed the door. I ran for my front door, not stealthy like at all.
    The house was dark and silent. I slumped when I closed the front door and pressed my back into it. It was too much. It was all too much. I turned the locks and tried to find my peace again.
    I could still smell the lingering odor of the spaghetti my mom had made the kids for dinner. I looked up the stairs to where my children were sleeping and made a mental note to change all the locks. Mom and the kids would be on mandatory lockdown.
    I had no clue how to protect them. I had never been an agent with a family.
    "Fuck!" I whispered into the quiet of the foyer. Looking around, I wondered where they were, the bugs and the cameras?
    I grabbed the package and stormed into the powder room, I would hope they hadn’t bugged the bathrooms.
    But what if they had?
    Oh my God, were these people watching my kids shower and use the bathroom?
    My stomach sunk farther. Frantically, I rifled the bathroom. When I pulled the fan cover off I found it. A small bug. I ripped it off and tossed it in the toilet. I stuck my hand up farther and found the second one. There was always a decoy. I flushed both and sat down on the lid. I wanted to cry. I wanted it more than I wanted anything, but the tears I had