by A. G. Khaliq
“I want you… You know I want you. I just thought that you weren't interested…”
“I don't want you to wait around for me, Mr Abruzzi…” I said timidly. “After all, we barely know each other. You deserve happiness, and your beautiful fiancé can give you that. Not me.”
My heart felt like it was aching. A single tear slid down Donte’s cheek, but I couldn’t bear to watch him cry. I began walking away from him, knowing that it would be selfish of me to 202
pursue him, when he deserved so much better than me…
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26
maya
A FEW DAYS LATER
I tossed and turned in bed, as another flashback took its course in my dream…
“Welcome to the finals of Underground Boxing,” said the commentator, smiling.
I was in my stance, with my hands balled 204
into fists, ready to take this motherfucker down.
I’d been training so long for this moment.
Everything I’d worked for after being on the run from Fibonacci led up to this…
“The winner will be declared by killing the other opponent,” the commentator went on.
“And the winner will win 100,000 dollars in cash.”
He rolled his eyes.
“No cheating is allowed,” he muttered condescendingly. “No weapons, no steroids, nothing. You are only allowed to use your fists.”
The crowd roared with anticipation.
“Tonight, we have Maya Bradshaw up against Lucius Wilder,” he shrugged. “May the best man or woman win.”
The commentator walked away, and the audience broke into a round of applause.
Wasting no time, I punched Lucius hard in the jaw. His jaw swung, as he toppled backwards and lost his balance. I punched him again, so hard that I could hear his jaw snap. And again, and again…
But he wasn’t going to go down so easily.
He wasn’t going to go down without a fight. He charged at me, knocking me over to the ground, and clambered on top of me, punching my face repeatedly as one of my teeth knocked out.
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But I’d remembered my training. I spat out my blood onto his face, before kicking him hard in the balls, getting on my feet. I knocked him down to the ground, and punched him repeatedly, without stopping for a breath.
I punched him until his breathing became laboured and he struggled for air. I punched him until the wind knocked out of his lungs, and his lungs began to fail him and collapse. I punched him until he was too weak to even punch me back. I punched him until his body began struggling underneath my grip, and he started to fade in and out of unconsciousness.
The same way that Fibonacci used to punish me.
But it wasn’t enough for me. I had to kill him. I had to kill him to be declared the winner.
“You made a mistake coming in this ring tonight, motherfucker,” I murmured, my voice dropping to barely below a whisper. “Thinking that you could beat me.”
I screamed angrily, a blood-curdling scream, as I allowed my blood to boil and heat to pump through my body as my veins pulsed to the surface of my skin. I allowed myself to regain my strength…
Regain it so much to the point that I would be unstoppable.
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And then I hurled at him, punching him for all I was worth.
Until he was no longer breathing…
…And there was no longer a pulse.
“And we have our winnerrrrr!” the commentator screamed. “Maya Bradshaw walks away with 100,000 dollars!”
I got up on my feet, spitting on the man’s dead body, before turning on my heel, wiping the sweat from my face with my hand, and then began making my way to the changing rooms, not wanting to stay to chat to the audience.
I preferred a lowkey life, with nobody knowing me or interfering in my business.
In the changing rooms, I dusted myself off, changing out of my boxing gear and mask, because nobody knew my real face here. It was how I stopped getting heat from the feds. I didn’t stunt, or show-off about the success and money that I’d achieved through the underground.
I quickly flicked open my phone, to check the time. I needed to leave this place as soon as all of the other people had left, so that nobody would catch me leaving and interrogate me.
As I waited patiently, my heart leapt in my throat as I saw a hooded figure begin striding 207
towards me out of nowhere. I shakily stepped backwards away from the person, my heart hammering against my chest, because nobody ever came in this changing room…
Nobody…
The person took their hood off of their face… to reveal that it was a man. A man with brown skin, black hair, a rough stubbly beard, a flat nose, and dark green eyes. Who was this person, and what the fuck were they doing in here?
“Who the fuck are you?!” I demanded, narrowing my eyes.
“The police are about to raid this place in exactly 30 minutes,” the man said, folding his arms. “And if you're still here by that time, you're going to get arrested.”
I felt my blood run cold as he said this.
This couldn’t be fucking happening…
“I have every right to tell the police about who you are and what you do,” the man went on, shrugging. “Underground fights are illegal, and you could face big jail time.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I spat at him bitterly, my voice laced with venom.
“I've been watching you for quite some time, Maya Bradshaw,” said the man. “And although I don't support what you're doing, it 208
would be a real shame for all of that talent and ability to go to waste.” He broke off his sentence, smirking. “What use are you to me, if you're behind bars?”
“Who are you?” I remarked, repulsed. I couldn’t make sense of any of this. Had this man been fucking stalking me?
“I'm Agent Phillip Knox, Secret Service,”
he replied quietly, his voice dropping to barely below a whisper.
I jolted upwards, startled and mortified.
My chest heaved upwards and downwards in disbelief.
A secret agent was approaching me…?
“Now you can stay here, and face prison time,” the man murmured, “or you can come with me, and I'll take care of you.”
I folded my arms uneasily. I didn’t know what to say. My throat felt dry. It felt like I’d suddenly forgotten how to speak.
“You have amazing skills.” He rubbed his chin in thought. “Some of the best I've ever seen.
A very good self-defence mechanism.” He paused. “And you studied Criminal Law, am I correct?”
“Yes,” I mumbled.
“It's up to you,” he shrugged. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and this is the 209
last you'll ever hear from me if you don't accept, because I have a habit of disappearing.”
Everything was happening so fast. I didn’t know what to say, or what to do. I was rendered speechless.
In just a few minutes, I would have to make a decision that would change my life forever…
But it was either staying here, and getting shopped by the feds…
…Or going with this man.
And I knew which option I’d rather pick.
I knew which risk I would rather take.
“Can you offer me protection?” I breathed.
“Of course,” he shrugged. “I know everything about you. How you're running from your abusive boyfriend, Fibonacci. I'll put you through training once you're on-board, and teach you everything you need to know.”
“I accept,” I mumbled, scratching my arm uneasily.
“Good. And just so you know…” he warned, “once you're in, there's no going back.”
“I don't have anything to go back to,” I muttered.
“The only family you have left is your mother, correct?”
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“Yes,” I admitted timidly. “I haven't seen her for a long time… I can't go back to get
her because of Fibonacci. It isn’t safe.”
“I can arrange for her to be sent here,” he reassured. “Anyway, we need to hurry. The cops will be here any minute.”
He turned on his heel and began bolting out of the changing room. I followed suite, not knowing that my life would be changed forever…
The man took me to his base, in a spooky, deserted place in Washington. He’d drove me all the way here in his black van, and my heart was thumping with nerves for the entire journey on the way here.
He swiped his Access Card, before taking me to a security control room, where a white man with blonde hair tied up in a manbun was standing, analysing some CCTV footage.
“Hey, Boss,” said the man, as we took steps inside the room. He narrowed his eyes, as he saw me standing with his ‘boss’. “Who's this?”
“Hi, Brett. This is Maya,” Boss explained.
“Sort her out some accommodation, she needs a place to stay. Then take her to training the first thing tomorrow morning. I've got shit that I 211
need to be doing.”
“Of course,” Brett replied, with his hands on his hips.
He continued to stare at me, rubbing his chin.
“Come on then, Maya,” he shrugged.
I nodded timidly, feeling intimidated.
I couldn’t believe that this was the life that I was about to lead.
I jolted up from my sleep, panting.
That was a nerve-wracking flashback…
A very, very fucking nerve-wracking flashback.
A flashback of the man that I killed in the underground fight.
A flashback of how I got into the Secret Service…
How I met my Boss…
…And how I met Brett.
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27
maya
I got ready for work, wearing a black blouse paired with loose black trousers and black high-heels. I put on some red lipstick and straightened my hair, too. Then I turned on my heel, and began making my way to work.
At work, I made my way to one of the computer rooms in the Computer Science department of 213
Indigo Limited, because I’d been given more Python codes to program.
I walked into the computer room to see that another man was already sitting down in there. He had dark skin, a tribal tattoo across his chest, and he was wearing a white shirt paired with black trousers.
I smiled at him, before sitting down next to him. I’d already made friends with Yasmeen, so it wouldn’t hurt to make some more friends too.
I began typing on the computer, agitatedly working my way through my To-Do list for today.
“Python coding is such a fucking pain in the ass,” I sighed, agitated, rolling my eyes. I jolted up in embarrassment as the man who was sitting beside me began laughing as I said this. I hadn’t realized that I’d said it out loud.
“Tell me about it,” he shrugged, chuckling.
I giggled in response. “Are you new?” I asked, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. “I don't think I've seen you around before.”
“Nah, I only come in occasionally,” he explained. “When my brother is short on staff and has shit that he needs doing.”
“Your brother?” I asked uneasily, unsure 214
of who he meant by this.
“Yeah, my name is Arturo Abruzzi,” he smirked. “Donte Abruzzi is my brother.”
“No way,” I mumbled. I was convinced that Donte had a million brothers at this point, with the way that I always managed to run in to them.
“You must be the girl that he hasn't been able to stop speaking about,” Arturo smiled, with his hands on his hips.
“He speaks about me?” I denied, taken aback.
“All the time,” Arturo admitted, rubbing his neck sheepishly.
I couldn’t help but to bite my lip. I could feel my cheeks flush bright pink. I’d thought that Donte had replaced me without a second thought, but from what Arturo was saying, it was a different story…
And the very thought of Donte speaking about me to his family in my absence, made my insides feel warm and tingly. I didn’t know how to explain this feeling.
I felt appreciated, and it made me happy.
I scratched my arm awkwardly, as I stared at Arturo.
“He goes on about how much of a mystery you are,” Arturo went on, “and how much he 215
wishes you would give him a chance.”
“But I thought he had a fiancé?” I mumbled.
Arturo chuckled, looking amused. I furrowed my eyebrows, failing to see what was so funny.
“He's been single for so many years,” he shrugged. “My dad thought it would be good for him to get an arranged marriage, because he's never brought anybody home before.”
“Oh,” I replied, embarrassed.
I’d been crying and crying over that woman in the bathroom, Sharon or whatever her name was, and I hadn’t even known that she was a result of an arranged marriage. I felt like such a fool…
But I also felt relieved, in a weird way.
“Why, what's wrong?” Arturo asked.
“I saw them fucking in his office,” I admitted.
“No way,” Arturo replied exhaustedly.
He swallowed, shaking his head as he realized my discomfort.
“Look, I wouldn't worry about it,” he shrugged, with a concerned expression on his face. “I know that he likes you, and he only has eyes for you. But he's always been talking about how you haven't been interested, which is 216
probably why he slept with her.”
“Yeah, I get it,” I nodded, waves of guilt swimming through my body.
“We have such a fun time teasing him at home,” Arturo grinned. “You know we were passing by the club that night? And he only went in because he saw you walk in with your friends?”
“Really?” I smiled sheepishly, my cheeks flushing an even brighter shade of crimson.
“Yeah, he always talks about how beautiful he thinks you are,” Arturo smiled.
“Then me and Iglesias had to watch him making a fucking fool of himself, calling himself the "big bad wolf".”
We both burst out laughing. I couldn’t help myself.
“Yeah, that was pretty funny,” I admitted shyly.
“Honestly, I can see you light up talking about him,” Arturo beamed. “Give him a chance.
On the outside, he might seem like an arrogant asshole, but he's a big softie deep down.”
“Yeah, I'll think about it,” I simpered, my eyes twinkling with happiness.
Arturo chuckled in response.
“Anyway, I'll leave you to do your work now, in case a certain "big bad wolf" comes in 217
and complains,” he guffawed sarcastically.
I let out another giggle. I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed this much.
“I said I'd meet my other brothers, Pedro and Iglesias, in town anyway,” Arturo explained.
“Pedro is your brother too?” I mumbled.
“Yeah,” Arturo said sheepishly, and then rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “What did he do?”
“Nothing,” I laughed. “He only tried hitting on me, and then Donte nearly ripped his brains out.”
Arturo roared with laughter. “We're a funny bunch. You're probably sick of us already.”
I tittered in response.
“Take care,” Arturo greeted, and then got up from his seat, and made his way out of the room.
I waved back at him as he left, realizing that I was probably making myself look like a fool, because I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.
Donte really, really did like me, and it filled my heart with such a warmness that I couldn’t explain.
I couldn't believe I’d got Donte so wrong…
He seemed like a sweetheart.
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I guessed I could go on a date with him…
It wasn’t like my boss would find out…
Would he?
I really wanted to make the most o
f my time here while it lasted, before I would have to go back to the Service and go back to my dull life.
Being here gave my life that little bit of excitement, that little bit of edge, that little bit of happiness.
It helped me to feel normal again.
As long as I kept gathering evidence while I was here…
I was sure that everything would be fine…
I doubted that I would be putting Donte or his family in jail, because from what I’d seen so far, they hadn’t been involved in any of the murders.
So it wouldn’t hurt to get closer to Donte…
Would it?
“Anyway, I'd better finish my work,” I muttered to myself dazily, before turning back to my computer.
After work, I closed up my office and powered off all of the computers, and gathered all of my paperwork, piling it on top of my desk.
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After I’d cleared up, I began walking home. I wanted and needed some fresh air, so that I would have some time to gather my thoughts together, about this case and everything that had happened in my life lately.
As I walked down the streets, the cold breeze hit my face, and it allowed me to relieve some of my stress. I continued to walk, one foot in front of the other, making the most of the nice feeling. I’d passed several streets now.
I took my phone out of my pocket, to quickly check the time, to make sure that I wouldn’t miss an episode of the Starz show Power when I got home.
I was good for time at the moment…
But as I put my phone back into my pocket, I noticed a tall shadow looming over me, when there had been nobody else in the street…
I swallowed, looking left and right to see who it was. But the shadow quickly disappeared, and I saw nobody there. My heart hammered against my chest. I folded my arms angrily.
This was the third time that I’d felt like I was being followed now!
This was getting ridiculous…
I was probably just being paranoid…
I was in a new city with a new identity…
Nobody could possibly know who I was, 220
or where I’d came from.
