Chapter 16

I froze. David turned to meet my gaze, our eyes locked. I shook my head in disbelief. "Why?". He looked at me trying to hide the remorse on his face, but he couldn't. "I had to" He looked ready to cry. " He was your friend David. You grew up together." David began to explain, but his voice broke. " I had to". I could see that it took a lot out of him. He was doing his best to keep himself together, but everyone has their limits. A single tear broke out and rolled down his cheek. I had to admit. I actually felt sorry for him. Whatever he had gotten himself into, he was way in over his head. I had to do something to help him. The door handle turned and a jumped behind the nearest car for cover. I flattened myself against the hard concrete and slid under the car, out of the range of sight of potential attackers. I watched in silence as Ivanka made her way to David and the dead body of his long time friend. David had wiped his tear and hardened his face to stone. He was scared. I had never seen him scared before. Not even when we got lost in the woods as kids.

Even though he was nearly a foot taller than her, she towered above him. When she spoke, her voice was cold and inhumane. " Get rid of it quickly, we leave in half an hour." She turned around and left the way she came. David straightened up and pulled himself together after she left, as if nothing had happened. I leaned against the car watching him with obvious pity. He ignored this and began to drag the body. He looked up at me. What he was trying to say was unspoken but well communicated and fully understood. I raised both my hands up and shook my head. " You mess up, you clean up." I turned around and left without regarding David and further.

I was sitting at the desk in the room when the phone rang. I picked up the phone. I could never mistaken the sound of my boss' voice. " Bring my son home." He spoke with great emotion, although he tried to hide it, but unfortunately I had to break it to him that that wasn't going to be possible. When he spoke after I told him, his voice had become hard and unfriendly. " Then mission is over. I will have someone contact you on your departure." The call ended. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He hadn't seen his son in so long and when a small ray of hope appears for him to reunite with him, he dies. I would be in disarray if it was me, so... It was after dinner at nine when I was contacted and told that I would be leaving in thirty minutes for my flight at ten. I was glad to put all the drama behind me, but I knew that the real drama would be back home when I faced my boss.

I had to take responsibility. It was my job and I failed. For the first time in a very long time I failed a mission and it was all David's fault, or it was my fault. I should have protected him. I should have made sure David kept away. I should have acted sooner, but I didn't and Diesel payed for it with his life. Over the past month, I had been directly and indirectly responsible for several deaths. It is common knowledge that at a point in any spy's life, there will be death, but I wasn't ready for it so early. I waited in half horror, half amusement for an agent to come for me. Both fortunately and unfortunately, the time came and I was escorted out of the hotel and to the airport by the same car and driver as before. We arrived fifteen minutes before boarding. As I made my way into the sea of travelers in the departure hall, the driver caught up with me. He shook my hand and said " Good luck, Its not your fault." His words played over and over in my head as I continued to board the plane. I began to wonder if I was in line to meet the wrath of my boss.

The flight was quick and sleepless, I guess I was out of the favor of the universe. I was hoping that the flight would delay, but in no time, I was back on American soil. I went straight home and slept off the jet lag from the long but short flight, dreading the inevitable. I woke up in the evening and went to get some Chinese food to satisfy my cravings. Khelanie was probably around, but I wasn't ready for 'the' talk. I hit the gym and went to bed after an hour in the hot tub. Sleep came quickly and easily which was surprising in the midst of all the stress I was going through.

I woke up late and stretched myself for good measure. I remembered when David and I were younger and we were told that stretching in the morning would make us taller. We would stretch for hours a day. I took a shower. When I was done I checked my phone. My heart dropped. There were twelve missed calls from my boss. I got dressed in silence and went to H.Q. I sat in my office for a while before going to receive my fate. He was seated when I entered, but he stood up the the moment he saw me. I flinched, half expecting him to shoot me or something. He shook my hand awkwardly and sat down. I wiped a bead of cold sweat off my brow and swallowed. "Debriefing". He raised his eyebrow. I debriefed him. I could have sworn that the temperature dropped in the room when I got to Diesel's untimely demise, but I made sure to keep David's name out of it.

He stood up and stretched his hand out for another handshake. I stood up uncertainly and offered my hand. I can't say I didn't expect it, but I can say that he is way stronger than he looked. He gripped my hand, twisted it and slammed it into the table. With his other hand, he grabbed my face and drew it closer to his. I was so close that I could smell the mint on his breath. " Next time, when I tell you to do something, you do it." I could have fought and beat him, I could have said something nasty, but since and only because he was my boss, I nodded my head and left with it bowed. I went to my office, dragging my feet. I had a whole lot of anger and no one to take it out on. I received an email from my boss reassigning me to my old mission, but I chose not to aknowledge receipt. My spirits had been lifted a little bit, but just because I have always had a flair for the dramatic I stomped out of H.Q.

I finally agreed to meet up with Khelanie at our usual spot. I couldn't procrastinate any longer. We had to talk about it. Even though we left on a very good note, it wasn't the note that we should have left on. I wasn't expecting her to abandon her family and be my devout girlfriend and sidekick, but I needed to know where she stood in all of it and most of all, I took a huge risk telling her everything and it could really blow my mission.

For the first time, she was later than me and it wasn't helping out with my nerves. What if she felt like she was betraying her mother and ratted me out. That would mean that I had made myself a huge sitting duck. I ordered an iced Brazilian lemonade and waited not so patiently. Finally she came. I tried my best to dry out my sweaty pits with a few paper towels before she came in. She was wearing her usual, a crop-top and jeans with sneakers and she was looking her usual astounding. She sat down opposite me and ordered the same drink. She laughed. "Don't worry. If I had sold you out, you would either be dead or on the run." For her that was a joke, but for me it was a reminder of how my life was literally in her hands. It would take just a few words for Ivanka to be out for my blood. I fake laughed it off and smiled back at her. "But seriously..." She cut me off. " If you think I'm going to betray her and follow you, then you are mistaken. She is my mother." " No, no..," I don't expect anything like that, but I know that it's some big news to hear."

She nodded her head slowly. " I always had a feeling she was up to no good." We stared at each other for a while. She told me about some stuff, but carefully leaving some details out. I understood that there were certain things that she couldn't tell me, but it was still weird. After, I was on my way back home when I got a call from my boss. He needed me back at H.Q for some sort of emergency meeting. I wondered what on earth it could have been. Maybe he just wanted to mess with my life as much as he could. I drove there quickly, hoping that I could get it over with quickly, but I was in no way prepared for what was waiting for me.

I went straight to his office. He gestured for me to sit down in a cold and triumphant manner. There was a smug look on his face, resembling that of a person who had gotten revenge on a rival. " Update on Ivanka Romanov's daughter." I completely froze. I blinked several times lost for words. " Urmm... you said David and I should work on it together and since he is unavailable, I have put it on hold till I receive further instructions." He shook his head slowly and tutted. " Who are you trying to lie to son?." He bit his lip. The last word cut deep. " I have been watching you and I know everything." He left a moment of silence for dramatic effect. I had to go about it differently. " What do you want me to do." He saw right through my act and smiled. " I want you to kill her. My throat suddenly became dry. What did he mean by that. She wasn't a criminal. Her mother was. I couldn't let that happen.