Single Lady Spy 01 - The End of Me

to get close to, did this to you. We need your help to fix it, but that wasn’t us . You need it fixed as much as we do."
    Heat crept up my face; I hated the way he controlled the conversation.
    I frowned, "That lawyer…"
    He laughed cutting me off again, "Wasn’t working for us. We jacked the phone they were bringing you, that’s all. You think we want you in our employment, no offense, but you're right. You're under-qualified, out of shape, outdated like the suits in the offices, and frankly, you don’t seem like you take things seriously. Having to handle you is going to be a fucking nightmare. You'll be expecting to still act like a civi, and I'll have to swoop in and stop everyone from killing you, every minute of the day. Do you even remember any of your training? You are in over your head, but I'm being told this is how it is. I get your dad was a hero, but seriously sweetheart, you are out of your league."
    I snapped, "You little shit, I am not out of shape. I ran a marathon three months ago. I ran the Boston Marathon and I got a good time. I…"
    “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” He laughed bitterly, discounting my obvious accomplishments, "But for the job I'm asking you to do, you're outdated. But, we're stuck with you, as much as you're stuck with us. The man your husband double-crossed this country for, killed him. He thinks you know things. The intel is that you're up on the roster as the next piece in his puzzle. He owns you. Are you ready for this?"
    I laughed, "I don’t know anything."
    He shook his head, "As far as my pay grade goes, you have a piece of the puzzle."
    I looked at the glass and shook my head. I stood and walked to the bar and poured another glass, drinking it back fast. "No. I don’t know anything. He never told me anything. I want protection and to be moved out of the country."
    He sighed, "The higher-ups don’t want you to hide; they want you to play ball. We've had your house bugged for a few months. We know James never told you anything. We have been watching you." I could hear his footsteps behind me. Suddenly his body was directly behind mine, towering over me. He bent and whispered in my ear softly, "Let me just start by saying, you sing beautifully in the shower."
    My eyes bugged open. He poured another drink for us both and carried them back to the table, "This is the plan. You will take the phone call from the man planning on calling you or meeting with you. We will reinstate your wages, at your husband's current salary, and put it in a new account that we will have opened for you. Hopefully, he won’t know and you’ll be able to continue paying your bills. You will help us to find out what the man wants with you and what your husband told him." He sat down and sipped. I clutched the bar, taking deep breaths .
    I turned and walked back to the chair, "What if I can't? What if they just want to kill me too? I can’t leave my kids orphaned. You have to get them out."
    He watched me, "I think you're a better actress than you give yourself credit for. Act like you might have a secret or two."
    His tone told me it was a cheap shot for sure, I just didn’t know what for. I clenched my jaw and picked up the glass again, "Why are you my handler? Shouldn’t someone with a little experience and age be my handler?" I could play mean too. My philandering husband died two months ago—I deserved to be downright bitchy.
    He laughed after a moment. It boomed like a shot in the air. He pointed at me, "You're pissed that I called you old. I get it."
    I raised an eyebrow, "No. It's that you're still a Boy Scout. This is my life we're talking about and you've told me nothing. I have no details. And maybe I want to be handled by a man." The scotch was hitting me. The liquid courage was saying things, I wasn’t sure I wanted to say.
    He smirked, "I'm man enough to handle you, I can assure you." His cold eyes hardened, "I’ve got this, trust me. You just try not to fuck up your part."
    I shook my head, “Have we met before? Have I offended you prior to this meeting? I’m having the rug pulled out from under me and you’re acting like a dick.”
    He sighed, “I’ve spent the last few months on constant detail, watching you and your family. It feels like we’ve met a thousand times.” Before I could ask anything else, he lifted a cell phone from the couch and dialed. He held it out.
    "Good evening, Sir."
    "Is she there?" The voice on the other end spoke and I knew it