Chapter 3 - The Lady Devil

It had been three years since I got back to New York City. I entered my apartment and immediately took a shower, sliding into the tub and staring at the bathroom wall in front of me. A sigh escaped my lips. I was tired, but I couldn't close my eyes; otherwise, I would fall asleep in the bathroom.

I had just returned from Russia a few weeks ago. I was there for two years to finish a very important mission. God, it was exhausting. I had killed a whole bunch of people. Bad people. Smugglers. I did one year of planning and studying them. Then execution came after, and of course, I wasn't alone. The agency wouldn't let me execute alone because they feared I would go bonkers again. So, I was accompanied by another agent. It was tough because they had really good security in Russia. Not to mention the weapons.

After washing up, I walked to my wardrobe and pulled out an oversized shirt and underwear. I had lived alone my entire life in different houses and apartments. I was used to being alone all the time, and I was comfortable that way.

Jumping onto my soft bed, I was about to fall asleep when my phone beeped. It was a text message from my friend, Miguela Rossi, also an agent in the agency. We had worked together before, but now, we were forbidden to do partner missions due to some incident. We had been friends since the first time I took that mission with Miguela.

The message read that the bitch was back from Madrid. A smile stretched my lips before leaving the message unreplied. I put down my phone on the bedside table and shifted on the bed. I shut my eyes and dozed off shortly.

“Frank!” A woman cried loudly.

A gunshot blew heavily and deafeningly inside a dark room along with the sobbing of a woman. The woman repeatedly yelled the name of her husband, but he wasn’t budging. Frank was dead on the ground, bloody and bruised. It took only one second of that pistol to fire right through the poor man’s head.

“Mom?” A faint voice echoed inside the living room of their house, and the little girl walked out of her bedroom silently.

I woke up to the sound of heavy knocks against my apartment door. The person behind it clearly didn't understand patience, and I may have a small clue on who that dumbass is. I closed my eyes in annoyance when my whole body was sweating as I got up from the bed; little droplets came running down my forehead. I had another of that nightmare again.

“Fucking wait!” I groaned and ran to get the door. When I opened it, I was greeted by a smiling Ciara with a paper bag and two Americanos in her grip.

“You look like crap,” Ciara said and pointed at my face, down to my clothes. I looked down at my clothes with pressed lips; I saw no problem. I looked over to Ciara’s outfit, and I rolled my eyes. Of course, she’s Ciara, and she wouldn’t dare walk out of her house dressed poorly. Women like Ciara, who dress as though it’s the end of the freaking world and they’d die if not properly clothed according to their fashion sense; they exist, and one is standing in front of me right now.

My face wrinkled when Ciara pushed me to the side so she could get inside my flat. Ciara walked straight past me and to the kitchen. We were already friends even before I entered the agency. Ciara was a stripper from the club she worked at as a bartender. Surprisingly, Ciara was a part of the agency and she’s undercover as a stripper for a mission in the US. Ciara mentioned the millions she earned from the job, and I was piqued. I asked Ciara to let me join the agency, and Ciara happily led me to a woman named Ruby Holland, the senior manager at Exodus Agency. The rest is history.

“Uh, what are you doing here?” I eyed my friend intently while she plopped on one of my counter stools, her bright blonde hair bouncing down her waist elegantly. Ciara was wearing a skimpy white dress that exposed her back skin, her waist tattoo peeking underneath the fabric.

“Hey, I’m asking you,” I inhaled sharply. This grown ass lady here always acts like her freaking kid, and I’m not liking it. My apartment is a mess right now, and I don't want another mess, and by that, I mean the lady devil herself: Ciara Ferrer. I haven't started unpacking, and I need to get groceries and stuff.

The lady devil sighed as if the problem was so deep, “I was bored and alone.”

I rolled my eyes as if expecting that line from her.

“And?”

“And I brought breakfast,” Ciara smiled, wiggling her brows as if that would convince me to let the lady devil stay here.

I glared at her suspiciously.

“Oh, come on! It’s too quiet in my unit, and I didn’t feel like day drinking. I'm leaving right away too since I have a spa appointment,” Ciara said before smiling widely. The good thing about working for the agency is that you have lots of freedom, time, and a bank account flowing with billions. You need not apply for a job or think about paying bills. You can do pretty much whatever you want; travel around the world and spend your dollars on a shopping spree which Ciara would go for. However, you must know that one call from the agency, you must at all costs, answer and finish the mission assigned to you.

I heaved a sigh before closing the door and following Ciara into the kitchen. Ciara put the food she bought on the kitchen counter. I reached for

 the pancakes and Americano.

“Where are the girls?” I asked before shoving half of the pancake into my mouth.

“They're busy,” Ciara said and bit from the pancake. It wasn’t just Ciara and me who worked for the agency. There are thousands of Exodus Agents all over the globe, mostly in Europe since the agency was founded there. As for me, I was trained in my homeland, in the United States. While my friends are in their own homeland as well.

“Don't you have work today?” Ciara asked, sipping from her coffee.

I scoffed, “Nah, I got fired at the bar I work at.”

“Do I even wanna know?” Ciara pursed her lips.

I stifled a laugh, “One of the customers tried my patience, so I put something in his drink and got his tongue burned. I don’t even know what happened to him now. He probably doesn't talk much.”

Ciara laughed for a while, “Shit. That’s just evil, Az.”

I smiled at myself.

“Do you know any club that pays big?”

Ciara stared at me for like a second before barking a laugh, “Are you serious? You do know we don’t need to work, right? We are paid a lot in the agency, how many more billions do you need in your bank account?” Ciara let out a chuckle.

I looked Ciara dead in the eyes, “Unlike you, I work when I’m bored. I don’t party and spend my money on hangovers and men.”

Ciara laughed, “Ouch! But seriously, try applying at Clementine. It's an exclusive club, I assume they'll pay big time there.”

I raised a brow. Clementine?

“Never heard of it,” I sipped from my coffee.

“Well, it's a newly opened bar just near my condo,”

I nodded repeatedly, “Hm, okay. I’ll drop by then.”

Ciara sipped on her frappe while eyeing me intently, “How was the VIP mission in Russia?”

“Bloody,” I replied shortly as I tore the pancake in half and stuffed the other half in my mouth.

“Typical you. Who’s the partner?”

“Some brunette named Maddison,”

Ciara raised a brow before nodding her head nonchalantly.

“Huh, get ready for another VIP then,”

I looked up instantly, “What do you mean?”

“I heard the other agents talk. The Magnus are to receive VIP missions this year. So exhausting! I wish it would be a group mission with Alfonso included,” Ciara smiled to herself, crossing her legs. She’s probably fantasizing about the agent again.

The Exodus Agency is organized and run by the government. Agents are classified into three divisions. The Magnus is a group of agents, the highest rank of all agents; we are part of that circle. The rest are called Indomitus; they are agents in lower ranking and below the Magnus. While the new and under-training agents are known as Ancora.

I stared at her in bewilderment, “Is that true?”

Ciara nodded, “Yes, I also confirmed it with Ruby,”

Ruby Holland is a senior manager. She was also an agent at Exodus Agency but she retired and decided to keep working for the agency, and thus, she is now working as a manager. Ruby has been kind and helpful to me and to every agent under her management, namely, Magnus Agents. The other divisions are handled by different senior managers as well.

A loud ringtone erupted, “Speaking of the older lady devil,” I smirked upon seeing Ruby’s name on the screen of my phone.