Chapter 3: Desperate Missions, Desperate Ideas

As soon as Kia collapsed into her chair, Jean appeared.

"So, how did it go?"

"I got a new case," she said and shot a glance at the file on her desk.

"Really? That's awesome. About damn time. He picked up the file, read it for a few seconds and then his eyes widened with shock as realization hit him. The Bargarattis?"

"Yup."

"Undercover assignment?"

"Yup."

"How are you supposed to get in?"

"No idea. I could kill myself and make arrangements for my body to be sent to their mansion? You know, do a flip. Send a body in rather than a body getting sent out."

"This isn't funny, Kia. I mean, I understand that you are trying to be strong by making jokes but this isn't funny. Not even a tiny bit."

"Life's lemons," Kia said dryly as she collected the file and started to read it in detail. It was a rather heavy file, as was deserving of the bagarattis. But most of its pages were common knowledge. The useful stuffs were in the first few pages. On the third page, she found her mark, the leader of the Bargaratti crime family, Baglor Bagaratti. The picture was a grainy blur showing Baglor stepping out of a limousine dressed in an all-black suit like an angel of death. 

Kia couldn't see his face clearly, but he seemed to be smiling. He also seemed to have a great sense of style, as his beautiful suit seemed to flow around him like armor.

"What are you going to do Kia?" Jean said, breaking into her thoughts.

"I don't know. Ill figure something out. Do we still have Vajesh in custody?"

"Yeah. Wait, you are actually thinking about doing this?"

"What choice do I have, Kia said without looking up?"

"I don't know. Reject the assignment?"

"We both know that's not possible. We can't disobey a direct order."

"Fine. Leave. This job is shit anyways."

She looked up at him with her eyes without raising her head as if to say, "Really?"

"It wouldn't be the end of the world," he said.

"Would only be the end of my career."

"Men fuck your career. We are talking about your life here. Of what use is your career when you are dead? Attempting this mission is a death sentence and you know it."

"And you know me she said," as she met his eyes. "I'm going to do this whether you like it or not."

Their eyes locked for a brief second, and the faint tension between them that was always there, but always too weak to be significant, threatened to build up into a powerful energy. But at the last minute, he blinked, and the moment dissipated like a faint fog.

"Fine. I take it that you already have a crazy plan."

"Not a plan, just an idea," she said as she rose to her feet.

"Care to share?"

"Sure. I would need you to make it work. Ill also need to convince the captain to get everyone else on board," she said as she walked closer to the captain's office.

"Oh. Well good luck with that," he said as he tried to stroll away.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him in. "Not so fast tiger. We are going through this hell together," she said as she pulled him to the door, knocked, and opened up before he could gain his freedom.

In the presence of the captain, he had no choice but to comport himself.

"Yes," the captain said.

"I have a plan," she announced as she stepped in. Jean cursed silently under his breath, stepped into the office, and shut the door. He was in the fray, and there was no getting out of it.