Chapter 1 -1-
Tonight was quite eerie, the falling snowflakes fell irregularly. The television broadcast waves seemed to be not smooth, so that the sound and display often stuttered.
The sound of rapid footsteps was deafening, heavy breathing made a figure hiding in the smallest gap in the district start to get scared.
Will she be caught? Or will she find the man she has been looking for.
Hop!
One man in the group was successfully captured, covered with a sack over his head. The figure repeatedly beat the man she caught, until the man began to not move.
Her breath was short, she immediately removed the sack covering the man’s face. With difficulty under the falling snow, she began to walk while dragging the man to a place.
“What are you doing here, Julia?”
A bearded man who was currently smoking a cigarette looked at the woman who had just entered his room while pulling in a man who was already lying helplessly. Truly, it was quite a surprising incident.
“Who is he?” asked the bearded man. Walking between the rows of large mirrors, then sat on one of the waiting sofas in his office.
“Make me a tattoo like this man’s, Ben. I really need it.”
The gray-eyed woman then sat on the chair that had been provided, took off her black shirt, then looked at Ben with a serious look.
“You killed him?” Ben smiled, he threw away the cigarette butt and stepped on it. “Damn, I didn’t know you were a murderer, Julia.”
“I had to!” Julia emphasized it as if she was reluctant to be considered the murderer in this matter. “If I didn’t, I would never have found Robin. You know we’re getting married soon.”
Ben smiled wryly again, then he started to do what Julia wanted, tattooing Julia’s right chest with Roman numerals that he didn’t really understand, then making a symbol that was quite … unique.
“And do you believe that Robin was kidnapped by the mafia?” Ben asked. Julia didn’t answer immediately. “I’m sure, if you were my woman then I would be very loyal to you, Julia, really. You are the most naïve woman in the whole world.”
Julia bit her lower lip, the pain spreading throughout her veins. But she didn’t care, she would continue to do anything as long as she could meet Robin again.
After the tattoo was finished, Julia smiled again. She took Ben’s scissors and quickly cut her long hair down to her back until it was short.
“Are you crazy? What are you doing?”
Julia glanced at Ben with a sharp gaze. After a few moments of silence, she then answered firmly. “I will sneak in to replace him.” Julia said while pointing at the man’s corpse that was starting to stiffen.
Ben swallowed hard, he lit another cigarette, and Julia asked for one too, then the two of them sat down and enjoyed the night. A 90s song was heard on the radio and played quite faintly, until finally the sound of the television that was initially bad began to be heard clearly.
“The world’s biggest mafia gang has started to enter Washington, smuggling a lot of goods and starting to worry the government.”
Julia stared straight at the television, occasionally swallowing her saliva with difficulty. She was gripping her glass tightly until it broke, even her palms began to bleed.
Exactly a month ago, Robin planned to pick up Julia who had just completed a mission as a secret member of the local police. However, after Julia waited for hours, Robin never came. Only a letter that she received, a message confirming that at that time Robin was kidnapped by a mafia gang, and until now Julia had never seen Robin at all.
“Shouldn’t you report to your superiors to eradicate them? Then how come you choose to sneak in as one of them, Julia?”
“It’s getting harder for me to approach them, Ben.”
“But you should know something … your posture, your voice, your way of speaking and your face are certainly different from theirs.”
“I have an acquaintance who can change my face.”
“And they always call each member, give them secret codes. I’m sure being there for an hour, will definitely get you caught.”
Julia’s jaw tightened, she ignored Ben’s words again, and immediately stripped off all the clothes worn by the dead man, Julia didn’t forget to cover his chest with a long enough cloth, then immediately changed into the man’s clothes and looked at Ben with a confident look.
“You know, I’m a very smart secret agent, you shouldn’t doubt me, Ben.”
“Damn it!”
Julia ran quickly through every alley in the small district, until she saw the mafia group that had walked earlier, and she walked right in front of the back row.
“Where have you been? I thought you were lost.”
Julia just looked down with a smile, and of course it was ignored by her friend.
Julia walked and kept walking, who knows how long they will continue walking, tracing every corner of the city of Washington so complicatedly.
“Make sure the goods arrive at the dock before 3:00 a.m., and make sure that the taxes they ask for are fully prepared!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Alright, you guys head back to base before we move again!”
“Yes, sir!”
Everyone there immediately scattered away, and of course Julia was confused. She immediately followed one of the men who kept running sneakily and jumping from one side of the place to another, which Julia wasn't even sure where he was supposed to be.
"Your place is not here, is it?" asked the man with an annoyed expression.
"I ..." said Julia, feeling that her voice still sounded strange, she cleared her throat several times while installing the voice changer until she produced a voice that suited her. "I want to be with you."
“What’s wrong with your voice?”
Julia coughed again. “Sorry, I caught a cold.”
The man did not ask again, both of them walked so fast until they finally arrived at a hiding place right under the sewers. Who would have thought there was a fairly grand and spacious underground residence there, where at least fifteen mafia members were standing neatly together with someone sitting in his grand chair.
Julia stood in the back row, so that she would not be too visible, she lowered her face deeply between the rows.
The muscular man began to stand up, walking slowly around all of his members. Julia’s hair began to stand on end, the fear of being caught felt so real. Until finally the man stopped right behind Julia then he patted Julia’s shoulder hard then squeezed it.
The man bent down slightly, then he brought his face close to Julia’s ear, with his hoarse voice he spoke, “Who … are you?”