Hazina's Revenge

Chapter 5 - Atlanta

When the helicopter landed on one of the many skyscrapers in downtown Atlanta, Agent Wilson insisted I remain in the chopper while he checked the rooftop to make sure there wasn’t any danger present. Once he was confident all was good, he gave me a hand getting out of the helicopter, then he rushed me into the building.

It was double the size of the headquarters in South Carolina, but the inside looked exactly the same. After riding the elevator down to the 25th floor, I was led down several corridors, then Agent Wilson led me into an office.

Sitting behind a large mahogany desk was an older man with graying hair and dark green eyes that darted between me, Dante and Bruce. After a few seconds, he locked his gaze on me and greeted, “You must be Miss Cleaver. I know you’ve been through quite an ordeal, so I’ll try to make this as quick as possible. My name is Shane Butler. I am the main coordinator for the witness protection program. Please, have a seat.”

Next, he directed his gaze at the agents who brought me to him and mumbled, “Job well done. You are free to return to South Carolina now.”

“No, I won’t leave Miss Cleaver’s side until I know she is safe, per her request,” Agent Wilson informed Shane.

“Is that so?” Shane asked, directing his gaze back at me.

After nervously clearing my throat, I shook my head and muttered, “Yes, that is so.”

“Very well. Miss Cleaver, do you have any other requests?” he curiously inquired.

“I want to keep my first name. It is the one thing I won’t change about myself,” I informed him.

“I urge you to reconsider. You have such a unique first name, it wouldn’t be hard for somebody to track you down. Despite our best efforts, it could be what brings the cartel to your doorstep,” Shane advised in all seriousness.

“I have thought a lot about this over the past few days, and I won’t reconsider. I lost everybody and everything I love. I have nothing left of my past. Nothing but the name my parents gave me at birth. I will drop the last name, but never the first name,” I insisted, unwilling to bend on my decision.

He ran his fingers through his gray hair and sighed, then Shane leaned back in his chair and eyed me with curiosity while asking, “Do you have any other requests concerning your witness protection?”

After thinking about his question for a minute or so, I met his eyes and answered, “I would prefer not to live in the north. It gets too cold in the winter. Also, I would like my middle name to be Layla. It will serve as a reminder of the worst storm I’ve yet to live through.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. What about job preferences? Obviously, you won’t be able to pursue a job in the field of horticulture without sending up a red flag. Is there a profession that interests you?” Shane inquired.

It took a little longer for me to come up with an answer for that one. I knew from a young age that I wanted to work with plants. Exotic flowers to be precise.

Unable to think of anything else, I half-heartedly mumbled, “I wouldn’t mind working with animals.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. Do you have any other requests regarding your new identity?” Shane asked.

“No. I just want this all to be over,” I glumly replied.

“I understand. While I work on finalizing the details for your new identity, Agent Wilson will escort you to Director Owens office. He has a few things he needs to go over with you,” Shane informed us, then he started typing on his laptop.

I was taken to the fourth floor of the building, then I was led to the director’s office. When we were summoned to enter, there was a younger man with dirty blonde hair and dark blue eyes sitting behind a huge, red oak desk.

As soon as we stepped into his office, he stood up and walked around the desk, then he extended his hand out to me while greeting, “Welcome to our Atlanta Headquarters. I’m Director Philip Owens. I hope the trip here wasn’t too bumpy.”

“It was fine,” I muttered, returning the handshake.

“You can have a seat wherever you want,” he offered with a wave of his hand.

I looked around the office, noticing two loveseats and multiple chairs covered in black leather. Seeing no point in sitting on a loveseat, I plopped down on the chair in front of his desk and irritably asked, “How long is all of this going to take? When will I be able to bury my parents and fiance?”

“I’m very sorry to be the one to inform you, but that won’t be possible,” he responded, returning to his chair.

“Why not?” I asked.

“During the hurricane, Tristen’s body was taken by the ocean. We have not been able to locate his body. As for your parents, they were cremated yesterday to make room for the many lives lost during the storm,” Director Owens explained.

My lower lip trembled as I processed the words that had just left his mouth. I never got the chance to say ‘bye’ to my parents. Sure, I would have been saying ‘bye’ to their corpses, but it would have been better than nothing.

To make it worse, I wouldn’t be able to give them the proper burial they wanted. Instead, they were turned into a pile of ash, and I was not happy about it.

Enraged, I glared at the man and seethed through clenched teeth, “They had no right to do that! It’s not what my parents wanted done! They were supposed to be buried side-by-side!”

“Apologies, Hazina. It was out of my hands,” he mumbled, looking sympathetic.

“Where are their ashes?” I demanded to know.

“They are holding them in South Carolina for the time being,” he informed me.

“I expect their ashes to be released to me!” I grumbled.

“Absolutely! I will personally see to it,” Director Owens assured me, then he asked, “Hazina, is there anything you can tell me that might help us find their killer?”

“They were pillars of our community. Loved and adored by all. I knew of no enemies, but I also knew nothing about my father’s past with the Solito Cartel. I’ve already gone through all of this with the police and agents in South Carolina,” I huffed.

“I know you’ve been through a lot, but I need you to do something for me,” he sheepishly mumbled.

“What?” I snapped at the man.

“I need you to make a list of everybody your parents were associated with, then a separate list of your own. By the time you are done with that, Shane should be ready to go over the finer details of your new identity,” Director Owens explained, holding out a clipboard with paper and a pen.

As I snatched the clipboard out of his hand, I hissed, “Fine. Whatever gets me out of this place faster.”

I felt kind-of bad for acting snippy towards him, but I was at my wits' end. Grief, anger, sadness, and confusion were consuming every ounce of my being, and I couldn’t take much more.