Bad Seed

“Shouldn’t we exchange information or something?” I asked.

“Do you want to be held at fault for the accident with your insurance company?” he asked.

He had a point.

“Have a good day,” I said. “And I’m really sorry about your truck.”

“Tell your daughter to keep her feet off your seat. You could kill someone with your driving.”

I watched the man drive away in his truck. Gruff wasn’t the right word to describe him. More like brutish asshole. I shook my head, got back into the car, and buckled myself in. I looked back at Lily who had an apologetic look on her face.

“Let’s go get some ice-cream.”

CHAPTER 4

GRAHAM

What a fucking mess.

I pulled my truck in

to my garage and got to work. That accident made me late for my interview at the mechanic’s shop downtown. I’d been cutting through the school parking lot to avoid the pick-up traffic at the front door. Then her car came careening out of nowhere, like some bat out of hell.

I was almost surprised to see that it was my neighbor, but I wasn’t about to bring it up, and risk small talk.

I fucking hated small talk.

I shouldn’t have been such an ass hole, but it was better than trying to make friends.

Making friends was dangerous. People in my life got hurt when they associated themselves with me. Being the quiet asshole of the town and keeping my head down was a better bet than making friends and getting them killed like I had my family.

If I couldn’t protect my own family, then there was no way I could take care of anyone else.

But, I felt bad for how I reacted. I was harsh with her. Maybe a bit too hard.

She was clearly shaken, but I had already been late for my interview. Talking to her would’ve made me even later, and if someone was watching me, the last thing they needed to think was that I was making nice with someone.

The CIA was still looking for me, and the people who had taken my family were still out there.

The CIA didn’t enjoy it when their top-secret operatives dropped off the face of the planet. They didn’t like it when they couldn't control the future lives of people like me, people who held secrets that could overturn powerful people in office.

There were things I knew about this country and its darkest secrets that the Agency would stop at nothing to keep quiet.

They didn’t simply allow people to quit without repercussions, without the proper debriefing and mind-wiping tactics. They didn’t allow people to walk away like I had, disappearing without a trace and staying on the run. I was their best special agent, the one they went to when operations were going south.

I had been good at everything.

Combat. Psychological warfare.

Weapons and bomb-making.

I could fuse and defuse with the best of them before fighting my way out with my bare hands. I could take on ten men at once and leave them all unconscious without breaking a sweat.

Men like me didn’t walk away without consequences.

But I had.

I wasn’t going to sell out my country, but I was a man who could no longer be trusted. In their eyes, I was as good as AWOL despite the fact that I’d quit. Coupling that with the criminal group whose operation I hadn’t wrapped up yet meant association with me was deadly.