Chapter 7

I walked in and was quite surprised with the room. The walls were a dark burgundy, and it looked quite...Cosy? There was a wooden desk and chairs, along with a fireplace and a lot of diplomas and medals on the walls. I was so busy eyeing up the room, I didn’t even spot the man in it until he spoke, almost making me crap my pants. “I’m glad you’re admiring the interior design, hopefully you will approve?” A middle aged man smiles at me. I back up a little as fear creeps up on me again from the strange man. You know what the ironic thing is? I walked back to stand closer to Chris, my kidnapper, to feel safer and more protected from the 40 something year old man smiling at me. Life is getting seriously weird. The man was wearing a black suit and he looked well presented and powerful. He had his hands in his pockets, showing a very shiny gold Rolex. His hair was dark brown, but you could see it was starting to grey over. As he was still smiling at me, I could see the few wrinkles on his face, but he looked like the type of man that ages well. Judging by the watch he was sporting, that may have something to do with a shit load of money. Botox isn’t just for women. “Faith this is Ed Cray, the boss of The Agency.” Chris introduced me like we were at some sort of dinner party instead of an office that belonged to an assassin. I didn’t reply. “I know you must be very confused Faith, Chris has told me about what he had to do to get you here.” Ed said, tugging the corners of his mouth down as he said the next bit “Apparently you put up a bit of fight. Chris has to be checked over in the infirmary when he got back from collecting you.” I snorted, a little proud of myself. Chris shot daggers at me while Ed laughed. I then turned to Chris with a look of confusion. “I didn’t do anything to you last night, why did you have to go to the infirmary?” Chris looked down at the floor, clearly embarrassed “You kicked me in the balls.” He muttered, not looking at me in the face. I burst out laughing. “You had to go get your balls checked over!” I choked out between my laughs. Chris was running his tongue along his teeth in annoyance, and looking over towards Ed giving him a look that basically said shut her up before I do. Strangely though, I didn’t feel intimidated by that look because I had a feeling he wasn’t going to hurt me. Strange considering he had drugged me unconscious mere hours ago. “Faith I don’t know if Chris has explained fully to you what The Agency actually is?” Ed cut through my laughter and I quickly composed myself. I shook my head, and he gestured towards the chairs at his desk. I walked over hesitantly and sat down; Chris sat on the chair next to me. Ed walked over to the other side of the desk and sat down also, giving him the appearance of a proper leader. He actually looked intimidating just sat behind a freaking desk. “The Agency is a firm of trained assassins” Ed begins, resting his arms on the table and leaning forward, knotting his fingers together. “The agency isn’t very big. In total there are only 19 agents. The reason why we are such a small firm is because it is a private firm, run by me. There are other firms and we do have connections with them, but The Agency is what you will have to be dealing with while you are here. You will only come in contact with other firms through me.” he explains, and I was engrossed in his words. “Is it legal?” I ask. Ed nods his head. “It’s completely legal. Think of us as the CIA but a lot smaller and not as well funded.” He jokes, and I smile slightly. He was charming I’ll give him that “We have our weapons given to us by the government.” “How come I’ve never heard of anything like this before except in Kill Bill?” I blurt out, and Chris burst out laughing. Ed smiles. “Because this is a secret agency. Like the CIA, we are like spies. We go undercover and cannot have anyone knowing about us otherwise it will stop us from doing our jobs.” I was a little hesitant to ask the next question “And our jobs are...?” “The Agency has files sent to them weekly, each file containing information about a criminal who is a danger to the public. Either they are not responding to rehabilitation, or they have escaped from prison, or have just not been caught etc” He made clear “They could be supplying illegal drugs around the country, paedophile rings, murderers, rapists. You name some of the most terrible things a person could do, and they have done it. I’m sure Chris can tell you some stories about some of the cases he has had to deal with.” I turn my head to Chris, and he is slumped back on the chair with a cold expression on his face from the current subject. He gives a slow nod, and I turn back to look at Ed. “So these people...you kill them?” “Yes. When all else fails for these criminals, there is no other solution. We are called in to deal with the problem.” He tells me bluntly. My stomach knots a little. I know these people they killed were bad and criminals, but they were still human beings. They can’t just be disposed of. It sounded like Ed was talking about a rodent problem. “Our agents are trained for months before they are put out in the field, and each agent has a partner. Chris’s partner...is no longer a member of the agency” He tells me and exchanged a look with Chris. Obviously there is more to the story about Chris’s former partner “So there is a job opening.” Ed tells me smirking slightly. It takes me a few seconds to realise what he is getting at, and my eyes widen. I begin to shake my head frantically and flapping my arms as if to scream ‘Oh hell no!’ “That’s a lovely proposal and all, but rapists and guns are not really what I have in my 5 year life plan. So thanks for the offer, but I will decline. Now could you please drop me off back to my house to my normal life of boy problems and confidence issues?” I smile flakily at them, trying to keep this as light as possible. I see Chris’s body shake from laughter next to me. Ed shakes his head, amusement in his face. “It doesn’t quite work like that Faith.” “What? Why?” “As I said before, we are a secret agency. Do you think we pick up anyone off the street and offer them positions here?” He asks like it’s an obvious answer. “Well if they don’t want to do it then you should give them the choice!” I whine, sounding like those girly girls that annoy me so much. I wanted to slap myself for it. “This is not a choice. You have been recruited. It’s final.” Ed tells me, the smiling man from before replaced with a man who had authority, and a scary glare. “Look I can guarantee you, you will not want me on your ‘firm’” I air quote “I’m slow, slightly overweight, I will run away at the first sight of a knife and scream like a baby if anyone even points a water pistol at me, let alone a real gun!”