10: No Choice
1848 Words
Their night together had ended with Magnus asking for Faith's number. He apologized for being the one to leave so suddenly this time, but he had some business to attend to. Faith had let him go with a kiss and a teasing remark about them being even now.
A few hours after that, Faith called her handler and told him all the new information she'd gotten.
Special Agent in Charge Armando Falls also gave her some good news—her gut had been right. Soldiers had stopped a small truck headed for the Southern Region's pier, and it was carrying the three art pieces Magnus bought.
It was seemingly a normal delivery. Until one of the soldiers banged his boot against one of the boxes, and the material of the box gave way. Instead of debris, white powder fell from the dent.
The soldier had pulled back just enough of the dent to see more white powder inside plastic bags.
There was a shootout. Those soldiers who stopped the truck were dead now, along with three others.
The driver—whom the Special Missions Group had confirmed to be Justin Reid—had gotten away with both his life and the cocaine hidden in the boxes of the art pieces.
Faith only let herself feel upset by the loss of all those lives for an hour.
Then, she was back to her job.
The next forty-eight hours were spent tracking the car's movements from her temporary address. It hadn't mattered that Magnus was not the one driving it, so long as one of his men was. Fortunately, the car was not immediately left for storage. It drove to familiar addresses; all places Magnus had visited before when Faith initially began spying on him.
All the establishments and homes were owned by the Red Flame Pack.
Except for one. It was a small grocery store in a particularly crime-ridden district, nearly an hour away from the Intershire City border.
Faith strongly doubted that Magnus would spend thirty minutes doing his groceries at that place when Faith knew he had Pack members who owned large-chain grocery markets.
Faith did some reconnaissance of the area from the rooftop of an abandoned apartment complex set to be renovated next month. She had killed an alpha in this district before—Derek Thunderkin.
A slight shiver made its way to Faith, remembering the things she had to endure during that mission in order to successfully assassinate the man.
Faith spied on the small grocery store using binoculars for a whole twenty-four hours. She was dressed in all-black from head to toe, the only bit of skin exposed was her eyes. The day was hot, the night brought with it a sudden drop in temperature. But Faith's attention did not waver. She had experienced worst things during her training period.
Her waiting paid off when, six minutes until midnight, a man walked out through the side entrance of the grocery store.
Faith zoomed in with her camera and captured photos of the dark-haired man quickly making his way into a sleek-looking car hidden from street view.
Once Faith reviewed the photos, she was able to identify who the man was.
He was one of the four most wanted alphas that Faith had not killed yet.
Not bothering to wait until she was off the rooftop, Faith called Armando Falls' satellite phone.
Given the time, it took longer before her handler picked her up. But he did.
Faith said, "I think we know who Magnus' cocaine supplier is."
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Faith Harper was fifteen years old when she and Lily were orphaned.
The Sunny Side Bed & Breakfast was still run by Kiyana Petalia's parents back then, and they had hired Faith only out of pity.
An agent from the New Order Special Missions Group had arrived at the bed & breakfast not even three months after Faith had gotten herself and Lily settled.
That was the moment when Agent Sophia Denver revealed to Faith that her mother, Camila Harper, had been an unofficial informant for The New Order. The agent had been in her late forties then, and she was not in the habit of mincing her words to a fifteen-year-old girl. She told Faith that, while the New Order government would not have cared if Faith's mother had simply died on her own, the Special Missions Group, composed of agents who were both spies and assassins, needed new recruits to help The New Order accomplish their goals.
Agent Sophia Denver had heard about how Camila Harper left two daughters in her passing, and the exact words she said were Faith being pretty enough that a lot of their would-be targets would overlook the fact that she was human.
Instantly, Faith's young mind knew what being pretty entailed.
At first, Faith said no. Vehemently so.
But then, Agent Sophia had made an offer that was hard to refuse given Faith's situation. "Training with us would mean the government ensures you and your little sister will be fed, protected, and given an allowance every month. Your sister is three, and you do not have anyone else to support you. She is your responsibility now. If you become a trainee, you would not have to worry about Lily Harper's future, even though you will be away from her side. You are allowed to visit her, but only with an approved companion."
It took Faith a few years to understand why the New Order was desperate to get her on their side.
Faith had nothing to lose. Her future was dark. If she were ever to become an agent who went rogue, the government already knew where (or more specifically who) to strike, to get her back on track.
Currently, as Faith blended into the shadows of the night, waiting for her target to come out of the side entrance, she remembered those first few weeks at the Special Missions Group's training grounds.
Back then, she barely knew how to wield a dagger without cutting herself accidentally.
Now, she spun the dagger in her hand once effortlessly, the handle landing safely in her gloved hand.
Two days ago, she had done surveillance of the grocery store she was currently next to. Faith was wearing all black tonight, a mask pulled over her head showing only her eyes. She had on a bulletproof vest, two more daggers strapped to her thighs, and two guns with silencers in her holster.
The loaded handguns were always her last resort.
Last night, she had gotten confirmation from SAC Armando Falls that offshore accounts linked to Magnus Lawson made multiple, thousand-dollar deposits to Emilio Fernandez' bank accounts. It was tricky to find the connection, but the New Order spare no resources when it came to their most wanted.
"You have the green light to kill Emilio Fernandez," Armando told Faith over their secure line last night.
"Why does the government not just arrest him?"
"Emilio Fernandez is Magnus Lawson's only cocaine supplier. If we get rid of Emilio, we put a halt to Magnus' regular deliveries. It will make the Head Alpha panic, and he will fumble. Agent, we need Magnus Lawson to reveal more of his cards before you kill him. If there is any chance that his operation may be continued by anyone connected to him, we squash any possibility. Understood?"
"Understood."
Ten minutes to midnight.
Emilio Fernandez seemed like a creature of habit. He'd be coming out the door any moment now.
Faith waited. Inside the grocery store, everything was seemingly quiet. Store hours were from seven a.m. to nine p.m., but the store itself was just a front. Another agent had posed as a regular customer yesterday and hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary inside, except for a door that a man with a gun hidden from plain view walked out of. Nobody else followed the man out. It was probably the door to Emilio's office.
Five minutes until midnight, the doorknob on the side door spun.
Faith pushed herself up. She was practically invisible as Emilio stepped out, not that adamant about checking his surroundings as he locked-up.
Anyone who worked for Magnus Lawson probably felt they had the greatest protection they could be offered, and in a way, they did.
But Faith was a wraith. She was not seen by her targets unless she wanted to be. And when they did, it was often too late for them.
Emilio was now walking to his parked car, walking away from where Faith was still hiding.
The thing that made Faith so good at her job as a spy and assassin was that she wasted no time in grand reveals or spectacles showing off how she had bested her target.
She was a shadow. Faith had killed six out of the ten most dangerous alphas in Dreadus State, succeeding in what nobody else would have thought possible, because she knew the only way to defeat someone so menacing and dangerous was not to try and overpower them.
No, Faith needed to blindside her targets, always striking when they least expected it.
Emilio Fernandez was no taller than Faith, and his body was not covered in defined muscles like the other men who worked for Magnus. He dressed like an average man who owned a grocery store, and usually kept his head down. Faith watched as Emilio pulled out his car keys, standing next to his wine-red vintage vehicle which was shaded by a tent connected to the side of the grocery store.
People in this neighborhood knew about Emilio Fernandez and how he worked for Magnus Lawson. Nobody in their right mind would dare mess with Emilio's car, not unless they wanted to face Head Alpha Magnus' wrath as well.
Faith ran out of her hiding spot, footsteps too fast and too light on the ground to make any loud noise until she was only a few feet away from Emilio.
Like a leopard, Faith tackled Emilio to the ground, her speed probably causing whiplash to the man.
Emilio let out a grunt, his car keys falling from his hold and jingling against the concrete. After a second, he registered that Faith was pinning him down.
"What the fu–"
In less than two heartbeats, Faith had stabbed the dagger into Emilio's neck and pulled it out swiftly.
She watched as his brows rose to his hairline, choking on his own blood. He was in shock, in grueling pain, and he was looking at Faith but he was not seeing her.
Faith took a deep breath when the body beneath her legs began to struggle less and less. Emilio Fernandez was bleeding out, and Faith saw the life draining from his eyes.
"I am sorry," Faith whispered, even though she knew Emilio would not hear her.
I had no choice, Faith reminded herself. I had no choice.
It felt hollow.
It felt like a lie.
I had no choice.
She killed Emilio Fernandez.
And she was going to kill Magnus Lawson.
I have no choice.
- Writer
