Chapter 20

My mother let go of David and pressed her forehead against mine. " What do you mean you told him to bring daddy?." I took a deep breath. A few more tears fell down my cheeks. " When you said daddy wasn't coming home, I went to my room and called him, but a man picked and said that he would bring daddy home, so I showed him where the house is." She looked shocked for a split second, but she managed to get a hold of herself. Her face relaxed into a sympathetic smile, but the warmth didn't reach her eyes. I saw it plain in her eyes. It was truly my fault and she knew it. There was a brief moment of silence in the household. Even the police and firemen along with the paramedics had become quiet. Then David began to shout. " You did this Sammy. You made Kyle die. You ruined everything." Everyone was staring at me. They all knew the truth. It was my fault. My phone rang and jolted me back into reality. My face was wet with tears I didn't remember. I didn't answer Khelanie's call. For some reason, I just wasn't in the mood to talk to her or see her.

Agent Royce, whom I refused to call David, agreed to let me have my full six weeks of recovery before we began our training. Unfortunately, those six weeks didn't last long. In no time, my training had begun. On the morning of the first day, we went for a twenty mile run at five in the morning. I was tired and totally worn out when we returned, but I quickly found out that it was only the tip of the iceberg. I was given twenty five minutes to recover before we got back to work. We worked on my swimming speed, holding my breath under water and fighting under water. By dinner time, I was famished and exhausted beyond sleep. I was glad to have the meal and to finally sink into my bed. For the first time in forever, sleep came almost instantly without the aid of medication and nightmares did not trouble me. I actually had a full, peaceful night of sleep.

We followed the next routine for a whole month. I didn't know if it was because of my continuous complaints of boredom or because I was deemed fit, but I was given a mission. It was not really a surprise for me when I found out that the mission was in the middle of the ocean. Middle was a mild exaggeration, but it was some distance away from the shore. I was also quite glad to find out that Agent Royce was coming with me.

The two of us geared up and awaited our transport at the docks. There was a drug trade about to happen 166 kilometres away from me. The sellers were in a submarine somewhere and the buyers were supposed to be arriving in a yacht soon. I felt ready. I knew that aside from being a mission, it was a test. powerful eyes were going to be watching me and they would like nothing more than to see me fail. I was determines not to give that to them.

A sleek black boat arrived at the docks and we climbed in. We glided silently, cutting across the dark water for barely fifteen minutes before coming to a halt some distance away from where the sub was said to be. We were given scuba gear and we descended into the cold water. The boat left us without a word from the driver on how we were to get back. Out of boredom, I watched the boat disappear. I turned around. Agent Royce laid a hand on me, motioning for me to be still. Out of nowhere, the yacht arrived. I had seen many yachts in my lifetime, but this one was the most beautiful yet. It was easily forty feet high, sleek and white like a ghost. No sound was heard from the vessel as it drew to a halt . They didn't bother to drop the anchor. The transaction was supposed to be quick and without delay.

The submarine rose from the bowels of the ocean, causing wave-like ripples that pushed us away. The hatch was opened and three men came out to stand on the outside of the sub. Despite its bobbing, the men seemed perfectly balanced as if they were on still ground. Agent Royce gave me the signal to follow him and we gradually made our way to the back of the submarine. He signaled for me to await his order and handed me a gun. He counted down from three with his fingers and we opened fire. I knew that drug trades weren't done without heavy arms, but the reaction time I had expected was much longer.

Whilst the men on the submarine were completely blindsided and couldn't defend themselves, those on the boat were quick to react. They opened fore on us and forced us to take cover. We waited for them to run out of ammo before returning the fire. Agent Royce grabbed the briefcase and shoved it into my arms. The hatch on the submarine was slammed shut from inside and it started to descend back into the water a minute later. Agent Royce Fumbled in his tool belt for a second and pulled something out. I recognized it instantly. A grenade. We watched as it completed a successful arc, towards the enemy. The situation changed completely when they threw it back. What a way to ruin the moment.

we jumped into the water to protect ourselves from the blast. It pushed us further down and heated the water up by a few degrees, but we were unscathed. There were several bubbles bubbling behind me. I realized with a pang of annoyance that my oxygen tank had been hit. I removed it and watched in fall to the sea bed. A gradually approaching darkness above us told us that the boat was coming back. They weren't done with us yet. It was chaos as bullets began to rain down on us from above. Royce's body jerked violently as one caught him in the shoulder and another in the back. He signaled to me and I followed him to seek asylum under the boat. He removed the oxygen from his mouth and put it in mine. I swallowed the air gracefully. He returned it to his mouth. I nodded my head slowly to nobody in particular, This was where my training came into play. How long could I hold my breath for?.

The shooting continued for five minutes. Everything went silent and the boat began its retreat. We swam back to shore and lay on the beach panting and watching the sky. Royce pressed something he was wearing on his neck and fifteen minutes later, we were picked up by a black Cadillac Escalade. Instead of taking us home, the car took us to H.Q where we handed in the briefcase and went to see my new boss. Mr. Morrison. We st at the table and waited for him. He arrived a short while after, rendering apologies for his tardiness. He looked young. Probably in his early forties. He had a full head of blonde hair and baby blue eyes which he finished with a cunning, handsome smile.

I was the first to talk. " Why was the C.I.A tasked to stop a mere drug trade?." He smiled at me. "Agent Black. I'm afraid that we have just accidentally crossed paths with the Russian mafia." My grin faded. " How is that even possible?" He smiled shyly at me. " We were misinformed. We thought it was Romanov carrying it out, but I received intel that it was the Russian mafia. shortly after it was over." My mouth had suddenly become dry. " What is their relationship with Romanov?" My fears were confirmed. " Pretty good. In fact, she uses them for business every now and then and I hear she has been in cahoots with the Pakhan on several occasions in the past ans not a single one of them ended in a bloodbath." My stomach tied itself in knots. Drug lords were one thing, but the mafia brought a whole lot of things to the table.

They were smart. They wouldn't target the entire C.I.A. Thy would target the idiots who were dumb enough to interrupt their transaction and kill three of their men. Unfortunately I was one of them and we both lived in my house. To be honest, I was scared for once. " How are you going to protect us?". He looked deep in thought for a minute before his face relaxed. " I will do my best to begin negotiations with the mob. Lucky for you, we have one of their men in custody and we might just be able to strike a bargain." I nodded my head. Deep inside me, I knew that it was really along shot. The chances that the 'capo dei capi' would risk the lives of his men for me were pretty slim. I looked up and noticed that Royce was quiet and still as a statue. I returned my gaze to Mr. Morrison. " Don't worry Samuel. Just lay low for a while and focus on your training. I'll handle it."

I heavily doubted the extent of protection they could give me on the low. I had no experience with the mafia but I had heard from other agents that it was a dangerous ballgame and lives were simply points to gain. At dinner later that evening, I noticed that Royce still hadn't said a word. Whilst Matilda was washing the dishes, I drew him aside. " What's happening to you?. You look like you've seen a ghost." He stared at me intently for a while. When he finally spoke, his voice was full of pain. It was almost physical. " The mafia. I've dealt with them before. They took everything from me and I fear that they won't leave any loose ends this time." I absorbed his words in silence. Royce was usually the one who kept a level head and I had always seen him as a fearless person, so the fact that he was scared, scared me even more.

He turned and left for his room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I went up to my office and placed a call to Mr. Morrison. " Sir, I would like to know if you have began negotiations with the mob." There was silence. " Mr Black, I assure you that I will do whatever I can in my power to protect you. Your discomfort is understandable considering the trouble they have put your family through with your father and everything..." He froze. I froze. I couldn't believe it. " What do you mean?" My voice had become very tiny. He realized that he had just made a bid mistake. " I will get back to you tomorrow with an update." The line went dead. He had already said too much. I couldn't believe everyone had kept it from me. The Russian mafia killed my father, they killed my brother, they wrecked my life, they wrecked my family. Things had just gotten personal.