“Baaaaaabe, I don’t want you to go! Please don’t go. You know I’ll go crazy without you!”

He smiled, then kissed her on the forehead as she snuggled close to him on the bed. “Awwww, I know, my sweet Mel, I know. But you know I need to. This is extremely important, and you know I’ve got to get it done. It’ll be just a month, and I’ll be back.”

A pout on her face, she shook her head and wrapped her arms around him. “That’s too long, babe! That’s way too long! I need you around me! Please!”

He smirked and shook his head. “Wow, Mel, your separation anxiety’s on another level. Like, just… wow.”

“It’s your fault, AZ!” she claimed, punching him weakly on the arm. “It was you that kissed me when we were supposed to be deliberating over the mission. Now I’m so damn in love with you, I can’t think straight without you!”

He snickered. “A kiss I don’t regret one bit. Made you break your code, but it was so damn worth it.”

Still pouting, she gave him a forced hard glare, to which he continued to snicker.

“Okay baby, listen. You do realize this is an assignment I just cannot afford to miss out on, right?”

Still pouting, she let him go and folded her arms. “Yes,” she admitted.

“Good. So really, there’s zero that can be done. I gotta go get this work done, and you got an assignment of your own. The little favour I want you to do for me. But…”

Enjoying her little squeal as he lifted her onto his lap, he continued, “… since my devastatingly spicy little baby needs me like a fish needs a water body, here’s a little something that’s just popped up in my mind. I’m sure it’ll be a win-win for the two of us…”

Shaking her head as she replayed that moment in her mind, Melitta sighed. “What wouldn’t I give to be in his arms right now?” she whispered to herself. “Instead, I’m here on what could probably be a suicide mission.”

She glanced at Morton, who noticed her look, and gave her a wink.

She forced a smile, then turned back to the window. “Girl, just get a grip, okay?” she chastised herself. “You’re Agent Mel, remember? You have done shit that is way more dangerous than this. Relax! You’ve got this. You do. Whatever happens, you’ve got the sharpest brain around town. You’ll know how to maneuver. So relax.”

Her pep talk to self over, she inhaled then exhaled, feeling a little more relaxed.

“Oh yeah,” she added, “and you’re gonna have to do something about that separation anxiety shit too…”

***

The lobby of Sunny Square Resort exuded a sense of opulence as Morton and Melitta approached the check-in counter. The marble floors gleamed under the soft glow of crystal chandeliers, and the concierge greeted them with a polished smile.

Morton handed over his credit card and exchanged pleasantries with the hotel staff, filling out the necessary forms for their stay. Meanwhile, Melitta discreetly observed the surroundings, her keen eyes assessing the security measures and potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited.

Once the formalities were concluded, the concierge led them towards the elevator, a discreet nod indicating the way to the presidential suite on the top floor, which was Room 600. As they ascended, while Morton grinned excitedly, Melitta continued to strategize internally, observing every nook and cranny that she could use should there be the need to escape, and taking mental notes where necessary.

On the sixth floor, the elevator doors opened to a private foyer that led to the grand entrance of the presidential suite. A sense of anticipation filled the air as Morton, oblivious to Mel’s internal calculations, unlocked the door.

As they stepped into the suite, Melitta took a quick survey of the spacious living area and the carefully chosen furnishings. The suite was quite impressive, with some pretty plush carpets and tasteful decor.

As he put his bag down, Morton immediately expressed his delight. “So, what do you think, Amarita? Quite a magnificent place, isn’t it?”

She nodded, masking her true thoughts. “Oh, it’s really impressive, Morton. You certainly know how to pick accommodations. Even under pressure of sudden disappointments.”

Morton grinned, looking quite pleased with himself. “Hey, I’m honoured. Just glad I managed to save our weekend plan. As for Marina Vale, they can shove their suites up their ass.”

“Now, now, Morton, let’s not get into sailor-mouth mode,” she gently admonished him.

“You’re right, you’re right, I’m sorry,” he admitted, his hands up in surrender. “Well, let’s take a seat, shall we?”

She shrugged. “Okay.”

They made themselves comfy in the sofa, which certainly was a comfortable one. Morton then grabbed the remote on the center table and switched on the TV. Then he turned to Melitta.

“So, Amarita, I just wanted to say that…” he started.

She turned to face him.

“… I… I really like you. And I’m so happy that you accepted this invitation to be with me. I know it was on really short notice… or I should say, impromptu. But… you know, when you like someone, you don’t waste time. So… I wasn’t looking to waste time at all. From the moment you bumped into me, I knew I had to get you. Now… you’re here. And I’m glad for that.”

As he spoke, his hand slowly made its way onto her thigh, eliciting inner disgust from Melitta as he caressed it. He began to lean forward, in an effort to kiss her.

Well, no way was that going to happen!

“Ummm… I think we’re moving a little too fast, don’t you think?” she asked, gently shoving him away and taking his hand off her.

Looking rather embarrassed, he lowered his head and covered his eyes. “Christ! I’m sorry Amarita. I just… I guess I got carried away. Coz… coz I really like you and… and those… those legs, man, they just…”

Melitta forced a sly smirk on her face, hiding the sneer of revulsion dying to break out. “That’s what so many men say about me. Nonetheless, no rushing, please. We just got here. No need to jump into those kinds of activities. Let’s get a good movie and some wine on deck.”

Uncovering his eyes, he stared up at her and quickly nodded. “Sure, sure, that’s a fabulous idea! You get the wine, and I’ll choose the movie.”

“Perfect!”

Rolling her eyes, she walked over to the wine cabinet on the left side of the room, which was filled with an array of red wines. From Merlot to Cabarnet Sauvignon, any inhabitant of this suite who loved red wine was severely spoilt for choice.

Ugh, the son of a bitch thinks he can kiss up on me like that. I’m so glad I didn’t let him get too comfy on me, she thought to herself. Willy the orca’s got a better chance than he does of getting in these shorts!

While her eyes sifted through the bottles, she pulled out her phone and launched a sophisticated surveillance detection app developed for her by her agency. “Time to make sure all eyes watching us are closed,” she murmured to herself. The app displayed a virtual map of the room, highlighting potential surveillance devices and their status.

As the phone scanned the room, the app duly alerted her to the presence of hidden devices. The pulsating icons on her screen indicated that some devices were active, monitoring the suite.

“Right, just as I expected. A common feature of rooms like this. Lemme just get this bottle of 19 Crimes, then I’ll hit deactivate.”

Speaking to herself, she then called out to Morton, “How about a bottle of 19 Crimes, Morton?”

“Sounds perfect!” he responded. “Bring it over.”

“Good.” Satisfied with that response, Melitta then turned to her phone to access the control panel within the app to deactivate the devices.

However, to her surprise, a notification popped up on the screen: “Devices already deactivated.”

A subtle frown creased Mel’s forehead. “What the hell?” she wondered. “But they were active just a couple of seconds ago. How come…”

She then glanced at Morton through the glass of the cabinet. Was he the one behind that?

He looked calm and relaxed, totally immersed in the show or whatever he was watching on TV.

His phone, which he usually kept on his lap, was on the table nearby.

Melitta narrowed her eyes. So it’s not him. And… and now that I look at him…

In all her years of dealing with targets like this, she knew one thing: how to pick up on their body language to know if they were aware of her hidden motives. And with what she was seeing, he did not look like a man aware that he was in the hands of an undercover agent about to drug him and torture him. He didn’t look like he had a feeling anything sinister was happening under his nose.

He genuinely looked like he was here to just have fun with the drop-dead gorgeous babe he met at the Qube a few weeks ago.

Wait a minute, he didn’t even bring the briefcase up here! He’s totally unarmed. Are you fucking kidding me?

All she had seen and feared earlier had just been a ruse; he was not in the know about anything. He was as naïve and dumb as she had expected he was from the very beginning.

But… but then, who was behind the devices being deactivated?

Something was amiss.

Nonetheless, she still had to act the part to prevent him from getting wary of anything. She still had a job to do. So she grabbed a nearby tray and two wine glasses.

“Okayyyy,” she called, holding the tray up, ready to move. “A glass of red wine for you and me, and we are ready to-“

A breaking sound cut her off. The front door fell to the ground with a great slam.

From where she stood, she could not see who just kicked down the door. But Morton did. And she could see as his facial expression turned from calm and relaxed to absolutely terrified.

Whoever it was probably had a gun. And was ready to shoot him.

He opened his mouth and screamed.

“NO! PLEASE, NO-“

Loud gunshots from what sounded like semi-automatic rifles followed, with their bullets riddling Morton’s body and silencing him instantly.

The tray in Melitta’s hand dropped to the floor, with the glasses and wine bottle crashing on impact, as she sprung to the corner in fright, screaming in terror. She took out one of her guns from the inside of her shorts and cocked it, ready to let a bullet fly to defend herself.

All this took less than seven seconds, but it seemed to happen so slowly.

As the last gunshot rang out, a still silence fell over the room. Melitta shivered uncontrollably in her hiding place, gun cocked, ready to down the bastards who had just barged in and gunned down Morton if they came after her.

She waited, listening hard for any sound of footsteps growing louder.

No such sound.

She still held her breath and waited, knowing any extra surprise could spring up at any time. This was not the time to be lackadaisical.

She glanced in the direction of the couch, which had been totally ruined by all those bullets. Right next to it lay a lifeless Morton.

He never stood a chance with all those shots to the chest and stomach.

Then she heard footsteps. But they were further away. Like, at the door.

Then she heard a voice.

“Nice job, boys. You can head out now.”

Melitta’s jaw dropped at the sound of that voice. What the fu…

“Agent Mel? Oh, Agent Mel? Are you in there? I hope my boys didn’t hurt you. I told them not to.”

Melitta lifted herself from her hiding spot and stared in disbelief as the owner of that voice, a very familiar voice, showed up in the living area.

Silvius Rivers. Dressed in a tuxedo that looked more expensive than Melitta’s yearly rent. And armed with a very smug look.

“Well, my, my, my, Agent Mel. You do have some amazing legs on you. No wonder the men constantly drool over you,” Silvius quipped, sizing Melitta quite lustfully with his eyes as he walked up and down the room.

Melitta, however, was not in the mood for jokes or compliments.

“What the hell, Mr. Rivers?” she demanded. “What are you doing here? And I thought you said you didn’t want Morton killed. What’s the meaning of this? This wasn’t part of the plan!”

Silvius stared at her for a moment, then let out a hearty laugh.

A hearty and rather scornful laugh.

Then he gazed at her, an amused expression on his face. “Not part of the plan, you say? Oh, dear Agent Mel… well, dear sexy Agent Mel, this was actually all a part of the plan. You just didn’t know it.”

Now Melitta was confused. “Wait, what? W-w-what are you saying?”

A devious grin spread across his face. “What I’m saying, my dear, is that this was the plan all along. To have this piece of shit taken down so I can finally take over what he refused to give to me.”

Melitta looked taken aback. “Wh-wh-what he refused to give you? What the hell are you talking about? Doesn’t he just owe you gratitude?”

The grin still on his face, he raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You mean he didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what…”

Her eyes widened.

“Wait a minute…”

Morton’s story about his encounter with Silvius came to mind.

This man called me up one morning. Out of the blue. Told me he likes what I’ve built, and he’s willing to pay me whatever I want to sell it all to him so he can advance his own empire…

She looked up at Silvius in shock.

She, for one, had not believed that story one bit; she and Silvius had scoffed at it, dismissing it as another expression of Morton’s arrogance. So hearing this was a stunner.

Meaning it was no fake news? Morton was actually right? And Silvius had lied about the mission all along?

“W-w-wait a minute, you… you-you mean to tell me you sold me a lie?” she demanded.

Silvius nodded confidently, a proud and triumphant look on his face.

“Uh-huh. Absolutely. Morton was never my protégé. I’ve never even met the bastard face-to-face before. I just needed his empire to make mine bigger, and he… he refused. And nobody says no to Silvius and lives unscathed, so… yeah.”

Wait, WHAT?? So Silvius was lying all along? Bruh, what the hell! This man is devious! And yeah, poor, naive Morton is dead now. This finale ought to bring something good, coz wow. Just wow…