Eve
"Because it might have something to do with Cyprus."
So, that's how I found myself in one of our small, private meeting rooms, sitting across from a young man dressed in a crisp military uniform. Now, a lot of people had occupied this room in the past few months. Presidents and Prime Ministers. Police officers, activists, peacekeepers and celebrities. Not one of them had ever sat as stiff and rigid in his chair as this guy did. His back was so straight I could have used it as a ruler. I had a rather childish urge to give him a little push, just to see if he would throw his arms out and try to catch his balance like a normal person, or topple over like a wooden statue.
"Miss. O'Connor, thank you for seeing me."
"I'd thank Isaac. He's the one that made me..."
Isaac, seated in the chair next to me, gave me a sharp nudge.
"...err, I mean sure. No problem." I gave the Soldier my best professional smile.
He blinked at me in a bewildered sort of way. "Yes, well, I'll get right to point shall I? I know you must be very busy. Are you familiar with a man named Mr. Andrew Connelly?"
I thought about this for a moment. "Nope. Can't say I know anyone by that name."
"She does, actually," Isaac said.
The man raised his eyebrows. I looked sideways at Isaac. "I do?"
"Yes, Evelyn."
"Umm, well okay then," I turned back to the Soldier. "Apparently I do know this Mr. Conway."
"Connelly," Isaac corrected me.
"Yeah. Connelly. Right. Isn't that what I said? Look, I didn't get much sleep last night."
The Soldier looked blankly at me. "Miss. O'Connor, just so we're clear. You are familiar with this individual?"
I shrugged helplessly. "I guess so."
"Have you ever met him personally?"
"I have no idea."
"She has," Isaac said.
"Really?"
"Yes, Evelyn. You caused significant damage to one of his L.A. offices. Then you jumped off the roof. Then you dropped two horse-shifters into his private pool. He was not particularly amused."
"Oh!"
Well, when he put it like that, it all came rushing back to me. I did remember a disgruntled business owner confronting me after my death-defying leap off a building. However, the memory had been overshadowed by more significant events. Like my world-changing speech announcing shape-shifters to the rest of humanity, for instance.
The Soldier watched me expectantly. "Does that jog your memory, Miss. O'Connor?"
"Yeah, I remember him now. But, what does some rich, moody pinhead have to do with Cyprus?"
"Well, we don't know for sure yet, but we have reason to believe Miss. Griffin is going to be targeted."
"Targeted?" That struck me as an ominous choice of words.
"Yes. Mr. Connelly has recently taken an interest in powerful shape-shifters. He's been recruiting them from all over the world."
I noticed the man had a folder sitting in front of him. He flipped it open and slid over a few glossy pictures. I leaned in for a better look. The images were stunning. White sand beach. Turquoise water. Sleek, modern buildings.
"This is where he's taking them. A private training facility in northern Mexico. We have no idea what goes on there. So far, we have seen no indication of criminal activity. But, I'm going to be honest with you, Miss. O'Connor, I don't like this. I don't like it one bit."
"Why? I mean the shifters aren't being forced into anything, right?"
"Because no one should be in control of so much power, Miss. O'Connor. It's dangerous. It's no different than putting a single person in charge of nuclear weapons."
Nuclear weapons? I thought, stunned that he would make this comparison. "Okay, let's just say, for the sake of argument, that I agree with you. What do you want us to do about it?"
The soldier collected his pictures and placed them neatly back inside the folder. "We need to know what's going on at this facility, Miss. O'Connor. It's a matter of security. You have a number of powerful shifters on your team. Exactly the type of shifters that Mr. Connelly likes to recruit. If you were to get in contact with him..."
"You want us to spy on this person, is that it?"
"As I said, Miss. O'Connor, it's a matter of national security."
I looked at Isaac. Why wasn't he offering an opinion, here? He was barely even paying attention to the conversation. He was reading something on his cell phone, a frown creasing his flawless skin.
"Isaac, what do you think about all this?"
He didn't answer.
"Hello? Earth to Isaac! Come on, we need to talk about this. And what about Cyprus? This guy could be after her. Someone needs to go check on her and... are you even listening to me?"
"I'm listening, Evelyn," Isaac said calmly. "I already sent Julian to check on Cyprus."
"And?"
He placed his phone down and folded his hands neatly on top of the table. "She's gone."