The Seraphim Sequence

Chapter 1-1

Chapter One

‘How did you find me?’ Damien asked.

He was standing directly behind her. He didn’t make any sudden movements, he knew she was aware of his presence.

‘Passport Pete, East Harlem,’ Nasira said, turning slowly, her gaze cast low. ‘Your one-stop identity shop.’

He’d been aware of Nasira surveilling him for the best part of the morning. His morning run along the beach was the only routine he kept, and he kept it because he liked to know who was watching him, and most importantly who was trying to kill him. So far, one particularly clever, recently deceased mercenary. And now her.

She’d waited until he’d finished his run before approaching, probably because he’d be too exhausted to evade her by then. To save her the trouble, he approached her as she left the yacht club. She had one hand in her pocket, so he kept a few paces between them. It was windy and there weren’t many people sitting at the tables outside.

‘Using the same supplier,’ Damien said. ‘That was a mistake.’

Nasira raised an eyebrow. ‘Or was it?’

‘The first of many, I’m guessing,’ Damien said.

‘I bet you say that to all the girls. Which explains a lot, actually.’

Nasira’s sudden appearance after so long didn’t bode well, Damien thought. He hadn’t even been sure she was still alive.

‘Thought you were killed in New York,’ he said. ‘According to the grapevine.’

‘Don’t believe all the hype.’

Nasira’s arrival prickled him with anxiety. But also, he admitted, curiosity. His and Jay’s brief alliance with Nasira and Sophia had turned his world on end. Their objective to steal the Chimera vectors was achieved, but at considerable cost. Sophia lost most of her team, and Damien made a significant career change from deniable operative to top ten terrorist. Although, the more he thought about it, there wasn’t much difference to begin with.

‘You came all the way to New Zealand,’ he said. ‘Must be important.’

‘Not as far as you might think.’ She removed something from her pocket. ‘Your great-grandfather’s, right?’ She was holding a small gold wristwatch. ‘I was hoping to bring you more, but this was the only thing you had.’

Damien remembered the possessions box from when he joined Project GATE. ‘Only thing worth keeping.’

He carefully took the watch from her hand. The band was brown woven leather. The watch face read seven past seven. It was an old wind-up, the gold was soft and instead of quartz it ran smooth on rubies. The watch didn’t look like much but it was worth more than his car. Which was how he preferred it.

‘How did you find this?’ he asked.

It was Nasira’s turn to check their surroundings. ‘You’re asking how but you’re more interested in why.’

‘I’m bracing myself in anticipation. This is my braced position.’

Nasira’s brow furrowed. ‘You’re not bending over.’

‘Should I be?’

‘Sophia needs you,’ she said. ‘More specifically, she needs someone with your skill set, and Jay’s.’

‘I should be bending over.’ He handed her the watch. ‘Can you hold this while I assume the position?’

She pushed it back toward him. ‘The watch is yours.’

‘Bribes only work if I accept the condition. But I suppose killing all the motherfuckers was your strong point.’

‘That can be arranged,’ Nasira said.

‘See, that’s the Nasira I know. Besides, Sophia can’t need me that badly if she sent you.’

‘She would come if she could,’ Nasira said. ‘But she’s tied up right now.’