Mr. Petrov left the Captain's office slamming the door shut. The Captain sighed loudly before addressing the young officer. “Are you okay, Kenya? ... Did he got you? ... I can't help but to notice you're clenching your teeth.”
The officer's eyes welled up. “I... Oh, shit, I can't...”
“I'll be brief. I know the man. Better than I'd like, if I'm being honest. If I have to take a guess, you've been lucky. Now, tell me. Did he give you any orders?”
Kenya looked at the Captain, too scared to say anything.
“Son. I'm on the boat too. You can tell me.”
“He– he told me to keep an eye on Mr. Petrov and to call him if... if he did anything stupid. And... and to deliver him a message.”
“Okay. I'll make that call, don't worry. But you better not lose Mr. Petrov. Honestly, he's scheming something, and I don't like what it could be. Say... what does he know? Mr. Petrov, I mean.”
“I... I don't know, I was outside the shack while they talked.”
“Okay. Now, go after him before it is too late.” The Captain said as the officer opened the door. “Oh. One last thing. Believe me when I say, betraying that man is about the most stupid thing you can do. Okay?”
Kenya nodded before rushing after Mr. Petrov. His chest burned as he started breathing hard from the chase. Soon he had to slow down, or he'd surely faint from the pain. His heart sank when he reached the main door and saw Mr. Petrov's car already gone. It took him all of his self-control to not punch the building's wall. With nothing else to do, he decided to go tell his Captain.
He stopped dead in his tracks when he reached the office door, and heard the Captain talking on the phone.
“Yes, seems like he was too late. ... Okay. ... Okay, yes, I already did that. ... Yes, I'll tell him.”
Kenya knocked on the door as he heard the phone hung up.
“Come in.” The Captain opened the door himself. “Kenya, let me tell you. Go buy a lottery ticket 'cause today is your lucky day.”
“I... I lost him.” The young man looked down, bit his lip hard. Shit. He had messed it all up. The Captain's irony hurt almost as much as his chest.
“Yeah, I know. Look, I called him. We got a tracker on Mr. Petrov's car, so there's no need for you to follow him around. Safer for you too, since he may be trying to contact the wolves. Our... friend has been investigating and seems he does have a possible connection.”
Kenya went white. The wolves – the mob. And... That Guy. And he was caught between the two. He let his back lean against the wall in hopes it would held him, but soon his legs gave up, and he curled up into a ball, sitting on the floor.
He didn't heard the Captain saying that this was their every other day, he just saw his eyes right in front of his, a kind expression in them. He started mumbling. “I... Oh shit, no, no, this...”
“Son, listen to me. Don't worry too much about this, okay?” The Captain bit his tongue for a split second. He had news to deliver, but the poor officer desperately needed some comfort. Oh, well. News can wait. “Listen, your shirt is stained. Let's take you to the infirmary to take care of that.”
“No, no, I don't think that's a good idea...”
“Son. They know. Nobody in here will bat an eye at that.”
