Chapter 17

I was trying hard to control my anger, but my entire body was shaking vigorously. I stared at the man opposite me. I had always known him to be an unbiased man, no matter the circumstances, but I was seeing a completely different side of him. One run by emotion. One that completely destroyed what he stood for. I decided that if I didn't speak up, it would go south for me." " No." The word rolled off my tongue with great difficulty. I was scared but too scared to show it. He smiled smugly at me. "I am your boss. You do what I tell you to do." I shook my head. " No". This time it came easier. I was waiting for him to at least offer a compromise, but he didn't. " If you don't do it, I will find someone else who will." The realization dawned on me. What he said was a fact. I had to do what I could. I gave him one last look and turned to the door. " Do not think I'm fooled boy." His voice reached me at the other end of the room. " If I find a shred of evidence proving your involvement in helping her, I will fire you and close your mother's case."

I stopped dead in my tracks. " What happened to loyalty, to friendship, to..." I was lost for words. My mind was clouded with anger and disappointment. I slammed the door and went to my car as hot tears snaked their way down my flushed cheeks. I hadn't cried in several years. I just couldn't believe it. I knew that eventually, I would be forced to make a decision, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. My back was against the wall and I had no means of escape. As I pulled into my house, It dawned on me. There was one person who could help me with no trace of my involvement. David. It was a long shot, but I had no other choice. I couldn't be seen with Khelanie and there should be no form of traceable communication between the two of us. I spent the night thinking and finally I was able to devise a plan by morning. My years of training had paid off in my personal life. When the trainer told us, we laughed, but there I was. I finalized my strategy and left the house.

I was going to slip a note to Khelanie. I would use a waiter to get the note to her. The note would give her instructions on what to tell David. I made sure to leave the fact that her life was in danger out of it. I didn't want her to panic. I got to the cafe and bribed the waiter with a hundred dollar note to skip the envelope to Khelanie when she came. I didn't really trust him, but I couldn't be seen around when she arrived. I called her to meet me at the cafe and went home to wait. I hacked into the security cameras in the cafe and watched her. She read the note and returned it to the waiter. I made sure she left before returning to take the note back. I couldn't afford it lying just anywhere. I sat down and waited. The chances of David showing up were very slim, but I had to work with them. If my suspicions were even slightly accurate, he was not with Ivanka of his own accord and that would be enough motivation for him to help me. I sighed. A month premier, if someone had told me that all this would happen, I would tell the person that he or she had a very wild imagination.

Finally it was nine. I gave myself a pep talk and left for the movie theater. I bought my ticket and a large bucket of popcorn which I hid my gun in. David spent more than half of his life in close contact with Diesel, even after he turned heel and he still killed him. I shuddered to imagine what he would do to a brother he barely knew. I took my seat and waited for the moment of truth. I was both relieved and surprised when David took the seat beside me. I didn't turn to aknowledge his presence in case I was being watched, which I probably was. We waited for the movie to start before beginning our conversation. David spoke first. " Explain to me why I am sitting here and you are not dead." I stuck my hand slowly into the bucket of popcorn and closed my hand around the gun. " I don't know why you came and I honestly didn't expect you to come, but here you are sitting beside me." His reply was almost instant. " So?" I also didn't hesitate to reply. " So lets get down to business.

He nodded his head.There was an intense moment f silence as we both watched the movie. I was writhing inside with impatience, but I remained calm on the outside. The last thing I needed was a scene, drawing attention to us. He finally continued. " What do you want me to do?" I took a deep breath. "I just want you to keep her safe, protect her, but don't tell me how. Just do it." He smiled. " Samuel in love. Who would have thought." He chuckled again. I knew what he was doing. He just wanted to frustrate me, but I refused to let my temper get the best of me. There was a longer moment of silence before David said the words I had been praying for him to say. Okay, fine". I didn't realize my hand was still tightly wrapped around the gun. I let it go and enjoyed the movie, mentally noting it down as the first time both David and I watched a movie together.

We waited for the movie to end completely before mingling with the crowd and exiting the theater at two minute intervals. I got home. I could finally relax knowing that Khelanie was safe, well safer than she was at first. The next morning was a Saturday, but I went to H.Q. I barged into my boss' office. He was on a phone cal. I walked up to him and looked him in the eyes. " I will not kill her. You can mobilize an entire platoon to do it if you want, but I simply won't be a part of it and don't get your toga in a twist Zeus, I won't get involved, so don't force me to." I turned my back on him and left him in the office awestruck. I didn't wait around to see how he would react, because the truth is I was scared. He could simply order me to do so, with my job on the line and losing my job meant I would have to go rogue in finding my mother and that also had it's implications and downsides that I was definitely not ready for.

That night I couldn't sleep. I was too busy monitoring the motion sensors and security cameras for signs of intrusion or attack. The C.I.A's history in going after 'disobedient agents' was well known and I didn't have plans to be one of the victims. The sleepless nights continued for several nights until I decided that I had had enough. I stormed into my boss' office for the second time in two weeks. This time, he was lounging in the sofa, watching Netflix. I snatched the remote off his desk and turned off the TV. He met me with another smug smile, causing my blood to boil. " I want back on the Romanov case." He gave a sarcastic gasp and widened his eyes. I rolled my eyes back at him. " You can't kill the girl. you will put us on Ivanka's radar, and compromise everything we have accomplished." He remained calm. I couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing. " And what are those exactly?." He was making a good point. I had let my feelings for Khelanie delay the entire mission. I was holing them back.

I decided that it would be a good move to change my stance from offensive to defensive in light of the recent realizations I had come to. " Look. I promise I will work twice as hard even three times as hard. Just put me back on it. I will produce the results you want." He looked at me with contempt and disgust plain on his face. " Fine then." I couldn't believe it. It was too easy to be true. I nodded my head and gave an awkward smile before I left. I suspected he had something nasty up his sleeve, but I had to look on the plus side. Khelanie was safe. The C.I.A didn't want her dead anymore. I had to devise a new strategy on how to deal with the Ivanka case. I had made a promise and no matter how much I hated the person, I always kept a promise. It was one of my rules.