anything?”
Angel shook her head. “Not that I know. Everything was in the black when they—when I—it’s all clear.” She looked up at me. “How long have you been a secret agent?”
“Two months.”
“Since—oh my God, since you went to part time, since that thing with the baggage belt—” she clapped her hand to her mouth.
“It’s okay.” Luke grinned. “The thing with the baggage belt was what got Sophie hired.”
Angel shook her head. “Wow.”
“So, what,” Maria asked, “are we supposed to be guarding her?”
Hanson shot her blue gaze at Maria, who didn’t flinch. “You, Agent Two, are off active duty until I am satisfied that you are totally healed.” Maria opened her mouth and Karen held up a hand to head her off. “You will stay here and investigate possible perpetrators via the computer.”
Maria glared at her mutinously and muttered something foreign under her breath. She has grandparents from all four corners of Europe, and speaks the languages accordingly. But apparently so did Karen Hanson, because she returned Maria’s glare with a cool glance, and replied in the same language. Maria burned, but said nothing.
I was scared .
“Agent Four,” Hanson said, and Luke had to nudge me. “You will guard Angel at work. Be her shadow. Notice everyone who notices her.”
I couldn’t help an eye roll.
“Is there a problem with that?” Hanson asked me crisply.
My main problem was that I didn’t want to work Angel’s twelve hour shifts. “Well, have you seen Angel lately? Everyone notices her.”
Angel blushed prettily. Karen Hanson gave me a glacial smile. “Then you will have to be vigilant.”
I made a face at Luke, who grinned. Vigilance is not my strong point.
“Agent Three,” Luke looked up at the summons, “your time will be divided between personal protection at Angel’s home when she is there, and background work at the airport if it is needed. You still have your green pass?”
Luke nodded and took it out of his pocket to show her. All airport workers have a security pass, mostly for purposes of identification and to get in and out of the car park, but if you work airside you need it for access. The pass, along with its individual PIN code, can get you in and out of all the doors that your specific job requires. Passenger service agents like Angel and myself have green passes, which access most areas. Police, and by extension Luke and me, have red security passes, which access all areas.
When I got involved with SO17, it was through Luke, who was working undercover for Ace as a PSA using the alias of Luca, a flirtatious Italian. He’d dyed his hair brown and wore contact lenses, and his accent was authentic enough to confuse genuine Italians.
I saw Angel looking at Luke curiously, and when he showed her the pass, her mouth dropped open.
“You’re Luca?”
He nodded.
“The whole time and that was you? Sophie, did you know?”
I nodded.
“Wait—you are really Sophie, aren’t you?”
I laughed. “As far as I know.”
“Agent Five,” Hanson turned to Macbeth. “I understand that security is one of your specialities.”
Huh. Wish I had a speciality.
Macbeth nodded, smiling widely, and Hanson went on, “You will be responsible for securing Angel’s property and guarding it when she is absent. Be discreet, this goes for all of you.”
I closed my eyes for a second. Macbeth, as big as at least two normal people with the demeanour of someone who’s going to cause you immense physical pain; me, five foot ten with my blonde hair and big boobs (I’m sorry, but I get noticed); and Luke, who is basically one giant pheromone. Not exactly what you might call covert.
“You will all need copies of this,” Karen Hanson gave us each copies of Angel’s roster. “Four, your schedule has been changed accordingly. You will be on checkin when she is, and at the gate when she is.”
I nodded.
“Let’s recap. Two?”
“I’ll be here doing Internet