More Than a Mission - Caridad Pineiro [7]
“I understand and I’m sorry. It’s just tough at times, but…I’ve only failed once at an assignment.” He didn’t need to mention that Mitch had died as a result of that failure. “I won’t fail this time.”
Walker stood and laid a hand on Aidan’s shoulder. “We all understand, Aidan. And we’re here for you.”
“Together we will figure this out,” Aidan reassured Walker and Lucia, but then excused himself.
Tomorrow he started working for the Sparrow. He had to be alert and ready to handle any kind of situation that presented itself. Which meant that he needed to do some additional research, and prepare a few gadgets that would allow him to keep a close watch on Elizabeth Moore.
He also needed to get a better sense of the town. With that in mind, he quickly reviewed a map of the area that had been included in his dossier and then headed out again.
Leaving the hotel, he walked briskly to the furthest edge of the town where the docks were located. He stepped from the main street onto the large and very old granite slabs that led to the docks. Although it was late in the day, fisherman were hauling boxes and bushels with their catches onto the docks to be transported to the nearby fish market.
The scene reminded him of one of the seaside towns he had lived in briefly before his father’s army career had demanded they move somewhere else. Although he didn’t consider himself a settling-down kind of guy, it occurred to him that if he ever did decide to let some moss grow under his feet, it might be in a town like this one.
Mitch and he had always loved to go surfing, sailing or fishing whenever their assignments gave them a break. His best friend who was dead. Murdered by the woman who had hired him earlier that morning.
With that thought in mind, Aidan hastened his pace, familiarizing himself with the area around the Sparrow’s restaurant. He noticed the clean and tidy homes along the streets, a combination of older stone buildings and slightly more modern stucco-and-wood edifices.
Nearing the edge of the village, which was not all that far from the wharf, mom-and-pop-type stores appeared here and there, interspersed with the residences. Eventually, he was within sight of the restaurant once more.
He couldn’t help but admire the carefully kept gardens and manicured lawns surrounding the central building. As he slowly strolled past, he noticed a cottage way in the back, close to the shore. It was similar in style to the restaurant building, made of stone with a slate roof, but with two stories. Colorful blossoms graced the front of the cottage while in back, tall sea grasses waved with the ocean breeze.
If he recalled correctly from his files, the cottage was the Sparrow’s home. Her nest.
In time, he would get in there and locate the information he needed. He was sure about that. He would do whatever he had to in order to complete this mission since it was more than a mission to him. It was long-denied payback for his friend’s death.
He only hoped that once the mission was completed, he would finally have the peace of mind that had eluded him for the past two years.
With that thought in mind, he hurried back to the hotel to prepare for his first day of work for the Sparrow.
Chapter 3
The early-morning hours at the markets were the ones Elizabeth liked the best. She enjoyed investigating the stalls to search out ingredients for something new and playfully haggling with the vendors over the prices. As she walked past one merchant or another, they shouted their greetings. Most of them had known her since she was a child.
Sometimes, if she finished with the shopping early enough, she would walk down to the water’s edge and take the long way back home. If the tide was just right, she could skirt the edges of the