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“Where do you think you’re going?” I ask.
“To Mexico.” He throws his backpack onto the back seat next to Mimi and reaches for the seatbelt.
“You’re not going.” I lean over him and open his door. “Out.”
“No.”
“This is not a fucking geriatric excursion. I’m infiltrating a cartel compound that’s guarded by at least thirty armed men.”
“Exactly,” he snaps. “You need backup. And a driver in case you get shot and can’t drive back.”
“You’re too old for this shit. I am not letting you risk your life for me, Albert. Out.”
“Would you fucking stop with your ‘I’m invincible crap’? Do you have a death wish? Is that it? Because we both know that if you go in without surveillance backup, the chances of you getting out alive are zero!”
“I’ve completed missions with more hostiles several times.”
“Yes, but then you only had yourself to worry about. How do you plan on leaving that place with two women in tow? They’ll slow you down. Not to mention the small army that’ll be chasing you.”
“I’ll manage.”
“You’ll die!” he yells into my face, then switches his gaze to the windshield. “I’m coming.”
Mimi barks from the back seat.
“See? That’s two against one.”
I watch him as he arranges the collar of his shirt, moves his glasses up his nose with his finger, and leans back in his seat.
“Fucking perfect,” I mumble and start the car.
Felix is silent for the first five minutes or so, then starts complaining about Marlene. I tune him out. I’m not in the mood to offer relationship advice at the moment.
“What happened in Columbia, Sergei?” he asks suddenly.
I light a cigarette and give him a sideways look. “That again?”
“Yes.” He turns toward the window and stares out. “Please.”
I sigh. “That politician Kruger sent me to terminate. He was into human trafficking.”
“I know. That much was in the mission file.”
“I offed him while he was having breakfast in his garden. Everybody knew he had girls for sale and kept them somewhere in the compound. I planned on infiltrating it, to look for them. Kruger said no. He assured me the police would find them and get them free when they came to investigate.” I lean back in my seat and take a drag of the cigarette. “Police came. Then left. They didn’t bring anyone out, just sealed the place up and were gone.”
“So, they didn’t find the girls?”
“Oh, they found them,” I say.
“I don’t understand.”
“I went in after the police had left. Took me a while to find the door to the basement.” I shut my eyes for a second, trying to suppress the images of bodies scattered around. “They were already dead. Every one of them shot in the head. Columbian police were obviously involved in the trafficking. They disposed of the girls when they found them, so the girls wouldn’t be able to talk.”
“Jesus.”
“I’m not certain, because they were all dirty and just skin and bones, but I don’t think any of them were older than sixteen.” I turn to look at Felix. “Ten kids died because of me. If I had gone in before the police, they would be alive today.”
“It’s not your fault,” he barks. “You were following strict orders.”
