The Assassin
Fuck, I thought at the sight of the swirling police lights beaming through the windows.
I didn’t have time to kill her and make my escape.
From the cocky smile on her face, she knew it too.
As much as I wanted to pull the trigger and prove her wrong, I needed to get out of here before her fellow feds came any closer.
“Like hell I am,” I murmured, responding to her previous comment. Reluctantly, I pulled the gun away from her head and raised it over mine. “We’ll finish this conversation another time.”
Her victorious expression dimmed as her brows pinched together. “What are you-” The last words weren’t able to leave her mouth before the handle of my gun was slamming back against her temple. Her eyes rolled from the impact, momentarily blinding her.
I took the moment of opportunity to hop off of her and lunge back through the rear window from which I came. The vast forest, cloaked in darkness, was only inches away. I easily slipped into the spruce trees and sprinted away from the scene.
The mud splashed and squished under my boots as I ran. A slippery surface would have slowed most down, but not me. I was trained to maintain my speed on all types of terrains. It was a necessity in instances like this when distance was part of my escape route.
Adrenaline from the unexpected sequence of events boiled in my blood, increasing my speed and warming my body from the cold rain. I played it over and over again like a movie.
Having my target in the perfect position. The FBI agent busting in the room. The fierceness and determination in her eyes. The way her limbs felt wrapped around my body. The flush of her body on mine as she pinned me down.
It was the most fun I’ve had in years.
Most of my targets, paralyzed by fear and dread, were too afraid to fight back. All they did was scream and beg for mercy. As if the virtuous god they’d turned their back on would help them. But not her. She looked death in the face and dared it to try her.
It was a rarity that’s intrigued me over the last few years. The people who weren’t afraid to die were the ones worth keeping around. It’s just too bad she was using her courageousness for a weak justice system. Now, instead of keeping her on the back burner, I had to get rid of her.
As I ran uphill for a few miles towards my partner’s waiting vehicle, I started thinking of the ways I could get my hands on her again.
She was law enforcement, so I’ll have to be even more discreet than usual.
With the fight she put up earlier, I already knew she wasn’t going to go down quietly.
But that was alright. I could use a good challenge.
My partner’s black van was parked in the back of a small inn, disguised as a potential patron taking a break from the road.
As soon as I hopped through the back doors and into the load area, I was met with Maria’s firm frown and quick hands.
What the hell happened? She signed. She was sitting in front of a plethora of computers, monitoring my location and listening in through the communication device lodged in my ear.
Maria could hear, but she couldn’t speak much.
The eerily straight line running across her neck, and the damage left underneath it, prevented her from doing so.
When she couldn’t sign to me, she used an automated text to speech to communicate.
In times like this when I was out on a mission, whatever she typed went straight into my earpiece.
Usually, she alerted me to any signs of encroaching law enforcement or unexpected company.
But, surprisingly, she was quiet throughout my whole ordeal with the agent.
Unless she did say something, and I was just too amused with the agent to pay attention.
“Slight change in plans,” I admitted. “But, our target was taken care of.”
And the fed?
“Will be dealt with.”
Slumping back in her seat, she let out a dramatic sigh. We won’t have time to do it tonight. We’re supposed to be in Texas by tomorrow afternoon for our next job.
“And luckily for the fed, we will be. She gets to breathe for another forty-eight hours.”
Forty-eight hours is too generous. All she needs is one to put the rest of the cavalry on our trail. She let out a huff of frustration. And you know the protocol. No witnesses. He’s going to be pissed when he finds out we left one.
I gritted my teeth at the reminder. I wasn’t afraid of our handler, but the rest of the assassins underneath him were. He’s always been a looming figure in the shadows of our underground organization. Always watching. Always looking for mistakes. Always eager to take his blade to correct them.
“He won’t find out,” I assured Maria.
She ignored me and continued signing. Her fingers moved rapidly as she communicated her rambling thoughts. What if we sent someone else to finish her off? If she’s wounded, then they’ll send her to a hospital. I can scope out who’s in the area and see who’s closest.
I grabbed her hands to silence her. “No,” I said. “I’ll take care of her.”
Her brows rose as she looked up at me, surprised by my touch.
I never interrupted her when she was signing, determined not to ignore any of the new voice she’d regained after the first was cruelly taken away.
Realizing my mistake, I quickly released her. “Sorry,” I muttered. “But this one is mine.”
The surprise on her face transformed into disbelief. She’s a fed, she reminded me. Not a play toy.
“Understood.”
And do it sooner rather than later. We don’t need him, or the feds, on our backs.
“As soon as we finish our next job, I’ll start planning. Promise.”
Maria pursed her lips in a stern look. I thought she was going to argue with me some more, but she turned on her heel and started powering down the surveillance station.
She left me in the loading bay to climb up into the driver’s seat. The engine quietly rumbled and the cab jiggled as it came to life and pulled off toward the main road.
On the drive toward our next assignment, I entertained myself with thoughts of the agent’s end. I could see it perfectly. Her body pinned underneath me. Staring at me with a fierce glare that could burn cities. And my hands wrapped tight around her pretty little neck.