Kayla Rivers knew what she wanted to do with her life. She had everything planned out. She was going to be taking over her mother's resturant soon. Yes she still missed her dad, but art always made her feel a little bit closer to him. Everything was...
I was sitting in my office overlooking the skyline. I was debating what to do about the file I found on my desk with a sticky note attached to it. On the note one word was written: URGENT. No one seems to know how it got there.
"You wanted to see me boss," I turned around and there stood Dontae, my second in command. Normally I would hand a job like this over to him, but since it was a personal favor, I would do it myself. But I was going to need someone to keep up with the day to day operations, and that is where Dontae comes in.
"I need you to take over the business for a while. I need to go out into the field and take care of something. While I'm gone, I need you to make sure that everything continues to run smoothly. Can you do that?"
"Sure boss, is there anything that you need me to do to help you prepare for this mission?"
"Nah, I'm basically packed so all I have left to do is shoot out. I'm heading home now to make sure I have everything that I'm going to need. But do me a favor." I say as I hand him the file from my desk.
"Find out what this is about."
"Alright boss."
I walked out of my office with a different file tucked under my arm. I hadn't had a chance to look it over yet, but I could already tell that it would be trying. I got the gist of it, something about a missing daughter.
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Once I got my lunch I made my way home. I sat the file on my bed and made sure I had the basics.
After a while, curiosity got the best of me. I opened the folder and a picture fell out. There was no name, but there was an address. When I searched the address a restaurant by the name of Mama's House came up.
I looked at the picture again. The girl was beautiful. I needed to find out what Caleb and Cade planned to do with her. I'm not stupid, I know that they didn't hire me to find a long lost family member. Sure, she may be someone's long lost relative, I just don't believe she's theirs.
I grabbed my bags and headed down to the car. Once everything was packed away, I got in the car and drove to the airport. I looked though the file again, just to make sure that I hadn't missed any important detail.
The lady had a necklace on her neck, but it was to the side. Directly on the side of the necklace was a scar. It looked like an old scar. Looking at the scar brought me back in time.
"What's going on Kayla?" She was standing right in front of me, but she wouldn't look me in the eyes.
I placed my finger underneath her chin until her eyes were level with mine.
"Kayla, you can talk to me about anything remember? We're best friends."
"We can't be best friends anymore Antoni."
"Why not Kayla?"
"Because we're leaving. We're moving away and we won't be able to be friends anymore."
I was brought back to the present by an announcement on the intercom. My plane was now boarding. It had been a long time since I thought about Kayla.
Kayla was my childhood best friend. We lived next door. We spent every hour we could together.... Until the fire, the fire that changed everything.
We were in 4th grade by then. Kayla called me 'Antoni.' She was the only one allowed to call me that. When we were younger she couldn't say my name. She called me Antoni and it just stuck.
That fire effectively ended our friendship. 10 year olds don't know that friendships can stand the distance.
I found my seat and put my carry-on away. I sat down and got ready for a long flight. After the plane took off, I went to sleep.
When I woke up the plane had just landed. I grabbed my carry-on and went to search for the rest of my luggage. I walked out of the airport and hailed a cab.
The cab driver dropped me off at my hotel. Conveniently located next to my hotel was Mama's House. I decided to scope the place out before going to meet with Caleb and Cade.
I went inside and ordered dinner. I hoped to catch a glimpse of this mysterious woman, but it seemed as if luck was not on my side. I ate my food and left.
I went back to the hotel room and got ready for bed. Tomorrow was a new day and I would be making my decision based on what I found out in my meeting.
They better be able to answer every question to my satisfaction. If one question goes unanswered, the deal is off. I cannot put the lives of my team in danger for one job. Friendship or not, the reward in a situation like that is never worth the risks that come along with it.
I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes. As I drift off into sleep, my dreams are haunted by a certain beauty. She was smiling at me, just like old times...
