The Lost Queen of the Amazons

Chapter 3: The Betrayal

She stared at the letter for a moment as she let the reality sink in. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she read the letter again and again to assure herself of  the fact that she was not dreaming. 

She frantically dialed Abhay's number but it just kept ringing. This was unlike him. He was always on his phone. She called him again but he still didn't pick up.

She shook her head. She refused to believe the fact that he had left her and that too on their one-year anniversary. She refused to believe that he had broken up with her through a mere letter. Then she was consumed by anger. She was mad at him for dumping her through a letter and for lacking the courage to talk about it in person.

Tears started flowing from her eyes as her heart started racing. She was livid. She wanted to find him and rip his head apart with her bare hands. She wanted to confront him about it. How could he be such a coward and pathetic?

She got an alert on her phone. It was code red and she had to report to the headquarters immediately. Someone important had died.

She reported to the conference room where her father, the Director of RAW and two other agents were seated. She took a seat beside her father as everyone looked at her.

"Agent Phoenix, did you kill Maria Sundaram?" The Director asked.

She shook her head. "What? No. I killed Vishal Malik. I orchestrated the massacre in a very dramatic way." She looked at the screen where Maria lay dead with a single bullet hole through her chest. 

"She was killed before you killed Vishal." 

"Well, I didn't kill her. You can check the CCTV footages of RAW. I was here when this happened."

"And how do you know when this happened?"

"The estimated time is stated right below the picture you have projected."

"Oh alright. But whose aim is that good beside yours?"

"Sir, you suspect this is an inside job?" Varun asked.

He nodded his head. "Yes. The bullet found in the crime scene is used by us. No one other than RAW agents and spies have access to that."

"But why did you suspect me? I barely use bullets."

"I know but your aim is always right. The bullet went straight through her heart. It was very clean hit."

"Sir I tried contacting Agent Hawk but he isn't responding." Another agent said with his laptop open in front of him.

He sighed. "Track his phone. We need the best agents now."

Verena clenched her jaw as his name was being mentioned. She tried not to think about her broken heart. Some things needed to be sacrificed in order to protect the greater good.

"Sir his last location showed right across from Maria's house." The agent stated.

Everyone was shocked. Nobody knew what to say. Everybody remained silent for a long time. Finally, the Director said, "What? Are you sure?"

"Yes sir. It says his phone was last used right across the house and that's all. I'm pretty sure he destroyed his phone there."

The Director sighed. "Damn it."

"He said he was on sniper duty." Verena said.

"Thats what he told you? I hadn't given anyone sniper duty today."

"Its definitely him then." Another agent confirmed.

A notification pinged on the Director's laptop. He opened the file in his laptop which was projected at the front. It was from Abhay. They all shared a glance before he opened the file.

It was a note from him saying: Do not try to stop me. I'm only doing what's best for my country. Don't get in my way and you'll be spared.

Verena felt her heart shatter into a million pieces as she read the note. She swallowed the lump in her throat and held back her tears. All she wanted to do was wail and have a breakdown but she knew she had to hold it in.

The Director turned to Varun. "You take over the investigation...."

"No." Verena said. "I want to take up the case." Everyone was shocked.

"Verena I know you have a personal grudge against him..."

"Of course I do but that doesn't matter to me when it comes to the national security. All I'm focused on is to protect my country. That's what RAW does, doesn't it?"

He thought for a long time before answering, "Fine you may lead the investigation but if I see you being biased, I will transfer the case to Varun."

"Yes sir. I won't fail you."

The journey from the headquarters to her house was silent. Her father tried to make conversation but she brushed it off and just looked outside the window, her mind racing with an endless string of thoughts.

Once reaching home, she walked straight to her room and shut the door behind her. She took deep breaths while trying to calm her beating heart. Tears started flowing from her eyes as she let the flood take over her.

Her legs gave in and she slid to the floor, drawing her knees towards her chest. She buried her head in her knees and cried her heart out. She didn't care how loud she was, she just let her emotions out. 

She kept crying until her parents rushed in to console her. Her mother hugged her while her father gently rubbed her back.

"Verena, are you sure you want to do this?" Varun asked.

She nodded her head, taking deep breaths to control her crying. He sighed. "Don't be stubborn Verena. Its not too late to turn back now."

"I know." She whispered. 

"Honey, listen to your father." Amaya said. "Look, you can be involved in the case but you leading it might not be the best idea."

"No ma. I need to do this. This is my duty and whatever he is doing goes against the very principles I have. Plus, I think papa might not be impartial with my ex future husband."

"Honey, I didn't know then......"

"I didn't know either but here we are. Its final. I'm leading the investigation." 

Hey guys. Do vote, comment and share. I'm sorry if there are any grammatical errors I missed out while editing. Also check out another book of mine on Burntchickennugget's account. We're writing the book together. I'm somehow not able to mention her so please bear with me. Byee loves.