Undercover - Chapter 19

UNDERCOVER

Chapter 19: Cake, Death and Champagne

“What happened after he shot her?”

“Two men walked inside the dining room. They wore black hoods but I recognized one of them, he had a tattoo on his neck. I know it’s the same guy I saw at Artem Kravchenko’s place about a month ago. I already described him in a report back then.”

“Right, we have identified him.”

“I can assume the other guy was the bald one who was already with him, they were approximatively the same height, but I cannot say that for sure.”

“So, they walked in. What’s next?”

Chief Gordon pressed me.

The flashes were all coming back.

I did not want to remember every little detail but I had to, for the investigation, for the sake of the damn mission.

“Take your time, Kyle. We know this is difficult.” Peter told.

He poured me another drink of water.

I would have not minded some alcohol, and preferably a strong one.

We were about ten hours after the fateful dinner. I was exhausted.

Chief Gordon, Peter Thorne, and Officer Tunegard who I was meeting for the first time were interrogating me following the death of Amelia Bryant, the real name of “Irina”.

I took a sip of water and I continued.

“The two men in hoods held her, one was holding her legs, the other her arms, and they carried Amelia’s corpse out of the room. I heard them getting out of the house with the body.”

“Just like that? No word from anyone?”

“The room was completely silent except for the two escort girls crying. The black man they called Uncle or Brosky was smiling but he didn’t say anything. Andriy Kravchenko just gave the orders to his men to…”

I swallowed my saliva.

This was a tough part.

“…to get rid of the snitch. His words. He also added: she’s still warm, you know what to do.”

“Fucking hell! Those monsters!” Tunegard snapped.

The police chief had been for Amelia what Peter was to me, her direct supervisor.

He also was the leader of the entire operation. We were all working for him, meaning that he was responsible for this mess.

Tunegard had made the call to have Amelia wired up for that dinner.

Incidentally, he had also pushed for Peter to do the same thing with me.

Amelia had been working on getting into Andriy’s inner circles for about a month but every person who knew the drug lord, knew that she did not stand a chance of not being found out.

She was a dead-woman walking since day one.

“Okay, they carried the body out the mansion.” Chief Gordon continued, taking notes. “Do you have any idea where they might have taken her.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Did you hear an engine starting? A car? A truck maybe?”

“No, I didn’t but I… I’m not sure I could have heard anything. Kravchenko does not allow a single vehicle in his estate. If they used a car to get her somewhere, they must have walked to the gates first.”

“Did you ask Artem Kravchenko afterwards? Maybe he knew where the body was taken.”

“No, I didn’t have the chance. We… We haven’t talked since… Since the dinner.”

“Then, what happened? How did Andriy explained himself? How did his son react? How did you react, Boone?”

“I must admit, Chief, that I was rather shocked. All I could think about was trying to remain calm. I was scared for my life and for the innocent lives around me. As for the other guests, except for Brosky, I think everyone was in the same state, nobody dared moving or said a word.”

“Understandable…”

“Well, rather quickly, maybe thirty seconds after the body was removed, Andriy went back to his seat and he started talking with Brosky. They seemed very casual, as if it was no big deal.”

“Talking about what?”

“I… I’m not really sure. They were speaking Ukrainian.”

The three officers looked at each other.

I knew that my lack of knowledge of foreign languages had been a huge question mark on my involvement in the mission in the first place. One of the reasons why they should have picked someone else.

Amelia could talk both Russian and Ukrainian.

I supposed that I was filling other criteria. I had been perfectly casted to appeal to Artem for example.

Besides, her abilities had not saved Amelia…

“Please, keep going. How did you get out of there alive?”

“Frankly, I didn’t have to do anything. I was no longer threatened. After a few minutes, as I was still standing naked, someone else wearing a wood came in to wipe the floor. I mean, he cleaned up the blood.”

“And you stayed there?”

“At first, Andriy Kravchenko asked me to go back to my seat, he requested the same thing from Natasha and Katia. We all agreed. But then, I was scolded because I had blood all over my feet and I was making a bigger mess on the wooden floor.”

“You were hurt?”

“The blood was mostly Amelia’s, only slightly mine, I had hurt myself stepping on a piece of glass.”

“And what do you mean by scolded?”

“Andriy Kravchenko howled at me to stop moving around until one of his goons came and wiped my soles.”

This was another tough part; it had been very humiliating.

Peter sighed and he put his head into his hands.

“We can have a break and continue later. He hasn’t slept.” He told the others.

“I’m fine. Let’s get this over with.” I insisted.

Gordon approved.

“Okay, so a man comes to clean you up, and then, you go back to your seat?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

“At that point, you’re all sitting around the table again. Does someone say anything? In English?”

One person I mostly eluded in my story was Artem.

The only thing I had told the officers so far was that his own father had threatened him with the gun.

I wanted my point to come across that Artem was a victim before being an accomplice.

It was the truth, but admittedly, he had had reactions that I was not sure I wanted to share with the Police Department.

Artem normally looked very pale, but once “Irina” had been shot, his skin had almost turned translucent.

He, himself, looked like a corpse. It was quite concerning.

For the first time, I thought that he looked scary.

He moved from his chair once to check the mic and wires bathing in the blood on the wooden floor but he did not make any comment.

When I returned to my seat next to him, he held my hand.

I have to say, I immediately felt safer.

Artem still had faith in me. He still loved me.

I also remembered what he had once told me: “You’ll never be in danger with me, baby.”

I supposed he had been wrong that day…

Anyway, when Andriy said, "That stupid bitch got what she deserved," Artem still held my hand, but he nodded yes.

I could not tell if he really approved of Amelia's fate.

His father claimed that "the rats, moles and traitors deserve to die," and Artem agreed.

"Was I not right to be a little paranoid, my son?"

"You were, father. In this case, you were."

"Those dirty cops will try to get us, always! What did I tell you, boy? And I know how they work! They sneak up on you like little cunning bitches. They're the worst kind of scum. Not able to stand up to you in a fair fight. Look at the beautiful girl they had sent to get me… What a shame, what a waste."

"That's just what they are, father, pieces of trash."

I could not say this to the police.

It would incriminate Artem too much.

I would share accurate information, but I would preserve Artem if I could.

“I don’t remember anyone talking aside from Andriy.” I explained. “He moved on with the dinner as if nothing had happened. He even asked for the cake and the champagne. It was surreal.”

“Freaking psycho!”

I had never seen Peter this angry.

“We had to eat the damn cake and he cheered to the death of a “worthless snitch”. Again, his exact words. I cheered with them to keep my cover. We all did, including Irina’s friends, I mean, Amelia’s friends.”

“I’m sorry, Kyle, that you had to go through this.” Peter patted my shoulders.

“This is part of the job. I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to the mission. Kravchenko is not a nice guy or a random street drug dealer.”

“That’s for sure… And how did the evening end?”

“When we were done eating the dessert, - I think nobody was angry but we all ate our slices -, Andriy told us good night and I think that, aside from Brosky, we were all pretty eager to get the fuck out.”

“Even his son? Even Artem?”

My stomach ached.

I really did not want to talk about him.

“No. Artem had to say. Andriy requested him to stay.”

It was true.

I had to leave him behind.

I think it was the worst part for me, feeling powerless to save him from this hell.

“Did he seem shocked by his father’s behavior?”

“It’s tough to say, but I think that he was shocked, yes.”

“Did you talk to the other escort girls, Natasha or Katia, when you left?”

“No, we went our separate ways. I returned to my car and I… I just drove. And then, about an hour later, Peter called me. We set up the rendezvous point here; I haven’t returned to my apartment since last night.”

There was a short moment of silence.

I drank some more water.

“How are you feeling, Boone?”

“I’m not hurt. The scratch on my sole was nothing. I’m okay.”

Peter signed.

“I meant, mentally? How are you holding up?”

“It’s always tough to lose someone from the team. I wished I could have saved Amelia but I know that there was nothing I could have done then. Now, I just want to make sure Andriy Kravchenko ends behinds bars.”

Tunegard had been silent for most of the interview but he finally decided to speak up in that moment.

“Agent Bryant was an incredible woman who was well-trained, very smart and she sacrificed her own life for the sake of this mission. She gave her life to save others. We have to honor her memory. I am aware that you didn’t know her but she would be proud of your reaction there, Boone.”

He extended me his hand.

I shook it and I pretended that I respected the man.

If he felt remorse about sending his own agent to her death, he did not express any.

“What does it mean for the mission? What am I supposed to do next?”

Captain Gordon and Peter exchanged a look.

Gordon was the one to talk.

“First of all, Boone, we have to tell you that you’re free to take a step back. We would all understand this decision and we already have a plan if you decide that you’ve had enough.”

“What… What do you mean?”

“It would not be difficult to explain you vanishing given the circumstances. You could send a text to Artem Kravchenko, telling him that you don’t want anything to do with him anymore. Honestly, they could not hold any suspicion from this reaction after what happened.”

Vanishing from Artem’s life? That thought broke my heart.

I was aware that it was wrong but I was hooked on the guy.

“No! Why would I quit when I’m finally getting somewhere? What happened a few hours ago made me gain their trust even more. We cannot stop now.”

“See.” Tunegard said with a little grin on his stupid face.

He looked way too satisfied.

I ignored him.

“Besides, with Amelia’s death, now you have something to use against Kravchenko? Right?”

“Sadly, we don’t think that would be enough. Of all the people who had witnessed her murder, you’re the only one who could testify and that would be extremely dangerous.” Peter explained.

“And to be perfectly honest, arresting Andriy Kravchenko for a murder would not end the system he’s put in place.” Gordon added.

“Okay… Then what?”

Tunegard intervened.

Since he was the highest-ranking cop in the room, everyone kept quiet to listen to him.

“You did raise a good point, Boone, about their trust. Let’s say you do not testify and you don’t get involved in the investigation regarding Bryant’s death. The Kravchenkos would think that you’re keeping your mouth shut to cover them, that could be a huge step to infiltrate their network at a higher level.”

I had spontaneously hated Tunegard. I did not feel him as soon as I met him, but there, I realized that we might have some interests in common.

Visibly, he wanted me to go back to the Kravchenkos.

Maybe it was the lack of sleep talking, but in my head, and as crazy as it might sound, my main priority was to find Artem and be with him, even if it was just for one more hour, even if it was to catch his father later on and make him pay.

In that sense, I agreed with Tunegard.

“We don’t do anything yet regarding Amelia so I can move forward with the mission and catch much bigger fishes? That’s right?”

The three men in front of me nodded yes.

They had visibly already had this conversation.

“This goes without saying, we’ll make sure Kravchenko has to respond for agent Bryant’s crime when he is eventually prosecuted.”

“Of course.”

“I’ll still have you see the shrink in any case.” Peter said. “He’ll have to clear you before you can go back out there.”

“Understood.”

“Then, we’ll also have to talk about a plan. See how we can use this… This tragedy to the interests of your bigger mission.”

Strangely, I had already thought that through.

“I go to Artem; I tell him that I understand why his father had to killed that woman. I tell him that I was a bit shocked and this is why I disappeared for a few hours. And then, I ask him if I can be part of the organization. I’ve seen too much already so why not get me fully involved. What do you think about that?”

Peter was stunned.

“He’s a good one.” Tunegard commented. “Good work, Gordon, for spotting him. And good work, Thorne, for mentoring him.”

If I was supposed to feel proud, I did not.

Once again though, I faked my respect.

“Thank you, Sir.”

Tunegard had a long sigh and he stood up.

“Okay. We’ll keep moving, then. We’re not shutting down this operation just yet. I’ll inform my superior. Let’s keep track of the two other whores, Natasha and what’s her name, and of course, of this Brosky guy. I assumed we’re talking about Vladimir Brokerovitz here?”

“Yes, Sir. He matches the description.” Gordon said.

“Very well.”

“Sir, we also checked the lead for the warehouse in Floresville. We’ll need to send more teams there as they did find something.” He added.

Floresville. That rang a bell.

Oh right, I had been the one giving them that lead… Artem had mentioned this place and I had snitched.

“What have you found?”

“A… A leg, Sir. In a river.”

“Hmmm… Interesting. Let’s talk about this in my office, Gordon. Thorne, I leave you with your boy. Good work, Boone.”

Gordon and Tunegard hastily left the room and Peter and I were left alone.

“Don’t look at me like this.” I told him.

“How?”

“Like I’m about to break down.”

“You do look very pale.”

“I haven’t slept. It’s been a very long night. I’ll be fine as soon as I can get some sleep.”

“You don’t need to be a hero if this is too much.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You heard Tunegard, we have to keep going, we’re getting very close.”

Peter paced around the room.

He was scratching his head.

“Kyle, I’m truly sorry.”

“For what?”

“I told you to… To go in there with a mic. I… I sent Lucio to wire you up… I sent you into a trap and I’m so sorry. This was a terrible misjudgment from my part. I should have been more careful; I should have pushed against Tunegard. You could have died.”

“You also told me that I was free not to keep that device on me if I didn’t feel it. And I didn’t die. That advice saved me. I’m here, and now, the old Kravchenko bastard trusts me.”

Peter stopped walking around.

I interpreted this as a progress, he was stressing me out and I did not need any more stress in my life.

He looked at me strangely.

“Kyle, why did you remove the device before going in?”

That was a tough question.

I was not naïve.

I knew that Peter had understood that I had been losing grip during the past few days.

He may have even been suspecting that I had changed my allegiance.

Wait… Had I change my allegiance?

“Just like you said, Peter. I simply didn’t feel it. It’s tough to explain but I could sense this was not a normal dinner and I… I listened to my guts.”

“You’ve been feeling okay the last couple of days? I mean, before the… The incident with Amelia?”

“The incident? She was murdered. It was no incident.”

“Poor choice of words.”

“And if you want me to admit that sometimes, it’s tough to be an undercover agent and to date someone for the sole purpose of eventually betraying him, I can admit that. Yes, it’s been tough but I’m still here and your boss seems very happy with my work.”

“Tunegard is a dumbass.”

I could not help from bursting out laughing.

The nerves, no doubt.

I did not expect that.

“Maybe, he is.” I agreed.

“We’ve told him from the start that Amelia was doomed but he still went for it, supposedly we were too slow, we weren’t getting enough results… And now, look where we are. Look where agent Bryant is, probably already burnt in a jar of sulfuric acid! Maybe they’ll find her leg in a lake next…”

“I’ll be more careful.”

“I really hope so. I ran fifteen missions successfully and I’ll be damned if this has to be my first failure.”

“It won’t be. We’ll get them.”

Peter looked at me with an odd tenderness.

I had been hating him since I had found out about Amber surveilling me, but right there, I felt a genuine care from him.

So many people were trying to manipulate me, I was losing grip.

“I really am putting all of my trust in you, Kyle.” He stated.

I was reconsidering everything, all over again.

I did not know what I was going to do and how I would react, but in any case, whether it was to put Kravchenko in prison or to save Artem, I had to go back on the field.

“When do I see this shrink to get cleared?”

Peter smiled at me.

“You’ll sleep for a few hours first or you’ll never get cleared. They won’t let a zombie go undercover.”

“I suppose that’s fair.”

“Let me get you to your room.”

“Thank you, Peter.”

He grabbed my shoulders as I stood up.

“Fucking hell, I’m glad you listened to your guts yesterday night.”