More Than a Mission

She's to be taken alive, Aidan Spaulding reminded himself as he walked the streets of Leonia, trying to become familiar with the lay of the land before heading to his latest assign-ment -- identifying the killer of Prince Reginald, the man who would have been king of Silvershire.Corbett Lazlo, Aidan's boss, had received information that a world-renowned female assassin was behind the killing. The Sparrow, as she was known, was believed to have poisoned the prince. Aidan was to confirm that and try to capture the elusive gun for hire.Aidan had more personal reasons for wanting the Sparrow caught. Two years earlier, he and his best friend, Mitchell Lama, had been on the trail of a suspected terrorist as part of another Lazlo Group detail. They had been about to close in on their suspect, unaware that the man they were seeking was also being sought by the Sparrow.Mitch and he had split up in the narrow and twisting alleyways of Rome's Trastevere section, communicating via walkie-talkie as they attempted to corner their man.When the walkie-talkie in his hand had gone dead, Aidan had realized his friend was in trouble. After years in the military together, Mitch knew better than to go incommunicado without signaling his partner. The nature of the mission had changed suddenly as Aidan raced through the alleyways, now trying to locate Mitch. He had finally found the friend who was almost like a brother sprawled on the ancient cobblestones of a back alley.Mitch had been nearly gutted and was barely alive. Somehow, though, his friend had managed one last word before he died in Aidan's arms --Sparrow.He had been looking for her ever since, intent on avenging Mitch's death. Now here she was, being handed to him on a silver platter. The only problem was, he could do nothing about it until after the Lazlo Group had all the answers it needed regarding Prince Reginald's murder. But after that...Nothing would keep him from giving the Sparrow just what she deserved.The young woman they suspected of being the Sparrow -- Elizabeth Moore, aka Elizabeth Cavanaugh -- ran a restaurant in this modest seaside town. The restaurant -- apparently a cover for her real occupation -- had become quite well-known for its seafood and Silvershire-inspired cuisine.He had seen the help wanted sign go up late yesterday morning in her restaurant's front window, so it was the perfect time to see about applying for the bartending position.Pulling his PDA off his belt as he approached the Sparrow's restaurant, he used the walkie-talkie adapter he had built into the unit to cue Lucia, the Lazlo group's top computer specialist, to see if she was picking up the signal from the earpiece he was wearing."Mixmaster to Red Rover. Come in Red Rover. I'm about to go in."Lucia's chuckle crackled across the airwaves a moment before she said, "Mixmaster... Do we really have to do this stupid name thing?"Aidan smiled. Lucia was never one for clandestine shenanigans. Shutting off his walkie-talkie, he replied, "No problema, Lucia. Can you hear me?""Loud and clear, Blender Boy," she responded.He immediately asked, "Kir Royale?"There was a barely noticeable pause before Lucia said,"One part creme de cassis to five parts champagne."Satisfied that the wire was working, he started walking toward the restaurant and said, "Let's get this show on the road."The sun was warm on her back as she tended the garden at the front of the restaurant. Wildly spreading nasturtiums lapped over onto the large granite slabs that made up the patio where guests shared drinks while they waited for a table inside the ivy-covered stone building that housed her restaurant.Carefully she deadheaded older blossoms and picked others for inclusion in one of the seasonal salads she was offering on this week's menu. She was just about finished when she heard a footfall behind her. A man walked through the opening of the low stone wall that separated hPineiro, Caridad is the author of 'More Than a Mission ', published 2006 under ISBN 9780373274987 and ISBN 037327498X.