The snow had just begun to fall heavily tonight. It was the middle of December on planet earth and I was just stepping out of my apartment rushing to work. It was the first really snowfall of the winter, and the falling flakes had deafened the city. I had lived in this city for about ten months now; which was about four months longer than I should have. I had created rules for myself on how to best stay off the grid… no bank accounts, permanent-mailing addresses, and I never stayed in the same place longer than six months. I had gotten comfortable here though. I finally had a job I enjoyed and a boy that was much to sweet. In the back of my mind I knew this wouldn't last and that everything would come crashing down soon… I just didn't know it would be tonight.
Walking into the bar cold from the winter's breeze I headed straight to the bar to say Hello to my Richard and grab a quick drink to warm up. It was about thirty minutes till the bar opened and I would be up singing. As I sat at the bar sipping my warm Irish coffee I couldn't shake a feeling deep in the pit of my stomach.
"Is something troubling you Katrina, you seem like you have heavy thoughts," asked Richard.
"No I'm sure its nothing, probably just coming down with a cold," I lied knowing it was virtually impossible for me to get sick after the years of metabolic therapy I had done during my training.
I quickly realized the bar was beginning to fill with patrons and it was time for me to begin the show. I sang on and off throughout the night till it was about 12:30. Wrapping up my last song with a slow sad Christmas song Winters Night by Sarah McLachlan I let one tear slide down my cheek. Looking out at Richard I knew I would have to leave soon to protect his life. As I finished my song I walked off the stage and headed to the end of the bar. I sat down and one of the waitresses brought me a drink… but it wasn't my usual drink.
I turn around quickly taking a sip and realized instead of warm peppermint rum it was straight whiskey. No one knew this is what I used to drink.
"Why did you bring me this," I snapped at her.
"It is compliments of the gentlemen in the back booth," she pointed up towards the back balcony.
I froze instantly knowing I should have trusted my instincts that were screaming that I had stayed to long. Grabbing my drink I slowly turned and walked up to the booth. The men were facing away from me, but I knew who they were without seeing their faces. I approached the table and paused just before coming into eye range of the men.
"Hello Katrina please come and sit with us, it has been to long."
"That was the point of me leaving the organization…but it hasn't been long enough in my opinion, I retorted. Vicious I left the Red Dragon four years ago when the regime changed and I have never looked back. You have no right to be tracking me down now," my tone left no guessing how displeased I was at this visit.
"Well Kat it is time for another change of command. I regained command of the organization two months ago. There are only a couple problematic resistors I need taking care of."
There it was the whole reason he was here. Now I knew why he had tracked me down… "So you need a couple players taken out of the game to finish your take over? Why have you come to me than? You could just as easily send Scythe or Gram, from what I hear they are still in the business."
He smirked at me, "You and I both know beautiful that neither of those brutes have your fines in high level assassinations. They are simply brutes… over paid thugs."
I sighed knowing that this was not going the direction I wanted it too. "I am retired from that line of work. I'm happy now and not interested in getting back into it. I have a good life now and I have no intention of giving it up."
"I'm sorry to tell you this Katrina, but you know I am dedicated to this endeavor and you have something to lose now. Either way I am sure you will running away now, but if you don't come back with me I promise you little fling down there behind the bar wont survive till the end of the week," Vicious stated plainly while sipping his scotch.
I paused looking down at Richard knowing if I refused I might as well shoot him myself right now, because it would be less painful that what Vicious would exact on him if I ran. "What are the terms of the agreement? I refuse to return indefinitely. Ill do what you want within reason and than we are done and you never contact me again."
He smiled knowing that he had hit the right nerve. Placing a hand on my exposed knee right below my black skirt he leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I knew you would come back to me."
I shoved his hand off of me, 'This is not going to be like old times so don't even think that I am coming back for you, so what do you need me to do"…
An hour later I was back in my apartment Vicious had left in a town car, but his associate Ling was there as his proxy. Ling barley spoke but there had been a time back when we both worked for the Red Dragon that we were sparing partners and even friends at times. Now Ling was cold and distant, sitting on my living room sofa watching me pack up my things. I pushed back my bed revealing a hatch in the floor that I opened and began pulling large metal suitcases out of. I threw the cases on my bed and flipped them open. One contained my clothes from back in the day. I had training clothes, sexy clothes, and killing clothes. Everything that I would wear back in my old life that was much to aggressive looking now that I tried to blend in. The next case I opened held even more memories for me. I start pulling out the individual pieces and begin my cleaning to make sure everything was still in perfect condition. Of course they were… My sniper rifle, throwing knives, and hand guns all still in perfect condition. Finally closing the cases I look up and Ling and speak for the first time sense we were left alone. "So how did you become Vicious's lap dog again, I thought you had gotten out?"
"I had gotten out back when everything fell, but can you honestly tell my Katrina that no matter how happy you might have felt in your new life you didn't still feel there was something missing? It is against our nature; we are animals bred to kill. You and I both grew up with our parents in the business normal for us is not this life. It is more natural for us to kill than coexist." Ling say standing and walking up behind me. "Its best Kat if you do not fight your past, or Vicious. You know how he always gets what he wants. Including you at one point if I remember correctly."
"Like you said for self preservation reasons it's a bad move to go against him, and we did all grow up together. Things weren't always like this, but once Spike left well…" I sweep a tear away grabbing my cases off the bed. "Lets go than."
"You don't want to leave a note for your boy?" Ling asked
"No nothing I could say will make it right and I don't want to leave him with any hope or motivation to look for me."