Rising Tide Catu Book 3 Ch 00

Changsha China, Two Months Ago

My

contact in Guangzhou has found some information for me. He wanted to meet me in Hong Kong, but something happened and he's disappeared," Sarai says excitedly.

Sarai Leclair is a strikingly attractive woman, standing five foot ten, with piercing electric green eyes. Her father is a French diplomat, whom on a visit to China met her mother. The two fell in love and not long after getting married, Sarai was born soon after.

Sarai was born with the abilities to see the world of demons and the abilities to battle them. This made her a good candidate for

Black List

.

Her current task is to search out a

Djinn

, one the agency has been trying to eliminate for many years. With her heritage and dual citizenship, she was matched to hunt down this

Djinn

that escaped to China.

"You're planning to follow up on it?"

"Of course. The information he has can be useful and if he's in trouble, I can try to help him."

"Are you sure this is legit?" asks Victor Lupescu.

"Of course it is. I've been using him for several months now, and everything has checked out each time. I'm a big girl and you don't have to worry about me."

Victor ignores the last statement. She always accuses him of being too protective. Being her superior and lover, he is always concerned about her, especially when she takes a mission on her own.

"Report in as soon as you find anything out. Stay safe and good luck."

He wants to say more, but professionalism is most important to him and besides, it just isn't him to show what he considers weakness.

"You know me better than anyone else. We'll celebrate when this is over."

She hangs up the phone, then looks around to make sure no one is lingering. Even though she uses a payphone, the call is secure.

Black List

has some of the best technology on the planet.

When she is satisfied that no one is lingering or showing interest in her, she heads to the train station. Sarai gets on the next train to Hong Kong. The trip is uneventful, so she spends the time preparing for whatever awaits her.

——

When

the train arrives at the station, Sarai spends a few minutes lingering, ensuring that there isn't anyone following her. When her suspicions are gone, she makes her way to the restaurant her contact wants to meet at.

The walk to the

Lucky Dragon

is brief. The restaurant isn't fancy, but has a warm atmosphere. Sarai stood looking around for a recognizable face when a chill ran down her spine.

Like others in

Black List

, when a demon or evil from

Hades

is near, a danger-like sense would alert her. Each individual has a different way their sense worked and sometimes she was a bit annoyed with hers.

"May I help you?" the hostess asks in Chinese.

"I'm sorry?" Sarai replies. She is startled when she notices the hostess standing in front of her.

"May I help you?" the hostess asks again.

Sarai doesn't have many choices available to her. Her contact is in trouble and without him she doesn't have any leads. The months spent in China tracking down the

Djinn

, is about to be all for nothing, unless...

"I'm looking for a man named, Lau Chang. I was supposed to meet him here."

"Ah, yes. Mr. Chang is a regular customer here. Follow me to his table and he'll be here shortly," the hostess says with a smile.

Sarai follows the hostess a dark corner at the back of the restaurant. She feels confused about her contact and the chills running down her spine increase. Her emotions scream that something is not right, but she is determined to see this to the end.

They stop short of a table with the hostess spreading her hand out to the table. She smiles once more before turning to leave Sarai alone at the table.

Sarai sat down looking at each of the other patrons, one at a time. The

Lucky Dragon

is packed with patrons, but none of them stand out to be other than normal. A figure stands in front of her, catching her attention. Sarai looks up at the figure, expecting to see her contact. A chill rips through her spine and she automatically goes for her gun.

Before Sarai is able to aim the gun, the figure swats it from her hand. She remains motionless as the figure walks into the light. She stood five foot ten, with long black hair and very alluring.

"Who are you?" Sarai asks as defiantly as she can.

"You should know that by now," the woman states.

Sarai takes a moment to think before it registers. She recognizes the woman standing before her, clearly the picture

Black List

had on file didn't do the woman any justice. "You are more beautiful in person," Sarai says with a sneer.

"Flattering, but flattery isn't going to save you."

"That's right, but it's not me I'm worried about."

Sarai pulls out a knife and throws it hard at the woman. The woman moves with lightning speed, plucking the knife from the air with ease. Laughing, the woman begins to transform. Wings stretch out from her back, curved horns twirl from her head.

The

Djinn

throws the table to the side, dropping the knife as she moves in toward the woman. Sarai tries to run, but is easily caught by the throat and lifted off the ground. The

Djinn

slams the woman into the wall, causing the air to leave her lungs.

Sarai tries desperately to gather air into her lungs. She looks around, her eyes pleading for help as the other patrons go on about their eating and conversations. Her mind whirls, her hope fading fast. Her eyes go back to the

Djinn

, questioning eyes.

Your mistake was made when you decided to try and hunt me down. When will you and your kind learn?

Before Sarai is able to answer, the

Djinn

twists her wrist, snapping her neck with a loud pop. The

Djinn

releases her grip, letting the body drop to the floor. The

Djinn

turns and begins walking away. A smile forms and with a snap of her fingers, she is gone.

From another table, a scream from a woman erupts. The patrons in the restaurant all turn to see the body of Sarai lying motionless on the floor. More screams are followed.