K&K

CH1

Kate was a little tired as she walked through the airport and went past security, the side of security where no one stopped her. She didn't always fly commercial, it just depended on the job. In this case she didn't need anything she could purchase at her destination and then throw it where no one would ever see it again. Or at least not pin it to her anyway.

She took a shuttle out to where she had parked her car, pressed the button, and heard it come to life with a throaty roar. It was satisfying to hear the horsepower that the one indulgence she had granted herself gave her. With its handling and horsepower there wasn't any car around that could keep up with her if a reason to use it presented itself. So far it hadn't and she worked hard to keep it that way. Even this trip her name according to her passport was Serena Kaye. It was a forgery, the best forgery money could buy. She also had a few more, two of which she had never used and didn't plan to unless she was forced to: Claire Planchard and Laura Wilson.

She even loved the feel of her little toy as she sat in the driver's seat. Kate loved power and this baby had it in spades. Porsche Spyder with the Weissach Package. The Weissach package is an optional, high-performance upgrade over the standard 918 Spyder model. The package features the use of more carbon fibre components, magnesium wheels and aerodynamic improvements. It is powered by a naturally-asperated 4.6L V8 and two electric motors delivering a total of 887 horsepower. It can reach 62 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds.

In her case it US$1,056,400 delivered.

"Hi Eduardo," Kate greeted the guard at her gated community. He was even armed and actually knew how to use it. "Good evening Ms. Beckett, it is good to see you home again. I trust your trip was pleasant?" Eduardo asked her only knowing that she had been gone for just over a week. He used his hand scanner to scan the tag on her car which was what allowed him to open the heavy gate allowing her entrance. No tag, no entrance. If you were visiting and didn't leave him word or answer his call, you didn't get in.

"It was nice but it's good to be home. Any visitors?" Kate asked to be nice knowing that she knew no one who would visit her, still it didn't hurt to ask. "No ma'am. Welcome home," Eduardo said as he pressed the button. The heavy gate opened and the metal barrier beyond it fell down allowing her entrance.

Jarboe Parkway, Kansas City, Missouri, 64112 It was a townhouse with others a lot like hers on either side. Kate actually drove around back where the garage was located and pressed the button which cycled through various signals until one of them opened the garage door for her. If anyone was close enough to try and get her code they would get over 2 million of them and would have to guess which one worked.

It was a two car garage, however, she only had the one car. She drove in and pressed the button again to close the door. Once closed, she checked the door into her home and found it was still secure as was the tiny piece of paper in the door way down low. If the door had been opened, the paper would be missing.

The lock required her finger print as well as a code to open it, much like the locks on the other two doors that lead to the outside. The garage was on the main level. She walked to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and pulled out a bottle of wine. She poured herself a glass and threw the empty bottle into the trash. It didn't matter, she had another 290 bottles from all over the world in her wine cellar. She had spent just over $640,000 building it up to what it was today. Kate sipped her wine satisfied that it was still good enough to drink.

She went over to the wall and placed her palm on the picture that was on it. Behind the wall was nothing, but this action triggered a latch that allowed her to move the boards in the floor. There she had a floor safe that required her finger print and code to open. Inside she had her most favorite weapon, a Heckler Koch USP Match, modified to fire on full automatic. Kate pulled it out along with two clips, placed them on her person, and dropped her deposit slip into the safe then closed it all back up again.

Her trip had indeed been successful. All she had to do was steal a stupid painting then sell it to the buyer who had wanted it and had hired Selena Kaye to do the job. She had confirmed the funds were in her account before she even left and had printed out a receipt for herself. It put a cool $59,000,000 into an account that already had $467,000,000 in it.

Stealing then selling what she stole was only one of the jobs she would accept. She was also not above assassinating someone for money and had done so on several occasions. The problem was being an assassin just didn't pay what being a thief did.

Kate moved through her home of 4 Bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, 3 half bathrooms, and 5,350 square feet checking doors and windows as she went. Kate was careful, it was why she was still alive.

It had only cost her $1,100,000 to purchase the place. As for why Kansas City? If anyone had asked her, which no one had, it was because who would look for someone like her in Kansas City, Missouri? Plus while this place cost her $1,100,000 here, it would have easily cost her 10 or maybe 20 times that in New York City, in sections of California, or in Miami Beach.

Kate was careful! Besides she liked it there. Though she did own other real estate purchased under different names using a dummy corporation. She had a home in Figi that she planned to retire to one day.

A beautiful home on fertile land producing tropical paw paws, bananas, jack fruit, passion fruit, pineapple and mangoes.

The block and plaster custom design has a lovely indoor/outdoor flow. A spacious 4,240 sq ft (394 sq mtrs), tiled throughout with an extended outside patio area. Perfect for entertaining next to the infinity-edged pool.

There is a courtyard garden entrance opening onto a roomy lounge/dining room with large kitchen containing dishwasher, two ovens and a large walk-in pantry that has one double upright fridge/freezer and one smaller fridge/freezer.

There are three bedrooms with walk-in wardrobes, two en-suites and one outside garden shower courtyard, a two-car tiled garage (with generous storage cupboards), generator shed, and tool shed.

The lounge, dining room, kitchen, study, and two bedrooms have extensive water views.

Water is supplied by a 50,000 litre water tank of pure rain water with a back up of artesian bore water.

Power is mains power with a 5KVA generator back up.

The best part was it had only cost her $1,500,000. Kate kicked off her shoes and took off her clothes. She took her weapon and clips into the bathroom with her and turned on the shower. She wanted to wash her trip off of her.

Kate felt so much better as the hot water cascaded down over her body from the rainfall head shower. She tilted her head back and let the water hit her in the face. She moved her hands to her breasts and massaged them giving her nipples an occasional pinch. Soon her fingers traveled south and they searched the folds of her core. What she really wanted was for someone else to be doing this, but she wanted to go to bed not out trawling for a bed partner.

Kate screamed out her orgasm, never being one to keep quiet and not express what she was feeling. Her hand was up against the shower wall to help hold herself upright. She turned off the water as her heartbeat calmed down and reached for the towel to dry herself.

She grabbed some yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt that showed she wasn't wearing a bra, stepped into the kitchen and placed her weapon on the countertop. Opening the refrigerator, it was evident that being gone a week had done a number on its contents so she started throwing things out and putting Tupperware into the dishwasher. "Damn!" Now she had to get dressed and go shopping if she even wanted so much as a hint of breakfast.

Kate put on a bra, the same oversized t-shirt, and added a pair of skinny jeans. She took her weapon with her, her ID, a credit card, and her car keys (fob) then went out to her car to go shopping. Nature's Own Health Food Market was the closest and she had been there several times. She decided she needed almost everything so she came close to filling her cart and was not bashful to eat some of the seedless grapes that were in her cart as she prowled the store.

Just over $160 dollars later and a "Needed to do some shopping," to Eduardo and pointed to her grocery bags in the passenger seat to prove it. "Have a nice evening Ms. Beckett." Kate drove home and checked that her little piece of paper was still in place then carried her groceries into the kitchen and put everything away.

It was late so she stuck to eating some of the fruit that she came home with while sitting in the living room. She turned on the TV to watch the late network and local news before going to bed.

Come morning she went over to one of the spare bedrooms that she had turned into an exercise room and started her routine. Two hours later a tired and sweaty Kate hit the shower then went into the kitchen to eat a light breakfast.

After breakfast it was over to her latest Apple iMac 27" computer to do some searching. It was there that she found another two people who wanted her services as she checked her site that was hosted out of the country. She made it while visiting years ago.

"$300,000 to kill someone. Delete." She deleted it and then deleted the deleted file. "Next, steal a Ming vase and sell it to him." That had her doing a search for the vase in question.

A 500-year-old Chinese vase has sold in Hong Kong for over US$22,000,000.

An anonymous telephone bidder paid HK$168,700,000 (US$22,600,000) for the 15th century imperial vase at the sale by Sotheby's auction house, more than double the lower pre-sale estimate of HK$80,000,000 (US$10,700,000).

The announcement told her that first she had to figure out who had purchased it before stealing it. She decided to take the job provided the guy who wanted was willing to meet her price. Kate sent whomever her price and a date of delivery 2 months out and went back to searching the internet. She knew she had no chance of finding out who had bought it this way, but it didn't hurt to look.

She knew she was going to have to go to Sotheby's and search their records to find out who had it, which meant traveling to Hong Kong. "Hong Kong, sounds like fun." She pulled out her burner phone and made a call. "I need the jet ready for flight in 2 days for a morning flight to Hong Kong." Kate hung up secure in the knowledge that he would listen to her message and be ready when she arrived at the airport.

Kate was pretty sure she would be leaving Hong Kong with more than just that vase and that she would need some specialized equipment that she couldn't take on a commercial flight.

Another good thing she was rich. She had her own jet and a pilot to fly it.

Bombardier Global 8000 that had the range to fly from New York City to Hong Kong without refueling (7,900 nm) which meant they would refuel at Heathrow in London before flying on. Her plane had four sections not including the cockpit area. There was a sofa on one side that could seat four that could be converted into a bed and a single chair with a small fold away table on the other side forward. Next came a space that was dining with seating for two and a side bench. Then there was the galley with working ovens and finally the restroom. Storage was below her.

A cost of EU€63,095,778 (USD$69,500,000) didn't include pilot cost, fuel costs, insurance, or property taxes.

Kate was satisfied and decided that she would do some wine shopping while she was there. Hopefully she'd find something unique that she could only find in that locale.

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Kate had her two bags loaded into the passenger seat of the car along with her oversized purse. She knew the way to the airport almost by heart, every turn, every little bump, and even most of those stupid pot holes. She used her pass to get out of her complex and started driving. She may know the way but today she went a different way. She couldn't become predictable and generate habits. It took her longer to get there but to her it was safer.

Kate found her pilot standing next to the stairs as she carried her two heavy bags that he helped her put into storage. "Any problems?" she asked. "We will have a little weather over Heathrow, however, we have the range to divert if necessary. Nothing to worry about. We can expect about an hour delay wherever it is we refuel," Simon told her.

"Thanks Simon. Is the galley stocked?" Kate inquired as he closed up the storage bin. "Stocked it myself, Ms. Kaye. It has all of your favorites along with a surprise or two," Simon told her. Kate smiled and shook her head. Simon was a good man, just a little too old for her. Still he was very good at his job.

They were out over the Atlantic when Kate found one of his surprises, chilled strawberries dipped in chocolate. Combined with her favorite wine and Kate was smiling widely. She ate and drank while she used her laptop to review the building she was going to be entering. Kate had done all that before she had even left home. What she wanted to do was find any flaws in her plan. An hour later she was happy with her choices and laid down on the sofa to take a nap.

It was the bounce of the wheels hitting concrete that awakened her. She got up and opened the door to the cockpit. "Where are we?" Kate asked him since it didn't look like Heathrow to her. "Frankfurt, Ms. Kaye. The holding pattern over Heathrow was too long so I diverted," Simon explained.

"Good thinking Simon. Get us refueled and back in the air unless there is something here you want?" she asked him. "No, ma'am. I was planning on doing some shopping in Hong Kong though," Simon told her. "So am I." Kate smiled thinking that only some of her shopping was going to cost her money.

Kate put together a meal while they were in the air and handed Simon his portion while he was on auto-pilot. "Thank you, Ms. Kaye." Simon actually did like working for her. She was most kind and even sent him a Christmas bonus each year.

Hong Kong International Airport was right next to the water. The terminal for private jets was quite far from the main terminal and didn't have retractable walkways. You used your own stairs and then walked inside and down the covered and air-conditioned walkway.

She grabbed a cart and put her bags on the cart with Simon's help. "Here is your hotel reservation. Text me what room you are in and I will do my best to give you 24 hours advance notice when we are leaving," Kate informed him.

"Thank you, Ms. Kaye." Simon took the papers and put them away. That was just one more reason why he liked working for her. She paid for the hotel and so long as he ate at the hotel she paid for that, too.

"Enjoy your stay Ms. Kaye," Simon told her. "You too, Simon." And Kate started pushing her bags while Simon tended to the plane. He got it refueled, inspected, and locked up after he retrieved his only bag and followed her into the terminal.

Simon pulled out his paperwork, saw where he was going, and searched for their shuttle service to take him there.

Cordis Hong Kong at Langham Place.

Here in this Chinese garden-inspired space, you'll discover an infinity bath and private steam room. Sip on calming tea while you gaze out over the city, or relax with a book on our Dream Bed. You'll also receive Club Lounge access, so you can take a plunge in our rooftop swimming pool amongst other benefits.

Room size: 56m² (600ft²)

Bed Types: 1 king bed

Nespresso® coffee machine

46-inch Samsung® LED TV

40-inch Samsung® LED TV

iHome™ Bluetooth MP3 Player

USB charging station

Work desk

Iron and ironing board

Signature Dream Bed

Private steam room and Infinity Bath

Oversized infinity bathtub

Complimentary buffet breakfast

Personalized check-in

Complimentary Handy Smartphone

Club Lounge Access and Privileges

Simon dropped his bag just inside the room. He was wrong, he didn't like working for Ms. Kaye. He LOVED working for Ms. Kaye. It was too bad she was too young for him. "Stay as long as you like, ma'am." Simon pulled out his complimentary smartphone and sent her a text providing her with his room number which was on the 40th floor.

Meanwhile Kate took a taxi to Island Shangri-La Hong Kong, checked in, and took her bags to her room. She was just a couple of blocks from Sotheby's. Her hotel and room wasn't anywhere near as nice as Simon's was. But then that wasn't the point.

It was still daylight for a number of hours so she decided to do some looking around. She had already picked out her site using Google Maps, however, it was always best to scout the place first hand. Plus she would be going there in the dark, so she needed to know where it was in relationship to the other buildings around Sotheby's.

Kate checked her equipment, packed it all back up again, then went out to eat and do some shopping. She wasn't expecting any trouble, still by traveling using her own jet meant she was actually heavily armed even if it was all concealed from prying eyes.

She was nowhere near the tourist traps and was dressed casually wearing running shoes; her money and ID were safely tucked away down the front of her jeans. It was just a touch cool out by the time she left the hotel which allowed her to conceal the smallest semi-automatic she owned. She also had an assortment of knives hidden away as well as a taser.

Kate was just walking and looking at everything even though as a caucasian, she stood out like a sore thumb in that district. However she walked with authority and kept her eyes open for everything and anything. She was about to pass a camera store when she turned back and went inside.

Some pictures wouldn't hurt so she found an Olympus with a large telephoto lens and haggled with the owner who knew very little English, Russian, or nearly any other language Kate knew. Still she was happy with the price and left the store with her first purchase.

She turned a corner and found a long alleyway filled with mom and pop places to eat. The wonderful smells drew her in while looking for something interesting. And she found it, a plate of fresh crabs. Actually they were more like mini crabs since they fit in the palm of her hand. Kate selected a canned beverage that didn't have any English on it but the picture was clear enough. She sat down at a cheap table in a cheap chair and ate her crabs while listening to the locals speak a language she didn't understand.