Deadly Possession - Chapter 1 (Patreon)

Your boss will always tell you the requirements of your job. Be able to lift at least 10 pounds, Be able to stand for more than 5 hours a day, have great customer service skills, stuff like that. When I joined the top secret government agency, they never told me, “Be able to withstand extreme amounts of torture.”

I always thought I would be the girl behind the desk, occasionally going out into the field to gather information from scenes and figure it out. I thought I would actually be making a difference in the world. And I did for the most part.

I was recruited for the job when I was 21. My high IQ levels and observation skills made me a shoe in for the part. The only thing they told me is that I no longer would exist. And that I would have to fake my death to my family. Lucky for me I had no family. I’d been a ward of the state as long as I could remember. We were a branch of the government that was so top secret, the president didn’t even know about us. So once we died, we were dead. There was no justice system, no investigation, we didn’t exist. Maybe our colleagues could throw us a little memorial at the office but that was about it.

I was fine with that. As long as I could help people. And I did. Case after case was thrown on my desk and all of them were solved. I will never forget the day that the case file labeled “Pasquino” was dropped onto my desk. If I could go back in time and burn the file I would. But me being the smug ignorant woman that I was, I took it as a challenge. Not once stopping to think of the consequences.

The Pasquino crime family was the largest crime family in the world. They liked to lay claim to the northern half of the US but their power reigned to more than that. They were modest as hell I’d give them that. Apparently the son was getting married. Luca was his name. We had no information on the woman he was marrying so we’d have to get that. Marriage of crime bosses and their offspring were very important. It usually meant that something big was going to happen.

The crime families usually married for more power. Rarely did they ever marry for love. There was always some kind of gain. Cracking this case and taking them down would give me huge leverage against everyone else that worked here. It would make me have a huge chance at running this place someday.

The only thing on my mind was being the first woman to run this top secret division. Getting highly ranked, and respect from my colleagues that looked down on me for being a “geek” and not multi-talented like everyone else that was a geek as well as well skilled in other things among combat. I was the sore thumb. And this case was going to change everything. For the better I thought. But what I didn’t take into consideration is that when you play with the fire that is the Pasquinos, you were sure to get fucking blown up.

~

“Lissette. How’s that case coming along?” My boss is standing in front of my desk. I was all too excited to wrap up this presentation so I could tell him everything that I had learned. I smile at him.

“It’s great, sir. I was just about to come to your office to show you everything new that I’ve learned.” He grunts in response already walking away before I can finish my sentence. My boss doesn’t even treat me with respect. The fact that my talents lie in only my mental ability is seen as a weakness around here. That is why I am working so hard on this case since it was given to me months ago. I stand gathering my papers and easel to head to my superiors office.

On my way out someone slams into me hard knocking everything out of my hands and onto the floor. I look up in shock ready to apologize when I see who it is.

Lindsey. She is an exceptional agent specializing in obtaining information, torture, hand to hand combat, and I believe she is training to be a sniper currently.

“Watch where you’re going freckles,” she snarls at me. She turns and flips her long blonde hair over her shoulder. She is beautiful and very sexy with curves that any man would go to great lengths to get. She had full lips, and bright blue eyes. Like the Barbie’s I used to play with when I was little. That’s probably why she’s so good at getting information.

I know I’m not super attractive. I’m short with dull brown hair I always keep in a ponytail and no curves. I have freckels on my face and my eyes are light brown. I never understood why she doesn’t like me. Possibly becuase I was trusted with the Pasquino case over her. Everyone that works here wants that case.

I begin picking up the scattered papers trying to hold back the tears. This is on a daily basis that they pick on me. If it isn’t her it is another one of my colleagues. I quickly head up the hallway trying to avoid as much people as possible.

I knock on the door of my boss poking my head in.

“Uh, Mr. Mitchum?” He looks at me in irritation motioning for me to come inside. I hastily take a seat. After he finishes writing he looks at me.

“Well, Lissette I’m sure you didn’t come in here to take up space in my office. What do you want?” He never ceases to let any kind of compassion towards me show. Every time he spoke to me it was in irritation.

“Of course not sir, I just came to brief you on the Pasquino case.” He sits back in the chair.

“Oh yeah, the case I gave you months ago and you’re just now coming up with some information on it?” I ignore his comment and stand in the chair to lay out the papers across the easel.

“Well sir, it seems that Luca, the son, married a woman named Elise Trovoli.” I pause to give him a moment to process who the Trovolis were.

“Ok, Gray I’m sure you didn’t come in here to give me the damn relationship updates with these people.” I can feel my face burning from his comment. He was making me seem like a dimwitted woman.

“Sir, The Trovolis are the 2nd largest crime family in power.. Now I have a contact on the inside that is keeping me updated on their movements, which I haven’t heard from in a whi-”

“How do you know this source is reliable?” he interrupts.

“Uh.. well sir, she is a close relative of Elise-”

“So let me get this straight. Your contact is a close relative of the woman that married the crime boss? How do you know she’s not feeding you lies agent?”

“Well sir, because she’s the one that killed-”

“Enough, Lissette. I think I’ve heard enough.”

“But sir, I’m not finished-” He abruptly stands to leave.

“Yes, you are. I don’t know why he felt the urge to put someone as inexperienced as you on a case as important as this one, but you’re off. You’ve proven incompetent enough.” He swipes all of my notes pushing them back in my hands and shoving me out the door.

~

1 Week Later

If there ever were a time where I wanted to burrow myself deep in a hole and never return, now would be it. My boss called a meeting. And not just any meeting, he called all of us in the room.

A slideshow is up on the projector. And on the slide is a picture of the woman that Luca married. Elise. She’s pretty. Actually, she’s more than pretty she’s beautiful she has an air of innocence that surrounds her.

“The wife of Luca Pasquino hasn’t been seen or heard from in the past 2 months. But my sources tell me that she is now pregnant.” Murmurs echo throughout the room.

“We caught her by chance, thinking that she was her husband. We chased the car down and got her. Which was still fine for us, she was good for information.” The slide switches and I’m looking at one of the containment rooms we usually hold “guests” in. She’s laying in the bed with bandages on her body and Lindsay appears on camera bringing her food. We all watch as Lindsay tries her ‘good cop’ routine on the poor girl, but she does a terrible job. Elise is obviously still frightened. The feed skips and agent Jeffries walks in.

My heart aches at the sight of him. He disappeared and his body showed up a few weeks ago on the doorsteps of someone in the lower branch of the FBI. His body was chopped up into pieces and there was obvious signs of torture on the parts that weren’t hacked up. It’s not like we could launch an investigation. He doesn’t exist. None of us do. When we die we are gone. But there are rumors around the office that the mob got ahold of him. I shudder in my chair just thinking about it. Hopefully they are just rumors. I can’t imagine if the people we were aiming to bring down literally could chop up a body and not leave a trace of evidence behind.

“She refused to give us what we wanted so we had to move on to phase 2, which has worked for us more perfectly than we could have hoped. My sources indicate that she is currently pregnant.” Murmurs erupt throughout the room.

“We need to act fast and keep fanning the flames. Before long, the capo will lose his mind in rage in a fit to find his wife, and they will turn on each other. Once that happens we will have every opportunity to break them down.”

Mitchums eyes travel over the room in triumph but I can only sit there with my mouth agape. He used my files. My information that I had dug up, and dragged an innocent woman down in this scheme to bring down these people? She is an innocent, it isn’t her that needs to be punished. I immediately raise my hand.

“Uh, sir.. those are my files you used.. my hard work.” The applause stops and all eyes are on me.

“You mean that shit presentation you tried to show me? Don’t kid yourself Gray, your information wasn’t helpful in the least.”

“But sir, the whereabouts, the contacts, the enemies of the families, I got all that information and I tried to tell you, but-”

“Gray! Shut your damn mouth! How dare you insult me, your superior, by trying to say that I stole your measly information!”

“But you did!”

“Bullshit! Your information was nothing but lies and hunches!”

“No… it wasn’t sir it was cold hard facts and evidence, and-”

“Shut the fuck up! Before I have you kicked out of here on your ass and shot down!” I immediately close my mouth, and try and bite back the tears. He slowly walks over to me.

“The only reason you are even in this organization, is because you were highly recommended. We gave you your chance, and you blew it. Don’t you dare spout those lies to my face, and disrespect me in front of my team.” I open my mouth to stand my ground, but stop immediately.

“You’re dismissed.” I only nod my head and walk out of the room.

~

I check my watch for what seems like the 50th time today. I’m ready to go home. Embarrassed doesn’t begin to describe the feelings I’m having. People have been stopping by all day to let me know how much of a fuck up I’ve proven to be.

“Hey, freckles.” I look up from the screen to see Dylan standing in the door. He has a cocky grin on his face.

“What do you want?” I mumble. He steps further making sure to take a seat on top of my desk.

“Just thought I’d let you know I’ve been put on the Pasquino case.” I feel my heart drop into my stomach. He came by to taunt me. I decide not to say anything and go back to my computer screen.

“Hey. Did you hear me?” He still won’t leave. I let out an exasperated breath.

“Yes, I heard you. Congratulations.” He gets up and laughs.

“Don’t worry. I’ll do it justice,” he says throwing me a wink. I scoff and give him a small nod.

“So. About that informant on the inside…” My head immediately shoots up.

“If you don’t get the hell out of my office!” I shout. He immediately jumps up from atop my desk with his hands raised, slowly backing out of the doorway.

“Ok ok, Calm down. Don’t be pissy at me because you couldn’t get the case right.” He steps out of my office and that’s it. I don’t care if the work day isn’t over yet. I grab my jacket off the back of my chair and leave.

I head straight into town to get some groceries. I haven’t taken a leave in the two years I have been working for the division. So now I can take a long vacation with pay. Never did I think that I would be. Especially under these circumstances. But I just can’t stand being in the work place. Not now. Especially after my boss embarrassed me like that. I know peace would be the last thing I’ll be offered.

I grab a shopping cart and begin my adventure in the grocery store. My arms are filled with three flavors of lays chips when I turn to toss them in my basket and crash into someone. All the chips fall to the floor and the force of me bumping into this guy sends me stumbling into the chips sitting on the rack, all of them go crumbling to the ground around me and I lose my balance falling right on top of a bag, causing a mini explosion in the chip aisle.

I want to keep my head down as long as I can, the embarrassment from the situation eating me alive. I let out a groan as my rear begins throbbing from the force of my fall.

“I’m so sorry.” A smooth voice caresses over me and a hand appears in my line of vision. I take hold of the hand, letting the man help me up. I finally look at him to utter an apology for bumping into him, but I’m struck speechless at this supermodel standing in front of me. There is a small smile on his face which reveals some dimples that I want to lick.

His hair is a blonde that gives him a boyish charm, and eyes that are so blue even the sky would envy them were staring at me. He is tall and lean, his muscles visible through the fabric of the suit he wears. This guy looks like he belongs on the sunny beaches of California. And he is still staring at me with a grin on his face.

“I..I.. uh.. Bu.. So..” A laugh escapes his full lips as he watches me make an even bigger fool of myself. He gives up on getting conversation from me and picks up the bags of chips I dropped tossing them into my basket.

I am a highly trained agent that works for a top secret government. I am trained to be able to read people, and be able to tell everything about them just by looking at them. But I am getting absolutely nothing from this guy.

He cocks his head at me his face still holding amusement.

“Are you alright?” My mouth is still agape but I somehow manage to snap it shut and speak for myself.

“Yes! I’m sorry, I just.. Clumsy- and I didn’t see you, I mean I know how hard that must be for you to believe seeing how gorgeous you are.. wait what?” His smile grows even wider revealing a row of perfectly straight white teeth, and those dimples. They are so deep that you could pour a drink in them and it wouldn’t spill out. Gosh this guy must think I’m an idiot.

“It’s ok, I was standing too close, I guess I just didn’t realize you were in such a hurry.” Wow this guy is a gentleman. I look over his shoulder and see the store maintenance guy coming towards us. Probably to clean up the bag of chips spilled on the ground. I hold my hand out to the man still standing in front of me.

“Well it was nice to meet you..”

“Nicolai.” He fills his name in for me and places his hand in mine giving me a charming smile.

“Nicolai.” I repeat. I hesitate to give him my real name. We live under aliases. If something happened, someone else’s names would come up instead of ours.

“I’m Lissette.”