April 29th, 7:30 p.m., Brooklyn Heights, New York City

They strolled on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade as they admired the Manhattan's skyline set against the nighttime sky like stalagmites formations shimmering with speckled yellow lights, the sky glowing cobalt blue. The EmpireStateBuilding was lit in blue with a yellow streak in its halo, commemorating European Union Day.

They stopped and he took her hand. "See, now that almost makes me want to stay here."

"I love it, too, but I'd leave it in a second if I could. Maybe go somewhere where I could start over. I realize now that I definitely need a change."

"And just walk away from all this? Why the rush to leave? You still haven't told me why."

"I can't talk about it, really," she said, pulling her hand away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"It's okay. I know it must be hard. When you're ready, I'm sure you'll face it head on."

When she didn't respond, they continued their walk. His 'friends' were waiting outside the restaurant and Danny introduced them as Sue and Dave. Danny knew them as Lindsey and Javi.

Javi said he was an accountant and Lindsey a registered nurse. Throughout the evening, Kate rolled with it, although her appetite was D.O.A.

"So, Eric didn't tell us much about you", Lindsey said.

"This guy never does," Javi said.

"So what do you do, Kate? "

She was done talking about her job but to her credit, played along. "I'm a chemist with Frugeré cosmetics," she said with a forced smile. Do I really have to go through this again? In this City, everyone sized up by conversation by how cool a job you had.

"Real glamorous, I bet."

"Not really, I spend most of my time in a boring lab. It's not like I'm invited to any gala events or anything like that. Besides, I have one of those killer bosses. Really, I do," Kate added, nervous that she had been too literal in her assessment and relieved—so she thought—they didn't pick up on it.

"Don't we all," Javi said, laughing. The other two followed suit. "I never wanted to go corporate. That's why I went to med school, but you know what? I found out hospitals are corporate too. You know, bottom line, squeezing you to handle more patients."

"That's why I'm my own boss," Danny cut in.

"Ha!" Javi exclaimed. "Man, you think you are, but we're really all working for the same dude."

"Speak for yourself," said Danny.

The waitress brought their orders. Kate, having declined an entrée, was still picking at her salad while the others dug in.

Javi resumed the conversation, according to script. "Hey," he asked Danny, "Are you still into it?"

"Nope. I'm scaling back. Do other things like work for a living."

"We still like it, in moderation," Lindsey added.

Kate looked intrigued about where 'Dave' and 'Lindsey' were going with this.

Danny glowered at him. "Still walk on the wild side, do you? I don't think so. Not tonight, but thanks."

Javi talked over him and said, "We're gonna' meet our guy after dinner, off of Flushing Avenue."

"Wanna come?" Lindsey asked as a follow up.

Danny rolled his eyes, using the motion to sneak a glance at Kate. "That's a hike and it's walking through neighborhoods I'd rather not—"

All of a sudden, Kate emerged from her sulk. "No, it's fine. Really."

"I thought we agreed to cool it," he said, completely veering from the script. The plan was for them to lure her in and for him to gently attempt to protest but speaking directly to her was pushing it. Danny thought it was too late to recover until she reacted just like her profile told them she would.

"I know, but what's the harm in walking with them? I mean, just because I'm on a diet doesn't mean I can't look at a menu, right?" Kate responded.

Javi and Lindsey laughed.

"Fine but we leave right after," Danny said adamantly.

They walked east on Clark Street, then Tillary, turning north onto Jay Street. The hip restaurants, bars and well maintained brownstones gave way to a food mart and less attractive apartments, then on to abandoned vacant lots. The rush of traffic from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway loomed overhead as they walked beneath it. The conversation digressed into talk of past drug experiences, with Danny remaining silent most of the way.

After about a twenty minute walk, they came upon a small parking lot, no larger than the size of a professional basketball court. Cars were parked but no one was manning the booth. A lone overhead street lamp illuminated the side where the closed check-in booth sat.

A man came out of the shadows holding a large knapsack, dressed rather shabbily in a jet black sweat jacket and gym pants. This was Devon, playing yet another role.

"Hey," Javi said to him.

"You brought friends tonight, huh."

"They're cool."

"All right."

Javi and Lindsey examined the virtual drug store selection of uppers, opiates and hallucinogens. Kate looked on. Danny just stared silently.

Devon, the dealer, started into his monologue about what he had to offer. Javi said, "Okay, we'll take these," pointing to some hallucinogen that even Danny couldn't recognize. "Kate, you want to ask him anything?"

As Devon was about to answer, the sound of screeching tires cut through the air as a van turned into the lot, heading straight for them. The glare of its headlights blinded the five unlucky souls as it abruptly stopped short, no more than twenty feet from where they were standing. Without warning, the back door flung open and two men stormed out brandishing submachine guns.

"Oh my God!" Kate screamed, frozen in place like the others.

The men charged at them, taking aim with their raised weapons. Instinctively, Danny moved in front of Kate, pushing her to the ground shouting, "Look out!" In an instant, a flash of gunfire struck all four of the undercover agents.

The men converged on Kate who was still on the blacktop as they approached. They took hold of her. Kate gasped when she glanced over at Danny; he lay motionless, blood spewing out from multiple bullet holes in his torso. The same for the others. "No!" she wailed in agony, reaching out but unable to touch him.

Two men pulled her up by her pony tail while another pressed the barrel of his gun against her cheek. She heard what she thought was a fourth man join the other two hovering above her. One of them spoke in a thick Middle Eastern accent, "if you want to live, come with us."

They flung her against the side of the van so hard she shrieked. Two of them pinned her against the sliding door while the third man violently stabbed a hypodermic needle it into her neck. Within seconds, her body went limp as she fell back against the side of the van, losing consciousness.

* * *

A man wearing a black bomber jacket had followed the group from the restaurant. Lurking behind the stairway, he observed the entire scene. He watched the men pick up and throw Kate in the back of the van like a sack of potatoes.

The man didn't recognize the leader, but heard him admonish his crew and slapped one hard across the face. "Be careful. You do not harm her. Leave that to me."

Doors shut, the driver peeled out of the lot and sped away from the bloody carnage, leaving four CIA agents dead or dying.

As soon as one van left the lot, another appeared on the street. This one drove up to the bodies in a dirge-like crawl. Two men left the vehicle and carried the bodies inside one by one while one woman stood by and watched. The van left the lot as quietly as it came, until it reached the end of the block, then the observer heard the engine rev.

When all was quiet, he took out his cell phone and dialed a number. As soon as the line connected, he said in King's English, "Hey gaffer, you won't believe what I just saw."

Copyright © 2016 by Alan Field. All Rights Reserved.