I wrote this piece of flash fiction a long while back. One day, I was reading over some of my stories and this one caught my eye. I thought it was worth sharing because who doesn't want to read a story with a gang member by the name of "Bumblebee" in it?! lol.
Undercover Traitor
The undercover agent reached for a cigarette inside his secondhand leather jacket. The whole scenario made him hide a grin. He didn’t like to smoke, never could tolerate the intoxicating smell of the stuff. Plus, he had never worn a black biker jacket before this assignment. He played cowboy a lot better than a dangerous gang member.
Hank Lawfrey had been undercover on multiple assignments over the years of his employment, but this case was by far the hardest. It had been six weeks working with the gang who called themselves by the ridiculous name: “The Snakebite Gang.”
By now, he was ready to reveal himself and get this case solved so he could return to his ranch, his beautiful wife, and their growing family. The last he’d heard, their twins Emma and Kelly, were approaching their third birthday… and he was going to miss it. What a lame father I’ve turned out to be. Just like my own old man, he thought to himself.
He’d tried many times to justify his undercover job which kept him from home, saying that he was making the world a better place for his little Emma and Kelly to grow up in, but that didn’t change the facts. The girls needed a father that was present. He wasn’t, and that was about to change. As soon as he finished this assignment.
If I could only catch them redhanded, then I could be out of here. His irritation grew towards the gang members. If they’d only make their move. He was waiting on the “Jackpot” robbery to turn them in so he could be sure they would be sentenced to life in prison. The chief of police was counting on his inside information.
Bumblebee, Oxford, Switchblade, and PJ were all gathered around in a dark alleyway that had a stench like rotten eggs—no, much worse than that. They passed the time playing a card game, even though they all were flat broke. They all thought that would change after tonight’s heist.
“Hey, Smokey,” PJ’s voice rasped Hanks gang name from his spot on a overturned crate, “You wanna play or ya just gonna stand over there and smoke the whole time?”
Hank held his cigarette between his first and third fingers, he blew the smoke from his lips, and tried not to gag from it. “Naw, I don’t play.”
From the looks on their faces, maybe he should have lied and just winged a game or two, but he was no gambler.
“I’ll keep watch.” He said, hoping that was a good enough excuse to stand at the alleyway entrance. For my signal, he mentally added.
The gang talked amongst themselves, nodding occasionally in his direction. Their scrutiny creating a uneasy feeling that washed over him.
Bumblebee—the unusual gang name derived from his odd tattoo of a bumblebee on his bicep—ambled over to where Hank stood, his bulky form towering over Hanks lean one. Although Bumblebee reminded Hank of a big teddy bear, he couldn’t underestimate the larger man’s strength… he would not want to get on his bad side, that was for sure. He’d seen what the man was capable of.
“Dude, do you know what they are saying about you over there?” Bumblebee questioned, swiping his brow with his beefy forearm. The heat in the alleyway was stifling.
“Don’t care.” Hank responded, continuing with his rough façade.
“Yeah, well you should. They say you aren’t really one of us.” His words were laced with a challenge, “So what are you going to do about it?”
If Bumblebee was trying to intimidate him, Hank wasn’t going to show that it was working. The truth would come out tonight when Snakebite, the gang leader, came back from his “errand.” Hank had already decided that when his team could back him, this gang was going to get busted. Tonight.
Only then he could return to his ranch and become the father that he’d never had. His wife and girls deserved that. It was time for him to settle down and stop chasing the bad guys.
His thoughts were interrupted by a light that blinked from across the street in a store window, indicating that their operation was going according to plan. He’d waited for this moment for a long time and he wasn’t going to blow it.
Hank looked Bumblebee in the eye, it was the bigger man’s turn to squirm now, “They say I’m a traitor. Maybe I am. Maybe I don’t care.”
What did ya'll think? It ended with somewhat of a cliffhanger so I guess you’ll have to use your imagination to finish it! Any feedback for me? (Do you like the graphic I made for this story?!)
The prompt was something like: “You say I’m a traitor. Maybe I am.”
Do you want to read more flash fiction stories? Comment Below!
Many Blessings,
Brooklyne Elysse
