The Mission of the Heart Ch. 03

Even though I can only see only 10% of her body, I can feel her. Every bit of her muscle contractions, breath, sweat. Everything.

I took my weapons off: pistols, assault rifle, knife (safely shielded), everything and put them on the side of Charlie. Charlie Shuddered once again, and sat up, her legs still around me.

Slowly, I tried getting my vest off my chest, until I felt her hands.

"Let me," she whispered in the dark, and gently tugged my vest away. She found the zipper of my suit, and glided it down. I nervously put my hands on her shoulders, then felt Charlie lightly kiss one of my hands, gently rubbing her cheek on it.

"Don't be afraid," she mumbled, her teeth vibrating on my hand.

I got out of my suit awkwardly, except for my lower half. Charlie lifted my tank top underneath, along with my bra.

Then, I gently lifted her night shirt and threw it on the ground. Smiling, I let my fingertips dance across her chest as I kiss her lips.

"I am afraid," I whispered during the kiss. Charlie rolled me to my back, I can feel the cold metal of my gun on my side. I shivered as I feel her skin, hotter than mine. Her skin felt sweaty, but completely erotic. Her goose-bumps were like knives piercing through my skin.

"Of what?" she whispered back, nibbling on my lower lip.

"Of...you," I mumbled as I held in my moan.

"Why is that?" she smiled, and nibbled on my neck.

"Because I'm definitely falling for you," I answered without thinking.

Suddenly, she stopped, which made me regret answering. A second, two seconds, three seconds, then four seconds went by, but it felt like eternity. Then she rolled off me, and hopped off the bed.

My heart felt like it got stabbed and shredded into millions of pieces. While she was getting her clothes, I slowly sat up and got off the bed, ignoring the moonlight. Hundreds of questions screamed in my head, as I got my clothes too.

"I'm seeing someone," she suddenly said, her back on me. A lump formed in my throat. How did I miss this?

I got my suit, vest, and some of the weapons on me, as I felt her stare.

"Aren't you going to ask me who it is?" she asked quietly like a child would. "Or do you already know his name."

No, I thought to myself, I don't want to know. But at the back of my mind, I already knew who it was. Pretending like her words didn't affect me whatsoever, I tried looking for my mask and my hair tie.

I knew the hair tie was long gone, but I found the mask in Charlie's hand. Getting the mask meant walking towards her, and the moonlight was shining brightly from the window at her like a spot light. I couldn't bear for her to know who I really am. I held out my hand, indicating that I wanted my mask handed to me. She held out the mask, but made no attempt to move. Her eyes were like diamonds, sparkling.

"Seventy-si-"

"Make sure your security is well-maintained, and keep all your doors and windows locked at all times," I said professionally, desperately trying to shrug off the pain I felt inside," especially the balcony door."

She slightly dropped her hand, her mouth trying to say the right words. She looked like a broken toy, waiting for someone to fix it.

"Wha...what do you mean?" she asked.

I stepped back, tears freely running down my face, feeling empty. Disgusted, I wiped them off, took a step back, and walked to the balcony door. Reality set in my mind like an incurable disease. This was a mistake. To think that her and I were going to happen is completely impossible with my job, and her chance for a normal life. All of this was a mistake. And I had to pay for it with my own heart.

I opened the door, and stepped outside, but then stopped.

"Tell James to keep an eye on you," I said trembling, "There's a high chance they won't lay a finger on you if you have...someone with you most of the time."

And with that, I was gone.

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(Members of the Agency, with their full gears on, were waiting outside the gate. A lone figure of a woman was their leader, and she needed to give an order to attack and search the underground compound. But, most importantly, to get a certain prisoner out of there.

"Waiting for your orders, ma'am" one of the men whispered to her.

She took a deep breath, and gave the order to move in.)

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"Pamela," Carrie said with concern. "It'll help if you talk about it."

"Nope."

I was laying on my bed in my room, looking blankly up the ceiling, playing with an unloaded gun. It has been a week after my and Charlie's last conversation in her room. Within that week, I felt empty. Numb. At the same time, completely heartbroken, but I refused to let it affect me.

But since there wasn't a new assignment given to me, I still had to be Charlie's bodyguard. Therefore, I needed to suck it up, and move on.

"Pamela," Carrie said, standing near the bed, "If you need anything, I'm here. I am your friend, too, remember that."

I looked up at her, nodded, and smiled faintly. Gently, with a finger, she got a couple strands of hair out of my face and smiled reassuringly at me.

For the next couple of weeks, I kept my distance and didn't have any physical contact with her. I followed her in the shadows everywhere she went, especially with her dates with James. She looked happy, and I felt even more disgusted with myself.

Tonight, it was raining fairly hard. I stood on top of a four-foot building, keeping a close eye on Charlie. Oh, and also her date, James. This was their 5th date so far (but who's counting anyway?) and he took her out in an expensive Italian restaurant. And there I was, waiting, just waiting, to see if something bad was going to happen.

Sighing, I sat down, itching my mask (good thing Carrie had extras). And soaked, of course. I looked up to the sky, and closed my eyes, feeling a bit at peace. This is your life, I thought to myself, and no one can be in it. I opened my eyes and looked towards the restaurant. To think that I had a chance with her, to start a normal relationship, was beyond impossible.

Charlie looked beautiful. I leaned towards, and turned on my magnifier through my night goggles. She was wearing a sexy black dress and her hair was up. James looked good, as usual, but it looked like he was going to devour her by the way he was looking at her. On the other hand, it looked like Charlie liked the way James was looking at her by the way she was blushing and laughing.

A wave of jealousy flowed throughout my body.

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(Andre ran to the other side of the underground prison just to see what all the commotion was all about. Guards were shouting and shooting, and the prisoners were howling and cheering.

Andre got his gun ready, mumbled a little prayer, and joined his fellow friends.)

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After an hour and a half, Charlie and James were about to leave the restaurant. Sighing, I stood up and followed using the buildings' roofs. The raining hasn't stopped, and it was the dead of night, so there wasn't a lot of people or cars around. Just them under an umbrella, and the almost empty streets.

"Come on, "James said. "Just through the alley and we can be on the other street. There's probably cabs driving around there"

"No, James," Charlie said uncertainly. "Alleys in general are trouble. It's not a good idea."

"Oh, come on," James said, a smile on his face. "I know this neighborhood and I know I walked through an alley more than once. It'll be okay, you're with me."

Idiot!

I cursed under my breath, and had no choice but to follow them. Come one Charlie, I thought to myself. Change his mind!

Charlie thought for a minute, and nodded unsurely.

I threw my hands up in frustration, and followed them. Then, I looked down from the building, scanning the dark, but visible alley. I had a bad feeling about this.

All of the sudden, James smiled again, stopped in the middle of the alley, and lifted Charlie's chin. Then he kissed her directly on the lips, making Charlie yelp in surprise. Then, she closed her eyes, and kissed back, her hand on his cheek.

My breathing stopped. Literally.

I didn't notice the harsh raindrops piercing my suit.

I didn't notice where I was.

I didn't even notice a white van going into the alley.

Nor did I notice that there was a man behind me.

I heard screamings and shoutings down below, men were scrambling out of the van. With my silenced pistol, I began shooting at them, and got two of them. Charlie looked terrified, and James was trying his best to protect her. He swung his arms, kicked, and punched, but there were too many of them.

I can feel the adrenaline pumping throughout my body as I shoot at the men professionally and accurately. Three more dead. While James was fighting off two men, one grabbed Charlie. But before he could pull her to the van, I shot him twice square on the head. Immediately, Charlie looked up, and I can feel her stare on me. Her green sparkling eyes met mine, her eyebrows shot up with concern, her brown hair now messy, but still managed to look beautiful. I looked towards James, trying to fight off the two last men. As I was about to shoot at one of the men, a masculine hand grabbed me from behind, and I lost balance. I turned around and tried to grab the person who grabbed me, to pull myself up, but he too lost balance. Half a second later, we were both falling directly onto the van.

Pain.

Our bodies made contact to the solid top of the van, and I cried out in pain. I heard a crack on my side, and I could not move. I couldn't think nor hear from the buzzing sound inside my head.

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(Andre was trapped. Whoever these guys were, there were a lot of them. He saw his friends getting shot one by one.

He prayed a little prayer again, and ran out, shooting mindlessly everywhere.)

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Slowly, I sat up, and saw another van driving in. Drunkenly, I rolled off the man's body that was on top of mine and rolled myself off the van, landing violently to the ground. I saw my gun, and gingerly tried reaching for it as I lay there on my stomach.

"You lay a finger on that pistol, and I will kill them," a booming Italian accented voice said.

Quickly, I looked up, and saw ten more men from the other van pointing the gun at me.

"Stand up," the masculine voice ordered, "and no tricks."

I looked to my right and saw Charlie, kneeling with her hands behind her, and James, his face on the ground, unconscious. Charlie looked intensely at me, her lower lips quivering from the combination of the cold rain and fear. I clenched my teeth together, and painfully stood up.

How did this happen, I thought to myself. From each and every step, I felt everything around me. The raindrops became bullets trying to go through my suit. The water beneath my boots was a river, waiting for me to drown. The men wearing the black clothes and masks were my firing squad. And I felt the stare from an innocent person, which I failed to protect. I looked at Charlie, and she stared back, her eyes full of emotions.

Curiously, the leader followed my gaze, and raised an eyebrow. I can feel him smirking underneath his mask.

"Kneel," he said. "And put your hands behind you."

I stopped, and obediently did as I was told. I looked away from Charlie, and stared at the leader without any emotions. Taking one deep breath, it took every bit of energy within my body not to shiver.

"Who are you?" the leader said. I didn't answer.

The leader shifted, and pointed the gun at me. And fired.

The bullet hit the right edge of my bicep, and I cried out in pain, feeling the blood flowing freely out of it. He then pointed the gun at Charlie, and I answered immediately, "Agent S-seventy-six."

The leader, lowered his gun, and holstered it, while I tried to regain my breathing normally. I can feel my body beginning to weaken, my vision blurry, and my mind twirling, but I ordered my body to stay erect. Proud. Brave.

The men around him spat immediately after they heard my name, and the leader looked at me with interest. He took off his mask, and said," Remember me, Seventy-six?"

Focusing my gaze at him, he walked towards me, and squatted in front of me. His harsh, bearded face came to focus, and his cold grey eyes triggered a name in my mind.

"Marco," I hissed, my fists turning into balls.

Marco Romano was his name, and he was one of the top leaders of the world's human trafficking business. He was a ghost, a no one, but he was good businessman in the underworld trade. It was a year and a half ago, perhaps even more, when I interfered with his business. His brother, Alfonso, was his partner, a proud and ruthless man. And I killed him using my own blade. Marco had a lot of connections within the government, so he patiently tried to find his brother's killer. And somehow, he had a name: Agent Seventy-six.

The Agency warned me about Marco, but I was good at lying low. Well, that is, until now.

He smiled crookedly, and punched me hard on the stomach, a large lump formed in my throat, and I groaned in pain once again.

"That was for me," he spat, and stood up, my cheek on the ground. "What's in store for you is for Alfonso."

With that, he went to my side and kicked me, and my body cried out in utter pain. As he talked to his men in Italian, he walked behind me and the men began dragging Charlie and the unconscious James into the van. Screaming, Charlie tried squirming away, but one of the men slapped her across the face, and spat on her. Gasping, that only angered Charlie more, and continued to squirm, but quieted when the man got his gun out. With James still laying on the ground unconscious, Charlie froze like a statue as the cold metal made contact with her forehead.

"W-wait," I croaked, spitting out blood, while trying to stand erect with the remaining energy I had left. "Leave t-t-them alon-"

Marco immediately pulls me from behind, making me stand erect. I whimpered like a dog. He grabbed the back of my mask ruthlessly, and pulls it, pulling a couple strands of hair along with it.

The raindrops made contact to my naked face, rolling down my cheek mixed with my tears. He threw the mask in front of Charlie, then kicked me on my back, making me fall down on my face. My body went in contact with the hard floor close to Charlie's knee, my head spinning.

The men laughed, but Marco laughed the loudest. Unconsciously, I semi-crawled, hoping to go near Charlie, hoping to protect her from the last remaining energy I had left in my body. Once I was close enough, I reached out and touched her thigh, I can feel my body beginning to give itself up.

"P-pamela?" she whispered in the quietest voice, her body trembling. Grunting, I looked up at her, and made eye contact. Her green eyes were full of different emotions. Fear, concern, realization. But fear dominated them all. I tried standing up, my body in the weakest state it has ever been, then felt someone's foot pushing me down. I can hear my own heart pumping.

"Well what do we have here," Marco sneered, putting more pressure on my back. I made small choking sounds, tears freely coming down my cheeks. "Both of you know each other, hmmm?"

At the corner of my eye, I can see him stroking Charlie's face, his face full of lust.

"Don't you dare touch her!" I spat.

Marco looked down at me, and curiously looked at Charlie, who was looking at me the entire time. Then, a sly grin crawled across his lips, his eyes sparkling not from a brilliant plan, but a brilliant cruel act that exploded in his mind like a bomb.

"Ahhh I see, I see..." he said, still grinning. "You care for this girl."

I closed my eyes, wishing I would disappear, but the reality of the situation hovered me like a blanket.

"Like, what do you call this," he waved his arm. "Star-crossed lovers, no?"

The other men whistled, some cheered.

Suddenly, Marco ordered one of the men to position James in a kneeling position, supported by one of the men. The man, having a confused look on his face, nodded, and did what he was told. Charlie squirmed again, crying when she saw what was happening.

Marco went to Charlie's side, and put a gun to her head. "Kneel," he said gravely, looking down at me. Being a bit incoherent, I drunkenly tried to kneel, but stumbled a few times. James and I were kneeling in front of Charlie very close, I can see every facial details on her face.

The men laughed again. Swaying a bit, I closed my eyes, and opened them again, seeing Marco releasing Charlie's handcuffs,. He gave her his gun, a very powerful and expensive gun that was especially made for him and only him.

What's going on, I thought to myself. I can feel my body going numb, but my heart was still beating as fast as ever. Charlie looked confused as ever.

"Well, Seventy-Six has a love interest!" Marco said, sarcastically. The men cheered again, some of the guns banging against the van. "But, let's play a game, eh? The...what do you call this. A love test, yes?"

Sneering, he played with Charlie's ear, but she flinched away. He smiled.

"From what I thought, you were not allowed to have your heart interfere with your job, yes?"

Marco looked at me, and I nodded weakly.

"But you love her, no?"

I hesitated, looked at Charlie, and then looked down.

"Ahhh," Marco laughed. "This should be interesting than I thought."

Humming to himself, he walked behind Charlie and got his other gun out, letting it rest by his side.

"You see, I am bored," he said, pouting. "So let's make this clear and simple: there is two people in front of you, yes? Seventy-six and this other man I presume is your boyfriend, no?"

Trembling, Charlie weakly nodded, her body completely covered in water.

"But the thing is," he sneered, "you have to choose and you can only choose one."

He held out a finger up in the air, and my heart stopped beating.

He leaned over, making sure Charlie gets the message clearly. "So you, gal," he said, unemotional. "You have to shoot the other one on the heart." With his finger, he patted Charlie's sternum. Charlie looked at me incredulously, her eyes wide with complete fear, and her tears started again.

I looked at James, and back at Charlie.

"I-i-i-"

"You have two minutes," he whispered in her ear, and I closed my eyes again. "If you don't make a decision by then, I will kill. You. All."

I already knew the outcome of the situation, I can feel her decision erupting out of her skin.

"One and thirty-seconds..."

I opened my eyes again, and steadily looked at Charlie, knowing full well my eyes were watering.

"One minute left..."

"Please don't do this!" Charlie cried, the gun pointing at James, then at me, then at James...

"Thirty seconds..."

My whole body was shaking, I couldn't even feel the pain I was feeling before anymore. I was numb. Just numb.

"Twenty..."

Charlie is panicking, her face in anguish

"Ten sweetie...clock is ticking..."

Charlie locked eyes with me, and I didn't dare look away.

"Five..."

Shaking, the barrel made contact to my chest, where my heart was located.

"Three..."

"Char-"

"Two..."

Charlie's finger curled. She closed her eyes, but I never broke my eye contact to her.

"I-" I began to say, whispering.

"One."

She pulled the trigger, and I felt myself crashing back, gasping for air, I cried out in agony.

The last thought I had was:

I love you.

---------------------------------------------------

(Andre shook in pain. He was shot on the leg. Whimpering, he tried crawling anywhere, but where he was now.

"Don't move," a female voice behind him ordered. He stopped, gulping. Then, he felt the cold gun barrel on the back of his head, and he was begging not to shoot.