Chapter 4 Bracelet

"Wait," I whispered, pulling back from Lennox's kiss. My heart was beating really fast, and I could still feel his lips on mine. I didn't expect that at all. Not tonight.

He looked confused as I stepped away, putting some space between us in the dim hallway. I had to think fast. I needed a reason to come back later. While moving, I quietly took off my bracelet and let it fall on the carpet. It was too dark for him to notice.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hart, but I'm not... I'm not into that kind of thing," I said, trying to make my voice sound shaky. Pretending to be unsure was easy right now – this mission was getting way too messy.

Lennox's face changed fast. The soft, sad look was gone. He looked embarrassed, then serious again like always. "I'm sorry, Ms. Reed. That was inappropriate. I've had some whiskey... I wasn't thinking straight."

It got really awkward. I pushed my hair back and glanced at my wrist. No bracelet. Good – it worked. "I should go now."

"Of course," he said, looking away. "Daniel will drive you home."

As I walked down the stairs, I started wondering if I messed up the mission. I was supposed to get close to him, but not this fast, and not like that. Still, at least I left my bracelet in his house-it was now recording everything.

"Let me call Daniel for you," Lennox said. His voice was all serious now, like that kiss never happened. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text.

I stood in the fancy hallway, waiting for the car, but I couldn't stop thinking about that kiss. It wasn't supposed to mean anything. But when I thought about it, I felt a weird flutter in my stomach. Not good. Spies shouldn't feel stuff like that.

"Daniel will be here soon," Lennox said, standing kind of far from me. "And I'm sorry again. It won't happen again."

Part of me wanted to say it was okay, but I stopped myself. Catherine Reed wouldn't forgive so easily. "Thanks for dinner, Mr. Hart. Tell Mia I said goodbye."

Headlights flashed outside as the black car pulled up. Lennox walked me to the door but didn't follow me out. That was good. I needed space to think.

"Good night, Ms. Reed," he said in a stiff voice.

I got into the car and let out a deep breath I didn't know I was holding. The mission was still good, even after that weird twist.

"You okay, Ms. Reed?" Daniel asked while looking at me in the mirror. "Your face is red. Did you drink a little too much?"

I touched my cheeks. They were hot. Great. I was blushing like a teenager. "Just a little warm in there," I said, looking out the window.

Daniel didn't look like he believed me. "Mr. Hart can be a bit much sometimes. Especially with business stuff."

If only he knew it wasn't business that made me blush. "The coffee shop on 5th is fine, thanks," I said, trying to change the topic. "That's where you picked me up."

The drive back felt longer. My head kept going back to what happened in the hallway-how he looked at me, how it felt when he kissed me. I had to remind myself this was a mission. He wasn't kissing me. He was kissing a memory of his wife.

"We're here," Daniel said as we stopped at the coffee shop. It was almost empty now-it was late. But sitting near the wall was that same "homeless" person from before. Shadowbird was still there, watching and waiting.

I got out of the car. "Thanks for the ride, Daniel."

"You want me to wait until you get a cab?" he asked, looking a bit worried.

I shook my head and smiled. "I'm good. My place is just around the corner."

Daniel nodded and drove off. I waited until I couldn't see his car anymore, then looked at Shadowbird. She still looked like a homeless person, sitting there like she belonged.

"God bless you, miss," Shadowbird said in a rough voice as I walked by. "Got any spare change?"

I acted like I felt bad for her and bent down like I was giving her money. "Black car, two blocks away," She whispered.

Then I stood up and walked off like I was going home. When I turned the corner, I saw the taxi she talked about. It was old, dirty, and had a fake taxi sign. Perfect.

"Tenth and Main," I told the driver as I got in, even though we weren't going there.

Five minutes later, the back door opened. Shadowbird got in. She didn't look homeless anymore. The dirt and fake beard were gone. Now she looked normal-clean face, ponytail, serious as always.

"Drive," she told the driver, and he started moving. "So, how'd it go?" she asked, turning to me.

I thought about that kiss again, and my face got hot. "I got inside, saw the security setup, and left the bracelet upstairs near his daughter's room."

Shadowbird squinted at me. "You're blushing. What happened?"

She always noticed everything. "Nothing important. He had a few drinks after dinner and got... confused. Thought I was his wife for a second."

"Did he touch you?" she asked straight up.

I rolled my eyes and looked out the window. "He kissed me, okay? But I pulled away and told him I wasn't interested."

Shadowbird let out a frustrated sigh. "Phantom, remember why you're there. This isn't some romance novel. You're on a mission to stop a weapons dealer, not fall for him."

Her words hurt more than I wanted to admit. "I know that! I didn't kiss him back. And actually, it worked out perfectly because I used that moment to drop the bracelet."

Shadowbird took out a small gadget from her pocket and pressed a button. "Let's see if it's working."

A small screen lit up with a blinking dot. The bracelet's signal. "It's working," she said with a nod. "How about the voice recording?"

I hit another button. First there was static, then we heard soft footsteps and a door open.

"Daddy?" A small voice-it was Mia. "Where's Cathy? Did she leave?"

"Yes, princess. It's late, she had to go home," Lennox answered. He sounded tired. "Why are you still up?"

We heard her move around. Then she said, "I had a bad dream. Can you stay with me?"

"Of course," he said gently. He didn't sound cold like usual. He sounded... kind.

Then we heard the bed rustle. "Daddy, is Cathy coming back?"

A pause. "I don't know, Mia. Maybe for business."

"But I like her," Mia said. "She does the voices right. And she smells like Mommy."

Another long pause. "Try to sleep now, okay?"

The audio went quiet. Just soft breathing. Then footsteps again, a door closing, more steps.

"What's this?" Mia said clearly. She must've found the bracelet. "Pretty! Is this Cathy's?"

The sound stopped when Shadowbird pressed the button again. "Well, it works. Nice job, Phantom."

My stomach felt weird. Using a kid like this didn't feel right. "What if she tries to give it back to me?"

"That'd be great," Shadowbird said like it was nothing. "Gives you a reason to go back."

Then she pulled out an envelope from her jacket. "This came for you today. From Ghost."

My heart jumped. A letter from my dad. I took it slowly, like it might vanish if I moved too fast. The agency almost never let us get personal stuff during missions, so this was a big deal.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, kinda scared. "Is he sick?"

Shadowbird shrugged. "Read it and see."

My hands were a bit shaky as I opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. My dad's neat handwriting was all over the page:

My dear Elara,

Hope you're doing okay. The weather's changing here – autumn's coming early. The cabin feels lonely without you around.

They told me you're on an important mission. I won't ask – I know how this stuff works. But I worry about you, little fox. Always have. That's just what dads do, even when their daughter's all grown up and out saving the world.

The doctors say I'm getting better, but my old bones still hurt when rain comes. Would be really nice to see you again. Maybe when you finish whatever important thing you're doing.

Stay sharp, stay safe. Remember what I taught you: trust your instincts, they'll never lie to you.

All my love,

Dad

I had to blink a few times to stop myself from crying. My dad, Elias Vale – people used to call him "Ghost" – retired three years ago after a heart attack scared both of us. Now he lives in a small cabin by a lake, far away from all the danger and spy stuff. The same life he trained me for.

"He's okay?" I asked, folding the letter nice and slow.

Shadowbird nodded. "Yeah. He just misses you. Agency says you can visit him once this mission's done."

I looked out the window at the city lights, feeling torn. I missed my dad so much.but I also knew how important this mission was. If Lennox really was selling weapons to terrorists, thousands could die.

"Two more months max," Shadowbird said, like she could read my mind. "Get the files, confirm what he's doing, and you're free to take a vacation."

Two days went by, and Lennox didn't call or text. Nothing. The bracelet tracker showed it was still in Mia's room, but the audio wasn't picking up anything useful – just normal house sounds and Mia playing.

"Maybe he's not interested anymore," I told Shadowbird during our daily meetup at a small café. "The kiss and me pulling away probably scared him off."

Shadowbird didn't look impressed. "Or maybe he's checking into your background. Digging deeper."

That thought made me nervous. Our cover was good, but nothing was perfect. If he dug deep enough...

"We need a new plan," Shadowbird said. "Since he's not reaching out, let's try through his daughter."

That made me feel weird. "She's just a kid."

"A kid who goes to Westlake Elementary every day, 8 to 3," Shadowbird said, sliding a folder over to me. "It's a public place. Easy to get close."

I sighed. I knew she was right. "Fine. I'll check it out tomorrow."

Westlake Elementary was a fancy private school. Big playground, nice buildings. The guards were there, but they looked more interested in their phones than the kids. I sat on a bench across the street, wearing sunglasses and chill clothes – just looked like a random person enjoying the weather.

"Where is she?" I mumbled, watching the kids play during recess.

Then I saw her. Mia was sitting by herself under a tree with a book. She looked small next to the other kids running around. Nobody was playing with her.

Three girls walked past her, and one of them said something. Mia pulled her book close and looked down. The girls laughed and walked away.

I gripped my coffee cup tighter. Kids can be really mean.

"Hey, weird girl!" a boy shouted, stopping near Mia. "Where's your mom? Oh wait, you don't have one!"

Mia didn't look up, but I saw her tiny body shaking.

"My dad says your mom's dead," the boy kept going, "that's why you're so weird."

Another kid laughed and added, "Maybe she left because she didn't want you!"

They all laughed. Mia finally looked up. Even from far away, I saw the tears on her face. A teacher finally noticed and told the kids to go away, but it was too late.

Mia sat alone, crying with her book in her lap. Watching her like that made something shift in me.

When the bell rang and the kids lined up to go inside, I made a choice. Lennox Hart might be my mission, but I couldn't just watch his daughter go through this.

I took out my phone and typed a message to the number Lennox gave me: "Mr. Hart, I think I left something at your house. A silver bracelet. Can I come get it?"

I hit send before I could stop myself.

My phone buzzed right away: "Ms. Reed. I was just about to contact you. My daughter found it and hasn't stopped talking about you. Would you like to join us for dinner tomorrow night? Daniel can pick you up at 6."

I stared at the message, feeling a bit relieved... and something else I couldn't explain. I replied: "That would be lovely. Thank you."

I looked back at the school. Through the classroom window, I saw Mia sitting alone while the other kids talked and laughed together. My chest felt tight.

"It's just a mission," I told myself quietly.