Blue Flames

Chapter 3

The director leaned back against the desk and crossed his arms. His expression that of a cat playing with a mouse. He must've caught the flicker of interest on my face before I masked it.

"I'm sure that none of the databases available for the headhunters' use have any information on Martin Malone," he paused, "but I can give you access to the Order's databases. And those, as you know, are a gold mine of information. Any human intelligence organisation would kill to get a glimpse at them."

More than eight years of searching, and I had nothing to show for it. The reason I had gotten into headhunting in the first place was because headhunters have access to a number of databases that regular humans don't. I had briefly considered getting into human law enforcement, but I'd learned that they didn't have full access to immortal databases, and I needed those. Martin Malone and his squad were not human.

I had managed to find information about every single member of the squad. I had chased their trail for over eight years whenever I had time between missions. All those trails led to a dead end. The members of Martin Malone's unit were hired by him a few months before their death in a blood drenched forest. They left no evidence of any knowledge about the details of the operation that led to their demise.

Martin Malone, on the other hand, was the head of their group. He had definitely known all the details about the mission and the person behind it. But I could find nothing on him in any of the databases that Headhunters had access to.

"Just to be clear," I said, "you want me to work on this case in exchange for access to your databases."

"Not full access, of course. But anything related to Martin Malone? full access."

I considered my options. It was tempting. So damn tempting. I was getting frustrated with my years long fruitless search.

I would be an idiot not to take this chance. But was it really worth it? If I worked on this case, there was a chance I would be under the spotlight. A chance I would catch one of the immortals' attention.

But I already had. I was standing in the office of the Order's director, having a conversation with him. One of the most powerful immortals in the country. It was a little too late for staying under the radar. Might as well make the best of it.

Plan 'Get in, get paid and get out' was pretty much shot dead the moment I stepped into this building, anyway.

Okay, then. New plan. Work on the case, get the information then get the heck out.

Hopefully, this plan would turn out better than the last one.

*** *** ***

"So what was Anil's ability?" I asked the woman walking beside me; a shapeshifter of a whole different kind, from a land rich in legends and history.

After The director and I signed a contract detailing our agreement, I left his office to find Irene waiting for me. Kit was nowhere to be found, for which I was grateful. If I saw that smug bastard's face so soon I would bash it in. He was the reason I was in this mess to begin with. But then again, maybe this was good. Maybe I would finally find out some information about Martin Malone, like who had hired him to perform that mission eleven years ago.

"Anil might look like a harmless idiot- and he is, in a way-" Irene replied, "but he is an agent of the Order. He does have a few tricks up his sleeve."

She didn't answer. I raised my brow. She sighed, "You're not cleared for that. Agents' abilities are on a need to know basis only. Only certain people in the Order have access to all agents' information."