a coincidence when she saw one man buying food from a vendor and another perusing a newspaper stand. When she saw the same two men a second time, she knew it was no longer coincidental. They blended in perfectly. One was slender and dressed in casual business attire while the other wore a dusty construction uniform, carrying a yellow hardhat under his arm.
She could run. She knew how to disappear. If someone in her line of work didn't have an escape plan, they were either extremely careless or suicidal. Luckily, Col. Osman had taught her the skills needed to be an effective agent. He’d been a good boss, although a bit flirtatious at times. But while other men only saw a pretty face, Osman had seen her potential. After testing her intelligence, the army veteran had insisted Maya receive additional training as an operator, which included the use of weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and evasive maneuvers.
Not only had she excelled in her duties, but she’d been surprised to find that advanced weapons training and spy-craft fit perfectly with her unassuming demeanor. In Osman’s words, she was a natural.
That didn’t mean she held any illusions about taking on a man twice her size in hand-to-hand combat, but there were other ways to get the job done. Currently, she needed to utilize her evasive training to get the men off her trail.
Maya made up her mind and crossed the busy street, waving apologies to honking vehicles. She then approached the slender man who was sitting on a bench seemingly concerned only with his meal. If he was following her, he was very good. He didn’t look up at her when she, now playing the role of a lost pedestrian, approached him.
“Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to the train station?” she asked the man while continually glancing at her watch to give him the idea she was running late for an appointment.
He looked up from his food and pointed down the street.
“Head towards the port. You can’t miss it.”
“Thank you,” she said, already heading in the direction he’d indicated. As she crossed the next intersection, she glanced back casually and noted the man was now intently speaking on his phone. He hadn’t gotten up from his seat but when Maya’s gaze swiveled wide she saw the other man across the street with a cell phone pressed to his ear.
However, two minutes later she scanned the area again. Both men had disappeared. A minute later, she looked again, but there were no signs of the men. Instead of calming her nerves, the absence of the men heightened her malaise. In the direction she was going, the crowds were thinning. She had yet to locate an unoccupied taxi.
That's when it occurred to her they'd been using the surveillance cameras in order to determine her location and keep tabs on her movements. The cameras were present everywhere. In a time when bombings were common throughout Israel, authorities had made it a top priority to install surveillance along major thoroughfares and throughout all major transportation hubs. Maya bit her lip instead of cursing; she imagined Osman laughing at her stupidity.
Even as she chided herself for the rookie move, a cab crept by, the backseat empty. She banged on the trunk to get his attention. The cab stopped, and she approached the driver’s side window.
“Get in,” the man said, after giving her a once over.
She ignored the ogling as she slid into the backseat. When asked where she wanted to go, she told him the airport. From there she’d caught another cab back into the city. Then she headed into the hills and their residential neighborhoods. Five cabs and a long walk later, she’d arrived at her current location. She discovered a dingy flat with a crooked sign on the lawn announcing a vacancy. It was after midnight but, despite the time, she called the number on the sign.
The owner, while less than amused by the late-night call, happily met her ten minutes later, but only after she offered to pay cash for a month’s
She could run. She knew how to disappear. If someone in her line of work didn't have an escape plan, they were either extremely careless or suicidal. Luckily, Col. Osman had taught her the skills needed to be an effective agent. He’d been a good boss, although a bit flirtatious at times. But while other men only saw a pretty face, Osman had seen her potential. After testing her intelligence, the army veteran had insisted Maya receive additional training as an operator, which included the use of weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and evasive maneuvers.
Not only had she excelled in her duties, but she’d been surprised to find that advanced weapons training and spy-craft fit perfectly with her unassuming demeanor. In Osman’s words, she was a natural.
That didn’t mean she held any illusions about taking on a man twice her size in hand-to-hand combat, but there were other ways to get the job done. Currently, she needed to utilize her evasive training to get the men off her trail.
Maya made up her mind and crossed the busy street, waving apologies to honking vehicles. She then approached the slender man who was sitting on a bench seemingly concerned only with his meal. If he was following her, he was very good. He didn’t look up at her when she, now playing the role of a lost pedestrian, approached him.
“Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to the train station?” she asked the man while continually glancing at her watch to give him the idea she was running late for an appointment.
He looked up from his food and pointed down the street.
“Head towards the port. You can’t miss it.”
“Thank you,” she said, already heading in the direction he’d indicated. As she crossed the next intersection, she glanced back casually and noted the man was now intently speaking on his phone. He hadn’t gotten up from his seat but when Maya’s gaze swiveled wide she saw the other man across the street with a cell phone pressed to his ear.
However, two minutes later she scanned the area again. Both men had disappeared. A minute later, she looked again, but there were no signs of the men. Instead of calming her nerves, the absence of the men heightened her malaise. In the direction she was going, the crowds were thinning. She had yet to locate an unoccupied taxi.
That's when it occurred to her they'd been using the surveillance cameras in order to determine her location and keep tabs on her movements. The cameras were present everywhere. In a time when bombings were common throughout Israel, authorities had made it a top priority to install surveillance along major thoroughfares and throughout all major transportation hubs. Maya bit her lip instead of cursing; she imagined Osman laughing at her stupidity.
Even as she chided herself for the rookie move, a cab crept by, the backseat empty. She banged on the trunk to get his attention. The cab stopped, and she approached the driver’s side window.
“Get in,” the man said, after giving her a once over.
She ignored the ogling as she slid into the backseat. When asked where she wanted to go, she told him the airport. From there she’d caught another cab back into the city. Then she headed into the hills and their residential neighborhoods. Five cabs and a long walk later, she’d arrived at her current location. She discovered a dingy flat with a crooked sign on the lawn announcing a vacancy. It was after midnight but, despite the time, she called the number on the sign.
The owner, while less than amused by the late-night call, happily met her ten minutes later, but only after she offered to pay cash for a month’s
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