Page 1 of Dima
“Where you at, youngsta?”
“I’m at home, Unc. Where else am I going to be at this time of morning?”
“I was hoping you’d be at the field office prepping for the briefing this morning. I told your ass this was a big deal, kid. This assignment is not something you can just roll out of bed and be ready for. You need to come prepared.”
“I’m prepared, Unc. You worry too much.”
“Nah, with you, I don’t worry enough. Get yo’ ass up and beat me to that office. I’m not playing with you.”
I hung up the phone and sat straight up in my bed. Anticipation was the only thing pushing me in the direction ofwhat my uncle Atlas had just said. Little did he know, I had been up all night getting ready for this briefing.
Today was the day my handler would brief me and the rest of the office on my next assignment, an assignment that I had not only pushed to get but also went over my uncle’s head for. Atlas was the only person in the world who I knew loved me just as much as my mother, which meant he blocked anything that he felt would put me in harm’s way. The only problem with that was that I needed to make a name for myself. My uncle Atlas stood in the way of that.
Coming from a family of FBI agents meant that I was a legacy, and the men who had to get it out the mud hardly respected legacies. Not only was my uncle Atlas the head of investigation at our Jackson, Mississippi field office, but the job was formerly held by my father, who was regarded as one of the best FBI agents to ever grace the city.
My father and I had never gotten along, and the only thing standing in the way of me getting a promotion and my choice of a field office far away from him was this assignment. My only goal for the last seven years was to become an FBI agent and get assigned to a field office outside of the city that had all but crowned my father king.
I threw my legs over the left side of my bed and slipped my feet into my house shoes that I knew would be in the exact spot they landed. I stood and stretched before I took a moment to make my bed. I smoothed the edges and tucked the corners to make sure it was perfect. My mother taught me a perfectly-made bed was the key to making any room look presentable.
When I was satisfied with how everything looked, I pulled myself into the bathroom to shit, shower, and shave for the day. In a little less than an hour, I was dressed and ready to get the briefing out of the way. I grabbed my watch off the nightstand and wrapped it around my wrist.
I dressed in a pair of black slacks, a white button-down, and a black tie before throwing on my FBI jacket. I had grown up watching my father get dressed the same way every morning. Back then, I wanted to be just like him. Now, I would kill myself if I turned out even halfway like him.
I checked the time on my watch to make sure I was still ahead. I would no doubt beat my uncle to the office since I knew what time he usually made it in, and it was always after me. I was the first person in the office every morning and the last to leave.
I draped my badge around my neck and walked out the door. The drive to the office gave me even more time to prepare for my briefing. I pulled into the parking lot and parked in my designated spot about fifteen minutes later.
Walking into the Jackson, Mississippi, field office was a ritual that I had become used to over the last year. I had graduated top of my class from Quantico and became an FBI agent at just twenty-two years old. Now, at twenty-three, I was getting ready to take on the biggest undercover operation that anyone my age could ask for.
“Beat me by a couple of seconds, I see.”
My uncle Atlas walked up behind me before I could make it to my desk. He was earlier than he usually was. He was still on edge about sending me on this assignment. It was a good thing I had taken the decision out of his hands, or I would never be able to go undercover.
“I told you everything would be good, Unc. Stop worrying.”
“I will when I’m sure you will be safe. I need you to take this serious, Nephew.”
“I do.”
“Good. Put your stuff down and come into my office.”
My uncle Atlas walked toward his office that sat in the corner. I dropped my things off at my desk before doing as I was told. I could already see he wasn’t about to let me slidewith going behind his back and getting myself assigned to this mission.
“So, you think you ready for this shit?”
He stood at the large floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the city. Jackson was a ruthless city that had claimed the lives of so many people I grew up with. The question my uncle asked was tenfold. He wasn’t only asking if I was ready for this assignment. He wanted to know if I was ready to be thrust into the underworld of a city like Jackson.
“I am, Uncle Atlas. I thought we moved past this.”
“Moved past what? You going over my head and getting attached to something I told you to stay away from?”
“See, that’s the problem, big dog.”
I rubbed my hand down my face before continuing. I tried to find the most respectful way to frame what I was about to say. I loved my uncle Atlas. He was the only father figure I acknowledged, but I hated the way he still saw me as a little ass kid at times.
“I’m a grown ass man, A. I hate that I have to say it like that, but it’s the truth. I don’t have to sneak and do shit, and you don’t tell me what to do. I’m going to always move with respect when it comes to you. The bond we have is one of the best things in my life, Unc, but I’m getting tired of you mistaking that respect for me asking for permission.”
He turned away from the window so he could look at me head on. My uncle put both hands inside his pockets before he said anything. He stood about an inch taller than me, and I was taller than most. Looking at him was like looking at an older version of myself in the mirror. The expression on his face softened before he spoke.
