Page 2 of Dangerous Mission

The other agent soon joined them. “Where did she go?”

“That way.”

Neither agent said another word to Jamie.

Pressing her ear against the dressing room door, Terri hoped they didn’t try to open it.

“Energy ditched her security!” one of the agents yelled as their footsteps faded.

Terri slumped against the metal dressing room door, then she heard a soft tap on the other side.

“They're gone.”

When she stepped out, Jamie had a huge smile on her face.

“Thank you. I wasn’t lying when I said to reach out to me. You should be an actor.”

Jamie’s cheeks turned bright red. “I’m not pretty enough, and I have a little one at home. This is the most excitement I’ve had in a while. It might be a little big, but here’s my hoodie. Next to the store is a service exit that takes you to the other side.” She paused. “Can I tell my mom we met?”

“I owe you! Tell your mother I look forward to meeting her one day.”

Most people didn’t ask. Instead, they would have sold the story about how they’d helped her ditch her security.

Terri threw the pink hoodie on and put the hood up. She left the items she’d grabbed earlier in the dressing room and headed back to the front area. Just like Jamie had said, there was a side door next to the shop. As she pushed through the door, she pulled out her phone and hit the Uber app.

Years ago, she’d had a second identity made. That way, nobody questioned her when she took an Uber or went somewhere she didn’t want people to know her. At times, they stared and swore she could be the president’s daughter, but the conversations stopped there.

Once outside, Terri stood back, waiting for the black BMW to show up. The darkness of the night helped conceal her identity. A few kids joked as they walked past her and into the mall. Sadness washed over her as she remembered the easier times. So much in her life had changed since high school.At one time, I couldn’t wait to graduate and start my life with—

She shook her head.No, don’t think about the asshole.

The black BMW came to a stop in front of her. She opened the door, and before she closed it, she rolled down the window. Terri had spent hours in self-defense courses and learned what to look out for. One of the big things was to test the locks on car doors and windows of any type of ride.

She pulled her hood down lower as the young man glanced in the rear-view mirror. He asked whether the address he had was correct. The address was where her secret apartment was. Living a double life hadn’t been cheap.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket with a text from her mom. She was the only one in the family to have a link to her burner phone because she knew Terri hated being so controlled.

Mom:You alive?

Terri:Nope, an evil doctor kidnapped me and turned me into a zombie.

Mom:I told your dad he needed to start a task force for when the zombies take over.

Terri:I knew I got all the brain cells from you, Mom.

Mom:Be safe. I worry about you.

Terri:I will, and I’ll be at the house for family dinner tomorrow. Love you!

Mom:Love you!

Mom would tell Dad she was okay. She also knew about Terri’s alias along with her secret place. They’d made a deal after she got it. Mom wouldn’t tell Dad unless she couldn’t get a hold of her for a day.

The car stopped in front of her complex. She exited the car and walked up to her apartment. It was in the back of the building and faced the water. Next to her door were two packages. She hadn’t been to her place in a couple of days.

She grabbed the two boxes and went into her small one-bedroom apartment. It was a total contrast to the condo her dad had bought her in downtown DC. Her secret apartment could fit in the master bath of her condo, but it felt more like home. She’d never cared about money or fame. Though it was nice to be able to walk into any restaurant and get a table because of who she was.

Terri grabbed her laptop from the coffee table and sat down on the couch. While it booted up, she turned on her TV and selected the Netflix app. The latest series ofLuciferhad premiered a few days ago, and she hadn’t watched a single episode yet.

---