Chapter 1
The moon sparkled against the clear night sky, not a cloud in sight. The glow from the moon illuminated the building much better as it stood in the middle of the forest, surrounded by nature. The contrast was distinct, life against modern.
Lara couldn't help but admire it. Three stories of architectural wonder. She doesn't know anything about that, but what she did know is that the person who designed it spent hours planning so each line flows into the next as if it was grown that way.
"Maybe one day..." Lara whispered to herself. She daydreamed about how her future could look in a place like this when the light on the top floor suddenly went on.
"Bingo." Her eyes lit up with excitement as she moved like a lion about to kill its prey, edging closer to the building. The leaves below her feet ruffled slightly like it was just the wind blowing it around and not a person walking on them.
Thank you, ballet, she thought to herself. If it wasn't for those lessons, the noise might have alerted her newest assignment she was just outside, plotting his death. His name is Roland Catch, a millionaire who uses child labor to make his money. The worst of the worst. Killing him will not only rid the world of scum but make an excellent notch on her kill belt. The picture the company had given her showed a man in his late twenties with blond hair and a chiseled jawline. Sadly, he had worn sunglasses, but she knew behind them were the eyes of a killer. Maybe not by his physical hands but by the way he ran his business. She despised him already. The memory sprung to mind as she edged closer to her destination, the one when she had received the mission. Her previous assignment had taken its toll on her, the mark giving a stronger fight than the ones before. She had placed herself into the chair for not even a second, awaiting debriefing, when the orders came in. Temptation had been strong to deny it, but when she heard the reason, anger sparked in her.
Moving closer to the house with a smirk from her thoughts plastered on her face, Lara could make out better details of the outside and inside. The walls outside were a washed-out grey and smooth. This will make it harder for her to grasp, but luckily each floor had a balcony, making it more accessible to jump up.
A couple of yards from the building, she stopped, calculating how she would get to the third floor. The intel said that Roland's, aka Uno numero scum’s room, was at the top facing the north. Taking a deep breath in and out slowly to calm her nerves, she imagined how to get to the top level. Firstly, she would have to sprint until the wall, use the surface to push her upwards to be able to grab the second-story railing, and then push off that and catch the third level railing.
"Pft, easy breezy!" she softly mumbled to herself. Since she was small and tall, she had always been better than her classmates. Faster, stronger, quieter. It had helped her in her line of profession, but not so much in making friends. As she imagined getting to the top one more time, Lara put her right foot behind, bent down and pushed away. The light breeze brushed her hair and face as she picked up momentum and got closer to the side of the building. When she was about to run into it, she gave a small jump, both feet planted on the wall, and using her leg muscles, she pushed herself away from it. As she flew in the air, her hands shot out and grabbed the second-story railing. She felt the cold metal cutting into her fingers as she climbed to the top part of the railing. Her lungs were being pushed into overdrive, but she didn't give up. She was so close.
One more push... She tried to motivate her muscles, but deep down knew that tomorrow would be a bitch. Looking up, she spotted the third-floor railing and mentally thanking the dead man for leaving his light on and showing her the way. Breathing in deep one last time, she jumped up. Fingers wrapped around the last railing, and she let out a sigh of relief at making it. A few deep breaths later to quiet her screaming muscles, Lara pulled herself up and softly climbed over. Relief flooded her as her feet contacted the concrete floor. She never usually had to go to these lengths to get to a mark, and she was proud of herself. Pretending she was on stage, Lara gave a deep bow for an imaginary audience, using the seconds to stretch out her limps.
Grabbing the mask from her back pocket, she pulls it over her sweaty face, hair clinging everywhere. She cannot have anyone seeing her ugly ass face. Tiptoeing to the door, she peeked in through the open curtains. In front of her was the biggest (and softest, she assumes) bed that man could create. Four wood posters held it up with detailed carving, sadly standing too far to see the details. On the right of the bed was floor to ceiling windows and wedge between them a small side table. Two doors were placed on the left wall. One door had light peeking through the bottom and steam rolling out from underneath the crack. That was the bathroom and where she needed to go.
Knowing where the target was now, she tried opening the door, and to her luck and amazement, it was unlocked. It would suck to break open this beautiful piece of architecture.
Stepping inside softly, she reached behind her again and grabbed the knife held in her pants. She gently removed it from its sheath, holding it up to the faint light emitting from the side table, admiring the precise details. She had paid handsomely to custom make it, and Roland would be the lucky one to try it out for the first time. Only 6 inches long but just as deadly in her hands.
As she crept forward, she strained her ears to listen to what was happening behind the door. The sound of rushing water informed her he was busy showering and would make this a much easier kill. Most people were at their weakest when they were naked and wet. She reached out and wrapped her fingers around the door handle, counting to three in her head before she proceeds. She was about to turn it to enter when her hand was ripped from the handle and the door swung open violently. Her eyes met a smooth, muscled chest. And as they traveled upwards, she came in contact with simmering green eyes that held anger and death in them.
