by Navi' Robins
The journey was difficult as the two men navigated through all the debris until they reached what used to be the west wing and Hector’s lavish office. The walls were all blown out and most of the red carpet was burned away, besides a few scorched patches scattered in different areas on the concrete floor. The man stood in the middle of the room and didn’t move for about ten minutes, noticing that out of every area in this destroyed mansion, this room was the cleanest besides a pile of wood, metal springs and strips of black leather on the far-right side of the area.
Turning to the officer, the man spoke to him for the first time since they met. “What was over there?”
Startled that the mysterious man addressed him, the officer jumped at the sound of his voice and remained silent. The nameless man widened his eyes while slightly shaking his head, still waiting for an answer. Noticing his expression, the officer responded; “There was a large custom leather couch over there.”
“Hmmm…” the man responded, nodding before he made his way over to the pile of debris. He quickly started tossing wood and metal left and right, trying to get to what was left under it. The officer quickly became more agitated, the closer the man’s digging was getting him to the bottom of the pile.
“Sir, please don’t do that. Our people spent countless man-hours cleaning this area,” the officer pleaded. Ignoring the officer, the man continued to toss debris to the side until he reached the bottom of the pile and a metal grate in the floor. Leaning to the side and allowing the sun to illuminate the darkness under the grate, he quickly noticed a metal ladder leading down under the earth. From the corner of his eye, he could see the officer reaching for his sidearm and before the officer could pull his gun out, the man put two bullets in the middle of his forehead. His speed was so astonishing, the officer never saw the man reach under his pants leg, remove his back up weapon, and aim it at him.
I really didn’t want to do that this early…but oh well.
Lifting the grate carefully, the man climbed down into the tunnel system below, closing the grate behind him. Before climbing down into the dark tunnel, he placed a small explosive device under its entrance. It was a precaution, just in case the officer’s back up, waiting not far away in the surrounding jungle, followed him. After walking in the dark and damp tunnel for about two miles, the man came to a metal door that was slightly ajar, with the glow of a small lamp that illuminated the edges of the door. Pulling out his sidearm, he slowly opened the door while carefully checking his corners. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he noticed the room was filled with women’s clothing and hair dying products. The man began to look over the entire room and then he noticed another pile of men’s clothing on the floor, with a bloodied knife on top of the pile. The man carefully picked up the knife and noticed a tiny square piece of metal on the blade’s tip. A wide smile grew on the man’s face as he exhaled while looking up at the ceiling. Carefully placing the knife on a table, he then used the handle of his gun and smashed the tiny piece of metal.
Pulling out a cigarette lighter and a small bottle of flammable liquid, he began pouring it over everything in the room. Looking over the room one last time, he walked out and tossed the cigarette lighter into the room, and watched it go up in flames. Closing the metal door behind him, he began to stroll towards the exit of the tunnel while reflecting on the events leading up to this day.
I should’ve known something was wrong when Donald ordered me to install that tracking device on Brian. Until that order, they were content with my surveillance and all the other electronic external devices at their disposal. Using nanotechnology on an agent was definitely out of the ordinary, but I figured his new mission warranted that kind of surveillance. Thinking back at the way he looked at me after I slapped his back, injecting the device into him; he knew exactly what I did. This would explain his actions after that day. He had to know an order like that had to come from the top, so he pretended he had no clue and kept the monitoring device inside of his back, until he was a hundred percent sure what was going on. I can only assume after twelve years of pretending, he eventually considered me a friend of sorts. I’d always wondered if he suspected I was a part of “The Agency”. The fact he let me live after so many years, lets me know he knew, but didn’t consider me a threat. He was always one-step ahead of everyone. He is truly the best. Godspeed my friend, this is my gift to you. Live free.
William walked out of the dark tunnel into the bright sunlight and disappeared into the jungle within a blink of an eye.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Decisions
SIX MONTHS LATER VENICE, ITALY
The Venetian afternoon sun shined through the massive bank lobby windows warming everyone inside and giving some a feeling of victory. One such patron was the blonde woman who’d just walked through the door and instantly became every man’s vision of perfection and life goals. As her red six-inch stilettos struck the black marble tile, her seductive switch and roll of her hips caused the gawking men’s heart to beat to the rhythm of the swing of her ass. Standing in the middle of the lobby, she ran her hands down her black, skintight dress as if to straighten out imaginary wrinkles on such a premium, body embracing, mid-thigh length dress. Removing her shades, she looked around the bank as multiple account managers struggled amongst themselves to be the first to reach her.
But their desires of “servicing” the beautiful woman in black was short-lived as the bank’s president, Antonio Funari, strolled up to her, extending his hand in a warm greeting.
“Good afternoon, I hope your flight was pleasant?”
“Yes, it was, Antonio, thank you,” she responded with a smile that almost made Antonio’s knees buckle under the weight of her beauty. Feeling a little embarrassed, he stuttered before being able to invite her into his office. As she walked past him, he gently placed his left hand in the middle of her back and began to lead her to his office. Looking over to his left, he noticed the account managers staring back at him with envy, as their mouths curled downwards while shaking their heads. Smiling with pride he looked at them and then forward as he continued to lead the woman into his office.
“Please have a seat,” he said, as he closed and locked the door behind him. Watching him sit behind his desk, the woman remained silent as Antonio quickly logged into his system. After a couple of minutes, he looked over his screen and nodded at the woman. Reaching inside her cleavage, the woman pulled out a black USB stick, and handed it to Antonio, who immediately plugged it into an available USB port on his computer. Waiting a few seconds, his eyes sparkled with excitement, causing the woman to relax while the clicking sound of Antonio’s typing filled the office.
“Okay, I’m in,” he declared with excitement. How would you like this allocated?”
Smiling, the woman slid a piece of paper across his desk and his eyes widened as he looked over the list.
“Ten? Are you sure?”
“Yes, they’ve suffered so much and it’s only right we help them rebuild what we’ve destroyed.”
“Come desirderi,” (As you wish,) Antonio responded in Italian. “Five for him? I thought he was owed four?”
“He deserves a bonus for his dedication.”
“Come desirderi.”
After a few minutes of Antonio going about his task, his eyebrows lowered as he looked up at the woman. Noticing his confusion, she smiled and asked, “What is it, Antonio?”
“Well, I have allocated all funds as you requested and I don’t assume to say you are incorrect, but there is an unallocated balance of one point five. I’ve double checked my numbers and I can do it again if you wish but―”
“No mistake,” the woman interrupted. “The balance is yours. Think of it as a retirement perk because after today, I doubt you’ll be able to remain president here.”
Antonio immediately felt faint as he considered exactly what the woman was saying. One and half billion dollars would be his within the next few minutes. More than enough money to live the life he’
d always dreamed. Free of schedules and corporate expectations. Suddenly, while looking at the woman across from him, he felt a sense of reverence for her. Almost like the love that a son would have for his mother and tears began to well in his eyes.
“Grazie!” he said, while attempting to hide his emotions.
The woman smiled and responded, “Loyalty should always be rewarded, my friend.”
It took Antonio an additional two minutes to complete the remaining transactions. Once he was done, he handed the paper back to her, which she balled up and swallowed while looking him directly in his eyes. Antonio’s legs began to tremble as his mind wandered to a red satin playroom with this beautiful woman tied to a bed, screaming for him to feed her his cock. Closing his eyes and snapping out of his fantasy, he smiled and waited for her as she reached inside her purse. She handed him another USB device and a manila folder full of documents. Looking it over with confusion, he asked, “What is this?”
“It’s best you don’t know, but these items need to get to BBC. You already know the name of our contact at the network, so I need you to deliver these personally to them. You have seventy-two hours to complete this request. There is a private jet waiting for you at Venice Marco Polo Airport that will take you to London. Our people are in place so that you won’t have to go through customs. Your journey should be uneventful, but as we know, you should always be vigilant. Can I count on you, Antonio?”
“Absolutely!”
“Good man.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Yes, I need the flat iron that I gave you the last time I was here.”
Antonio leaped out of his chair and walked over to the hidden in wall safe. After keying in his code, he reached inside and pulled out a black handgun, a silencer and a handful of clips. Slowly walking over to the woman, he swallowed deeply as he handed her “the flat iron” and its accessories.
Twisting the silencer on the nozzle of the gun, the woman looked directly in Antonio’s eyes as he held his breath in terror…
At the same time, a man sat outside in a silver 2016 Autobiography model Range Rover, appearing to be asleep. His caramel-colored skin radiated in the afternoon sunlight as people walked past the vehicle, unaware of the dangerous man that sat in the passenger seat, calculating everything that transpired over the past year. Everything leading up to this point was a carefully crafted puzzle by someone so manipulative and intelligent, that it took Brian an entire year to piece it all together. As he sat in the Range Rover pretending to be asleep, he admired the puzzle made whole in his mind.
It all started when the strange blonde at my going-away party whispered in my ear, “You should be watching the news”. My curiosity was piqued when I turned on the news to see some of “The Agency’s” agents posing as members of the Escorpiones cartel. That was strange, because I was supposed to be the only active agent on the mission. Donald was only supposed to be an advisor on site. Rose was my mark; my mission was to allow her to be killed by the men from the Escorpiones cartel, but the men that showed up were not from the Escorpiones cartel, although they wore their red and green uniform. I thought I was compromised, so I decided to prevent them from murdering Rose and pretend that it was love that stopped me from going through with it. Pretending I was weak was the only way Donald wouldn’t know I was on to him. But Donald wasn’t the only person trying to manipulate me. The elevator incident earlier that evening psychologically put me in a protective state of mind, unconsciously compelling me to protect her, and when I discovered something wasn’t right I acted; blowing my cover. Rose has a degree in psychology and knows how to play with people’s minds and emotional stability; rigging the elevator was just the beginning of her mind games.
Next, Hector’s men found us at a safe house that was completely off the books, even “The Agency’s” books, considering how the entire mission was a fraud. There was no way Donald would’ve leaked our location, because I was his golden ticket to sixty-four billion dollars and the only agent skilled enough to help him pull it off. So how did they find us? I know I didn’t call them, so it had to be Rose.
Also, being let go by Hector was another piece of the puzzle that was hard to explain at the time, especially after Ahmed revealed he already knew who and what I was, and why I was there. No man would’ve allowed me to go free, no matter who asked; even a sibling. To make matters even more bizarre, I realized although ruthless, Hector wasn’t a very smart man. Yes, he was trained, but still unable to understand how heavy artillery could cause a mud avalanche during a monsoon. He either didn’t know or didn’t care. Both scenarios don’t add up to a man that runs a cartel as vast and powerful as the Martillo de Dios cartel. So how could Hector devise such an intricate plot that even after his death, those responsible for his family’s demise would still have to pay the piper?
I kept asking these questions, but nothing made sense because I eventually discovered I was looking at the wrong source for all the answers. So, I started looking at someone else and I discovered that the only person mentally capable of pulling this all off was…Rose. I started suspecting her when I went back to the safe house after Hector let me go. I noticed the floor was covered in dead flies; the result of them partaking of the poisoned drink residue on the floor. She was supposed to kill me, but once I told her I loved her, she found another use for me.
She figured I could help her and her brother steal sixty-four billion dollars. She knew a man like me hasn’t had an emotional connection with anyone in a very long time. An occupational downside to being a part of “The Agency” and a weakness that someone with the right training could exploit. She manipulated that need and each time we had sex, my emotional attachments with her strengthened, until I was willing to fake my own death to make sure she escaped Mexico with no regards to my own life. Those three words I uttered in the safe house slowly became a reality for me, and no matter how many times my intuition told me to kill her, I couldn’t. Now, for the last nine months I have helped her exact revenge on those that wronged her family. And as I sit here in this truck, waiting for her to complete a sixty-four-billion-dollar transaction, I realize that Hector was never the leader of the cartel, he was only the face of the franchise. Rose has always been the head of the snake, the general moving her chess pieces across the board to win the game at all costs. She is the mastermind and general of a worldwide criminal network now worth billions. She was the most valuable piece on the board and that’s why Hector was willing to sacrifice himself, so she could escape and finish the plan. I knew eventually she would have to get rid of me, and it became clear when she attempted to drug me on the plane. But I threw up the drink in the bathroom before the drugs could take hold, an old trick I’d learned when I was first recruited by “The Agency”. Now I sit here pretending to be in a comatose-like sleep as I contemplate whether I should kill her, or let her kill me and end it all.
Inside Antonio’s office, Rose loaded the gun and examined it carefully before putting it inside her purse. Once he noticed she’d put it in her purse, he stopped holding his breath and leaned on his desk.
Smiling at his reaction, Rose calmly stood up and leaned forward, kissing Antonio on his cheek. “Grazi, Antonio for everything. Take care of yourself and tell your beautiful wife I said hi.”
“Seiil benvenuto la miaregina.” (You’re welcome my queen.) Then, he saluted her as everyone did in her kingdom. Putting a flat hand over his heart, balling that hand into a fist, and then striking his chest, he declared, “Compañeros de armas.” (Brothers in arms)
Nodding her head, she turned and walked out of his office and out of the bank. Once outside, she smiled as she looked down and ran her hands across her stomach. Exhaling, she walked towards the Range Rover and noticed Brian was still asleep. A result of the sleeping pills she spiked his drink with on the plane ride to Venice. Inhaling, she pulled out her silenced “flat iron” and slowly moved
around towards the passenger side window. Standing next t
o Brian, she raised the gun and aimed it at his head while thinking;
As much as I know that I have to kill him, I don’t want to. I really do love this man and after everything that he’s done for me, including giving me my first heir. How could I murder the father of my child? But I’m sure one day he will figure out who I am, and what would he do then? I believe that he loves me, but loving me caused him to lose everything. He’s now a man without a country or identity. He’s a ghost because of me. Could he forgive me? Would he? If it were me; I don’t think I could forgive anyone for what I’ve done to him.
Inhaling deeply, she removed the safety from her gun. At the same time, inside the SUV, Brian still pretended he was asleep. Surreptitiously, he reached on his lap and removed the safety from his gun that was now pointing towards her heart. A long and silent standoff ensued as the two of them simultaneously thought,
Should I pull the trigger?
THE END