Joggers and people on bikes pass by, even though it’s almost ten at night. This city is the ultimate chameleon. There’s deception and lies blanketed by the illusion of the truth. Every step closer, I think about how she was here and wonder if she’s in trouble. I left that day. I abandoned her when the predator was in her apartment. I knew something was wrong, but she pissed me off so much I didn’t think. “Frustrating female,” I mutter as I get closer.

I climb the steps and look around. This the first time I’ve been here. Every other time I’ve ever been to the nation’s capital, I’ve had no time to sightsee. “Why did you come here, Charlie?” I ask Abe. “What did she tell you?” I look around for something that would give me a clue. Maybe she stashed something somewhere. Then again, I’ll never find it. If she hid it, there’s no chance it’s still here.

I try to slip into what she could’ve been thinking. If I needed to disappear, then I would’ve found an exit that gave me a chance to blend well. There was no emergency that day, so she didn’t cause a diversion. Think, Mark.

“Hello, Mr. Dixon.” I turn as a man in a navy suit walks toward me. “You don’t know me, even though I know a lot about you. But I thought we should officially meet.”

If I were a betting man, I would lay money that he’s a member of the agency. Instead of going on the defensive, I relax and appear as if I was anticipating this visit. “I figured it wouldn’t be too long before you showed yourself.”

He pauses, and I wonder if I made the right decision. I need to trust my gut. You don’t give up your hand unless your cards are crap. For him to show himself means they need me in some capacity. “Why are you here?”

“Same reasons you are.”

“I’ve watched you for a long time. Once you became a part of her life, we learned quite a bit. Such a pity, all the trouble that’s happening to your friends.”

My fists clench as I fight the urge to smash them into his face. If they’re fucking around with us, I don’t care who he is. Then I remember that they could have Charlie. I won’t let them hurt her. “It is.” I keep it short and calm myself. I recall Jackson’s words about checking my emotions.

“You know.” He stands against the wall. “I’ve always loved this place. It’s funny that so many find Abraham Lincoln iconic. He built his legacy on honesty and freedom. Yet, so many of us live a life filled with chains and lies. Baffles me how many agents, politicians, and regular people come here for perspective. They find it and then go back to their ways. We spend our lives in the darkness and shadows, and here he sits for the world to see. Funny, isn’t it?”

His monologue is boring. The thing about people like him is they don’t often say anything without a meaning behind it. When they speak, they have hidden layers. In my training, I really learned to listen. If I had to break his words down, I’d take away that they don’t have her. Her old ways would lead her to stay in the darkness. She’s trained to hide.

“Interesting speech, Mr. . . .” I trail off and wait for him to fill in the blank.

“Smith.”

I laugh. “Of course. How original.”

“You shouldn’t be worried about who I am, but rather what I know that you must be desperate for.”

“I love a good riddle. Why did the chicken cross the road?” I’m over this guy. I don’t think he knows a damn thing.

“I doubt you’ll find this funny, Mr. Dixon.” He extends an envelope.

I don’t want to touch it, but at the same time, I know I will. My main goal is to stay calm. I can’t let him rattle me. In the back of my mind, I’m aware that I’m playing into his hand. Charlie would tell me to throw it down and walk away, but if they have her, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to get her back. I open the envelope and pull out a photograph. It’s her bound to a chair. Her arms and legs are tied, and she sits behind a black wall. Nothing descript about anything in this photo except her. She’s gagged and blindfolded, but the tiny tattoo on her leg lets me know it’s her.

“What do you want?” I ask. I’m about to become his puppet.

“I thought that would change your tune. There’s a file. She has it hidden, and I want it. Now, be a good boy and fetch it.”

He has no clue how fast I could snap his neck. I have a feeling this guy is high on the food chain. There’s no way he’s acting alone, but if I fuck this up, she’s dead. “What makes you think I can get it? You’re all spies, isn’t this your forte?”

“You’ve been in her office.”

“And?”

“Let’s not play games. I won’t hesitate to kill her.”

“I want proof she’s okay,” I demand.

“File first.”

“No dice. Let me remind you of my background. I’m not dumb. I’m not new at this. I want proof of life, and I don’t mean some photo you could’ve doctored for all the hell I know. I want to talk to her or video with a date and time stamp. I mean, my memory isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.” I fake being bored with this. I can’t remember how the hell she did that security thing. I doubt I’ll ever crack it.

“You’re in no position to make demands.”

“Actually, I am. So proof of life by tomorrow, or I’ll find her and kill anyone who stands in my way. Your choice.” I head down the stairs without looking back. I just made one hell of a move, but I have no other options.

If I fail, I lose her. If I lose her, I lose me.

I grab the Metro past my hotel. I’m too keyed up to sleep, and there’s no way I’m going to anyone with this. I get off at the Capitol and decide to walk off my nervous energy. I need to move, think, and plan.

I wish I had someone here that I could trust. I consider Frank, but then I wonder if I’m willing to put him in the middle of this shit.

My brain needs to run through it all and try to recall how the hell she turned that office into her fortress. I’ll never remember that code, and even if I do, turning over the file is a mistake.

There’s no way in hell I’m going to let them keep her. Plus, who will believe the CIA has her hostage? This entire situation couldn’t be any worse if we tried. She’s in trouble, and I don’t know if I can save her.

The hairs on the back of my neck prick. Great, another mystery visitor. I move a little faster, and the footsteps behind me follow. I’m not armed, I’m in a strange city, and I’m being stalked by my own government. The same one I served and took a bullet for. How’s this for irony?

“You can go home now, I’m not going anywhere,” I say aloud, probably sounding like a psycho.

I hear a laugh. “I think you could use a friend.”

I turn, and find Frank standing there. “You know I could’ve killed you in a second.”

Frank grins. “I could’ve laid you out before you got a punch in. Let’s not forget that I went through the same training as you.”

“We probably shouldn’t talk,” I say as he continues to follow me. “It’s not safe for you to be around me.”