Room 702 by Ann Benjamin Read Free Book Online

ritual of burning what evidence remains, all while sipping champagne from the mini bar.
    Today is a day for celebration.   Having absolutely no contact with her former life for the past six months, Agent M looks forward to reconnecting with her friends and family.   Her lifestyle is an unorthodox one, but the important people in her life are used to her coming and going and dropping off the face of the planet for months or longer at a time.   She did have to miss an important wedding, but there was no way to go without compromising her cover.
    With everything burned and smoldering, she goes to the closet.   Knowing she is going to check out of the hotel as a new woman, Agent M brought two bags up to the room – one full of her office attire and the other filled with garments she feels comfortable in.   Pulling on a pair of Seven for All Mankind jeans and a colorful Tory Burch tunic shirt, she tucks a small blade into her waistband and begins to feel more like herself again.   Opening the safe, she takes out an envelope and looks at her identity and corresponding documents – everything is ready for her seamless departure.   By this time tomorrow, she will be in her hometown, sipping sangria with friends.
    A knock on the door catches her attention.   She places her original identity back into the safe, locks it again and looks through the peephole.   Checking to make sure the blade is still tucked at her back, she breathes out in relief as she recognizes the person on the other side.   Still, to be safe, she asks, “Are you picking up the budgets?”
    “Yes, we need them for the quarterly report.”
    This is the agreed identification, so Agent M opens the door.   Mr. S, carrying a slim briefcase, walks in and she closes the door behind him, securely locking the device.   He makes no comment about her changed appearance.   Prior to this meeting, they have only seen each other once before.   For privacy and security reasons, the pair communicated via e-mail addresses which they will never use again after today.   Additionally, they each have simple ‘pay as you go’ mobile phones which will be destroyed after the money is transferred.
    She shows him to the desk, where she’s laid out her report (complete with plans and supporting documents).   Taking a seat, he loosens his tie and asks, “Do you have everything?”
    “Yes.”
    “Do you think they suspect you?”
    “I haven’t given them any reason to.”
    “What is your best estimate of when their product will go to market?”
    “Six to eight months.   They want to launch it in time for the holiday season.”   She does not particularly care if Mr. S’s company can get to market first.   She motions to the desk and says, “If you’d like to review the schematics?”
    “Yes, thank you.”
    “Water?”
    “Yes, that would be nice.”
    Agent M busies herself at the mini bar.   Out of habit, she’s tried to glean details about the man occupying the room with her.   She’s deducted he is well educated and from somewhere in the Midwest.   He is not married.   Not only is he not wearing a ring, he has no tan lines to show he’s removed one either.   This conflicts slightly with his age, which she believes to be somewhere in his late thirties or early forties.   His hair has already gone completely silver, but it suits him in a masculine, Anderson Cooper type way.   His eyes are a peculiar washed out color, almost the exact grey of his hair.
    And yet, for all her abilities, she hasn’t been able to find out his name.
    Always one to keep one step ahead, Agent M has spent more hours than she would care to admit looking through various corporate websites and communications to try and identify the man in the lounge, but hasn’t been able to.
    For this second in person meeting, she looks over at him and attempts to gather further details.   He cares about his clothes.   He is wearing a bespoke suit, which complements his large muscular