1.

*Joe*

"Welcome to Sublevel Two," I told the junior class. I turned and started down the floor, leading them toward the steady spiral of the rooms. "I'd highly recommend paying attention, ladies. First day is the last day you get a guide."

They followed me without question, their footsteps louder than they should have been behind me. Katelyn wouldn't have made that mistake. I felt a pang, as I always did when I thought about Katelyn – the only person I'd ever been able to love without reserve. And now, she was gone.

She would have been a senior this year…

I walked through a large set of double doors and into a large room. A second-story walkway circled the room and old-fashioned wooden tables were arranged in a U-shape across the floor. They all rushed to take seats as I talked. "Covert operations. The clandestine service. It's a life of being where you're not supposed to be – of doing what you're not supposed to do." I gripped the back of the wooden teacher's chair at the front of the room. "It means getting in, ladies. And most important, it means getting out."

I noted the way that Cammie paled.

"Exfiltrations are defined by two factors, Ms. Baxter. Name them."

"They take place in hostile territory," Bex answered quickly.

"Correct," I replied, stepping away from the chair. I wrote her response on the chalkboard. "That's one qualifier of an exfiltration. Ms. Fetterman, what's two?"

"No one ever knows about it." I knew that voice was not Anna's. It was Abby Cameron's. I grit my teeth as I wrote than answer on the board. "You rang, Joe?"

I turned. "Agent Cameron," I said, ignoring her flirting. "So glad you could join us. The junior class…" I waved my hand at the students.

Abby waved two fingers. "Hi, girls."

"…and I were just getting ready to discuss exfiltration operations." I dropped the chalk into the tray and slapped my hands together to get rid of the dust on my fingertips. "Thought you might lend a unique perspective to that topic."

I was, of course, referring to the time when she had messed up an exfiltration operation so badly that she'd been severely reprimanded and I'd been the one that the CIA director had sent in to clean it up. She didn't seem to get that, though. Or, if she did, she hid it well. "Oh, Mr. Solomon," she said with a flirtatious smile. "You do know how to show a girl a good time."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Instead, I watched her walk around the U of desks, scanning the shelves of books.

"As I was saying," I said, gaining the class' attention once more. "Exfiltrations are critical. And they're hard-"

"Especially in Istanbul," Abby added.

I couldn't help but laugh. It was just so ridiculous. She was actually referring to the time she'd screwed up! And I'd thought she hadn't understood what I was hinting at. I clicked out the lights and flipped on the projector. "I'm sure you've all seen this before. What I'm about to show you is a nearly textbook example of a daylight exfiltration in an occupied area." I paused. "Lucky for us, it didn't work."

The video played and it ended right before the bell rang, which was exactly the way I'd planned it. As soon as the classroom emptied, Abby asked, "Are you sure that was smart? Playing that video?"

I shrugged and wiped the board clean.

"Cammie's probably still-"

"Cammie needs to know what's out there," I interrupted, putting the eraser down and turning around to find Abby sitting on my desk, legs crossed. Most people found Abby extremely beautiful, but I couldn't think about that. The only things I could think about were the fact that her hair wasn't quite the right shade and her eyes were green, not blue. She was taller than she should have been and her smile was all wrong – it was too confident and not shy enough.

She wasn't Katelyn.

"Goodbye, Abby," I said as I moved to leave.

She looked confused, obviously not used to being rejected. I didn't care, though. I moved quickly out of the room and to my quarters. Lunch was probably going on, but I didn't care. I wasn't hungry. Images danced before my eyes and I couldn't help but let them. I was lost in my memories.

I saw Katelyn in class that first day; the only one that had been able to answer my questions. I saw her in the woods, fighting off her attacker. I saw her walking in the halls with her friends, laughing easily and smiling. I saw the look in her eyes that first time that she'd offered herself to me. I saw the gray dress that she'd been wearing that night that she'd come to my quarters and had finally given all of herself to me – wholly and completely.

I remembered what her lips had felt like on mine. I remembered her scent – vanilla and jasmine and spearmint. I remembered feeling her soft skin with my hands and how her fingers had tangled in my hair. I remembered her whispers and her gentle touch. I remembered the way she would snuggle against me afterwards. I remembered how her body had felt beneath mine as we moved together and how it had felt when we'd united as one.

And I would never love anyone else. Katelyn was all I ever wanted. She was everything. And she was gone. Taken away by her parents. And though I had searched all summer and come up with a few leads, I still had no clue where to start. All because of Rider. If I ever saw him again… But what were the chances of that? They were just as good as me and they knew how to hide… But I was going to look forever.

With a sigh of defeat, I laid down on my couch and stared up at the ceiling. Then, slowly, I reached into the pocket of my black pants and pulled out her necklace. She had been wearing it the last time she'd been in my quarters, and she hadn't had the chance to grab it after she'd taken her memory modification. I'd found it later that day and I had carried it with me ever since.

And whenever my thoughts turned to her and I felt so alone, I would pull it out and just hold it, silently vowing that I was going to do whatever it took to find her and remind her of everything that she no longer remembered.