4 First Job - Chapter Four

Rolling out of bed bright and early near enough killed me. Last night's preview of waterboarding by Mr Model and his wannabe sidekick Robin left me in a bad mood. I skipped breakfast, showered and got dressed. I had to be on my A-game and answer his call; I wasn't going to be another homicide on the news tomorrow. If he wanted to play the classic love story of boy meets girl and call me for help, I'd go along with it.

"Hey, Matt. I'm going to be heading home early today, I have an appointment at the doctor's this afternoon."

"Doctors? Are you feeling alright?" he sounded distracted, but we were heading to work in twenty minutes.

"Nah, my head's been a bit sore and painkillers aren't helping."

"Sounds frustrating, hopefully the doc can sort you out. I'll be ready in ten if you want to head over?"

"See you in ten."

I could tell Matt somewhat believed my lie, which was to be expected from a smart guy like him. What do Russian model's who want daddy to be proud of their big bad gang do for work? Kill and deal drugs. Unfortunately, my gut told me I was going to be fucked over by a daddies' boy.

My morning went by like normal, Matt asked about my vision and brought up glasses, maybe coming in handy if the migraines are that bad. He knows me quite well, so his insight was appreciated, even though, my head was fine and, ever since I was a kid, I've had twenty-twenty vision. We bantered back and forth for a bit, Old-man Winkle's dead eyed stare was somewhat bothering me, he looked out of it but had a pleased grin on his face.

I made a comment to Matt about Winkle finally, after all these years, getting laid and laying off us sorry bastards for once. Hopefully, his wife would start sucking him off, so we didn't have to listen to his grumbling tangents about our level of work and how often we get under his skin.

Getting back to work during lunch, the guys encouraged me to give it a break and join them, but I passed and popped in my earphones. I kept the black phone in my zip pocket, there was a chance it'd get bashed against some crates, but nancy boy made it clear he shouldn't be ignored and the consequences of doing so. Leaning against one of the carriers, I felt a cold drink caress my cheek and happily sighed with relief.

"Thanks." taking the can of soda and popping it. I groaned at the taste of pure sugar and pressed the can against the sides of my neck for a few seconds at a time.

"Don't get too excited!" Matt chuckled.

"You'd react the same if you were me right now!"

"Probably… So, how's the head? You're working like a trooper, are you good?"

Matt's caring nature never ceased to amaze me, he never thought about himself, I think he'd give you a limb or two before prioritizing his needs before others. Which made lying to him difficult because, he's only ever had good intentions from the start of our friendship and, I'd be lying if I said I had friends, let alone an acquaintance who only wished me well.

"Yeah, man. I'm good, don't worry." patting him on the shoulder before downing my can. I picked up the pace and checked my watch. 'Nearly half two, when's he gonna call?' passing the empty can to Matt, I got back to work.

Now and again I'd catch Winkle staring at me with this look, maybe he was proud of my eagerness or was cussing me out because I was getting off early. My first day was rough for many frustrating reasons, he refused to let me do any heave lifting for like two weeks because "I looked like somebody he went to school with!", his work ethic was dog shit. But, no matter what bullshit is thrown my way, I get the job done.

Thinking about Winkle and his attitude towards his workers, I thought about my real boss, his way of doing things was impatient and irritating. Nonetheless, I did try to rob him and got myself into my current situation. If my waste of space father knew what I'd roped myself into, he'd say I told you so and beat some sense into me.

I passed a crate to Steve and quickly lifted one of the barrels off the small platform. Matt was dealing with the cargo while Winkle sat in his office and did fuck all like usual. Walking down to the inspection bay, I swiftly placed the barrel next to the others and answered my phone.

"Hi."

"Where we first met, back door, thirty minutes. Don't be late."

Cussed through my teeth and put the phone into my pocket. I gave Matt the heads-up and asked if Steve could let Winkle know I was heading out. Changing out of my overalls and into a black shirt and grey joggers. I turned on the traffic station and went on my way.

"All traffic from Highway XX has been redirected to XX due to a broken down lorry."

"Thank fuck!"

Happily relaxing as I cut onto the motorway and entered the fast lane. I answered Mr Model's call with a casual. "Yeah? I'm nearly there.", halfway from the exit I needed to take.

"Stop at the café nearby and pick up three white coffees with cream and one sugar." he hung up.

"Ugh… Endure it, Blane. Fucking endure it!'

Eventually, grabbing their white girl coffees and entering the backyard. Knocking the door with a straight face and no hope that my first job would be somewhat easy.

"Knock, knock!" I called out.

"Remove your shoes." bodyguard number one commanded.

"Alright, big man." handing him the coffees, I untied my boots and left them by the sliding door. "Do you always hire bodyguards on roids?" I joked as I sat down.

"Hm. Funny as ever I see!" taking his coffee and sipping it, he sat back in the red corner chair and eyed me up and down.

"Something about me bothering you?"

"I thought you looked different!" he commented.

"Is it the hair? It's a bit longer than the first time we met." pushing his buttons and getting a kick out of seeing his bodyguards glare at me. I leaned back on the coach while nancy boy didn't give me a reaction.

"Yes, you'll do nicely." standing up and having a gun pointed at me by the same guy who pinned me down in my bathroom. I understandably asked why the fuck a gun was pointed at me.

"Why is he aiming a gun at me?"

"Take a breath, he won't shoot you." he held up a dry cleaners clothing bag and shoebox. "Put these on, I won't have you working looking like that." the bodyguards smirked at his mocking comment before the gun was lowered, and the items were handed to me.

"Where's the bathroom?"

"You'll get dressed here. Don't be shy, Mouse~" he teased me as he sat down and waited for me to get changed.

It wasn't a big deal, it just felt awkward, I could tell this was different from the locker room in high school due to the amused look on his face. He was into guys that I knew for sure, which didn't bother me at all. I just drew a line when they'd hit on me or stare at me during physical education.

A coffee, some new clothes later and we were ready to discuss the job. I hoped I'd be driving them to a certain location with "illegal cargo", but to my horror, the job was far more psychotic than that.

"You want me to do what?"

"Lev will accompany you on the way, this earpiece will link you directly to me and Lev — in case something goes wrong. Mr McCain will be waiting for you in visiting room 2B. You'll enter, play the role of his lover and make the trade." placing a small plastic packet with two red pills inside on the coffee table. I faked, laughed and picked it up.

"Ha… You're fucking insane." shocked by his stupid plan, I held up the packet for him and asked an important question. "Let's say your plan works, I get into this visiting room and what? I just hand a maximum security prisoner a little bag of pills?" their plan was ridiculous, but I was curious to hear the rest.

"Hah, cute." he smirked. "Obviously, you cannot hand it to McCain, he's in prison for a reason. You'll have to pop it into your mouth, break the no contact rule and exchange it via a kiss." he sounded amused.

"Do I get a say in this?"

"Of course." his bodyguard Lev pointed the gun at me.

"Fine, I'll do it." sighing angrily, I grabbed my phone and slid the packet into my breast pocket.

"Lev, accompany him and take this."

I assumed the job would be illegally possible, not some MI6 drug smuggling TV special where I risk my livelihood for two pills and an unwanted kiss. I'd never visited anybody in prison before, it seemed odd knowing my first visit would be for business, not pleasure.

"Car." the princesses side piece ordered with his sidearm concealed for the time being.

"Keep your hat on, princess." double-checking I had everything, I headed for the Black SUV with tinted windows and fancy wheels.

"No music." he spoke assertively in his monotone voice.

"Fuh-ck, I might die of boredom!" buckling myself in with only the sound of the smooth engine and air conditioning. I got comfy and watched the scenery pass me by.

Lev was an odd guy. He pinned me against a bathtub last night and calmly watched while the boss waterboarded me. Although, none of that seemed to bother him, I assumed he'd done far worse than waterboarding but, isn't it common for bodyguards to mundane things. The guy confused me, to say the least.

"How old are you?" I asked curiously.

"Denied." he bluntly replied.

"We're going to be in this car for god knows how long, the least you can do is answer my one and only question?" he proceeded to ignore me. "Either you answer or it's music for the rest of the journey?" he glared at me.

"Eighteen."

"Why the bodyguard job?"

"Denied."

"Are you happy with your job?"

"Satisfied."

"Do you like the boss?"

"I'm his inferior."

"That's not an answer?"

"I do not speak about the boss in a unprofessional manner."

"Blond's or brunettes?"

"Brunettes."

"Nice. Are you a tall or small laddies man?"

"Either, gender doesn't matter."

"You're bisexual or pansexual? I didn't think you'd be a flavourful dude."

"Too many questions. Turn on traffic radio." he was a closed book once again.

He only answered to the boss, who contacted him via earpiece. Their calls were brief, sometimes two words total. I loathed silence, ever since I was a kid it unnerved me, the deafening sound of nothingness while I laid in my bed it was too much to bear.

"On the XX, you'll be diverted onto XX if you're travelling to Boulderkeep."

"Fifteen minutes has been added due to diversions." he informed the boss of the delay.

"Do you usually get delayed on the highway? I assume you drive the princess around a lot."

"I've been ordered to shoot you if you mess up, watch your mouth." Lev warned me.

"Jeez, you guys are uptight."

I feel like Lev was once a misunderstood teen with nothing going for him. He spoke calmly, not coldly like the others. He wasn't any older than some of the kids I'd pass by in rough parts of town, and yet, he was extremely mature.

From what I'd gathered from our brief conversation he was normal, yeah he held me down while his boss was waterboarding me, but that was an order. His interests were similar to any other guy his age, which made it difficult to fathom him shooting anybody at point blank range.

We drove with traffic radio blaring in our ears. My boredom peaked when we got to the roundabout heading for Boulderkeep, at that point i debated throwing myself into moving traffic just to talk to a cute nurse. Lev was silent as usual, and I grumbled and sighed whenever we passed a mileage sign.

"Thank god!" I whispered, answering the phone.

"Happy to hear from, Mouse?" he teased. "The guard escorting you inside owes me, don't fuck up, and your job is done." he sounded serious.

"A-okay, this'll be-" Lev glared at me mid-sentence. "A piece of cake, boss." calling him boss made me feel sick.

"Good boy." he hung up.

"Ugh, how can you call him that without throwing up?" I asked rhetorically.

"Take his." he handed me a folded piece of paper. "Hand it to Mr McCain after you supply him the pills, understand?"

"Gotcha! You'll be waiting here, correct?"

"Correct." he nodded me farewell as I hopped out the car and put the pills in the top of my chewing gum packet; I snuck it into my pocket out of my joggers.

Slipping the note into my breast pocket, I walked down the pale concrete path with more anxiety than courage. The security cameras felt like vultures awaiting my dimerize as I snailish approached the gates of hell. It might sound like it was exaggerate but I assure you, I wasn't. The guards were staring daggers at me, some random thief from a bad neighbourhood; they probably thought I was here to hand myself in.

"Afternoon, I'm here to visit William McCain?" I waited for the guard to give me the A-okay.

"Do you have anything on you that could be considered a weapon?"

"No, ma'am."

"Alright, step over here and place your belonging into the tray?" she pressed a key on the computer and moved the tray onto the conveyor belt. "Raise your arms for me, Sir?" pulling out her hand scanner and moving it up and down my body, her co-worker stepped in to pat me down. "Walk through the metal detector, please." I stepped through with no issue and gathered my belongings.

"Thank you." picking up my things, I followed the male guard through the building and stopped at the door of a small room.

"McCain is waiting for you inside, I'll be outside if you need anything. You've got ten minutes." he unlocked the door and held it open for me.

"Thanks, I'll be five." stepping inside, my stomach turned as my eyes met the brute of a man with short black hair and a clean shave. "Hey, baby!" I faked a smile as the door closed behind me.

"The cameras in here don't record sound, you don't have to do all that." he was blunt.

"Ah… right." I sat down. "Uh, how do you want to go about this, then?" I prayed we wouldn't have to kiss.

"Just because there's no sound, doesn't mean nobody's watching." his attitude was quite off-putting. "Stand up and kiss me." his straight faced expression didn't waver while speaking.

"True. Do you really wanna kiss me, though?"

"Ha, I haven't touched a pretty thing like you in years." his tone creepied me out. "Don't be shy, it's just a kiss for business~" his eyes had this unnerving, perverted look in them.

Revealing the chewing gum packet, I popped the pills into my mouth. He intently watched as I stood up and slowly walked sound the table. Kissing a guy was something I'd never done without a drink in me, although, that was back in my experimental phase with one of my mates at the time.

I tried to imagine I was kissing a chick as our faces got closer and the heat of his breath hit my face. I admit, I almost jumped out of my skin when he grabbed a hold of me and forced his tongue into my mouth. He didn't have much skill, and I tried my best to pass him the drugs without swallowing them. He was persistent, the roughness of his tongue moving around my mouth after he'd swallowed the pills made me mildly uncomfortable.

"Huh, okay-" I mumbled. "That's enough, dude!" raising my voice a little, I walked around the table and sat back down.

He licked his lips. "How old are you?", relaxing in his chair with a content smile on his face. I wiped my lips and popped chewing gum into my mouth.

"Twenty-three. This is for you!" taking his hand and exchanging the noted discreetly. I prayed once he read it, I'd be the hell out of here.

"Still so young." he smirked. Opening the note and reading it to himself. "Guard, I want to go back to my cell?" his demeanour changed.

"Hey, what does it say?"

"Hands together, McCain."

"You're a good guy, stay out of this shithole, kay?" his words were genuine and eyes told me the note wasn't good news.

"What'd it say, McCain?" following him out the door as he was escorted to his cell. I looked around for the note, but it was nowhere to be seen. 'Shit! What'd it say?' pushing my fingers though my hair, I hurried back to the car.

"He's approaching the car now. We'll be heading back in approxi-" I grabbed the phone off Lev.

"What the fuck did the note say?"

"That's none of your concern, mouse. Put Lev on the phone." he sounded as cocky as ever.

"None of my concern, I just did your fucking job, tell me-" hitting the ground with winding force, Lev picked up the phone and continued his conversation.

"Understood, boss." he put away the phone. "Never do that again or I'll break your arms. Get into the car." his monotone threat was nothing compared to the pain in my back and chest.

"Agh… Jesus." sitting up while slowly taking deep breaths, I glared at Lev and dragged myself back to the car.

My opinion on Lev hadn't changed, I knew he was capable of flipping me on my ass. It just sucked that I couldn't punch that fancy Russian prick in the goddamn face without a bullet being put between my eyes. I knew it was strange that the pills were digested immediately, but I didn't realize until it was too late.

'Why the fuck did I get myself into this mess?'