Page 3 of Code Name: Reaper
“How deep do you think this goes?” Delfino asked, pulling up files on her tablet.
Irish’s expression darkened. “If Prism has been feeding the Russians intel, then current missions, safe houses, extraction routes—anything they’ve consulted on could be exposed.”
“That’s how they’ve been moving assets across borders,” said Delfino. “Diplomatic channels with Russian immunity protecting their trafficking network.”
Hornet cleared his throat and stood. “First, we need to pool our resources to track Amaryllis’ movements. She’s been dark for over a week, which means she’s left a trail somewhere, no matter how unintentionally.”
“Agree.” Wren returned to her computer. “Let’s start with what we know and work outward.”
Delfino pulled up a map of Europe. “What’s her last confirmed location?”
“The Montenegro villa,” I answered. “But she could be anywhere by now.”
2
REAPER
Wren’s voice cut through the briefing room. “I want every resource we have focused on finding Agent Beaudoin. Now.”
The transformation was immediate. The best intelligence operatives in the world shifted into action without hesitation.
“Hornet, contact the NRO immediately. You and your team need satellite coverage of every major transport hub in central Europe. Real-time feeds and archived footage from the last seventy-two hours. Priority focus on railway stations, airports, and bus terminals.” She pulled up a digital map on the display. “Delfino, you’re responsible for financial tracking across all networks. Every bank, every ATM, every transaction service, every cash exchange that could possibly connect to her.
“Blackjack, access the databases of airlines, railway, bus companies, rental car agencies, anything that moves passengers across international borders. Cross-reference with her physical description.”
“I’ve never seen Wren like this,” Blackjack commented in a low voice.
“Never.” The woman usually reminded me of a Southern-belle type. In fact, I frequently questioned whether she had really been the superspy rumors indicated she was. Now, I got it.
The room exploded into controlled chaos. Multiple conversations started simultaneously as the coalition’s intelligence network activated. This was what superior resources looked like—what I’d needed access to when I wasn’t getting anywhere on my own.
Wren motioned me over to where she sat at a worktable. “Tell me how Amaryllis thinks.”
“She operates on instinct, not data. Reads people and situations, and makes gut decisions based on what feels right rather than what intelligence reports indicate.” I stared at the digital map. “In Montenegro, she wanted to change entire ops’ plans based on a premonition.”
“Which means conventional tracking methodologies won’t work. We’ll have to consider other ways to predict her movements. Standard behavioral analysis won’t give us shit.”
“That’s right. She’ll do whatever feels right in the moment, even if it doesn’t make tactical sense from a data-driven perspective. She trusts her instincts over hard intel one-hundred percent of the time.”
And that approach had driven me goddamn crazy during our joint investigations. Every time I developed a logical plan based on solid information, she’d want to modify it because of empathetic bullshit. No empirical data to support her concerns, no analytical basis for her modifications. She relied mostly on intuition.
It was like working with someone who threw out the playbook every time they got a hunch. Professional operatives relied on systematic approaches to problem-solving. Not her.
I looked down at my clenched fists and rolled my shoulders.
“It’s okay. Take your time,” Wren offered.
“We don’t have time to waste,” I snapped.
“You’re right.” She looked over her shoulder. “Delfino, initial results from financial tracking?”
“Running comprehensive searches across all major European financial networks now. There’s nothing. No credit card usage, no bank transfers, no ATM withdrawals, no electronic payments of any kind detected in the past nine days.”
Wren stood and paced. “She’s operating entirely on pre-positioned cash reserves. Emergency funds that wouldn’t show up in any standard financial monitoring systems. What’s your assessment of her cash sustainability?”
“Depends on her risk tolerance. If she’s carrying high-value euros and willing to live rough, potentially enough for two to three weeks of sustained operations. Significantly less if she needs to purchase transportation tickets, safe-house access, or specialized equipment,” Delfino responded.
“She’ll be careful about not depleting her resources too quickly,” I added. “She’s smart enough to know that running out of money means running out of options.”
