Hiding within My Peers (#Wattys2016)

8 - Phone Call in the Bathroom and Gaining the Ambassador's Trust

I abandoned the Ambassador and the other man and went straight to the bathroom. I locked the door and I called my boss.

- What happened?

- Did you not see it?

- What did I not see?

- The god damn laser, man! - I was really stressed at this point. - I tried to bug the Ambassador but I failed, and a laser was heading towards me as soon as I putted my arm back on its place.

- Are you okay?

- Who the f*ck cares? Handle it NOW! Don't you know how to investigate? I don't want to get shot!

- I'm your boss, and I know you are stressed, but do not give me orders, ok? There is no laser! 

- You may be right, but can you please investigate it anyway? - I asked him, but it seemed like I was begging him.

- Fine... Which building are you talking about?

- The one to your right...

- Ok. I'll call you in half an hour to tell you what happened. - He hung up the phone. 

I stayed in the bathroom for a little more time. I just looked at myself in the mirror to think about what I had to do. I then got out of the bathroom and went to the balcony, to see where my boss was. He was just leaving to investigate the building where the laser was coming from. It was moving, pointing at the guests. They had noticed it already, and Damon was getting a lot of complaints about it: even the Ambassador talked to him.

I went next to him and he asked:

- Do you know anything about this? - I pulled him away from the security agent and I improvised:

- I set a sniper on the roof to eliminate the spy. 

- What? I told you that you were the only agent on this mission! Nobody should know about this! I made it very clear - Even though he was whispering, the rage in his voice was perceptible.

- Don't worry. I didn't reveal any information about the circumstances of this party. I just told them to shoot if they saw anything suspicious. I didn't even told them who they are working for. For them, this is just a normal party!

- I'm starting to think that you aren't the right man to the job...

- Oh, yeah? Do you want me to leave and let the spy do whatever he wants? - I started raising my voice.

- Of course not, you dumb idiot! But you are starting to seem a little suspicious.

- Ok, then! I'll be going now... I hope he kills you. - I was bluffing too much. The risk was too high, but I headed to the door. I took my briefcase, went outside his house and got in the elevator, hoping he'd stop me.

- Don't. - he said, holding the elevator door. - If you were a spy you wouldn't have gone away, unless you're a professional bluffer. Well done, Hugh. Now I know I can trust you. At least a little bit more than I could.