Cold and dark, the ants had found me in the tree where I was hiding. My life depended on my stillness; it was hard not to react to their bites as they attempted to crawl up my pants legs. The compound was eerily quiet for such an important site. If anyone other than Brian had sent me on this mission, I might have been a little suspicious. I usually didn’t retrieve things like this. I was Jill of all trades; they pointed me in a direction and let me do my thing unimpeded. I retrieved, or extracted information, or made sure someone else did not. Being hot with a nice rack gave me advantages that my male counterparts did not have, but it also forced me into situations that were beneath me. I can’t count how many targets I had to drug and then tell them they were great in bed the next day. I was getting tired of it all. Brian Wilson, my boss, had changed all that. He was sexy, and he made me laugh, and I had been alone for a very long time. Part of me wanted roots, to wake up in the same bed in the same city every day, to feel like somebody cared if I lived or died. Brian could get me out of this business of violence and death and into a different life. It was time for a change.
The hair on the back of my neck prickled. For months I felt as if I was being followed, my shadow always just out of my reach. I turned and looked behind me into the blackness of the night. Who or whatever was stalking me had made no move against me. Was it a bounty hunter watching my moves searching for my weaknesses? Not that I had many weaknesses, other than an unusual love of bacon and caffeine. After I was done, I was going hunting for my shadow. I wouldn’t be able to retire in peace if I was being hunted.
I checked the time and scanned the area once more…showtime. I felt the familiar buzz of adrenaline raced through me like a wildfire. There were two guards out, and four guards in, from the intel we had discovered. I launched myself from the tree and hoped for a good landing inside the perimeter. If I hit the electrified top of the fence, my landing would be the least of my worries. No cameras, no motion detectors. A cold wave of fear washed over me; that was unusual and tended not to end well when I didn’t listen. Fear didn’t seem to be a part of my D.N.A.
The two exterior guards went down quickly and quietly, and the code opened the door. Why was I so scared? That primal part of my brain where fear lived sparked alive, electric. I slipped inside quietly; the building was dark with just the soft glow of the emergency lighting to guide my way. It was odd that there were still no signs of life at the compound. Against everything I knew and was taught, I decided to plow ahead instead of clearing each room, each possible point of ambush. Something was telling me to move my ass, and I was all for listening.
I slipped in a puddle of blood right before I hit my destination. I pushed open the bathroom door and found four bodies from my estimation had been killed by various methods. What in God’s name was going on? I blew through the door to my target like a hurricane, not stopping, gun up, and ready. I again was disturbingly met with no resistance. I ran to the desk and searched for the information. I bumped the mouse, and the computer screen activated. There was a picture of me in flames with the words RIP Phoenix, Fuck this, time to go. I ran and wished I was wearing my running shoes instead of boots. I was running, and just as I got to the door, I was flying…
