Page 4

Chapter four

N ikita woke up naked on her couch. Her neck ached from the awkward position she fell asleep in. At least she could direct her attention to something else besides her failed plan. She had stayed up all night monitoring her police scanner for the news of the death. But nothing. There wasn’t even a 911 call reporting the body. The whole situation was ludicrous. Wake Village had constant patrols around the small city. With a population of less than six thousand people in a mostly residential area, dead bodies were hard to miss.

At five am, she decided to do something about it. Dressing in her shorts, a hoodie, and her Adidas, she took a jog down to the park. From her place at the Arista Apartments in Pleasant Grove, it was less than four and a half miles to Kings Park. Not a bad run for a Sunday morning. Too bad the trip was a waste of her time. The body was gone, and the scene was cleared.

She was planning to report the body herself, informing the cops she found it on her morning jog. There went that plan. Frustrated with herself, she kept on running until the sun came out. She had run almost seventeen miles by the time she made it back to her apartment. Her anger had simmered, but she needed something else to do. Instead of showering, she undressed in the middle of the living room and did a round of kickboxing.

Drenched with sweat, she dropped onto the leather couch and passed out. Three hours later, sticky and smelling like a wet dog, she rolled from the couch. The sun was blazing, and she had wasted her morning away.

“Everything is not a total loss,” she told herself.

Taking her time, she strolled towards her kitchen. The apartment was quiet. One of the luxury apartments in the area. It was fancy, yet not the most grandiose place she had ever been in. But for the small town, it was almost over the top, especially for a single woman in the area. The decor was gothic, with dark-leather furniture and black curtains everywhere. She dropped a cup of Arabian coffee in the machine and headed towards the bathroom.

She pulled the Epsom salt from the sink counter and turned on the hot water in the tub. That was one thing she really appreciated about the place. The bathroom was incredible, and so was the large walk-in closet. It would take the tub at least ten minutes to fill. Plenty of time to make her calls and drink the coffee. She strolled back to the living room and found her cell.

“Hi Mickey,” Nikita purred as soon as the call connected.

“Well, hello beautiful,” Mickey replied from the other side. “What do I owe the pleasure on this fabulous Sunday morning?”

“Is it too early to place an order?”

“For you, it’s never too early or late. What do you need?”

Nikita could hear a keyboard from the other side of the line.

“The drops were amazing. Need to order three more batches,” she whispered.

“Same strength?” Mickey asked.

“Unless you have something that works slower?”

If she could give herself a bit more room in her retreats, it could be beneficial.

“I have a new one, hasn’t been tested more than a few times, but it is supposed to take effect in twelve hours,” he answered.

“Ummm.” Nikita marched to the kitchen and took her brew. Sipping her coffee, black of course, she leaned against the counter. “That could have its uses. Send me a couple and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Absolutely,” said Mickey cheerfully. “By the way, are you looking for any more work?”

Nikita stopped. In the past couple of years, she had accumulated a pretty enormous fortune doing special jobs for those who could afford it. Mickey was one of her most reliable sources. But the jobs were intense, and at times took time to set up.

“What do you have?” she asked calmly.

“Nothing that involves too much trouble for you and should be in line with your own objectives,” he said.

“I’m listening.” She sipped her coffee.

“You are still in Haven, right?”

“Right.”

“Just need the grandson of one of the clan leaders to disappear,” he said smoothly.

“Oh, that’s all,” Nikita teased back.

“What’s another wolf?” Mickey said playfully. “The payout is six figures. You are already on the hunt.”

“Who wants his head?”

“It seems everything is not cozy in Haven,” Mickey informed her. “A new pack is trying to move in and wants a few ones out of commission. The young pup has dreams of expansion and will marry a competing pack to unify the fold.”

“Oh, so very altruistic of him,” Nikita added, rolling her eyes.

“Right! If he was marrying a dog, I might be impressed but bet you dinner the lucky lady is a hottie.”

“They always are.” Nikita glanced at the clock and rushed to the bathroom. She made it just in time to avoid the bathtub from flooding. “Damn.” She would need to empty the thing a bit before she could climb in.

“Is everything alright?” Mickey asked.

“Bath issues, the usual.” She pulled the plug and watched as the water diminished below the edge of the tub.

“You and this crazy bath obsession.” Mickey laughed from his end. “You are the cleanest assassin I have ever met.”

“Assassin sounds so evil. I’m more of a liquidator, helping businesses expand at their own pace.”

Water secured to the correct level, Nikita poured the salt and enough Japanese Jasmine soap to fill the thing with bubbles.

“That’s what we are calling it now?” Mickey mused from his end. “Are you planning to start a non-profit for the souls of the survivors?”

“Technically, I have several, if you must know.” Nikita walked back towards the living room. “If you are interested in contributing, just let me know. I’ll forward the forms.”

“Aren’t you sweet?”

“Always.”

Nikita picked up the basket she had dropped on the living room table. She threw the food in the trash but dropped the cape and the rest of the clothes she was wearing in the fireplace.

“So, do you want the job or not?” Mickey brought the conversation back to business.

“Why not? One more wolf out of the way could be the best thing for everyone.” She lit the fireplace and watched the flames dance over the clothes. “Also, send me a Browning X Bolt as well.”

“The rifle?” Mickey said quickly. “Since when do you use guns for your jobs?”

“I don’t,” Nikita replied, stepping away from the fire. “Planning to give it as a gift to a friend. She is planning a hunting trip and needs a suitable weapon.”

“That is definitely an understatement, but I got you.” Mickey was back to typing as the sound of the keyboard came across the phone. “Anything else you need?”

“Just the usual. Send me the facts on the mark and I’ll do the rest.”

“It’s in your inbox already. The vials will arrive by Wednesday.”

“Always a pleasure, Mickey.”

“Bye.”

Nikita disconnected the call. With the evidence destroyed, there wasn’t anything else to do about Jason's situation. Maybe her informant would find out what happened to the body. Taking a deep breath, Nikita stretched her back, making her joints pop. From the fridge, she took a bottle of tequila. She should eat something, but she wasn’t in the mood.

The smell of Japanese Jasmine filled the bathroom and she immediately relaxed as she entered. She placed the bottle of tequila and the phone at the edge of the tub and slowly stepped inside. The water was scorching, and she embraced the sensation going up her body. She gave herself a few minutes to adjust to the heat before submerging her head under the water. The heat was amazing, and her muscles immediately relaxed.

She emerged from the water and leaned back in the tub. Nikita hated it when her plans did not come through. It was hard to send a message if people never heard about the bodies.

“What to do?” she asked herself, taking the tequila and drinking from the bottle.

The liquid burned going down, but she enjoyed it as much as her bath. She did her best thinking in the water. Her phone buzzed and she reached for it.

“Interesting,” Nikita told herself. She connected the call and spoke, “Hello.”

“Hi, Lacy, long time,” a female said.

Nikita hadn’t used that alias in years. She really should write down how many names she currently had. It would be a fiasco if any of her contacts found out her real name.

“Last time I checked, we were on non-speaking terms,” Nikita replied.

“But what is a minor disagreement among friends?” said the female.

“I didn’t realize we were friends, Rebecca.” Nikita stretched her leg out of the tub, letting the bubbles cover her skin.

“Maybe not friends, but how about great business partners?” Rebecca corrected herself.

“We should work on your definitions.” Nikita leaned her head against the tub again. “If I’m not mistaken, you tried to kill me. What makes you think I’m interested in talking to you?”

“I have a were that I need to go missing,” Rebecca cut the games.

“Why should I care?” Nikita took another sip of the tequila.

“I thought you were on a mission to rid the world of all those wolves.”

“Let me refresh my memory. The reason you tried to kill me was because I attacked a werewolf.” Nikita eyed the phone but couldn’t help but smile. “Now you want me to kill one. What am I missing?”

“The two-timing bastard cheated on me with my best friend,” Rebecca confessed.

“That sounds like you have a typical man problem, nothing to do with being a shifter.” Nikita played with the bottle of tequila. “You had your chance at seeing Roy gone and you stopped me. Not interested.”

“Rumors have it you are heading to Haven,” Rebecca informed her, making Nikita freeze in the tub.

“Really?”

“He moved to Haven with his crew three months ago,” Rebecca confessed. “He likes them young, Lacy. I didn’t know. I’m trying to make it right.”

“You should have left him a long time ago, it’s a bit too late to make it right,” Nikita informed her. “Unfortunately, I’m not heading to Haven. I have business in Salem for the season. Maybe next time, dear.”

Nikita hung up before Rebecca could reply. Their friendship was long dead, and Nikita was a believer she did not repeat mistakes. Doing Rebecca a favor, or even a business deal, was out of the question. Saving society from a piece of shit womanizer was a different story.

It seemed her Sunday would not be a total waste. She had plenty of time now to find, oh Sweet Roy, and figure out what he had been doing all this time. It wouldn’t be hard to find him in town. With the reputation of a bad boy, all she needed to do was check all the local bars and clubs. The rest should be pretty simple.

“But let’s make sure nobody else knows I’m in town,” Nikita told herself.

She found the number for her operator and dialed it.

“Hi, Janet,” said Nikita as cheerfully as possible.

“Hi, Rachel,” an older lady replied with the voice of a person who had been smoking ten packs of cigarettes a day for twenty years. “I wasn’t expecting a call for another week.”

“Change of plans,” Nikita informed her. “Got a contract in Salem. Will be out for another four weeks.”

“You know we can only approve three independent jobs at a time,” Janet said roughly.

“True, but I’m your best closer.” Nikita went back to her bottle.

“It doesn’t matter,” Janet added. “If others found out how much leeway you are given, they could get jealous.”

“But I thought you wanted me to take more time off,” Nikita pouted to give her voice an even more childlike tone.

The sound of Janet breathing deeply came clear from the phone. “I said you should take a vacation, head to Haven. Not to take a job in Salem.”

“What difference does it make where I am when I’m off?” Nikita knew the game, but it was fun to play dumb.

“You know it’s for your protection. If things go bad, we can’t help you.”

“I understand,” Nikita lied. “I’ll finish this job and think about the vacation after Halloween. Hard to get out of Salem with the holidays.”

“That’s my girl,” Janet replied. “Let me know as soon as you get in.”

“Of course.”

Nikita disconnected the call and changed the location of her VPN.

“It’s sad when you have to lie to your own people,” said Nikita. “But if you want me here so bad, it’s time to disappear. Something bad is heading my way.”

Nikita eased back down in the tub and relaxed. She could worry about the guild later. Her phones were untraceable, as well as her money. Making herself invisible was something she had plenty of practice with.