I quietly sipped my coffee in the corner of the shop patio.
The sun was beaming so it produced the perfect excuse for me to inconspicuously wear my sunglasses.
The ones that were dark enough for me to look around without anyone being able to tell.
The ones that allowed me to stare at people for minutes on end.
The ones that allowed me to spy.
The ones that allowed me to do my job.
Today I was tailing a special client.
He was tall and slender with pale blond hair.
He had money.
I could tell by the thousand dollar watch he wore on his wrist and the perfectly tailored suit that adorned his body.
His wealth was also listed in the file I was given this morning, along with other things.
His predicted place of residence, family, possible job and weaknesses.
Everything was iffy. That's what made my job fun.
I got to find out all about his life without him saying a word.
Well I could of course just talk to him. Seduce him. Intrigue him enough to get him to tell all his secrets, but where was the fun in that?
So I sat tight.
And watched.
He was with a younger woman. She was short and slender, with black hair. Nothing special.
What would his wife think about their coziness?
She'd be furious no doubt but that wasn't why I was here.
No.
I needed to bring him in.
Harold isn't exactly a good man despite what his sweet elder exterior may bring you to believe.
He was actually involved with corporate fraud and embezzlement.
Naughty boy.
Millions of dollars stolen in a night.
Probably how he affords that beach condo I found out about.
It may seem like a civil duty to turn him in but to be honest, he wasn't going to the cops.
He was going to SHIELD.
They knew how to handle people like Harold.
I've seen it firsthand.
They'll torture him and beat the shit out of him.
You see SHIELD just isn't what it used to be, not that I was complaining, they still gave me a job but it's not in its former glory.
The public didn't know that.
To them SHIELD was still protecting them.
For the most part is does, but there are definitely some things cooking behind the scenes that would absolutely terrify and infuriate the people of the world.
This was one of those things.
Torture.
Extremely touchy subject if you ask me.
I mean, to helplessly beat on someone until you got what you wanted, sheesh. But it gave me what I wanted; money. The praise was good too.
There's nothing like knowing you've done a good job.
I paid for my overpriced coffee and began to follow Harold and his lady friend.
They walked for a few blocks before he dropped her off at some apartment complex.
I waited for him to continue walking before I started following him again.
He turned down an alley and a black SUV pulled up.
I smiled.
Right on time.
"Mr. Ames!" I shouted gaining his attention.
He turned around to look at me, then at the blacked out car behind me.
I smiled,"You've been a bad boy."
Before he could realize it two men had come out of the SUV and began walking towards him.
He was 57 years old and had knee replacement surgery last year, so he knew it was futile if he ran.
He sighed deeply and just waited patiently for the men to approach him.
I didn't care for all the theatrics so I just turned away and walked to the car tapping on the window.
It slowly rolled down and I smiled at the driver.
Terry.
"Hey Terry. How's it going?" I asked pretending to care. I knew he'd put in a good word for me.
"Not bad. This one took shorter than expected."
I shrugged,"What can I say? I'm good at my job."
"Oh I know. There's been talk at the office."
I raised an eyebrow as if I didn't know.
"Boss is thinking of a promotion." He continued. "Director of SHIELD outreach program. The title is complete bullshit though. To the public anyway. But you'd be in charge of your division."
"What do you think about that position?"
He shrugged,"I think it's good for you. You're a tough girl but this life isn't for you. It's more leading and less field work. Which means you don't have to do the dirty work."
My heart fluttered.
As much as I liked my job, was good at it and had fun, it was a lot of unsightly things.
Like a lot.
I was SHIELD's top agent in the field, but I could also train so many to be like me if I was given the chance. I could be free.
I wouldn't have to sneak around and spy on people.
I wouldn't have to lie and hurt people who sometimes didn't necessarily deserve it.
I could be me.
I can't even remember the last time I got to do something I liked.
I don't even remember what I like.
Reading?
Eh.
Shopping?
Nah.
I have no idea who I am anymore.
It's been so long since I could be me.
If I was me I could easily get caught.
What I was doing wasn't exactly legal.
It's technically stalking and kidnapping.
Wasn't a respectable profession if anyone knew about it.
Good thing no one does.
My dad would freak.
But that isn't my main concern.
I have two younger sisters.
They look up to me for some reason.
It pains me to think of how they'd react. This wasn't a path for anyone. Especially not them. I hope they never follow my footsteps.
I sighed as I absentmindedly watched them place Harold in the car.
I halfheartedly waved at the men before turning and heading home.
I changed into more comfortable clothes and headed back to SHIELD.
"There she is." I heard Alexanders voice boom.
"Here I am boss." I spoke back.
"I heard about your work today."
I gave a nod not wanting to look cocky.
"Oh come on. Rhea, that was record timing. You completed the mission in 3 hours. That's impressive I'll be honest."
"Thank you Mr. Pierce. I try my best." I added a forced smile.
"Well. Take the rest of today and tomorrow off. I've got something big coming up I'd like you to be a part of."
I raised a brow but didn't pry.
I heard a commotion and crashing noises as they brought in my catch of the day.
Alexander and I looked as he struggled in the grasp of the two large men.
I turned back to Alexander before reaching down to grab my bag. "He's old. Take it easy."
He looked at me and nodded with a sincere look in his eyes.
I didn't know why I bothered. He never took it easy.
I headed for the door and sighed a breath of relief.
I could relax tomorrow.
Go see my family.
Pretend to be normal.
Pretend to be a good person.
But inside I know I'm not.
A/N First chapter! Tell me what you guys think! I want to take this a little slow I don't want to rush, force or push anything. So give it and me sometime. If you've read any of my other stories then you may know that I literally make this up and write as I go so if it's a little weird or anything PM me and I'll re edit. Thank you all so much for reading. Make sure to vote and comment. You guys are the best! ❤️