Agent with a History Read Online Free Page A

you
tell me what you’ve gotten mixed up in? Who sent these men to do
this?”
    His words though weak were clear enough, “I’m
not telling you anything nigger!”
    His blatant racism wasn’t anything new. I’d
dealt with it in one form or another all my life from both sides,
black and white.
    I ignored the hatred in his eyes and said in
an effort to get him to talk, “Well, if it makes any difference,
I’m a half-breed, so maybe you could at least tell the half white
girl side of me something?”
    He shook his head resolutely and muttered
out, “ I should have listened to Flint. I shouldn’t have stayed. I
shouldn’t have….”
    He was fading fast. I leaned close, “Who is
Flint? Did he send these men?”
    His eyes opened briefly in comprehension and
he shook his head no.
    “Was he the man that met you at the
warehouse?”
    He nodded yes and then slumped dead on the
bed as he exhaled out his last breath. I leaned back up from the
bed as EMTs came rushing through the broken door. I moved away from
the bed to stare out the window at the glittering lights of the
city.
    At least now I had a name. That was something
right? I really wasn’t sure anymore. I needed sleep. The hit to my
head had only made my headache worse. I wasn’t going to be able to
function much longer at this rate. A passing EMT saw my cheek and
stopped to work on it. She pulled the split and bruised skin back
together with some butterfly stitches and then gave me a reproving
look.
    “Those eyes of yours tell me you need to see
a bed ASAP and I suggest you stay there for the next ten hours or
so.”
    I nodded, got up and headed for the door.
    Rafferty held my gun out to me and I took it
gratefully, just as I was grateful to have him here to back me
up.
    “I’m going home to bed.”
    “Good, I’ll drive you there.”
    “Okay.” I said softly, being unusually
passive.
     

Chapter Four
Long Night
    I fumbled with the keys at the door of my
apartment for a moment. Finally, I slipped the right key into the
worn lock and opened the door.
    I shut the door behind me with a swing of my
foot. No one and nothing rushed up to greet me as I entered my
little haven, away from the watchful eyes of the world. I’d never
cared much for dogs. I did however get a cat three years ago.
    It hadn’t like me though and I had ended up
giving it to a kid three doors down from me. At last report they
were very happy with each other. After the cat, I had gotten some
fish. I had not expected to enjoy them as much as I had.
    It had been so rewarding to see them clamor
together at feeding time or just idly watch them swim around. That
ambient past time had ended one morning, when I had found them all
floating belly up. That was a bad morning. I’d even called off work
sick, which was something I had almost never done.
    Rafferty had even showed up at my apartment
to see what was wrong. I’d been an emotional wreck and he had been
the one to dispose of the fish. It seemed stupid to be so
emotionally involved over a few dead fish, but I had been. To
Rafferty’s credit he had seemed to understand and hadn’t told
anyone about the incident. I’d been putting off getting anymore
fish, but maybe it was time.
    Maybe this place would hold a little more
meaning again and not be quite so lack-luster and lonely. Weariness
hit me in a wave. By the light of the city lights outside, I popped
back some Ibuprofen, probably more than I should have, and started
taking my clothes off, dropping them on the floor on my way to the
bed. I didn’t even bother to take my bra off or change into sleep
wear; I just crashed into the bed, which I instantly regretted when
my cheek hit the pillow hard. Turning my head so my good cheek was
down, I reached down and yanked the covers up over me. Sleep closed
in fast, but before it did my hand closed over the golden cross of
my necklace and I whispered a prayer for peace from the nightmares
that had been haunting me again as of late.
    I wasn’t