Chapter 3
A knock at the door startled Mia. It was almost eight am. In a rush, she finished submitting a report via her secure Wi-Fi, since she wouldn’t make her meet today. She quickly shut it down, hiding the box, and opening up Facebook. Mickey had stopped last night, telling her that the family needed a favor, and she would be rewarded. He only told her that she was going on a trip with David, and that Mickey needed her to keep eyes and ears on him, and report back when she got home. He had given her a passport, which she knew was forged, and handed her some cash. ‘Spending money, buy some souvenirs.’ He had told her. Looking out the peep hole, she saw the man from yesterday. The one who spoke to David. Opening the door, she welcomed him.
“Just give me a moment,” she said, shutting the door. Mia quickly ran to her bedroom, grabbing the suitcase she had, and went back to the living room. She shut down her laptop, and made sure everything was off. Smiling, she followed Jeff downstairs. Her nerves were going haywire. One on hand, she was nervous to be going on some secret trip. What if they knew about her? Was she going to die? On the other hand, her hormones were in a fluster, knowing she would be with David. The man certainly turned her on. He exuded sex appeal. It was hard for her to retain control of her body, when he was near.
The town car maneuvered through the quiet Manhattan streets. So early on a Sunday morning, there wasn’t much traffic yet. They arrived at an airfield in New Jersey, in less than forty minutes. Jeff didn’t speak to her the whole way. Trying to stay in character, she had on tight leggings, a flimsy, revealing tank top and sky-high heels. Travel wasn’t going to be very comfortable for her. She boarded the plane. Being on a private jet wasn’t new to her. She had been on them before, in other undercover operations.
“Welcome,” David said. He sat on a couch that lined the one side. A woman walked over, smiling at Mia. She took the suitcase, stowing in a bin, over a table. Mia chose a comfortable looking seat, opposite David. It was safer for her to stay away from him. Jeff boarded as well, heading to the cockpit.
“Miss,” the stewardess said, “we will be taking off soon, can I get you a drink?”
“Just water, thank you,” she responded. Mia and David stared at each other in silence. The woman returned with a bottle of water, and then moved to the service area, just outside the cockpit. She closed the door, leaving them alone. David stood, moving to sit in the chair next to her. He buckled in, and she followed suit. As the plane took off, no one spoke.
Once in the air, the woman returned, asking if they needed anything else for now. David instructed her they were fine and needed privacy. Alone again, he turned to Mia.
“I said I wouldn’t spill your secret, but there’s a cost.” Her heart skipped a beat. This was it. Two years of work, and it was over. Their case, done. She fought to contain her fear, and turned to him, smiling. With that annoyingly thick accent, she played it off.
“I don’t know what you mean, Mr. Hell, I don’t even know your last name.”
“Kennedy,” he said forcefully. “Cut the shit. I was there, when you were with Viktor Volkov. I was his hired security. I know you’re a Fed. I need to know who you work for, and we need to get the on the phone. I want to cut a deal.”
“I do-“
“There are kids lives at stake,” he yelled at her. She pushed back in her seat, her fear showing. She had no weapons on her, no back up. “My brother got me into this mess. I need your help to get out of it. Or the Costello’s will kill his kids.” This hit home with her.
“Alright. What have you got?” She had dropped the accent, since her cover was obviously blown. She had helped take down ex-military arms dealers and a Russian mafioso. She had never seen David there, but knew Vicktor had outside security. The jig was up. He knew who she was. He quickly explained how he got wrapped up in this. It was a sad story and his suspicions were right. The Costello’s would never let him walk away after the debt was paid. Not if he was making them so much money. At least, not alive. Mia pulled her phone from the purse she had dropped next to the seat. She called her handler. After quickly explaining, she hung up.
“In Sierra Leone, we grab your diamond dealer. It will be kept quiet. When we return to the US, and you hand off the stones, we take down the Costello’s. You testify, go into witness protection, and you’ll be given full immunity.” He stared off into space, looking thoughtful.
“Deal,” he said. The rest of their flight was planning their operation. Mia spent time on the phone, with her team, setting up the first takedown. David gave her details needed, to get the team safely into the compound, take down the drug lord and diamond dealer, as well get them out, without any casualties. When they landed, Mia was exhausted. Jeff drove them to a hotel in Freetown, where David had booked the largest suite, and they caught some much-needed sleep. Mia’s dreams were filled with sexual fantasies of David Kennedy.