9. The Assignment

            I didn't know what Jim was waiting for. It'd been three weeks since we'd crashed the party, and I still didn't get my assignment. Did he decide to give it to someone else? Did I not do enough to earn it? I'd snuck in and slipped people poison! I'd killed for this assignment. What more could I possibly do?

            Why was he holding back?

            For the first few days, I'd thought nothing of his delay; I was too busy basking in the headlines my killing spree made. Why wasn't Jim giving me details? I was more than ready to take on whatever he wanted of me. Maybe the plan wasn't entirely foolproof yet. Maybe some kinks were getting worked out. That had to be it.

            While I waited rather impatiently for the assignment, I decided to make use of myself instead of confining myself to the mansion. Every few days or so I'd venture out into London, find a nice perch to see if I could find my next victim. Now that I no longer had any poison, I could only rely on my pocketknife. Though poison was a good weapon, a knife was much more exciting to use. You got to see the surprise in your prey's eyes and see the life leave them. You could make your prey suffer if you knew where to stab.

            My perch for today was an outdoor café. I settled for water and a simple salad. I knew I could order everything on the menu and pay for it all thanks to Jim's wallet, but I wasn't in a spending mood today. I was in my hunter mode, trying to find my next victim. I normally picked random people and gave myself an excuse to pursue them. I had no one specific in mind today, so it was another random selection day.

            I piddled away on my iPhone, connected to the café's free wifi. I smiled as I read the latest articles concerning me. Right now, I was an anonymous killer. Hmm, when is a good time to give them a clue that The American is behind the murder spike? I could cause a scene, but is that being too risky?

            I wondered how Jim got away with all that he'd done. He was very clever, one of the best criminal masterminds in the world. I wasn't going to work my way to that master status as it would probably take me ages to get there. I still remembered my first month in London, how this all got started.

~*~

            I felt numb, like time hadn't passed since I'd left New Jersey. To think here I was, in an entirely different country. I'd never had aspirations to travel anywhere outside of the United States. I didn't realize what I was missing out on until I got into England.

            Jim had been planning his comeback for a while, right down to his housing. We weren't at his ideal place just yet; we were hiding out in an abandoned apartment that was enough to fulfill our needs. The family was currently on vacation, so that left us to sneak in and use what they had.

            "Why disappear for almost four years?" I asked him. "Why not come back sooner?"

            "All my connections had been disabled. I've spent the last year and a half trying to find any that were left and recruit more." Jim kept his laptop on his lap while he sat in the chair. "You were one of the new recruits."

            "Did you get a lot of new ones?"

            "More than I expected."

            "So how are you breaking the news to England? I doubt a press conference about it is going to work."

            "I've got that planned out. If anything, it should be happening very soon."

            "Why not wait until New Years to do it? Does it have to be after Christmas?"

            "Why not after Christmas? No matter when I do it, it'll be big and take the world by storm. I don't want to put it off for another week, Raine."

            I snorted. "When am I actually working for you?"

            "Once we get to the mansion. You won't have to wait much longer, I promise. Turn on the TV, will you?"

            Not questioning why, I did as I was told. I saw normal programming on. I looked back to Jim, who wasn't paying attention in the slightest. Why did he want the TV on? Before I could pose the question, the screen turned fuzzy. Whatever program had been on was gone and replaced by something new.

             I was at a loss for words. This was definitely a way to say "Hello, England, I'm back!" The distorted voice got on my nerves really fast as it repeated those same four words: Did you miss me? Did you miss me? Did you miss me?

            "Did it have to be looped?" I groaned.

            "It's for emphasis, angel. Turn it off if it bothers you so much, or go into another room so you can't hear it."

            I sat one of the arms of the chair, still staring at the screen. "This is on everyone's TV?"

            "Yes." He chuckled. "Whether or not people actually believe I'm back, they will soon enough."

            "People would think this is someone else's work?" I asked.

            "Of course. I'm not the only dangerous criminal in England, Raine. There are plenty who want to attain the fame that I have, strike fear in people like I have. They want to impersonate me."

            "Has anyone actually tried to?"

            "No, which is good on their part. If anyone tries to overthrow the king, they'll get taken care of."

~*~

            To think that was half a decade ago.

            My phone vibrated, alerting me to a call. I was slightly anxious when I answered after I saw the ID.

            "I'm fine," I told Jim.

            "I never ask, Raine. I know you'll always come back in one piece."

            "What do you need?"

            "Remember that assignment we talked about?"

            "Oh, you're finally giving it to me?"

            "I've had to fine-tune it a bit, but I think you'll be up for it."

            "Tell me everything. Am I working solo?"

            "That depends on if you want any help with you."

"I'll decide that later after you tell me everything."

"I'm going to need you to pay a certain family a visit."

            "I'm slaughtering a family?" I kept my voice low. God only knew if eavesdroppers were nearby.

            "I never said slaughter, all I said was visit. Please, darling, don't jump to conclusions. I need you to pick up something from them."

            "What?"

            "Their daughter, Elena."

            "How old is she?"

            "Young, around four or five."

            "What do you need a kid for?"

            "To prove a point."

            I adjusted my phone. "What family am I visiting?"

            "Oh, you'll love this. You're going to pay a visit to John Watson, his wife, and his daughter."

            My eyes twinkled with new fire. "You've got an address to give me?"

            "Unfortunately, no, you'll have to do some digging of your own on that."

"Seriously?" I protested. "You're freaking Jim Moriarty, and you can't provide me his location with a GPS or something?"

"I can't just type in John Watson's house and expect it to come up, kitten. Technology isn't that good."

"Oh, if only."

"When you kidnap the girl, keep her alive. If things go awry, be ready to kill. Kill Mary Watson if you have to but leave Johnny-boy alone. I've got other plans for him."

            "Okay, so get the girl, be ready to act, and keep two alive." I nodded. "I think I can manage that. I just hope things don't get extremely messy."

            "If they do, they do. It's all part of the job, Raine."

            "Right. How soon do you want it done?"

            "Soon. You better start tracking them down; I really don't want to have someone else take this from you."

            "Nobody will. I'll get it done."

            "I know you will, little girl." I could hear the smugness in his voice.

            With a tap on my phone, I ended the call. I blew out a breath, thinking of my options. I had a few, but it was a limited selection. I could try and Google the address, but I wasn't sure how far that would get me. Or there was a cleverer way to do so, a less boring way. I could easily see if anyone had a bug that they'd be willing to sacrifice to me. If I could chip John, he'd lead me back to his house. He had to go home to his wife and daughter sometime.

            I had a feeling the latter option was what I going to settle on.

*      *      *

            "I may need you in the near future," I told Heidi later that night. We were in one of the empty rooms where we had boxing equipment. No, this wasn't down in the basement; it was on the ground level. Don't ask me how the stuff got there; I wasn't the one who'd asked for it. I had a feeling Heidi did, as she often put on gloves and attempted to beat the shit out of the punching bag.

            "For what?" Heidi panted. She threw fluid, fast punches. The impact didn't seem to jar her. Sweat poured off her body.

            "An abduction."

            "Huh, I've never done one before." Another few punches followed by a kick. "What part would I play in it?"

            "You'd be my getaway driver."

            "Sounds intense. If you need me to, I'll take you."

            "Good. Thanks."

            "So, are you addicted to killing now?"

            "Nah. I could be if I commit anymore murders." I shrugged. "It's a feeling I'm still getting used to, you know? Have you killed anyone, Heidi?"

            "No. My specialty is thieving. It's all I'm good for. If Jim wants something fast, I head to the location and take it. I do his favors in exchange for his protection. He hasn't sent me on heists lately, I make them myself. I don't really work for him like you do; I'm not kept on a leash."

            "I'm not on anyone's leash." I got defensive.

            Heidi laughed breathlessly. "Denial. He does give you rein, but he only gives you so much. He wants to keep you at his side like a dog."

            "Don't call me that." My hands became fists.

            "Hey, I'm saying what I see. He doesn't have relationships with his gunmen that he hires. He doesn't really have relationships, anyone can see that. It's like he doesn't believe in them. But you changed that about him. That's why he's keeping you close: he knows it's dangerous to be with you, whether you both consider it friends with benefits or something real. He doesn't want it to blow up in his face." Heidi backed off from the bag, swishing her curly, blonde ponytail behind her. She caught her breath.

            "How would it blow up in his face?"

            "I don't know. You'd get power-hungry and decide to turn on him, take over his empire he has going on." She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "You'd get a change of heart and decide to turn him in to the authorities. That last one doesn't seem very likely, considering how long you've been under him." I cleared my throat irritably. Her eyes widened, and she burst into laughter. "Okay, that last remark wasn't meant to be dirty. Anyway, let's refocus. What I mean is, he's never had a right-hand man—woman in your case. It's new to him."

            "Speaking of relationships, how was dinner with Andrew?" I wiggled my eyebrows.

            "Is it bad that I felt guilty during it?"

            "No. Why? Are you actually attached to him?"

            "I am, but I'm not."

            "It's either one or the other, Heidi."

            "Don't talk to me about that, Ms. Friends-With-Benefits." She coughed. "So, who are you kidnapping? Someone important? Are you holding them for ransom?"

            "I don't think I can say."

            "Did he tell you to keep it quiet?"

            "No."

            "Then tell me."

            I grinned mischievously. "Nah, I'd rather keep you guessing."

**At last, the assignment is finally known! Who's ready to see how it goes?**