by Leo Sullivan
My mouth formed an incredulous O. Was I to believe that there really was secret services dudes like in the movies that the government employed just to spy and kill people?
All I could do was shake my head no. It was too unbelievable. Like I was living a dream, no make that a nightmare, my worst nightmare.
“Let me tell you about your father. As I said, he worked for the Agency and he died for a reason.”
For some reason I leaned closer in my chair as people around us stared. I didn’t care. Just the mention of my father invoked emotions in me. He was everything I loved. My eyes began to water just as a waiter and his supervisor walked over to our table. The supervisor was a short rotund man with a bald head and pot-belly. His tiny, beady eyes were deeply encased inside his big head.
“Is everything okay?” He had some sort of accent I couldn’t recognize.
I smiled at him through my tears and told him that everything was fine. I just wanted them to leave. I wanted to hear what Black had to say. They walked away.
Black went on to tell me that while my father was in the service he was recruited by them and was one of their best agents. He had performed a little differently than most soldiers. Especially under pressure, as if he loved killing. That was why he was chosen to take down the Gutierrez Cartel. They needed someone who was fearless and deadly.”
As Black talked everything started to come together. It explained why my family moved around a lot, why he infiltrated the Cartel and why the agency wanted me. It also explained what all the hard, disciplined training had been for.
“What is the name of the agency and why do they want me?” I blurted out with a dry mouth.
He pressed his lips together tight and shifted in his seat.
“Because as I stated it’s in your DNA. Technology has advanced so much that it is now being used in our agency to tell the propensity for a potential or “natural”. It is also a process that other countries like China and Russia are using. Hitler experimented with it too. It’s called eugenics, and is a scientific form of breeding that ensures that dominant genes are present to produce the perfect offspring. Your bloodline was inherited.”
“Or a curse if I don’t get my hands on Peaches,” I added.
Black arched a brow at me. “Trust me when I say it’s a gift that has made you a natural.”
“A natural killer would make a good agent is what you really want to say. That’s why you keep calling me a natural. You’re not talking about my natural athletic ability. You’re talking about my ability to be an agent, a secret agent… To kill.” I surmised.
Black leaned back in the chair interlocking his finger over his stomach as he gave me a look that I couldn’t read. He then added, “Yes, what you said has some truth to it. As for the name of the agency, let’s just say that all you need to know is it’s a government agency. It is part of the national security against threats to America that are foreign and abroad.”
He then took a long a sip of his drink, staring at me over the rim of his glass like he enjoyed toying with my young mind. For some reason I slumped down in my chair with a despair that I couldn’t explain. It was too much information too fast. I was beginning to perspire. Was he telling me that he wanted me to become an agent and work for the government? Then a thought occurred to me and it posed a real threat to my being.
“What if I really don’t want to be a part of your secret organization? What then?”
Black flashed me a frown that made his entire facial expression change.
One thing was for certain. He wasn’t too pleased with my question. I watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed, he gurgled words in his mouth and his eyebrows knotted up across his forehead. He glared at me and said in a threatening tone, “If you refuse to be a part of the agency it could cause a major problem, not just for you, but for me as well.”
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what he was implying. The agency was going to make my ass disappear; like maybe go bungee jumping without the rope. So I decided to play it smart and leave enough room for me to try to get ghost if need be.
“And if I do want to be a part of the agency what’s in it for me?” I asked and watched him beam with a bright smile.
“Then you will be handsomely paid. Starting at $300, 000 for every person you take out for the agency.”
He said as I was about to pick up my drink. I posed the question, “You mean to tell me, I will be paid three hundred stacks just to kill a muthafucka?”
He nodded his head. “Yes.”
“When do I start? Shit.” I was hyped.
He chuckled. “You start soon, very soon, but I want to tell you one thing. My son is off limits to you and I told him that. As a matter of fact it would be best for you not to try to give your heart to anyone right now.”
I rolled my eyes and gave him a look that I was sure he could read.
“Do you know who you’re talking to? I don’t plan to love any man anytime soon. Not even your fine ass son. Besides, my heart belongs to someone else anyway.”
“Yeah, Zeus. I’m sure you’ll find a way to handle that.” He then extended his hand. “It’s good to have you on board. I will be your handler and your only go-between. I will give you all of your assignments.” He reached into his pocket and passed me a phone and several different passports and fake ID’s with my picture on them.
“This is your lifeline, so be very careful to keep up with it. In the event that something happens you must destroy these document and the phone. Is that understood?”
I nodded my head as I took the document. This was starting to look more and more like something straight out of a James Bond movie.
“Zero, this is the ultimate sacrifice for you and your country.”
Sacrifice? He said it again and then held the earpiece. As he listened he nodded his head like he was receiving some type of order.
“I need to go over and speak to some old friends for a moment. I’ll be right back,” he said.
I watched him walk away with long, lilting strides of a much younger man. At the door entrance was the statue of a Roman apostle peeing in a water fountain. Next to it stood a group of people. Black was approached by two older white men. They wore suits and ties with dark shades. They all pumped Black’s hand vigorously and it looked like they were having a jovial conversation. After they had a brief exchange of words, he walked back to the table and took a seat. There was a broad smile on his face as he poured some Scotch, his favorite. I just sat there and wondered what was next.
“I know you miss your lover, but you have to forget him until your mission is complete.”
“That’s easier said than done, but I’m handling my feelings. Believe me. He is not and will not be a distraction. I’m going to do what I have to do to survive until I can be with him again.” I planned to one day be reunited with Zeus. I just hoped he didn’t give his heart away in the meantime.
“You have a few more days before you get your first assignment. So as long as you’re in Miami relax, suck up some more sun. Go shopping again at Macy’s Department Store.”
“Macy’s?” I mouthed.
Suddenly all of that mysterious shit went out of the window. He had struck a serious nerve and I wanted to put his ass in one of those pressure point head and arm lock moves that he had taught me.
“How in the fuck did you know I went shopping at Macy’s? Do you have someone following me?” I asked with steel in my voice.
He chucked with perfect ivory teeth and said, “It’s all part of protocol.”
“Who’s fuckin’ protocol? I’m cool with the spy shit, but don’t go invading a bitch’s privacy.”
My pulse raced. He continued to smirk and then avoided the topic. “After we leave Miami there will be more training for you to personally take on Roberto. Miko and I both plan to help you. However, what you intend to do to your nemesis Peaches is up to you. After Roberto is no longer a threat and we send you on a few assignments we hope that you will work f
or us for the rest of your life. You have to forget about your past. Your past as you know it will be erased” He gave me a somber look before taking a sip of his drink. Then went on.
“Just know that this is all about patriotism for your country and we all have to make that ultimate sacrifice.”
I sat there and thought about what he’d just said. The man, my mentor, was becoming more and more mysterious by the minute. He was being evasive instead of straight forward and I didn’t know what to think of that.
“You still have not answered my question. Is somebody going to be following, or keeping tabs on me?”
He raised a brow, and then looked at an attractive woman walking by in a miniskirt. It became obvious that I was not the only one horny as hell. He then turned back to me, adjusted his collar and said in an annoyed voice, “Please be patient. This is simply protocol and you can be sort of bull headed. Sometimes the agency looks out for you to keep you out of harm.”
He said it in a caring voice and then took another long swallow of his drink before looking around the lobby again. By then I was unconsciously imitating him by looking around trying to see what he was so suspicious about.
Who was watching us?
“The next part of your training will be a lesson in sexy,” Black said with a smile on his face.
“What?” I asked with a confused look on mine.
“Part of your MO will be the art of seduction. That way you can get closer to your victims to ensure the kill, especially with the specific individual we have in mind. It is good that you’re a really fast learner. How fast you picked up on how to speak a little bit of different languages is a good sign of that. A woman who looks like you can and would easily turn men into mush. Right now you have the sexy exterior, but the not the interior. You need to become the femme fatale. You need that sexy killer mentality to seduce and then annihilate your prey.” The expression on his face changed.
The longer I looked at him the more he was starting to get under my skin, but he was right. I wasn’t sexy or fine-tuned in the area of aristocratic sophistication that I would need to kill an Arab Prince, or some shit.
“What will this sexy lesson include?” I wasn’t really down for it, but I understood the reason behind it.
“I hired somebody. Let’s just say that she has sexy down packed. She will teach you how to walk and how to talk to a man. You’re really not that experienced in that area as you may think, especially not for your first mission,” he said with a doubtful look on his face.
“Thanks a lot sir,” I said sarcastically then added, “When is Darrick coming back? For some reason I like him better than you.”
Black ignored me, then glanced around casually and reached into his pocket. He passed me a tiny, velvet box. It was the kind a ring would come in.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Open it.”
I did and there was a little brown gadget inside that was the size of a pencil eraser. It was wrapped in some clear plastic. I took it out and examined it as I held it up to the light.
I frowned. Then asked again. “What is it?” I was confused.
“It’s your other lifeline,” he said in a raspy James Earl Jones voice.
“Man stop it,” I said playfully as I waved a hand at him.
“Place it in the canal of your ear,” he said coolly.
I searched his face for any humor and found none. I placed the little device in my ear and instantly was amazed at how clear everything around me sounded.
“Again, that is your life line,” he said in that throaty voice. I damn near jumped out of my seat. His thick melodic voice was coming through like a stereo.
“No matter where you are in the world, as your handler I can communicate with you via satellite and hopefully keep you out of danger. You can bathe in it and walk through any metal detector undetected.”
“Dayam!!!” I droned as I looked around with the device in my ear. The thing that truly amazed me was the fact that I could pick up conversations from way across the room like I was eavesdropping on people. Black must have read my thoughts. He eloquently spoke into my ear and I felt like I was in a Matrix movie.
“It is technology as it relates to neuropsychology. The nerves and spy wear all combined into one. The device in your ear is attuned to coincide with the brain waves in your nervous system. That means if you focus on something the device will work in sync, enabling you to hear what you want as far as a hundred yards away. That’s the size of a football field. If you can see them you can hear them. The agency calls it the Bionic Ear.”
“Wow, get the fuck outta here!!” I exclaimed. The words just slipped out of my mouth, but Black smiled at me.
Way across the room a couple was in a heated conversation as they sat at a table. I tuned in and listened…
“It’s not a matter of him having a better penis then you George. I’m leaving you because I’m tired of you dressing up in my panties and bras. You disgust me,” the woman spat.
“Then why did you tell me he had a bigger cock than mine?” The man asked and tossed a napkin down on the table.
“Because you asked me, that’s why George!” The woman said adamantly. The man broke down and began to cry as the woman looked at him pathetically.
I tuned their conversation out and looked back at Black. “This device really does work,” I said impressively.
“Just the same as you can hear me I can hear you talking if I switch to your frequency.”
I nodded my head. He went on to say with a dark expression, “In the event that you are captured you must swallow it. There is cyanide poison inside. It’s enough to kill you instantly.”
I froze like a mannequin and lost all thought of what I was about to say. There was something so foreboding about what he had just said and for some reason it sent a shiver through my body. I enjoyed killing other people, not myself. That thought had never occurred to me.
“I suggest you put it back and save it for when you really need it.”
I placed the little plug back into the box. As I got up to leave, I couldn’t wait to take a nice long bubble bath in my luxurious hotel suite and think about what Black and the agency had up their sleeve.
Chapter 4
ZERO
It was amazing how big the hotel suite was. It sure as hell beat that small ass hut like structure we stayed in in South Africa, or that cold ass shack in Alaska. The walk in closet was huge and had department store style mirrors. Of course I had never really been into fashion, but I knew that all had to change if I wanted to look the part. It was kind of intriguing when I thought of all of the girly things I missed out on. I would be one of those sexy, but gritty killers. They wouldn’t even see it coming. Just like Money’s hating ass never did.
* * *
Miko lived in Miami, so he was familiar with all of the hotspots. We had hit up a club in South Beach, or SoBe as they called it. The crowd was mixed with mostly black and Latinas, but there were a few white people sprinkled about. I wasn’t really up for partying, but it felt good to be out. The music was pumping, but we were sitting in the VIP sipping on some Courvoisier instead of dancing
“You don’t seem like the clubbing type,” Miko said as he bobbed his head to the infectious beat of the rap song that was playing.
I looked around at the dark club with the bright neon lights, women scantily clad and men groping them as they grinded on the dance floor. The place was packed and as I frowned at my surrounding, I couldn’t help but feel like he was too damn observant.
“You’re right. I spent most of my teen years in juvenile detention, so I didn’t really get to experience much. Uh, my boyfriend, well, the man I had to leave, owns a club in North Carolina. It was the first and last club I went to to be honest. I think if I had the chance to and my life was different, I would’ve probably been one of those chicks who go out every weekend.”
He chuckled. “That’s how my girlfriend is. She goes out every weekend, but I don’t mind
. She’s young and she likes to have fun. Most of the time she goes to gay clubs anyway.”
I glanced into his sexy, slanted eyes. He smiled and flashed his adorable dimples. My heart skipped a beat as my eyes swept over his good looks and hard body. He was bronze complexioned, with smooth skin, a thin neat moustache and close cut wavy hair. He reminded me of a younger version of Pharrell from The Neptunes, but he was looked better and was more buff.
“Go ahead and ask me,” he said and drained his glass of cognac.
“Why would your girlfriend go to gay clubs every weekend if she’s with you?” I guess the question wasn’t unusual.
“Well, my girlfriend has a girlfriend, so…”
I was confused, or maybe she was confused. “So, you’re telling me that your girlfriend is bisexual. You allow her to have a girlfriend?”
“Yes and yes,” he said pouring more liquor into his glass.”
I nodded. “So you all are together.”
“Not exactly. Lacey is her girlfriend and I’m her boyfriend. I’m in love with Miranda, so it’s cool. I get to have all the threesomes I want and she’s happy too. They are together now and they’re going to send me a video of them getting it in later.” That smile was still plastered on his handsome face.
“Wow and you’re really okay with that? What if she leaves you for Lacey?” I asked in disbelief. I mean, I knew that most men were okay with an occasional ménage a trois, but to share his woman’s heart was something different. Maybe men were just different from us. I was sure he wouldn’t share her with another man. That was my next question.
“I’m more than okay with it and I’m not worried about her leaving.” He dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
“Would you share her with another man?”
He shot me a look and the smile was no more. “Hell nol. I would kill that motherfucka.”
