REQUIEM (BOOK 1)

I motioned to the bartender, and I point to my shot glass.

"Another shot of tequila, please." I requested.

He nods, pouring me a shot with an expression I knew all too well. I return his grin, but not for the same reason he'd hoped for. I casually pulled out my tactical knife, running my fingers gingerly along its length.

His eyes widened, and my smirk grew more pronounced.

"It's big, isn't it?" I asked in mock wonder. "I'm sure you've never said that to a woman before... I'm here on business, but I assure you that I will not hesitate to eviscerate you once I'm done. I suggest that you head in the back and tell El Lobo that his days are numbered."

It's been a while since I had a job in Mexico. I've been all over the world, fulfilling contracts for the highest bidder. This one was simple: one of the most notorious cartels had a bounty, and he had proven to be elusive, and ruthless, even for them.

He had taken out their best assassins, and they didn't want to lose any more money on top of what he'd stolen from them. That's where I come in. I've been sent to locate him, and hand him over to the cartel.

They didn't care about whatever condition he was in. He only needed to be alive...not that I cared. I've killed for the right price as well, and I felt nothing about it.

I put my knife back in my thigh holster, and down my shot before leaving the rowdy bar. El Lobo was known to frequent that particular bar, so I knew that he would be informed of my little visit.

I make my way back to my hotel room, as I had already planted the seed. I pulled my hair into a messy bun as the temperature began to rise.

Everywhere I looked, there were murals dedicated to the Avengers and all they've done for mankind. I was on the other side of the planet when the Battle of New York happened.

The world had become a new place once we learned that we weren't alone. It didn't impact my life, so I wasn't concerned. I had no reason to be. All that mattered was that I got paid for what I do.

***********

I reach my room, and I turned on my light. I only had one bag. I wasn't going to be here for long. I always paid in cash. Never leave a trail. I remove the sheath, but I keep it nearby. I've already set my room with hidden weaponry as needed. No one has gotten the drop on me, which is why I demand top dollar.

I strip down and take a quick shower before I decide the next move. I hear a noise outside the bathroom door. I roll my eyes. This job was too easy. Quietly, I ease my way out of the shower and I leave the water running. I dry off and slip on some dry clothes, and I press my ear to the door.

I'm sure they thought they were being stealthy...but they weren't me. Not by a long shot. I counted four men. That's it? Predictably, they tear up my room, but it's not like I unpacked. I never did.

One of them mentioned the shower and I heard a comment that made me decide that I was going to kill him first. The one constant in my nomadic life: men being disgusting. They try to use their sexuality as a fear tactic or they assume that you'll use yours to serve them.

The rest of the men laugh in a way that made my blood boil. When one of them approached the bathroom door, I pulled my knife out of the sheath. I heard him chuckle. Did he think it was going to be that easy? My face twisted into a smirk. This was going to be fun. Messy...but fun. I plunge my knife into the door, and I can feel that it was submerged into his side.

He howls in pain and the rest of the men yell out in shock. Normally, a knife would have been stuck in the door...but I'm far from normal, and I had HYDRA to thank for that...

I yank it out and kick down the door, taking out my would-be assailant. I left him to bleed out. The other three stared at me in shock. I twirl my knife, and I wait to see who makes the first move. I barely had time to dodge the bullets that came flying my way, but I made it to the couch.

I didn't have a firearm stored there, however, because the couch was low and there wasn't any decent place to hide one. I could hear the distant screams of the other patrons of the hotel among the gunfire.

They're not my concern. Getting to my bedroom was all that mattered. I needed a gun. I duck as more bullets hit the couch. I wait until I hear the unmistakable click of an empty clip.

I leaped over the couch and I manage to take the man nearest me by surprise by taking him down with an armbar. I snap his arm and use him as a human shield. It had given the others time to reload, so I used my shield to get to the bedroom.

I rolled over my bed on one side, near the window, and I hit the drawer and my favorite gun drops into my hand. I didn't take the time to admire it, as I was still under heavy firepower. But I was armed. I released the safety and I waited for an opening. As soon as I had one, I took a few shots and one of them went down.

The last man standing swore in Spanish. I hear him drop his LMG, and I hear a pistol of some sort. My target. I'm to bring him in alive. I brace myself to take him down.

"I'm not going back there," he vows in a slight accent. "You'd have to kill me first!"

So dramatic, I thought, they all say the same shit over and over again. They try to appeal to my humanity. None of it mattered to me. I left my hiding spot, gun in hand.

"Unless you can outbid the cartel, I can promise you that you're gonna go back," I replied. "You got ten million in your pocket?"

This took him by surprise, and he almost lowers his gun.

"You don't work for the cartel?" He asks, furrowing his brow.

"I work for the highest bidder," I supplied.

"You fight like a soldier," he mused.

Distant, jarring memories threatened to rise to the surface and I pushed them back. I tightened my grip on the gun. Now wasn't the time for weakness.

"Are you able to outbid them or not?" That was all I asked.

Slowly, I was backing him into the little living room area. Only a better payday will save him. Nothing more, nothing less. The way his eyes shifted told me that he couldn't pay. What happened next honestly didn't make any sense to me, but it made my job easier.

Instead of taking a shot, he decided to rush at me. Granted, he had the element of surprise for a few moments. I was waiting for a bid. That was on me. I have a one-track mind when it comes to money.

He managed to take me off of my feet, and he tries to land a punch, but I block it. I use the shift in momentum to toss him off of me. We crouch in defensive positions in front of each other.

We slowly circle each other, and I realized that he was trying to get to the door. I spotted my knife, next to his dying comrade. He must have too because he rushed at me again. We traded blows and to my surprise, he was able to keep up. Was he Enhanced?

He tried to twist my arm behind me, and I throw an elbow into his face, throw his arm off of me, and I follow up with a swift kick to his midsection.

When he falls back I roll away to get my knife. I straighten back up and twirl the blade. He smirks at me and purses his lips in a mocking kiss. He's lucky that I can't kill him. I feel my lips curl into a smile of my own...because no one said that he had to be in one piece. We lunge at one another.

**************

"Did you have to stab me?" he groaned.

I pause for a moment, considering.

"Yes. Yes, I did," I decided. "You're lucky I was paid to bring you in alive."

"You have no idea what you're doing by bringing me to the cartel!" He hissed.

"Yes, I do. I'm getting paid." I sigh.

"You're bringing guns and drugs back to Mexico!"

"You're bleeding on my leather seats," I counter. "I told you. I work for the highest bidder. I could care less about the outcome unless it affects my pay."

I get to the cartel headquarters: a mansion that was a few miles out of town. The armed guards at the entrance pulled my target out of the car as they led me to the man who cut the check. He let out a whistle.

"Very impressive," he crows. "Was it necessary to poke a hole in him?"

"You said alive," I countered. "He's breathing. He decided to put up a fight. I decided to stab him."

"Such a beautiful woman to be so violent-"

I held up a hand before he could continue.

"I'm charging you for the damage to the hotel and for having to drag him out of there," I cut in.

He frowns. "I've heard the stories," he replies in a tone that I don't like. "You're some sort of Enhanced human, aren't you? Surely this man wasn't heavy for you."

My breath caught in my throat, but I didn't show any unease. I never went out of my way to advertise what I was, but on some jobs...things have happened and there was no other way.

"The only reason I can do the things I'm being paid for is that I try to keep a low profile," I reply in a taut voice. "I am charging you for putting that at risk...and since you understand what I'm capable of then you know not to cross me!"

The target managed to take the guards down. He began to run down the courtyard. I merely pulled out my gun, and I shot him in his other shoulder without taking my eyes off of the cartel leader. The guards run to grab him and they pull him back to us.

The leader had a decent poker face, but I saw a flicker of fear in his eyes. I raise an eyebrow and shrug. He nods to an advisor and my phone goes off.

"Smart move," I acknowledge in an icy tone. I don't let him know how rattled I was.

Ever since the Avengers exposed corruption in SHIELD, and the fucked up shit that HYDRA has been doing, files had been leaked to the public and Enhanced humans were registered. Not only that, more Enhanced were being rescued in these raids being carried out by some task force.

I managed to stay off the grid by constantly moving, and...everyone I had known in a previous life thought I was dead. It was better this way. I couldn't be around people for too long. This was my cross to bear.

"Do you realize what you've done?!" My target was yelling at me. "You've put drugs back onto the streets and-"

"Yeah I don't care," I interrupted. "I already said this in the car. I got paid. I'm gonna go now."

"The hotel will be compensated in the morning," the leader assures as his men pull my target into the house.

"You know the drill," I warned him. "I was never there."

After confirmation, I leave the house. By the time I hit the driveway I hear the breaking of bones and the pained screams. Too bad he couldn't outbid the cartel, huh?

Sometime later, after having cleaned up I was at the airport. As I wait for my flight, my phone went off one more time. It was my next target. The corporation that ordered the bounty wasn't one that I was familiar with.

Companies use covers all the time. Sometimes, my clients needed an assassination. If the money was right, I did more than just catch someone.

I opened the text message with the details inside. The name and face of the target was at the bottom for some odd reason. As I scroll down, I felt dread in the pit of my stomach. I'm not sure why. Why did he seem familiar?

James Buchanan Barnes.