“We’ve got a new assignment for you.”

“Give me one second…”

“…Time is of the essence on this one.”

“I can’t aim with your voice buzzing in my ear.”

Click

“Ok, got him. You may speak.”

“…Excellent shot, Malone, I really didn’t think you’d hit him from that distance.”

“Time is of the essence?”

“Right. Listen up…”

Eryn Malone carefully placed her sniper rifle back in its case as she listened to her superior give her the details of her next assignment. His voice was clear and close through the earpiece as if he were standing right next to her.

“Your next target is another “keeper of the peace.” She works for a different private security company and has orders to assassinate our client. Our client, understandably, wants her out of the picture.”

“What do we know about her?”

“Not much, other than she must be highly trained to be going after such a large target. We have a visual, but it’s poor quality. Check your phone.”

Eryn glanced down at the device to see it light up with a new message. She opened and squinted at the blurry image. “You call this a visual?”

“I told you it was poor quality. Taken from a home security camera. You’ll just have to manage. Delete it as soon as you’ve got it memorized.”

The agent sighed and tucked her phone back into her pocket. “Already done. What’s the address?” she asked lazily, picking up the rifle case and heading downstairs to catch a cab.

“Listen Malone, I know you’re the best of the best but don’t take this new assignment too lightly. She’s not a sitting duck like the targets you’re used to. We may have actually found a match for you.”

“Yeah, we’ll see about that. Give me the address.”
Within a few hours, Eryn was lounging at a hotel bar downtown, idly sipping her drink. She was dressed to kill – both in the literal and metaphorical sense. A black, form-fitting dress hugged her curves and came up high on her thighs, but still managed to conceal several blades and throwing knives. Her heels were dangerous too, each containing blades that she could release with just a tap of her foot. Her hair, which was normally pulled back into ponytail, fell down onto her shoulders in a cascade of auburn curls. She’d already turned down a few men and a woman who had been brave enough to offer her a drink. She’d been tempted by the last one, but she was here on business after all… Still, she couldn’t help but make eyes at a pretty blonde at the opposite end of the bar.

The hotel itself was very upscale. Eryn had been surprised when her boss gave her the address. Even the taxi driver had given her a double take, as if trying to recognize her as some celebrity or athlete or big name politician. Those were the kind of people that stayed at the Palazzo Hotel, with its high-rise towers and gold-plated décor. Whoever was paying her target to stay here was wealthy indeed.

Eryn glanced at the time on her phone and then back at the hotel’s entrance. It was almost 10 o’clock pm, and she had yet to see anyone who remotely resembled the blurry picture of the young woman her boss had sent her. She ordered another drink and continued to sit patiently among the crowd of glamorous suits and gowns. Perhaps she had already missed the target and would have to come back to the bar tomorrow night. She glanced at the blonde again who winked at her. It wouldn’t be such a terrible thing to spend an extra night… Better give it just a little while longer,[i] she thought to herself smirking flirtatiously at the other woman. [i]”She could walk through that hotel lobby at any moment. Maybe even stop for a drink.” Whether she showed up tonight or not, it was probably better not to get distracted in the mean time. Better to stay focused. Time was of the essence on this one, after all.

"Nine.....what did you say the last number was?" She asked frowning down at her burn phone.

"Go to hell, bitch!"

Her hazel eyes narrowed as she sighed. "That's not a number Mr. Steel!" She looked up at him, arms tried to a chair, face bloody. With pursed lips the heel of Gail's high heel boots pushed between the mans legs making yell out in pain. "The last number to the account Mr Steel." She repeated herself once more through gritted teeth.

"Four! The last numbers four dammit!"

A smile spread on Gail's pink colored lips, as she removed she shoe from the man. "Thank you, see was that so hard?" She said going around the man, putting the numbers into her phone sending the money to an account she give the client after the job was done. Turning her back to Mr. Steel and going to the table in the dark warehouse, picking up a small black carrying and carefully digging through it. Gail carefully pulled the needle out, letting a little liquid squirt from the tip, as she came up behind him.

"This may hurt a bit." She said before sticking the needle into the back his head. Which seemed to cause him to panic, screams for someone to help him starting again. Gail rolled her eyes, pushing the duct tape over his mouth again as she waited for the poison to kick in. A few moments later her hand going to her ear piece turning it back on.

"Mr. Steel has been taken care of. Account has been transferred to a save guarded account to wait for my password."

"How many times have I told you not to turn off the ear piece.....Good job."

A smile spread across her face. "Did you blur out the camera image?"

"Yes. The address to where you'll be staying is going sent to your phone. And don't get cocky, after Steel disappeared, he'll be paranoid."

"Great, that just makes it more challenging. Gail said smirking, looking down at her phone again from the address.

Two days later, she had already made herself at home in the Palazzo Hotel room 118. It was a really ritzy and well guarded place. So much so, that she was even surprised that their client had sat up a room for her here. Even with some of her hardest targets, Gail hadn’t ever stayed in a place this high class before so it was a little harder for her to blend in here. Finally she had managed to find where her target was hiding, though it was late at night and she wouldn’t be able to get to him in the morning when he wasn’t so surrounded. It was five until ten pm before she got back to the hotel, already tried and ready to go to bed.

Gail pulled her phone walking in the door to the lobby, checking in with her superior, informing her of her progress and where she found the target was staying. As Gail put her phone back in her black clutch purse, her eyes flickered over at the bar from the lobby. After all she was already dressed up, it would hurt to awful much to get herself a drink and relax for once. To anyone just looking at her Gail would have looked like she fit in with the glamorous and rich crowd that belonged in a place like this.

Gail’s long wavy dark brunette hair was pulled up into a lose bun, her bangs left hanging lose in a way that framed her face. She wore a long dark blue sleeveless dress that hugged her curves, and flowed down to the waged heels she wore a slit up her left side to her thigh and was far from what she would rather be wearing. However, that didn’t mean she was careless enough to be unarmed, a 22 automatic with a silencer strapped to her right ankle, and a knife strapped to her inner thigh as a backup. She also wore a long chained golden key necklace, which opened up to be a pocket knife.

Gail’s hazel eyes scanned the bar carefully for a moment standing inside the entrance, not stupid enough to let her guard down despite everything being calm the last two days. Before making her way to the bar and ordering herself a drink, fingernails tapping on the counter softly as she looking around at the other people in the bar while she waited. Grasshopper in hand she finally moved away from the bar, catching sight of the redhead a few seats away from her, eyes lingering for a moment, before walking past towards one of the tables. As she sat down, Gail peeked back over at the woman at the bar once more, a playful smirk crossing her lips before looking away again. She wasn’t really in the mood to seek out company, but that didn’t mean she would turn it down, if someone attractive decided to take a chance on her.