Three weeks ago…
There was something about the late night Parisian atmosphere that Alanna found comforting. There was an aura about the city that gave a constant romantic feeling to it; she couldn’t put her finger on it, but to Alanna, the city just felt softer, quieter, more sensual than most other cities she had lived in. If she were to rank her favorite cities in the world, Paris was, without a doubt, a top five contender.
She took a sip of her coffee, simultaneously checking the time on her wrist watch; 11:49 PM. Surprisingly, the courtyard Alanna had found herself in was still fairly busy. Couples walked around and through the courtyard, and more than a handful of people sat on the benches littering the courtyard. Alanna took in a deep breath of the cool Parisian air; she wanted to smile, but Alanna knew she was being watched.
It hadn’t been hard to pick out her marks from the crowd. The blonde twenty meters out at ten o’clock seemed much more interested in her cell phone than the man eagerly trying to nibble at her face, and the Spaniard talking on the phone had crossed Alanna’s vision three times. Alanna had spent much of the night attempting to shake her pursuers, but to no avail. They were much more skilled than Alanna had expected; they had survived through a slow-speed car pursuit, several subway transfers, and a seven mile walk. Of course, Alanna could have easily shaken them, had she really felt pressed to; but there had been ample opportunities for them to have attempted to kill her, should that be their desire. Instead, everyone was alive and accounted for, so Alanna concluded that her pursuers wanted her for other reasons than to watch her demise.
So, here they were, in a dark Parisian courtyard, everyone waiting for someone else to make a move. Despite Alanna believing herself outnumbered four to one, she carried a level of confidence that was clearly unnerving her pursuers. The Spaniard increased his pace significantly on the fourth pass, and the blonde began to completely ignore her partner. Wait a second - that only accounted for three pursuers.
If that concerned Alanna, she made no motion to show it. She took another sip of her coffee, coolly eyeing the courtyard, keeping an eye out for the dark-skinned man in the beanie that she knew was the final member of her pursuers.
It was as she pulled the paper cup of coffee away from her lips that she felt the barrel pressed against the back of her head.
Now, Alanna smiled.
“You’re good. Who are you?” Her German was smooth and flawless.
There was no response for a moment. At first, Alanna thought that she had actually gotten the language guess wrong. She began to mentally reprimand herself for her perceived mistake before she heard the deep, resonant voice respond behind her.
“Who we are is unimportant. We’re just here to deliver a message.” The man’s German wasn’t nearly as perfect as Alanna’s, but it was clear enough to be understood.
“There are better ways to send a message. The gun isn’t helping. What if someone sees? Then you’ll never deliver your message.”
“Shut up. You ran us around Paris all night, bitch. We were told that this would be an easy job.”
“Who told you that? It wasn’t me.” Alanna paused to clear her throat, then decided it was time to switch gears. In fluent Italian, she asked, “So are we going to speak like civilized people or do I have to disarm you first?”
Alanna’s assailant caught the switch without missing a beat. “You aren’t going to disarm anyone tonight, bitch.” Alanna almost laughed. The man’s Italian was better than his German. “How did you know I speak Italian and German?”
“Well, you see-”
Several things happened simultaneously at this point. In one smooth motion, Alanna stepped forward and up from the bench she sat on, spinning around to her left with her left arm raised in order to make contact with the forearm of her assailant.
With her right hand, Alanna threw the cup of coffee into her assailant’s face. She carried the momentum of the throw into the man’s arm; the very same one she had just knocked a gun out of. She gripped it tightly and pulled her assailant over the bench.
After the gun was knocked loose from her assailant’s hand, it hit the ground loud enough to attract the attention of everyone else in the courtyard. That included the other three of Alanna’s pursuers, as well as three unfortunate souls that were in the wrong place in the wrong time. In their confusion, they dropped to the ground, as all they saw was three figures moving towards the fracas Alanna had caused with weapons drawn.
Finally, Alanna pulled her assailant to his feet, wrapping her right arm around his neck and drawing her Five-seveN with her left, using him as a human shield. She waved her gun around at the other three, warning them to back off.
They were frozen in this standoff for several seconds, before the blonde raised her hands and slowly holstered her weapon. Her colleagues did not follow suit, but she began to step forward.
She spoke in English, “Alanna Jaeyeon Lee-Jameson? My name is Jamie. We’re here to deliver a proposal for you.”
--
Eighteen hours ago…
“It’s a shame it had to end this way, love.”
“I know. But we both knew that this was the only way it could have ended.”
A sigh, distorted by the sound of blood being caught in the poor woman’s throat. Alanna placed a hand on Jamie’s chest remorsefully.
“Of course it was. You being a third rate criminal, me being one of the most lethal killers in the world. There was no other alternative, love. No strings attached, remember?” Alanna’s words were meant to be consoling, but Jamie was clearly insulted. The look on her face said it all.
Unfortunately for Jamie, the noise that came out of her mouth next was not a clear representation of the insult she felt. Instead, the only pain that was expressed was that of Alanna driving her knife into Jamie’s stomach and twisting it, as Jamie screamed her final scream.
“Things don’t always go our way, love. The bird must leave the nest eventually.” Alanna gave Jamie a kiss on her forehead. She stood, grabbing her black duffel bag and maneuvering her way to the door of the Parisian hotel room. Alanna gave one last glance to the four bodies she left behind in the hotel room and shut the door behind her.
--
Six days ago…
Alanna woke up to the sound of birds chirping through the open window, light peering in through the window onto the headrest. She fumbled around, momentarily forgetting where she was.
Alanna began to take in her surroundings. Expensive hotel room in Paris, expensive bed, pretty blonde sleeping next to- ah, yes. That happened. Alanna smiled.
Not to say that she was disappointed by the events the previous night. Or the night before. Or, honestly, every night for the past fourteen days. Jamie and her colleagues may have had weapons aimed at Alanna just two weeks ago, but the only thing Jamie had aimed at Alanna since was the sight of her spread legs.
Alanna thought back to how this had all gotten started. After the incident in the courtyard, Jamie and her colleagues had brought her back to this very room to deliver the proposal they were tasked with.
It had turned out that they were simply a third party, hired by the mysterious organization known only as The Red to track Alanna down and send her to sunny Los Angeles, California. The Red had provided no terms; only the demand that Alanna arrive to be briefed. So instead, Alanna created her own terms with Jamie and her boys.
Alanna had learned that night that Jamie’s group was only getting paid upon Alanna’s delivery to Los Angeles. She gave this proposal: if Jamie were to sleep with Alanna for the next three weeks up until their departure for Los Angeles, Alanna would go to the meeting, no strings attached. Jamie accepted in a heartbeat; the two women had been eyeing each other eagerly that entire night.
And so, here they were. Alanna rolled over in the bed, her body pressing up against Jamie’s. Her hands wandered to unspeakable places, and Alanna whispered in the blonde’s ear, “Come now, love, it’s time to wake up. The bird must leave the nest, eventually.”
--
Present
As the Red agent finished his briefing, Alanna removed her trench coat, letting it rest on the seat, revealing the simple black tank top she wore beneath it. She adjusted her position slightly, allowing her body language to reflect the confidence she intended to portray.
Alanna wasn’t surprised when the spitfire Dutch kid began to rattle off questions faster than a FAMAS’ rate of fire. His first question was naive and immature; to openly question the payment from an organization like the Red was asking for trouble. His second question was plain stupid; a quick internet search on a smartphone probably could get that information for him. As for the final question, that was something that Alanna knew she could answer for him.
“Well, love, that last one is an easy one.” Alanna stood from her seat, keeping her hands in plain sight. No point arousing too much suspicion, here. She walked over to the young man’s seat, leaning over the backrest of the seat and coming close to his ear. “That man, over there,” Alanna pointed at Hock, “is Calvin Hock. He used to work with the Italian mob; gave some of my friends some trouble back when I was CIA. Perhaps one of the most lethal hitmen around, Hock is a real legend. I’m surprised you don’t know him, love.”
Alanna rotated slightly, turning to face Ivy. “That pretty lady there is Ivy Solomon. Some call her Inanna. I know some contacts that still do. Perhaps one of the best snipers to ever grace this wonderful earth. You should be honored to be in such company.”
Finally, Alanna moved around the kid’s chair, sitting herself down on the table in front of him. “And I, love, am Alanna Lee-Jameson. Ex-CIA, but I still have one of the most widespread information networks around. Knowledge is a weapon, love. Perhaps the most lethal one.” Alanna smiled, and returned to her seat. The show was over.
“Interestingly enough, I don’t know anything about you. An ironic twist of fate, isn’t it? Of all the unknowns in the room, you seem to be the biggest.”
