Operation: Midnight Jewel – A Jackson DeWitt Story

Written for Sunday Whirl Wordle. Our host is
Brenda Warren; her prompt words for this week are
shown below. Here’s where the prompts took me.

stalk, sky, luck, harness, pepper, jewel,
ribbon, splash, layers, set, light, and face

The sky above Monte Carlo burned amber as Double 0 agent Jackson DeWitt adjusted his earpiece and surveyed the casino floor below. He’d spent three days stalking his target …. Viktor Kovalenko, arms dealer, art thief, and general menace to civilized society.

Tonight, luck would need to be manufactured.

Jackson descended the marble staircase, his tuxedo concealing the harness strapped beneath …. a compact rappelling rig, standard issue. Kovalenko stood near the bar, his dinner jacket adorned with military medals. DeWitt smiled. The man loved to pepper his appearance with counterfeit honors.

The pilfered jewel …. the Empress Sapphire …. was somewhere in this building. Intelligence suggested Kovalenko kept it in layers of security: a vault, a decoy case, and a pressure sensor set to trigger on anything heavier than a ribbon.

Jackson made his move.

A popped cork, a splash and a calculated spray of champagne in the eyes of Kovalenko’s bodyguard sent him stumbling backward. In the chaos, DeWitt slipped through the service corridor, moving toward the vault room. He cracked the door; a light show of red lasers swept the darkness.

He waited, timed it perfectly, and crossed the room like a ghost.

Then …. a hand on his shoulder.

He spun and found himself face to face with a beautiful woman in a tight silver sheath, the silencer of her pistol aimed directly at his heart.

“MI6 sends its regards,” she said coolly. “But so does Moscow.”

Double agent Whitney Whetmore.

Jackson grinned. “Whitney …. it’s been a while since that weekend in Havana.”

“And it looks like you’ve missed me, Jackson.” She aimed her gun lower and gave him a knowing smile.

It was going to be a long night.

NAR©2026
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This is “Havana Moon” Santana

Wordle 752

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