17 comments

Thriller

PROLOGUE

 "You saved my ass out there today. Thanks" said One.

        "I'd do it again" Three said.

The water from the shower head cascaded down her shoulders. Drowning out the usual shouts of "FBI!!! Don't move!!! Hands where I can see them!!!" whenever they burst through a door, washing off every form of filth, purging her of bloodstains and making her feel brand new like a baby wrapped in a shawl and placed in a cot after a bath. She dried her hair softly, slid a t-shirt and a grey pant over. These last few days had been somewhat mournful following a mission that went south with the death of four FBI agents and survival of two, one in coma and the other being her. Another chance at life, She thought. She was not sure if she was to be grateful or not...yet. 

She finally decided to pack her hair into a bun. Her already packed bag in one hand, She walked into Aaron Washburn's office. He had been the man for her all along and she had definitely miss having to answer to him. He stood up from his spiral chair and gave her a long hug. One that reminded her of everything that had gone smooth and wrong in this field office and to say he is glad she was alive through it all. He eventually whispered "Goodluck Hermione" into her ears and released her from his arms. "Remember you're three now!", Washburn shouted after her. She stifled a laugh (remembering how they had to argue on what number to go by for her undercover mission and how in the end, he let her choose three) and resisted the urge to give him the middle finger, he was still her boss. 

  She showed up for her flight just in time. She tried hard not to close her eyes and drift into sleep throughout the trip. It was like seeing it all happen again, afresh. Steve getting shot in the head, Jade holding her neck and life draining out of her bit by bit as a bullet ripped her neck open, Carol gasping for breath and her neck getting snapped. Lennie telling her to go round back that he had take care of the front. He did take care of the front but he ended up dead, also. She hated to emotionally connect on the job, it was why she fought every form of feeling she felt for Lennie. Both platonic and erotic. Truthfully, she missed Lennie. She missed them all. Although she hated to admit, they had become family. They were family.

      She checked into a hotel, took a shower, swallowed her pills and slid into bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

  "Bethany Grant. Assistant Director of the FBI's New York Field Office. You're welcome Special Agent Hermione Reade." She said while she stretched her hands for a handshake and handed over the files to Hermione. "Special agent three, Hermione corrected her. Grant nodded with a smile. "Come on, let me introduce you to the team. "Three followed her closely behind, going through the files on their way, her anxiety building, taskforces usually had difficulties accepting a new agent into their midst. Bethany Grant slid the door open into Operations, they were already sitted. Three mentally did a head count, they were just four. She took a seat on the left side of the table. "This is Agent Four, Ten, Six and One" Grant said as she pointed at each of them while sitted. She continued, "Special agent three will be joining this taskforce. So let's get comfortable and get Khalil Ishqar. What do we have?" 

Ten stood up and walked towards the large screen and began to say, "Khalil Ishqar left his apartment ten minutes ago. He is at Medhealth Corp at the moment to see the director. We believe they are a front for Khalil's bomb making industry or they are supplying him with the materials needed. Four hacked into his phone records and he made a call five times in the last twenty-four hours to this number. John Judd. We are not sure but we think it's his accountant."  

"Not sure?" Grant asked.

 "He is the gym instructor at Jakes high school. No form of accountancy tag to him plus he is down with cancer at the moment." One answered her.

"What about his wife?" Three asked.

"Excuse me?" Ten looked in her direction.

Three began to explain holding up the files "It says here that his wife was an accountant and she once did time for money laundering. So i think she is Khalil Ishqar's accountant" 

"So her husband isn't aware?" Six asked no one in particular.

"He does. My theory is he once worked for Khalil and then when he found out he had cancer, he had to stop. According to the files, his financials were not looking all that attractive and then suddenly the cash flow spikes. So I think Khalil Ishqar offered to pay for his treatment if Judd's wife agreed to be his accountant. The phone calls to Judd is a cover incase anything they had come to him and not his wife. And since he might ill at the moment, he can't do jail term. He plans to take the fall, if it ever happens." Three finished.

 "Ten, Six head to Judd's apartment. See what you can find. Three, One, go to medhealth corp, bring the director in for questioning." Grant began to dish out instructions to the team.

"Uh, i don't think that's a good idea." Three objected.

"Why not?" Ten looked at her questioningly.

"If we bring John Judd in for questioning. He had get spooked and go ahead to inform Ishqar we are unto him, which had probably get him or his wife killed and replaced, making us lose the only lead we have. I think we should watch him for a few days, at some point, Ishqar had have to meet up with him or his wife to go over the money records. These big men don't joke with their money. For Medhealth Corp, we go in as another drug company to request for the supplies, ask them what the biggest deal they've had or have at the moment. That way, we found out what Ishqar's deal with them is and how long it works for. We offer a higher amount for a shorter period, we know he had say no, but not at first because he is interested in the money. He had have to ask Khalil and Khalil had offer to pay higher because he does not want anything affecting his supply. So he had say no, unless he plans to go behind Khalil and sign the deal with us, if he does, we simply tell him it's too late and we found another supplier." 

Three finally stopped talking and began to get looks of awe and approval from the team. Grant broke the silence by complimenting the team on the progress they have made and also told them to keep an eye on Judd and his wife. She told Three she was welcome once again before she stepped out. 

Ten walked out after Grant explaining something to her. He was the most handsome on the team, Three could not but notice him earlier. Four says she was glad to have Three on the team. She was the tech guy. Six scratched his beards and stared into the air saying nothing. One asked Three if she liked threesome? At first, she was lost and then in a split second she got the joke and laughed out loudly, giving him the middle finger. He winked and told her she was welcome on the team. 

One and Three saw Medhealth Corp director, Cooper Wheeler, the next day. He unsuspectingly answered all their questions and provided them with the information they needed on the biggest deal they had at the time. Apparently, Khalil Ishqar had a five year supply deal with them, this being the fifth year when compared with the records they had. So whatever Khalil had going on, he plans to finish and launch it this year. And very soon, that is. Three stylishly placed a bug under Wheeler's office desk before they left. Funny enough, he called Khalil Ishqar right after they stepped out. Six and Ten also visited Judd and his wife respectively. Six posed as Judd's doctor and placed a bug there too. Ten showed up at their house to check their gadgets. Also placing a camera and a bug inside the house and a tracker on her car in the process. They had eyes and ears on the three of them. 

Something had been bothering Three, she could not place why ...yet but she could place what. And it was the fact that Khalil Ishqar's face looked familiar. She knew she had seen that face, not necessarily in person, but she had seen him before and it was not for a good reason. "Hey, can I take you on a tour and then we have lunch after?" One asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. She was going to say no because she really did not need either. She could find her way around or simply ask around if she ever got lost and she was not hungry too but she ended up saying yeah, sure. 

Judd's wife, Grace Judd, eventually met up with Khalil. First in his hotel room, they were pretty intimate which made the team know she was cheating on her husband and John Judd, her husband, was unaware of her dealings with Ishqar plus she and Judd had been having constant fights at his hospital room on where the money for his treatment was coming from, annulling Three's previous theory of John Judd's awareness. She eventually lead the taskforce right to Khalil Ishqar's bunker. 

Today is the day the taskforce hits Khalil Ishqar's bunker. It felt like Three had spent a year with the taskforce when it was only just seven months, every minute of it contributing to this day. A part of Three felt not so good, scared was the word. Scared that it might not turn out as planned and they might end up being the ones who lost. Washburn called earlier to tell Three Eddie had finally woken up and he had be taken away soon. She felt her chest tighten. He was the mole and they never suspected all along. It was why they got attacked, killing four of them in the process. The enemy had their blueprint. Aaron also wished the team goodluck. There was this tight note in his voice as he said, "I hope you get him and he rots in jail". And then it hit her, Khalil Ishqar murdered Aaron Washburn's wife.

There was this night Three had dinner with Aaron Washburn at Christmas, there were alot of "physical leads" concerning the death of his wife pinned to the wall. It was the first time she had seen Khalil Ishqar. Aaron's wife, Maria Washburn, was the judge on his case. She sentenced him to life. He broke out, found her and killed her alongside the part of the jury that was against him. Aaron was broken. His wife was six weeks pregnant. It was their first child after two miscarriages.

 "Wheel's up in ten" Ten informed them. Three helped herself with her bulletproof vest and then sat to clean her gun and assemble it.  

Everyone was now seated. The plane slowly took off, lifting itself off the ground. Three took side glances at the team at intervals to see everyone dealing with their anxiety in their own way.

 Shouts of FBI! Don't move!!! Drop your weapons!!!Get down!! rang out loud in the air. 

Three started hyperventilating and having flash backs of the last time she was on the field like this. "Three focus. Behind you." One shouted, snapping her back to reality just in time for her to stretch out her left leg and give him a good kick making him lose his balance. Another guy came in front, trying to slap the gun out of her hand making her shoot sporadically in the air. He eventually slapped the gun out of her hand sending blows to her face. Barely missing it, she held his arm and twisted it, throwing him up against a table. His head hitting the edge. Four shot at a guy coming up behind Three giving her time to pick out a gun from her holster and shooting at a guy coming towards her in the leg narrowly missing his own shot at her. 

 "Khalil's on the run. Three cover me!!" Ten shouted into the comms. 

Three took cover and went in Ten's direction, giving a headshot to a guy coming up behind Six in the process. Three flicked a knife in One's direction, hitting the arm of the guy holding One's neck about to snap it making him lose his grip on One. She ran out the door throwing herself into the car as Ten drove off after Khalil Ishqar, hot on his heels. She suddenly remembered her motorbike and immediately missed it. Ten asked, "you ready?". She nodded her head. He pressed his foot down on the accelerator and sped forward colliding sideways with Ishqar's car. They doubled, turned sharply to the right and sped off. Three always kept a grenade on her. Immediately they collided again, she placed it on their car, she couldn't see Ishqar's face because the glass of his car was shaded but she knew he was in there. Ten drove forward and parked, a reasonable distance between them before the explosion. They got down, guns in hand and walked towards Ishqar's car. The rest of the team and SWAT arriving almost immediately. "Don't move. Hands where I can see them." One by one, they were cuffed and taken away. One walked up to Three asking if she was okay. She nodded. 

"You saved my ass today. Thanks" said One.

 "I'd do it again" Three said.

The rest of the trip was quiet. Immediately they stepped out of the elevators, a round of applause went up for them crowned with Bethany Grant saying they did great. Ten walked up to Three holding out his hand for a handshake, "Christian Turner" he said. Hermione smiled, returning the handshake, "Three Three". She said laughing.

August 28, 2020 19:29

You must sign up or log in to submit a comment.

17 comments

Mackenzie Hebner
04:52 Sep 04, 2020

I love the whole plot of this, not easy to create and I love how you did it. I also love the unique way to bring the characters to life even without names, and the identity reveal at the end while Hermione remains attached to her number is well done. I also admire the matched beginning and end. There are a few typos I'd watch out for, but I have them too so😂. Regardless, great story and well written!!

Reply

19:05 Sep 04, 2020

Yeah, I'd watch out for them..thanks..lol.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Keerththan 😀
13:28 Sep 05, 2020

The plot was wonderful and the names you kept just made me grin. Well written. Would you mind reading my new one and giving some feedback?

Reply

10:49 Jan 18, 2021

Thanks alot. Yeah sure, what's the title?

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Steve Alink
17:51 Sep 04, 2020

Quite a lot going on in this short story. Could not fully get if pov was on Three or a know it all person. Great imagination you have by the way. Thanks for your story.

Reply

19:04 Sep 04, 2020

POV was on three. Thank you so much.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
05:14 Sep 04, 2020

🙌🏻♥️ awesome story and very well-written!! I'd love to read more of youre stories 😊!!

Reply

19:05 Sep 04, 2020

Thanks alot. I look forward to entertaining you.♥️

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Adewumi Adewale
12:56 Sep 03, 2020

Agent Three was a genius creation. The story was engaging, it was like watching mission impossible. I love the John and Grace Judd part.

Reply

19:06 Sep 04, 2020

Thank you 🥺

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Victor Iwuchukwu
08:25 Sep 03, 2020

This is marvelous 😍

Reply

Show 0 replies
Shakunle Judith
07:09 Sep 03, 2020

Go girl 👌🤛😍

Reply

Show 0 replies
Charity Balogun
22:37 Sep 02, 2020

Wow, this is lovely.. I'd love to read more.

Reply

Show 0 replies
20:20 Sep 02, 2020

❤️❤️ This is awesome

Reply

Show 0 replies
Uwangue Kemi
18:51 Sep 02, 2020

Woahhh....Great story 👍👍

Reply

Show 0 replies
The Cold Ice
03:33 Sep 04, 2020

This is awesome.Great job👍keep it up. Would you mind reading my story “The dragon warrior?”

Reply

19:06 Sep 04, 2020

I would.😍

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in Reedsy Studio. 100% free.