Chapter 12:The Inside Man
839 Words
POV:Sam(The Assistant)
The sun was hot, and my white driver’s uniform felt stiff and itchy. I stood by the car door with my head down. I didn't want the Chief to see the anger in my eyes. The Chief was a powerful man with a lot of money, but he was also the meanest person I had ever met.
His expensive leather shoes clicked on the pavement. Every time he spoke, his voice felt like a whip. For the last hour, he had insulted my driving, my clothes, and even the way I breathed.
"You are a slow, stupid man, Sam," the Chief spat. He poked his heavy gold cane into my ribs. It hurt, but I didn't move. "Why is the door not open? Move your lazy bones before I find someone else to take your place."
"I am sorry, Chief," I said quietly.
Inside, I wasn't sorry at all. I was a spy in a white uniform. To help my friend Elias, I had to swallow my pride every single day. I opened the door, and the Chief slid into the back seat. The car smelled like his stinky cigars and his arrogance.
As I drove through the busy city, I thought about Elias and his daughter, Bella. Elias used to be a billionaire. Now, he sat under an almond tree at the market to help people with their money. He was a good man, and the Chief hated him for it.
"Stop at the corner," the Chief ordered. He pointed at some children playing in the dirt. "Look at them, Sam. That is where Elias belongs now. In the gutter. Tell me, do you still talk to that loser?"
I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. "I focus on my work, Chief."
"Good. Because if I find out you are helping him, I will destroy you too," the Chief hissed. "You will be eating from trash cans by the end of the week. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Chief."
I waited in the car for six hours while he was in a meeting. I didn't eat or drink. I just sat in the heat and planned. When I finally dropped him at his mansion, the moon was high. He didn't say thank you; he just walked inside.
I didn't stay to clean the car. I waited until his lights went out, and then I ran. I ran past the big houses and into the dark, crowded streets where Elias lived. I was shaking with rage. I knocked on the door, and Elias opened it. He looked pale, holding his torn green notebook.
"The bad men came to the tree, Sam," Elias said. "The Chairman’s brother said if I come back tomorrow, he will kill me."
I walked inside and shut the door tight. Little Bella was sleeping on a small bed.
"Elias, I heard the Chief on the phone today," I whispered. "He is the one paying the bullies. He wants to tear down the market and build a giant mall. He told the men to use sticks and fire to chase the people out. He called you a ghost."
Elias sat on the floor. "He thinks I am nothing because I have no power."
"You have the people, Elias," I said. I began to rip the buttons off my white shirt. I hated looking like his servant. "He poked me with his cane and called me a dog. I wanted to fight him so badly."
"I am sorry, Sam," Elias said. "You are a friend to a billionaire, and now you are a driver for a devil."
"No," I replied. "I am the shadow he doesn't see. He is teaching me why I need to stop him. Tomorrow, we go to the tree early. We tell the traders about the mall. If we stand together, the bullies cannot move us. The Chief is afraid of the truth, Elias. That is why he tried to ruin your notebook."
Elias opened his notebook to a clean page. "He ripped out the tax pages, but I remember every number."
"Then write them again!" I said. "I will be there with you."
"No," Elias said. "You must stay as his driver. If he finds out, we lose our spy. We need to know his next move."
I hated it, but he was right. A spy is just as important as a soldier.
"Okay," I whispered. "I will go back. I will let him yell at me for one more day. But I will be watching."
We sat in the dark and planned. We weren't a billionaire and a driver anymore. We were two friends fighting for their lives. I fixed my shirt and stood up. I looked like a servant again, but inside, I felt like a king.
"See you in the morning, Elias."
"Be careful, Sam. The lion is hungry."
- Writer
