The Protection Program

TPP : Chapter LIX

The room was silent, nothing much but breathing and blinking if you minus the confused look coming from Steve Martello aka Nina's counselor aka one of the reasons she is once again imprisoned in boot camp. He pinched the bridge of his nose, making his thin wire framed glasses move up a few inches. He sighed as he pulled out a notepad from one of the many messy drawers in his wood carven desk.

"I don't know what your asking me."

"Bullshit! You know exactly what I'm asking! And you also know exactly what I'm offering, which is why I'm confused as to why the hell your being such a stubborn prick."

His eyes narrowed as he clicked the pen top once causing the ink covered needle to spit out from the bottom. He wrote down her name at the top of the yellow colored sheet of notebook paper and cleared his throat.

"Well, I can write down your name and some information and we can get back to you in three months when her time is up."

"I'm not waiting three months! I need her now. She shouldn't even be in there at the moment and I feel like it's my duty to get her out."

"How would you know that? How would you know she has no reason to be there?"

"I know these things. I know everything. I need her Steve. ASAP at that."

Steve rolled his eyes in frustration, only he knew this but Nina was on a waiting list. This was the 16th person this week to come in asking to become Nina's partner once her three months were up, only this person was impatient and persistent about having her now.

Steve had one job, his job was to protect and make sure all of his parolees that he delt with got good, caring partners once there time was up and out of all 170 something parolees that he had, Nina was his least favorite.

In situations like this Steve resembled Sprat, he disliked Nina for no apparent reason the same way sprat disliked everyone on the face of the planet for no apparent reason.

"Look, Stevie my boy. 10,000 dollars in cash. Right now. Just please take her from out of the program and give her to me. Where she'll be safe and I promise, you won't ever have to deal with Nina again."

He groaned out because as much as he wanted to, he couldn't. As nice as 10,000 dollars sounded, it wasn't worth his job. 10,000 dollars would run out and he would be jobless, homeless, everything-less per se. Also not dealing with Nina sounded pretty darn good too.

"I can't."

"But you can! Nobody will have to know."

He furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes, he didn't give two shits about Nina but he was Just a little confused as to why she was so important? Why they cared so much about her and why they needed to have her now?

"How about this, i can garauntee that you get her once her time is up. I'll X out everyone's name from the list and she will go directly to you."

"No. Now. I need her now."

He pushed up his glasses once more and scribbled the black ink on to the pad. He was nervous, indecisive, a little bit anxious and he was afraid his lunch would come up any minute.

He didn't know why though, he wasn't afraid or anything. It was mainly what he was facing that made him nervous, 10,000 dollars and never having to deal with Nina again or 10,000 dollars, never having to deal with Nina again and then getting caught and losing his job. There was a lot at line here and he didn't know which way to go.

"100,000."

His eyes shifted up to as they widened a little. He could feel the sweat beads forming on his brow and under his arms, it was actually quit chilly in the office so that just proves how intimidated he felt.

"I can't."

"500,000 .... 500,000 dollars. Right now. Right here. Just take her out of the program, give her to me. And you got yourself 500,000 dollars. Come on Steve, I know you want too."

It was true, he wanted to oh-so-badly but he had a disabled wife at home who he had to take care of. Not including himself. Although 500,000 dollars would cover all of her medical bills and still leave hundreds of thousands of dollars left, what would happen when that money ran out and what if he lost his job? He wouldn't be able to support the clothes on his back let alone him and his wife.

"Come on Steve. Nobody will find out."

He swallowed down at the snowballing lump in his throat. His sweat was now visible as he had to turn the oscillating fan towards him so it would no longer move from side to side.

"500,000 dollars and you will never have to even think about Nina again."

Steve took in a deep breath as he finally made up his mind. As bad as it was he felt as if he had no choice, he swiveled his black office chair to the right as he began to click links and pull up files on his desktop computer. He cleared his throat as he undid the first three buttons on his button down shirt.

The screen shut out quickly and went back to Steve's home page, a photo of him and his wife. Steve didn't have kids so his wife was all he had to go home too, can you imagine how happy she'll be when he shows her the money?

"Okay, her files are deleted. She's yours."

"Wonderful."

"The money?"

Before Steve knew it there was a heaping amount of money laying on his desk. The money was separated and Steve was given 10 large wads of cash, each holding 50,000 dollars and the sight was enough to make him vomit. A good vomit though. An overjoyed vomit.

"Okay here.."

Steve reached over to grab a sticky note sheet and clicked the end of his black pen. He scribbled down an address and handed it away quickly, feeling relief when the paper was no longer sticking to his fingers.

"This is the address, be there at 1 to pick her up. I'll explain everything to them so all you have to do is pick her up."

"Got it. Thank you so much bro, you don't know how much this means to me!"

Steve took in a deep breath and smiled, he felt like he had accomplished the world. Tons of money, no more Nina, what more could he ask for? It was perfect.

"Welcome to TPP."

Steve leaned back in his chair as he got a sense of relief from hearing the door close. All he felt like doing was celebrating, popping off champagne and celebrating but he had to get busy because he had to make up lie and lie on why Nina was leaving. Nina would be overjoyed of course, but her joy would soon leave once she finds out her paired partner was not Aubrey.