Omega Assassin Complete Series
1. Finley
Finley
As I moved through the crowded streets of downtown Seattle toward my destination, I shifted my black umbrella back to peer up at the sky.
A chilly evening was descending as clouds passed overhead, shadowing the last rays of the sun’s warm light.
Now was the time that everyone was leaving work, and I used the flow of people to my advantage to remain unnoticed by street cameras.
As always, I wore a wig and colored contacts to further detract from my usual appearance.
It had taken the past three days of scouting and preparation for me to decide on the best way to get into the apartment building.
With various high-profile people living there, the security was tight—but I was better.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and looked at the image of the man I was going to kill.
He wasn’t much to look at—average, if you will—but he was the brains behind an up-and-coming tech company.
I didn’t know the specifics as to why someone wanted him dead, but they were willing to pay a lot of money to make it happen quickly.
Truthfully, the only thing I cared about was completing the job I’d been given and seeing it through.
Putting my phone away and pulling on my sleek leather gloves, I headed straight over to the sliding glass door of the complex and walked right up to the lobby attendant. “Excuse me, I’m here to see Mr. Matthews. Do you mind calling up to let him know I’m here?”
I knew from her employee file that she was younger than me, her name was Abby, and she was new here.
She’d only been on the job for two weeks, having just moved to the city.
After watching her through the video tap I’d put in place a few days ago, I knew how badly she wanted to impress everyone here.
“Of course, may I have your name?” Abby asked as she dialed the phone.
“Amy Sanders. If he asks, I’m here with the papers from his lawyer, Mr. Tallister,” I said, giving her a bright smile.
We both stood there as the phone rang and rang before going to voicemail.
“I’m sorry. It seems that Mr. Matthews isn’t in at the moment,” Abby apologized as she hung up.
I bit my lip and started to wring my hands, glancing around the room to make sure we were alone.
“Look, I was supposed to be here an hour ago, but I got lost. I just moved here, and I’ve never lived in a city this big before.
This is the first time my boss put me in charge of something this important.
Do you think that you could let me up to his floor so I can slide the papers under his door?
I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t super important…
” I begged, putting my hands together like I was praying and making sure I had my eyes wide.
Nothing like earnest helplessness to make someone give you what you want.
As I pleaded, I could see Abby softening to me. With a sigh, she nodded her head and hit the button that opened the glass door to get to the elevators.
“Oh my god, girl, you are a lifesaver!” I gushed as I hustled over to the open door. “I won’t be but ten minutes tops—well, unless I get lost again.” I chuckled and gave a little wave.
Pressing the button for the elevator, I stepped in and selected the fourth floor.
Once the doors opened again, I dropped my umbrella on the floor, preventing the doors from shutting all the way.
This was the time-sensitive part. I hit the button for the remote shut-off I’d hooked up to the electrical system, cutting off all the power in the building.
Calmly, I walked down the hall ‘til I got to Mr. Matthews’ apartment and slipped a manilla envelope under his door.
It was important to maintain cover as long as you could.
Should any questions be asked later, that envelope would help prove I’d actually come up there with a purpose.
With ten minutes left before the backup generator was triggered, I briskly marched to the end of the hall and took the stairs three more flights up to my true target’s floor. His room being only two doors away from the stairs made it just so convenient for me to deal with matters.
With the power out, I didn’t have to worry about the cameras or the fingerprint scanner, so I began to pick the back-up key lock to the front door, slipping in easily.
I stealthily crept into the living room, closer to the source of the soft muttering that whispered through the quiet space.
My target was sitting in his recliner, facing away from me, his dinner balanced on his lap.
This was going to be easier than I thought.
I stepped up behind him, a thin black case in one hand and a syringe in the other.
With effortless practice, the syringe was in his neck, the plunger depressed and solution injected before he could even twitch.
My gloved hands gently held him in the chair as he convulsed while the poison did its job, and once his pulse stuttered to a stop, I took a picture.
Our client wanted proof of the job's completion as soon as it was done, which wasn't uncommon these days.
When you had vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures to deal with, you could never be too careful.
I knew this hit was human, but it only took one time of not being cautious to end up dead or turned.
Once HQ sent back their confirmation of receipt, I left just as I had come, taking the stairs down to the fourth floor.
Using my umbrella, I pried the doors open enough to slip in, then let them shut, locking me in the elevator.
The wig started to itch, and I desperately wanted to rip it off my head, but I knew it would blow my cover.
If everything went according to plan, which it was so far, those cameras would be back on soon enough.
Moments later, the power flickered back on, and I was able to descend back to the ground floor.
Once the doors opened, I burst out, breath heaving as I wobbled out into the lobby.
“Please don’t tell me you got stuck in the elevator!” Abby gasped, rushing up to me.
I let a fake sob out as my body shook. “Could this day get any worse?! Please don’t tell anyone about this; how embarrassing to get trapped in the elevator because of a power outage.”
“They’re doing construction on the building next to us, and they must have done something to cause the power to go out. Oh, hun, I’m so sorry. Can I do anything? Call you a cab, maybe?” Abby asked, taking hold of my hand, her face full of concern.
Shaking my head, I gave her hand a squeeze. “No, I’m good. I think I need to get a drink and then get a cab home. Wine is the only thing that could make this day better.”
“Girl, I feel you.” Abby smiled, walking me to the door, and waved goodbye as I left.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I mentally shook off the last bit of my fake persona until I was back to my normal neutral personality.
I had long since gotten over the rush of the kill, and now, that part was just the job.
I enjoyed the strategy, the planning, and sometimes, when the person deserved it, I still got that thrill, but I had been a professional for a long time.
One bus ride later, I ditched the wig, shaking out my natural mahogany-colored hair.
A few blocks later, I tossed the gloves in separate trash cans before I hailed a cab to bring me back to my hotel room.
I had two hours before my flight back home to Wyoming—plenty of time to get that glass of wine for a job well done.
I stretched and sighed, glad to be out of confined spaces.
The flight was easy, but being crammed in with no personal space was my least favorite way to travel.
The Organization never allowed us to fly first class unless it was an international flight, claiming it was to help keep us as discreet as possible, but with the money we took in on our hits, we could easily have a private jet charter us wherever we needed to go.
Sure, it might be easier to trace the same private plane showing up in the cities where the dead people did, but at least we would be comfortable.
On the other hand, it could just be another way to show how they ruled our lives and kept us in line without making a blatant show of force.
The Organization liked to keep the leashes tight enough that we didn’t forget someone held them.
Grabbing my carry-on from the driver, I strolled up to the entryway of Nature’s Healing Wellness Retreat and Spa.
What better way to cover up the sins that were committed by the people that lived here than to nurture the well-being of others?
The property was littered with settlements of small homes filled with people seeking inner peace.
Amongst them, nestled away right under their very noses, were fully trained assassins waiting for their next target.
Such is the magic of yoga, cucumber water, and massages.
I headed right to the back of the main building where Margaret’s office was.
Our fearless leader would be awaiting my arrival, expecting to hear a full debriefing even though it was midnight.
Without knocking, I opened the heavy wooden door and entered the warm, cozy office.
It was a stark contradiction to the woman herself, but we all had to do our part to keep appearances up.
“Ah, Finley, you’ve returned,” she said, not even looking up from her work. “Take a seat.”
Margaret loved to make us wait; she always said it was an exercise in patience, and who could argue with a woman who had been in the industry for fifty years?
I watched as she typed away at something on her computer, the picture of poise.
Her short white hair was swept up and away from her face in an elegant style, and the steel-colored eyes behind her rimless glasses still held the fierceness needed for the job.