Tinsel Matthews pulled her hooded sweatshirt from the cab of her truck. After slipping into it, she melted into the shadows. There was never a time when she wanted what she was brought into and this was no exception. She gripped the sword's hilt with both of her hands as she came up the side of the one story apartment. She didn't know who or what lived here, just that its inhabitants were her mark and in order to pay her debt, she had to terminate them.
She slipped into a crouch to get past the windows and turned the knob. She suppressed a scoff when the door eased open silently. People put so much confidence in others. People were made to do one thing and one thing only: destroy. Tinsel knew that first hand, both because of the reason she was in this mess...and because that's what she'd been doing since she was fifteen years old. Six years was a long time to destroy families, businesses, governments. All because she didn't have the common sense to stay away.
If there was anything she'd learned in the six years she'd been doing this, it was that if the doors were unlocked, it often meant they had a weapon that they knew how to use...or they were idiots. Either way, she could easily be wounded. She smiled morbidly, hoping that someone would finally be able to free her in whatever way it took. She eased herself inside and behind the island of the kitchen. Open rooms were her favorite. She watched as a man descended the stairs and shut the door. "Damned wind," he muttered before turning around and heading upstairs.
If she were one of the more heartless of her kind, she would have laughed and killed him then. Wind, she thought bitterly, I'll show you wind. She sped up the stairs making not a sound, and pressed herself firmly behind the opened linen closet door. "Jenny, time for a bath!" The man shouted. Another door down the hall opened and a little girl came out, dressed in a fairy costume.
Tinsel's breath halted. Why did the girl seem so familiar? "Get the child and kill the rest of the family," Her owner's words rang out in her head and she clenched her teeth. She should have known what he was up to. Was it any wonder why so many children were roaming the halls of his estate?
Still, her owner would know that she hadn't succeeded. She never bothered to ask how. His kind never told the truth. In fact, no one did these days. Honesty was a rare trait, and it was one Tinsel tried her best to uphold...with the exception of Master and his friends. They didn't like the truth, and they had the power to kill her without penalty. No one else could say such a thing.
After the bathroom door shut, she crept into the room at the end of the hallway. The man made no move to signal that he had heard her. There was no reason to suggest that he had known she was there. Tinsel pushed her emotions aside and drew the sword back. Faster than was humanly possible, the man turned around and a colt .45 stared back at her. The man laughed. "You would think you'd get the memo about upgrading to modern weaponry," he said conversationally, as if Tinsel weren't here to kill him or if he thought the gun would stop her from hitting her mark.
Tinsel didn't let her stony expression falter. "Guns are used by cowards," she replied, "anyone can pull a trigger. How many can slice through five men in a single swipe?"
The man's dark eyebrows disappeared into his hair. "Impressive, but irrelevant. How do you think Uri would like my warning: your mangled body with a Post-It note attached, or your heart in a gift box?"
Despite the gruesomeness of the man's words, Tinsel couldn't help but crack a smile. This could be her way out! "I'd wager he'd appreciate the latter."
"All right, enough. I won't kill you as long as you tell Urian that my debt to him was paid off. If he sends another one of your kind after me again, I'll have his family jewels shipped to Lemuria and put on display. I'm sure the king wouldn't mind." He made to move and put the gun away, but Tinsel's hand flashed out, pinning him to the wall with the tip of the blade to his neck.
"Do it," she said, not caring that her voice was hysteric. "you should kill me before I have to kill you."
"What?" His eyes were wide with disbelief.
Tinsel pressed the tip closer. "Kill me."