The Guardian Read online

“Stop,” she told herself.

  Eden put in her earbuds and turned on some music as she ate. By the time she was finished with the meal, she felt a little better. Then, she got comfortable and switched to a quick five-minute meditation. She closed her eyes and let the words of the guided session clear her mind and balance her once more.

  When it was finished, she felt immensely better. There was a smile on her face, and she had some direction for what she needed to do next. Eden paid for her food and gathered her things to leave. She kept one earbud in to continue listening to music. She still had about fifteen minutes before she had to be back at her desk, and she wasn’t going to go back any sooner than she had to.

  She walked slowly, soaking in the sun’s rays. Her mind drifted to the items she needed to pick up at the market since she hadn’t cooked all week. The weekend was fast approaching, and she was seriously considering making a short trip to Prague. She loved the city, and with so much to do there, it kept calling her back.

  Eden was about to walk into the office when a man standing and staring at her while others walked past caught her attention. She searched for him as the crowd moved by, but by the time the area was clear, he was gone. Once more, she would’ve sworn it was Maks.

  “I’m losing my mind,” she said.

  She hesitated about going into the office. The fact that she had slept very little last night and her unconventional connection to this new assignment made her take a step back. She had vacation days. Perhaps she should take a couple and extend her trip to Prague. Eden pulled out her phone and called Janice before she changed her mind. The secretary answered the call.

  “Hi,” Eden said. “Please tell Janice that I won’t be coming back into work this afternoon, and I’ll be taking Friday off, too. I’m not feeling well.”

  She dropped her phone into her bag and looked back at where she had thought she saw Maks. That was twice in less than an hour. Eden thought about walking across the street and seeing if she could find him, but she knew it was a ridiculous thought. Maks wasn’t there. He might be a spy, but he couldn’t know who was looking for him, or where the office was located.

  Could he?

  Eden shook her head. She needed to sleep. That’s all this was. She’d go home, take a nap, and then book her trip to leave either later tonight or first thing tomorrow morning. Without a second thought, she walked away from SynTech and toward her flat.

  The moment she was in her home, she let out a sigh of relief. Without preamble, she locked her door and went to her bedroom to undress and get back into bed. In seconds, she was asleep.

  6

  Getting to Vienna had been easy. Maybe too easy. Maks looked at everything and everyone as an enemy now. He needed to get into SynTech, but the office had security everywhere. Not only were there badges that let the workers through a gated area, there were also metal detectors that everyone had to walk through.

  It would take some time for Maks to find a way into the building. Time he didn’t have. So, he set up to watch. He recorded the comings and goings of everyone in the building. It was the woman who caught his attention that morning. First because she was one of the first to arrive. Second, because she was breathtaking.

  Her shoulder-length dark blond strands caught the morning sun and held him transfixed. She walked with a confidence he’d not seen in many. As if she didn’t let the weight of the world affect her. Her camel-colored coat was buttoned and belted and hung past her knees, preventing him from seeing what she wore beneath. She had a cream and black plaid scarf around her neck, black gloves on her hands, a large black purse slung over her shoulder, and black stilettos on her feet. The fact that she was more dressed than half the people who had gone into the office was something he took notice of. She glanced his way, giving him time to see her oval face, full lips turned up in a greeting, and a cheery disposition.

  Besides, someone with a face like hers would catch anyone’s gaze.

  A couple of hours later, after most everyone had gone into the office, he went into a neighboring building and made his way to the roof. With the scope in his backpack, he scanned the windows of those within the building, moving from one floor to the next. Then he moved to the adjacent building and repeated the surveillance process a second time.

  Maks was on the top floor when he froze as he spotted the woman. She sat at a desk with windows to her back. It wasn’t an office, nor was it a cubicle, it was something in between. She wore a black skirt and a goldish-colored top. When he saw his picture taped to the side of her monitor, his lips flattened. For several minutes, he watched her scanning the footage from the train station in Amsterdam. He didn’t wait around to find out if she’d found anything. Instead, he spun around and went back downstairs.

  He kept out of sight, waiting to see if she would come out for lunch. When she did, he followed her. The temperatures had warmed up enough that she had left her coat open and her gloves and scarf in her purse. She kept tilting her face to the sky with her eyes closed as if she couldn’t get enough of the sun.

  The moment she entered the café for lunch, Maks remained close to watch her. Maybe too close because he feared she might have seen him. Something spooked her, because she scanned faces as if she were looking for someone. She also spoke to herself, seemingly unaware and uncaring if anyone noticed. Once she had her earbuds in, it was like the outside world didn’t exist for her. Then she did the strangest thing, she sat in the café with her eyes closed. He couldn’t figure out what she was doing.

  On her way back to the office, she took her time as if she weren’t ready to leave the sun. He’d been so engrossed in watching her that he’d forgotten that he was supposed to be hiding. Then her gaze locked with his. He wore sunglasses and a ball cap, but it didn’t matter. He knew that she saw him.

  Maks waited until there were enough people between them before he ducked out of sight and moved to another location to observe her. He waited to see if she would tell someone that he was there. But she didn’t. She kept looking for him, though.

  It wasn’t until she used her mobile that he worried she was calling someone about him. Not that he was worried. He’d been trained by some of the best operatives in the world. If he wanted to disappear, he could do it. Maks remained where he was, and a moment later, the woman walked away from the building instead of going inside.

  She didn’t seem to be in a hurry or upset. It was more like she was happy. He kept a safe distance as he trailed her back to a set of flats. When she was inside, he went to the door and tried it but found it locked. He looked at the buzzer buttons on the side to see six. Looking around to see if anyone noticed him, he ran across the street and ducked into an alley to use his scope to locate which floor the woman was on.

  He found her on the third floor, south side. Scanning the flat, he saw no movement within. It wasn’t until he spotted her in bed that he got an idea. Maks made his way back to her building. Before he could pick the lock, someone opened the door from the inside, which allowed him entry. He bypassed the elevator and used the stairs to get to her floor. Then he stood in front of her door.

  Maks easily picked the door lock and two deadbolts before he let himself in. He waited, looking around for an alarm system, but didn’t see or hear one. Quietly, he walked through the flat. It was an open floor plan. From the door, he could see the living room, kitchen, and eating space. A small area to his right held a desk with a computer. The only other door he saw was the bedroom.

  He walked toward it and peered inside. The room, like the rest of the house, was immaculate. Nothing was out of place. Even the clothes the woman had worn earlier were carefully placed on the bench before the bed. The closet door was shut, but he spotted the bathroom from his position.

  Unable to resist, he walked into her room and looked at her. She was on her side, the covers tucked close against her as she slept. Her dark blond locks fanned out behind her as one foot rested outside of the covers. Her lips were parted slightly, her breathing deep and ev
en. He couldn’t help but smile. She’d come home to sleep, not to report on him.

  Maks turned around and walked back into the main area. As he looked around, his gaze landed on her purse. He went to it and dug out her wallet to find her ID. Eden Fontaine, originally from Idaho. His gaze locked on her photo, big hazel eyes fringed with thick lashes stared back at him with a smile that made him feel welcome. He was curious as to what had brought her to Vienna and SynTech. Maks put her wallet back and then went to her desk. He hit the spacebar on her keyboard, and the computer woke. A screen asking for a password waited for him.

  In the space, he typed THE SAINTS and left the same way he’d come in.

  Once out on the street, he called Callie once more. “I need you to find out everything you can on Eden Fontaine of Idaho, who now lives in Vienna and works for SynTech.”

  7

  Eden came awake slowly. She stretched her arms over her head and turned onto her back. When she lifted her lids, she saw her room was dark. She had thought to only take a short nap. Had she known she was that tired, she would’ve set an alarm so she didn’t sleep all night. Not that it mattered, she was taking tomorrow off.

  She threw back the covers and rose from the bed. After pulling on a pair of sweats and an oversized shirt with her slippers, she checked her phone for the time. It was not yet seven, so she’d slept a solid six hours. She had to admit, she felt better. With her phone in hand, she walked into the kitchen and turned on the lights. Her stomach was growling. That’s when she remembered that she had meant to go to the market for food.

  “Looks like more takeout,” she said with a chuckle and pulled open the drawer that held all the menus.

  It didn’t take her long to pick a place and call in an order for delivery. Then she grabbed a glass and filled it with water, drinking as she stood there. Her gaze moved around her apartment. She’d been lucky to find this place. It was in a highly sought-after neighborhood, and while the place wasn’t large, it fit her needs perfectly. Even if the rent was a little more than she should spend. Since she didn’t have a car to pay for, she justified the cost.

  Her salary was good. Good enough that a huge chunk went into savings each pay period. She’d never been one to have a lot of debt. That stemmed from a father who thought it was his duty to rack up as much debt as he possibly could and never pay for it. Just the thought of creditors calling her made Eden break out in hives. Her father had just never answered the phone or allowed anyone else to answer it, just in case it was a creditor. Having their car repossessed while she was at a volleyball game with a friend who was supposed to be coming home with her was a particular embarrassment that Eden still hadn’t gotten over.

  Which was why even with credit cards, she didn’t buy anything that she couldn’t pay cash for. She set a strict budget for herself that included trips like Prague. The trains were an economical way to travel around Europe, and even with farther destinations, the flights weren’t too terrible. She wasn’t cheap by any means, but she definitely knew how to be frugal when it was necessary. If she lost her job tomorrow, she had enough in savings to cover her for an entire year without a job.

  Eden set down the now-empty glass and made her way to the sofa. She turned on the TV, but she couldn’t find anything to watch. Promising herself that she would only book her trip, she rose and went to her computer. As she sat, she tapped the keyboard and waited for the login screen to come up.

  Just as she was about to type in her password, her gaze landed on the words there. Her heart leapt into her throat as her blood froze in her veins. She pushed the chair back so hard that it rolled away from her and banged into the wall. Her heart slammed into her ribs as she looked for some kind of weapon.

  Without a doubt, she knew that someone had been in her apartment. She rushed to the door and checked the locks. Everything was in place. Had they come before she’d gotten home after lunch? Or while she was sleeping?

  It was unnerving to know that someone had been in her home. And they could still be here.

  She walked to the kitchen and grabbed a knife before she checked every corner of her flat, making sure that the windows were locked, as well. Thankfully, there was no one there, but that didn’t calm her in the least. Someone had been in her home.

  Her gaze went back to her computer. What did THE SAINTS mean? Why had whoever it was typed it into that box? She set down the knife and poured herself a shot of vodka to help calm her nerves. Then she brought her chair back to the desk and sat. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. There was no denying what she saw there. It wasn’t something she would’ve typed into the password box. Which meant that someone else had to have put it there.

  Did the person know what she did for a living? If so, why not just contact her and ask her to look into whatever this was?

  “Because they couldn’t let anyone know about it,” she whispered aloud.

  Eden deleted the words and typed in her password. Once logged on, everything about Maks came up from the night before. If someone had asked her right in that moment, she would have said she was positive she’d seen him earlier. Maybe she was wrong.

  Perhaps she wasn’t.

  Was it a coincidence that she’d been looking into Maks, saw him, and then someone broke into her flat? Eden had learned a long time ago that there were no such thing as coincidences. With that in mind, she typed the word Saints into a search engine. As she expected, everything that came up was about religion or football.

  But as an information broker, she knew that you had to look deep into search engine pages, not the first ten. Not even the first twenty. She was scrolling down the forty-second page when she found Saints capitalized. Immediately, she clicked on the hyperlink. Unfortunately, the link no longer worked, so she couldn’t read what was said.

  She went back to the search page but there was nothing for her to gain there either. She kept scrolling through pages. On the seventy-ninth page, she found The Saints, just as it had been written in her password box, albeit not in all capitals. Her hands shook as she clicked the link. This time, the article came up, but no sooner had it filled her screen than it went blank.

  Now completely unsettled, Eden stared at the computer screen, trying to think of a way to find out about the Saints without alerting anyone. The first thing she had to do was think about throwing someone off her trail. If those words were being tracked by a government or security agency, then she had to make them think it was just some kind of fluke that she’d clicked on both of those results.

  She was so focused on thinking about all of it that when the buzzer from the front door sounded, she jumped and froze. Her mind raced, wondering who it could be. She decided to ignore it when there was another buzz. That’s when she remembered that she had ordered food.

  Eden went to the mic. “Yes?”

  “Your food delivery,” said a young woman.

  “I’ll buzz you in, but leave the food at my door, please.”

  “Whatever you want, lady,” came the terse reply.

  Eden allowed the girl in and stared out the peephole to watch the delivery girl get off the elevator. She walked to Eden’s door, bent to place the food, then straightened and got back on the lift. Eden waited for several minutes to see if there was any other movement in the hallway. When she deemed it safe, she opened the door and grabbed her delivery.

  No longer hungry, she put it on the counter and returned to her desk to finish what she had begun. Eden began searching all kinds of things about the Catholic religion and saints. She tied that into her trip to Prague and some of the cathedrals there. For the next two hours, she did everything she could to make sure that it wouldn’t look as if she were searching for something called the Saints. And she hoped she succeeded. If someone came knocking on her door, she’d have her answer.

  Now she was really curious about what the Saints were. Maybe it was just some elaborate joke, but she didn’t think so. Someone wanted her to find out about the Saints, but she needed to be careful. I
n her time as an IB, she’d never had to watch her back as she felt like she had to now. But she knew some others who had. That meant she would have to call in a favor. Thankfully, the provider of that favor happened to reside in Europe.

  Eden sent the text and waited for a reply. It came almost immediately and gave only a location.

  “What am I doing?” she asked herself, but she knew the answer.

  After purchasing tickets online for the first train out to Budapest the next morning, she began packing.

  8

  It wasn’t even dawn when Eden exited her flat. Maks kept to the shadows across the street as he noted her tight expression and the way she looked around nervously. She had replaced her tote with a backpack and a crossbody purse. Her steps were quick as she began walking.

  Maks had wondered all night if she had found his message. It had been hours after he left her flat before a light had come on. And it and more had remained on until just a few minutes before she left. From his spot across the street, he saw that no one had come into the building aside from the delivery woman earlier. He waited, his gaze searching the shadows. If anyone was watching her, now would be the time they made their move to trail her.

  Sure enough, two men fell into step behind her at different places. Maks looked in the opposite direction, but there was no sign of anyone else. He discreetly peeled himself from the shadows and started walking in the same direction as Eden and the two men.

  When he realized her direction, Maks became curious as to where she was going via train. She didn’t stop to purchase a ticket once inside the terminal. Instead, she went straight to the platform for the trains heading to Budapest.

  Both men following her hurried to buy tickets. Maks didn’t have that kind of time. He got next to someone going toward the platform with their voucher out to scan and bumped into them, taking their ticket at the same time. He dropped some money into the man’s coat pocket to make up for the theft. With his cap pulled down low, Maks used his travel document and got through before the other two men had even received their tickets.