The Devil's Sweetheart

Heather assumed the black dot she saw in the monitor was an insect or a bug that entered her daughter\'s ear by mistake. That was until Leena typed something in her mobile and showcased it in front of her. Heather clamped her mouth shut, widening her eyes. 

\'\'You told there is a major operation tonight, mom?\'\' Leena hinted at her mother to act along.

\'\'Umm..Yes, baby. I have, and I need to leave to prepare.\'\' Heather doesn\'t understand much of the computer world like her daughter, but she can presume by the way Leena refused to speak a word. Someone is tracking her daughter, and she needs to keep her mouth shut and act along with Leena. Sometimes, technology is a curse rather than call it a boon. 

\'\'Thanks for your time, mom. I will leave to the office then.\'\' Leena wrote a message to her mom, \'Don\'t worry. I will take care of this matter.\'

Heather smiled and nodded, feeling proud of Leena. Before leaving, she hugged her and bade goodbye.

As Leena began heading to the office, she sent a text to a number from her satphone. [Mr. Sweedish Butler, call my number and ask me if I can come to your office. It\'s pretty urgent. I will explain everything later]

Leena hoped Kurt would see her message soon, and there he was. Instead of a call, she received a text from him. [Who is it? Are you, Leena?]

She parked the car by the road with a sigh. [I believe no one calls you Sweedish Butler other than the great Leena]

[Expected from the self-centered narcissist]

[I will make my schedule free and hear your praises for the whole day. But right now, I don\'t have time. Call my number fast, and do as I texted]

Seconds later, Leena\'s phone played her favorite ringtone. \'\'What\'s up, Mr. Sweedish Butler?\'\'

\'\'I_I mean..can you come to my office. It\'s pretty urgent.\'\'

\'\'What\'s the matter? Do you want my help in hacking? I am busy, though.\'\' 

Kurt exhaled a deep sigh. She is the weirdest creature he had seen. Isn\'t she the one who asked me to call? Everything she talks about and every action she does is contradictory to what he expects. To go with the flow, Kurt said. \'\'It doesn\'t take much of your time. Will you please come and help me with a case.\'\'

\'\'Alright, I will come.\'\' With that, Leena hung up, a happy smile on her face.

Kurt was in a presumption that Leena had called him to pull a prank, but hell no. She has appeared in front of him for real. Wordlessly, Leena typed something in her mobile notepad and showed it to Kurt. [Don\'t talk. Please take me to the Faraday cage of your office]

Kurt gave her a questioning look. How does she know the FBI office has a Faraday room? With Leena\'s pleading eyes, Kurt didnot question further and escorted her to the room, enclosed in heavy-duty aluminum foils that covered the room\'s four walls.

Leena collapsed on the chair. Finally, she felt at home here. Only she knew how hard for a blabbermouth like her to manage without talking. \'\'Mr. Sweedish Butler, give me something to eat. I am dead hungry.\'\' When she noticed Kurt stood there motionlessly, she yelled at him. \'\'What are you waiting for? I helped you twice with your case.\'\'

\'\'She is unbelievable,\'\' Kurt muttered and headed out, and half n hour later, he arrived back with a paper bag. 

Famished, Leena ate in silence, and when she almost emptied the bowl, she glanced at him and said. \'\'Call Devin and tell him that I am here. Give him a hint..anything, but he should come here.\'\'

\'\'Why..\'\'

\'\'Don\'t ask any questions now.\'\'

\'\'Fine,\'\' Gritting his teeth, Kurt did as Leene said. He went out of the Faraday room and made a call to Devin.

"I called him. If he had caught the hint, he would come here in half-n an hour.\'\'

The most awaiting time had ended when Kurt got a call from Devin. The moment he stepped into the room, Leena jogged towards him and crashed into his arms. 

\'\'Why are you here?\'\' A while ago, Kurt called him and informed Devin that Leena has come to the office, to flirt with a man to induce jealousy. Devin knows that would never happen, but he was intrigued at why Leena suddenly came to Kurt\'s office without telling him.

 \'\'Someone is hearing us, Devin,\'\' Leena said.

\'\'What do you mean, someone hears you?\'\' Kurt questioned, looking around the room. There is no way anyone can hear their talks, especially in this room.

Leena disembarked from the hug and showed a picture to Devin and Kurt. \'\'My headaches are not because of food poisoning. This is the X-ray of my ear, and the black dot you can see is not a bed bug or an insect. It\'s a listening device.\'\'

\'\'It\'s inside your ear!\'\' Devin stared at her without blinking his eyes. \'\'But you are talking here.\'\'

\'\'This is a Faraday cage. It will block all the communication signals. No one can hear us now.\'\' Leena said and explained everything happening around her for the whole week to the clueless Kurt.

\'\'Is that the reason she was acting strange?\'\' Kurt muttered to himself.

\'\'The new girl working in my company is not Merl. She has joined the office as a spy.\'\' Leena continued. \'\'She planned to plant a bug in my bracelet, but she knew I would know it soon. So, she inserted it in my ear when I fainted, which means, as long as my bracelet key is turned on, she can listen to you as well. It\'s like killing two birds with one shot.\'\'

\'\'But how did you pass through our security if you are carrying a listening device?\'\' Kurt asked. \'\'No listening device can pass through the entrance unless they are scanned."

Pointing her finger to the ear, Leena said. \'\'This bug is releasing the signals at very low frequency. It\'s..practically invisible to detect. Least, I was unable to feel the weight of it in my ear even. That woman planned ingeniously before executing the plan.\'\'

\'So, Merl planned and sent men to kill Enzo Brown after listening to my conversation with Nick. Why? Is it because Enzo Brown knows the person who made a pact to Morvena to wipe out my memories? \' Devin concluded. This theory fits perfectly to the situation, but he can\'t rely on theories. He needs solid proof.

\'\'Leena.\'\' Devin held her hand. \'\'I will call a doctor, and we will get rid of this bug,\'\'

\'\'Hmm...Okay.\'\'

It didnot take much time to get rid of the bug. Yet, Leena didnot discard to let the enemy stay in delusion. Finally, Leena felt like she was free from the burden. Those one-sided headaches tortured her.

\'\'Thank you, Kurt.\'\' Devin thanked his friend. \'\'You were a great help today.\'\'

\'\'I did nothing. All credit goes to your wife.\'\' Kurt was impressed by Leena\'s ingenuity. Every time he meets Leena, her personality reminded him of his hacker enemy. Is she?...no! She can\'t be. Elysian is a man.

\'\'If she is a spy, then aren\'t you curious to know her boss?\'\' Kurt probed.

\'\'We will deal with that.\'\' Devin looked at Leena meaningfully, and the wicked smile on her face revealed a storm is approaching.

All the way, Leena complained to Devin about her ear pain like a kid. \'Drama queen.\' He muttered with a smile. After dropping her at the office, he said. \'\'I have a meeting in fifteen minutes. I will leave for office.\'\'

\'\'Gladly.\'\' She pecked his lips, and before Devin caught her, she whisked away.

While going, Leena peeped into Nick\'s room and found his seat empty but heard giggles of a man and woman in the next room. \'She has wholly trapped him. I have to start a plan to bring this stupid out of her blind love.\'

Happy she was, Leena was listening to songs and working when Merl came in. \'\'Leena, are you free after office hours?\'\'

\'\'Why?\'\' She asked, sounding as sweet as honey.

\'\'We can have dinner and plan for a movie: you, me, and Nick,\'\' Merl suggested. 

\'\'I would love to.\'\' Leena noticed an instant joy in Merl\'s face. \'\'But I can\'t. I have a strict warning from my husband not to eat outside food.\'\'

\'\'Then we can plan for a movie alone.\'\'

\'\'Sorry! I have to take care of Cutie,\'\' Leena said. 

\'\'Oh..okay. Carry on.\'\' Merl dejectedly went out, tightly gripping her fists.

What is she planning? Is it another trap? Knowing about Merl, Leena planned to throw a bug in Merl\'s bag, but the idea itself bored her. Instead, she kept track of Merl\'s phone. The text messages were all addressed to a person named \'Boss.\' Who is this Boss? She wondered.

....

Merl sighed as she stood in front of a house. Heaving another sigh, she trudged inside, passing the security gates. One of the men escorted her to the big room and went back, closing the door shut behind. 

Merl shivered at the sudden drop in temperature. She glanced at her Boss, graffitiing a portrait of a woman on the big wall. \'\'Isn\'t she beautiful?\'\'

\'\'S_he is.\'\' Everywhere her eyes followed, the walls filled with the graffiti painting of a certain woman.

\'\'I called Leena for dinner, but she refused. Would you please give me three more days? I will not fail this time.\'\'

\'\'Have you ever heard Enger Cassius Lennox giving second chances?\'\'

At the other end, Leena\'s mouth wide opened. While Devin was not surprised that Enger would steep low, for he knew his obsession over Leena. But he was more concerned about his hand in Morvena\'s father\'s death.. Enzo Brown was his last hope, but why did Enger kill him? Unless he was the \'him\' who made a pact with Morvena.