"I don't know, buddy, when were you last playing with it?"
"I don' renember!" He threw his arms up in the air, as if even trying to remember was too much effort. He fell to the ground and sat with his face in his hands. Carolyn stopped packing and went to her son. She placed a comforting hand on his back and ran her fingers through his white blonde hair. He'd obviously gotten the hair from his father, because her hair was jet black. She and Jeff always joked that they worked so well because with his almost white blonde hair, and her black hair, they were yin and yang.
"Its okay, buddy, lets go find it." Parker sighed deeply. "Okay. You are good at fin'ing things." They made their way to his room and started sifting through the littered toys on the floor. It was only a moment or two before they heard a deep voice from the doorway of Parker's room, "Are you looking for this?" Jeff, Carolyn's husband, stood in the doorway holding Parker's favorite truck. Parker's face lit up with absolute joy. "You foun' it daddy!" He ran to his dad and hugged him tightly. Carolyn just stood and smiled at the scene in front of her. Parker grabbed his truck and ran down the hall. She walked over to Jeff and kissed him on the cheek. "Looks like you're the big hero of the day." Jeff wrapped his arms around her and said, "It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it." They kissed again, with a little more intensity. Carolyn pulled away, "I'm sorry, as much as I want to take this to the bedroom, I have to finish packing, or else I am going to be late."
"Okay," He said letting go of her reluctantly. "I'm going to miss you. I always do. A week is just too long without you." He winked and swatted her on the behind as she walked away, turning back and giving him a sly, seductive grin. "You should be used to it by now. Don't worry though, I'll more than make it up to you when I get home." Then she winked.
Twenty minutes later Jeff held Parker on the porch, as Carolyn loaded her bag into the blue sedan. She came back to her boys and kissed each one of them. Parker, who still clutched his truck, had his pouty lip again. "Why you hab'd to go?" She kissed him on the cheek, "Because mommy's work needs her to go to some boring conferences and meetings. Don't worry though sweetie, I'll be back soon. You know I love you so much, right?" He nodded and finally smiled. "I love you too mommy." She mentally took a picture of this moment. Moments like this reminded her that what she had to do was so important. She kissed Jeff one last time and turned to walk to the car.
*****
Her heart beat quickly as she stealthily made her way down the large mansion's staircase that led her closer to the target. Stealth was her specialty. It was the sole reason she had been chosen for this mission. She could get in and get out with hardly making a wave. The stakes were higher for this mission though, and she was sure that tidal waves would be the product from tonight's stealthing; but it was all for the greater good.As she got closer, the thumping sound of music and young feminine giggling got louder. Her right hand lightly touched the gun in her thigh holster, that simple gesture calming her and slowing her heart rate. She had taken care of two guards already without having to use it, but just knowing it was there, like a faithful sidekick, made her more at ease. She'd always felt more comfortable with a gun in her hand. She closed her eyes and mentally visualized the planned route she would take once she had what she needed. She had studied so much, she felt as though she knew the lay out of the mansion better than the contractors themselves. This mission had been planned and calculated for the better part of six months. Mr. Chen, the owner of the estate, had sent his wife and two sons, to China to visit family. Which meant the staff and guards would be minimal. It was the perfect opportunity to get what they needed.
The giggling and splashing was louder now and she could see the lights that led to the pool in the basement of the palatial estate. The giggling made her stomach turn. She wasn't like most women. That's why she was so good at what she did. Giggling was something she wasn't familiar with at all. Women who giggled like that were women who were bought and paid for by men like Mr. Chen; and Mr. Chen was filthy, dirty rich. Filthy and dirty were actually quite complimentary if she was looking for words to describe him.
His story was, that he had crawled and scratched his way out of the squalor of the streets of China and made his way to the top of the drug trade. But that wasn't good enough for him. He decided to expand and go international. He had come to America, posing as a harmless international businessman, only wanting to provide more Americans with more jobs. His marketing company was just a cover, just like his family. They hid who he really was. He had been quoted in the New York Times, "I came here to live the American dream." According to him, the American dream now consisted of international drug trade, prostitution, gambling, sex trafficking, you name it, he had his dirty hands in it. As much as she despised the man personally, he wasn't necessarily the mission. He was a key part of it though.
The splashing, music and giggling were just around the corner now. The ear piece in her left ear came to life as Mason's deep, clear voice beat through it, "There are two guards in front of the entrance to the pool. Mr. Chen and three women are in the pool area. You may be able to take out the guards unseen if you can lure them away." There was no way to signal to him that she understood, but she knew the drill. She and Mason had worked on enough missions together that they didn't need verbal communication. They trusted each other, knew each other's strength and weaknesses, they were a team. The ideal team for this mission. He was outside setting the explosives, while she infiltrated to get what they came for.
The music was too loud to make any sort of sound to draw out the guards, so she pulled out her small flash light and beamed it across the hallway a few times. It seemed an amateur move, but the plan would go better if Mr. Chen didn't expect her arrival. She shined the light a couple more times, hoping to draw at least one of the goons from his post. It had worked, she heard slow thudding footsteps headed her way, she crouched low and waited for him to turn corner. The hallway was dark where she was and her dark hair and clothing would help her blend easily. The heavy footsteps were louder now and before the goon even had a chance to process she was there, she swept a leg under his feet and he thudded to the ground dropping his gun and hitting his head. It was loud enough for the other guard to hear, as she heard his footsteps now running her way.
She quickly checked the first guard to make sure he was knocked out. A trickle of blood had started along the floor from where his head lay. That was proof enough for her. She quickly jumped up ready to take on guard number two. As he rounded the corner and took in the scene of his comrade on the ground, looking a bit stunned, it was just enough time for her to take the offensive and kick him in the face. His head whipped to the side, but came back quickly, almost un-phased. He reached for his gun, but she was too quick and kicked it out of his hand just as he got his grip, it went scattering across the floor. Still, their fighting sounds were minimal to the thumping party mix in the next room. Apparently these weren't well trained guards, or he was just a coward, but instead of fighting her he decided to chase after the gun. She rolled her eyes and quickly leaped onto his back, swung her right arm around his neck and proceeded to choke him out.
Once he was taken care of she stood up, wiped herself off and took a deep breath. Stepping over the now unconscious guard, she made her way to her target. Each step she took had purpose. This was the moment. She was still unseen, but was able to see through the glass doorway to get a good surveillance of what looked like a scene from a teen movie. Mr. Chen sat back in the hot tub eyes closed, arms outstretched cradling a bikini clad caucasian woman, who was softly kissing at his neck. The other two women were at the bar off to the left of the hot tub, where Mr. Chen was marinating. They must have been the giggling culprits. The large underground pool was off to the left, which left about twenty feet between her and Mr. Chen. He was unarmed and unsuspecting. Perfect.
Now. She mentally told herself. She pushed her way through the glass door, causing everyone to look up at her in shock as she strode across the room until she was about 12 feet away from Mr. Chen. She placed her hands on her hips and made a power stance. "Weren't expecting me were you? I didn't get an invite to the pool party." Mr. Chen quickly stood up and tried to scramble to a table a few feet away where most likely a firearm, or alert button was located. "Don't bother trying for it." She said as she pulled her gun out of its holster with lightening speed and aimed it right at his head. Mr. Chen slowly turned around and sat on the edge of the hot tub, feet still dangling in the water. He stared her down, not saying a word.
In her peripheral vision she saw one of the women at the bar, a big chested blonde one, start to move to the side. "Move one more inch Blondie and I swear I will put a bullet in you faster than you can say silicone." Blondie didn't move, she just held her hands up in surrender. The other woman at the bar followed suit in raising her hands. "You, " She nodded at the woman in the hot tub, gun still aimed right at Mr. Chen's head. He continued to sit on the edge, stoic, unreadable. He just stared at Carolyn, even when she was ordering the other women around. "Get up and turn off this music. And you two, keep your hands up in the air and move to the front of the bar and lie down on the ground." The dark haired woman in the hot tub got up and slowly walked to the stereo system on the wall, turned off the music then turned around. The room felt empty, as their ears adjusted to the silence."Now go lie down by the others." She did as she was told. With the music off, every noise echoed just slightly. Carolyn put her gun back in its holster. "Okay, thats better."
"What do you want?" Mr. Chen said flatly.
Carolyn gave him her best smile, "Like I said before, all I wanted was an invitation to the party." She shrugged her shoulders, "Is that too much for a girl to hope for?" Mason's voice sounded in her ear, "Quit toying with him, get the keys and get out, I'm almost done out here. I'd estimate 10 minutes so you better hurry." Carolyn made her way closer to Mr. Chen. She could see the set of keys around his neck now. Thats what she needed. "I think you know exactly why I am here Mr. Chen. You have something that doesn't belong to you and I am here to retrieve it."
Silence.
"Okay, well, we can do this the easy way, where you hand me the keys around your neck and I lock you all in here while I go get find the safe. Or, I shoot you, and get the keys anyway. Those are the options. Which would you prefer?"
Her tone was simple, as if she had been talking to Parker about eating his dinner, or not eating the rest of the night, giving him the option to choose his fate. Mr. Chen stood up slowly. "You, American spy, you will never get the keys, even if you did, you need combination to unlock the safe." Even though he had been in America for a few years, his accent was still present and condescending.
"Oh you mean the combination, three-three-nine-seven-five-one... that combination?" She saw his eyebrows rise slightly.
"We've known that for a week now. All we need is the keys." He stood still, blinked a few times, as if he was processing what his next move would be, but he had no more moves left, she had backed him into a corner. She held out her hand, "The keys, Mr. Chen." He took a deep breath and then lifted the chain from around his neck. He looked at the keys in his hands, then threw them at Carolyn, they fell just short of where she stood. In the time the keys flew in the air and she bent forward to get them, Mr. Chen had run to the table to grab his gun. She should have expected that. She had gotten overconfident. As she was down on one knee, she pulled her weapon and right before he got his arm up with the gun pointed her way, she shot him in the head, sending blood splattering on the wall behind him, and he crumpled in a heap to the ground. The echoing from the gun shot made her ears ring. The women lying on the ground screamed and Carolyn thought one of them started crying, but she didn't care. She had what she needed. Her intent hadn't been to kill Mr. Chen, but he left her no choice. She picked up the keys and she walked out of the pool area, leaving the women to fend for themselves. They were not her concern. Mason sounded in her ear. "What that hell just happened in there?!"
"I had to take him out, he pulled a gun on me."
"Damnit woman. Hurry and get to that safe. I'm waiting on you now, everything is set. Get what's in that safe, set the detonator and get the hell out of there. I'm at the northeast corner, the chopper is arriving in 5 minutes. Hustle!"
"Okay, okay, I'm on my way." She was halfway there by the time Mason finished his lecturing. The room she needed to get to was up two flights of stairs which she cleared effortlessly. Once she made it to the landing she found the door to the study. It looked like any other businessman's study, a large desk covered in papers and files, a couple computer screens, a wall of books to the left.
She went to the desk. According to their intelligence, the safe was located under a rug under the desk. She heaved and pushed the heavy desk enough so she could lift up the rug. Sure enough, there was the safe. She used to two keys to unlock each side, then entered the combination on the keypad in the middle of the safe. It opened. Perfect. She thought. She swung the safe open and noticed that it was filled with an enormous amount of money, she had no idea how deep the safe went, but on the top of the piles of money was a few files, and one giant velvet bag. She grabbed the bag and the files. She quickly thumbed through them to make sure they were what she needed. Bingo. She slammed the safe shut and made her way out into the hallway.
She found the area that Mason had told her was the "sweet spot". It was located in the main hallway, it was the best place to set the detonator that would signal all the explosives he had strategically placed around the estate. She set the detonator for five minutes and pushed the red button. The timer started counting down. Done, time to get the hell out of here, this whole place is going to blow in less than five minutes. She turned around, ready to run as fast as she could, but just a few feet ahead of her, blocking her path, was a young asian boy. He looked to be just a little older than Parker's age and he stood there in pajamas and held onto a stuffed monkey that looked worn and well loved. A million things were running through Carolyn's head. The little boy sniffed and then coughed, a deep croup sounding cough. Before she could process anything, she asked, "What are you doing here?" He just continued to stare at her, "Who are you?' He asked as he swiped his arm across his nose and he sniffled again. "I...I'm... What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here." He just stared at her again. What was she supposed to do? Leave the kid to die?? He was just a kid! But he was a Chen. This is just a job, you can't let emotions cloud your judgement. You need to leave. But... he's just a kid!! Could you really live with yourself if you left him here just to die. Her head was hurting and she quickly processed this information. Mason shouted in her ear, "Get the hell out here Carolyn! That place is gone in four minutes!"
She made her decision. She could never live with herself if she left this young boy to die. Without even saying anything, she grabbed the kid and hauled him over her shoulder and ran as fast as she could down the stairs and out the back door, all the while carrying the now screaming, crying child.
The chopper was there waiting already by the time she made it to the northeast corner. Mason hung halfway out the door ready to grab her and help lift her in. When he saw what she was carrying, his eyes went wide in shock. "What the f..."She barely heard him over the noise of the chopper, but before he could finish his sentence, she cut him off and yelled, "Just shut up and get us the hell out of here." The boy continued to cry and cling to his monkey.
Mason couldn't stop staring; the chopper started to lift as Carolyn buckled the crying boy in a seatbelt and placed a helmet over his head. Mostly for protection, or it could have been to stifle the screaming, at this point she didn't really know. She was still trying to process what she had just done. The chopper was only a few yards off the ground when the explosions started. One by one, explosions happened all around the enormous estate, making it look like the largest bon fire ever made. The chopper rose quickly and soon the Chen estate was consumed in flames. Within five minutes of flight, the boy's crying had reduced to whimpering. Carolyn had placed her seatbelt and helmet on and now sat with her helmeted head in her hands. What have I done? What have I done? What have I done? That question just swirled in her head, around and around. It wasn't until she heard Mason's voice through her ear piece that she was able to focus on something external, "You know what you just did right?" She didn't answer. she just looked up at him. Willing him to understand, willing herself to understand. He nodded his head, glanced quickly at the boy and then back at her. "You just kidnapped Mr. Chen's son." Shit.
