Chapter Text
Alex
Alex Danvers entered a quiet diner in Louisville, Kentucky, and made her way to the back, corner booth, which was conveniently next to the emergency exit and in perfect view of the diner’s only entrance. Business had brought her to Louisville multiple times over the years and every time she visited, she always made a point to visit the hole-in-the-wall diner.
There were a few staff who had come to know her by name, staff whom she trusted, and while all she really wanted to do that morning was have her coffee and read the news, she had felt phantom footsteps following her and needed their help to shake the shadow off the cusp of her trail.
As the waitress, Marianne, approached Alex, a few other people entered the diner and got settled at tables and around the bar. Alex smiled at Marianne and ordered coffee without looking around.
“Marianne,” Alex said in a whisper, “Out of the corner of my eye, I can count six people who entered the diner after me. Can you tell me if all of them are regulars?”
Marianne discreetly turned and yelled to the kitchen, “Bill, are we out of the sticky buns this morning?” allowing her eyes to comb over the restaurant. They both heard a ‘nope, we got enough for the whole day…’ from Bill, but tuned it out.
“Most are regulars. There are two people I haven’t seen before—one is the woman to your right in the yellow dress, and the other is the woman in the leather jacket at the bar. What’s wrong, honey? Someone following you?”
“I suspect. Care to help me weed out the tail?”
“So long as you tip like you always do… I’ll start with the one in the leather. Seems more practical of a clothing choice for tailing someone.”
Marianne
Marianne wasn’t an idiot. She knew there had to be more to Alex Danvers than what met the eye, and yet despite sensing that something was off with the young woman, she still couldn’t help but like her. Something about her screamed military, and as an ex-Army nurse, Marianne admired women in combat. Not only that, but Alex had always been kind to her, asking her about her grandchildren and life, and she always tipped well. To Marianne it was a no-brainer to help the woman out.
Marianne walked to the bar and crossed it into kitchen to speak with the waitress whose tables the women were seated at.
“Helen, have you greeted either of those women yet?”
“Not yet, still working on getting drinks for the family that entered ahead of ‘em.”
“Can I exchange my next two tables for those? I was hoping to get out of here a little early to see my grandson’s baseball game this afternoon.” It was a deliberate lie, but Helen didn’t need to know the details.
“Sure thing, Mari. But I expect the same favor next time I need a morning off.”
Marianne shook her head, then exited the kitchen to greet the woman in leather.
“Good morning, honey. How are you doin’ today?”
“Can’t complain.”
“Never seen you around before. You new here?”
“Just passing through.”
“Well, happy to have you. Hope you get a chance to see the sights. There’s the Kentucky Derby museum, one for the Louisville slugger, too; there’s the Muhammad Ali Center; there’s Churchill Downs, the race track…”
“Unfortunately, I’m just here for business so I doubt I’ll have the time.”
“Sorry to hear that, sweetie, but you must, must, must find time to try some Kentucky bourbon, if you’re into that. The woman in the corner over there,” Marianne pointed to Alex, “she’s been coming here for business for years and she thanked me for making her try all the different bourbons… Say hello, Alex!” Marianne shouted then turned back to the woman. “Maybe she could show you around.”
The woman adjusted uncomfortably, turning to sneak a quick glance at the woman behind her.
“Thanks, but I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Like I said, I’ve got business.”
“Sure thing, honey. Let me get you a coffee while you think about it.”
Maggie
Maggie Sawyer walked into the diner moments after her mark had, trudging over to take an inconspicuous seat at the bar-top, happily aware that her target was a mere eight feet behind her and to her right.
Maggie loved being a bounty hunter, playing cat and mouse. She didn’t quite consider herself a predator but she loved preying on bad guys, loved capturing them and turning them into the FBI. She’d always wanted to be a cop as a kid but she detested authority. Bounty hunting a compromise. Sure, she wished she had a team, and an office, and police resources, but they were the price she had to pay to call her own shots. At least for now.
Following her gut had always paid off. She’d turned two leaders of different international crime syndicates, one serial killer, and a two-person cyber-terrorist team in to the FBI. One more high-profile mark and maybe the FBI would take notice, maybe they’d ask her to be a consultant and she’d have access to their assets without having to answer to anyone. Then she'd be able to have her cake and eat it too.
Maggie smiled. This target could be the one to do it. Capturing Alex Danvers could be the first distinguished notch in her long and impressive career; however, what the FBI wanted with the woman was a mystery. She was sure her previous targets were higher profile, more important. They were really bad guys. But this Alex Danvers woman? She was a thief. Sure, she was a high-profile thief, but she wasn’t causing wars or killing people. he bounty on the woman was more than all of the other bounties of the criminals she’d taken to the FBI. What was it that she was missing?
Maggie was mentally revisiting the research she’d done on the thief when the waitress stopped by. The woman—Marianne, as her nametag read—was a chatterbox. Maggie tried to be stand-offish to dissuade the woman from talking too much, but it seemed to fuel her even more. She was insistent on Maggie seeing the sights, on tasting the bourbon. Maggie shook her head and declined but then Marianne was calling Alex’s name and suggesting the woman show her around. Maggie’s eyes went wide for a brief moment. She calmed herself and nodded politely at Marianne as she declined once more, but not before stealing a fleeting over-the-shoulder glance at her target, which was definitely, absolutely, and one-hundred percent a mistake.
Maggie had been tailing Alex since the thief left the lobby of her hotel that morning. Maggie had researched the woman, had seen pictures, enough pictures to be familiar enough with the woman to tail her behind all day. And sure, Maggie might have sneaked a look at her ass and appreciated the view, but she lurked in the shadow, out of the proximity of a clear view of the woman’s face. She followed her all morning without knowing what she was missing.
But that glance? It was three seconds of earth-shattering eye contact. Alex Danvers was bewitching. She knew Alex was beautiful from the pictures, but there was so much more to the woman’s beauty than what could be captured in a still. There was a liveliness about her, a vivacious aura that surrounded her. Her auburn hair caught the sunlight and reflected it outward, the light shimmered around her head like a renaissance halo. Strands fell gracefully around her fair skin and her pursed pink lips. Just as Maggie briefly searched Alex’s eyes she could feel Alex searching her own, yet where the bounty hunter expected to see anger or emptiness, she instead saw only warmth.
When Maggie casually snapped her head back to Marianne, declined, and watched the waitress finally walk away, she let out a sigh.
Alex Danvers: Master thief. Wanted by the FBI. Current target. Inexplicably beautiful.
Great.
Alex
Alex watched the interaction out of the corner of her eye until she heard her name and looked up. What the hell was Marianne doing saying her name aloud? Alex tensed, then saw the woman at the bar turn to make eye contact with her.
Alex froze for a moment, lost in the eyes of a woman who was potentially tailing her. She was gorgeous. Olive skin and dark brown hair and big, brown eyes. Alex broke the gaze and looked away, pushing the attraction out of her mind.
Alex continued pretending to do the cross word puzzle until Marianne returned with her coffee. She discreetly demanded to know what the hell Marianne was thinking by calling her out like that, and the waitress responded in a whisper.
“She’s definitely your tail, Alex. I was thinking that if you show her around you might be able to get a leg up, since she doesn’t know you know she’s following you.”
“I don’t think she’ll fall for it, and that's if she doesn’t already know... and I’m not convinced that’s the case.”
“Well, you could try to lose her, but I have a feeling she’ll be back on your trail in no time. If you connect under the guise of showing her around I think you’d have the upper-hand regardless of whether or not she knows. You have height and weight on her anyways should it go south.”
Alex thought about it. Marianne was right that the woman would catch up with her if she made a quick escape. Offering to show the woman around was probably the better option, but even though Alex did have height and weight on the woman and was skilled at various types of martial arts and hand-to-hand combat, she wondered about the skills the other woman possessed. She could be an alien, some kind of shape-shifter or humanoid species, and while that didn’t make her hesitate, other things did. Like the way the woman’s lips parted when they made eye contact and how her dimples formed, tentatively from an accidental smirk. And of course those things would make her hesitate, not only because this woman was clearly attractive and Alex very much enjoyed attractive women, but also because if she were to convince this woman that she was not privy to the details surrounding her presence, she’d have to play a believable angle. Pretending to show the woman around out of the kindness of her heart wouldn’t work because she was a criminal, and criminals were selfish… so that left…
No big deal. I’ve done it plenty of times before.
Alex pulled out a fifty-dollar bill and set it on the table, then got up and walked towards the woman who had spent the morning following her.
Maggie
“Hey there…”
Maggie’s breath slowed as she turned around to look at her target, the target who was suddenly close enough that Maggie could smell the modest, floral scent of the woman’s perfume. They locked eyes again and Maggie felt a smile creeping across her face without her permission.
“Uh, hi.”
“Pardon the interruption, miss,” Alex said with a faint southern drawl, “the waitress mentioned that you might be looking for someone to show you around the city?”
“I’m actually in town on business… I wasn’t planning on seeing any sights.” Maggie slightly squinted at Alex. The woman was putting on a façade. It was a good southern accent, albeit fake considering that everything she’d read about the thief said she was born and raised in Midvale.
“Well, we have that in common. Are you in town for the micro-distillery convention?”
“I am.”
“Then you simply must let me take you around to some of the local distilleries.” Alex winked.
“You don’t seem to be the kind of person to take no for an answer.”
“Oh, I certainly can, but it’s rare that I do when I see something I want.”
Maggie’s cheeks flushed. Not only was this woman putting on a façade, but she was also trying to pick Maggie up.
“I can see that you’re hesitant, I am a stranger after all, but I’ve been coming to Louisville for years and I can honestly say that you won’t find a cuter tour guide than me.”
Maggie let out a sigh and smirked. If I have to pretend to be into this woman just to get her to the FBI so be it. At least it will be more fun this way.
“Okay,” Maggie said as she let her smile extend to her eyes and put her hands up, “you’ve convinced me. Lead the way…?”
“Alex. Alex Monroe.” Alex stuck her hand out to shake Maggie’s.
“Nice to meet you, Alex. I’m Mag—Megan. Megan Sailor.”