A/N: Shout out to typhoidcandy and nikki1335! Enjoy chapter 10!

San Francisco, California

Taking a lethargic drag from his cigar, Wade Barrett closed his eyes, letting the smoke invade his system, his eyes closed as he vaguely listened to his rambling right-hand man, David Otunga. Finally, he lifted up a finger to silence him, and Otunga's mouth immediately snapped shut. All of these lies spilling out of his mouth were giving him a headache.

"It is taking me six months – count it, gentlemen, six fucking months – to get rid of this fool, Del Rio," Wade growled, his English accent thick and full of barely-restrained frustration. "I have gone through all of the best, David, and no one's gotten the job done. And now you expect me to believe that this bird can do the job better than all of my men?" He leaned back and puffed his cigar again.

Swallowing his pride as well as his fear, Otunga looked right at his boss. "I'm not messin' with you, Wade…she is the best of the best."

Wade observed Otunga and the rest of his henchmen; Gabriel, Slater and Jackson, and smiled to himself. Barrett reveled in the smell of fear, especially when it benefited him. And why not, after he had toiled for so long in this God-forsaken country to be able to evoke this type of reaction in many. It told him he had their respect. Otunga, his first recruit, definitely gave him his respect. The man was valuable to Barrett, having put his Law degree from Harvard to very good use in Barrett's favor many times before, and had proven to be the most loyal of all his subjects. But this entire farce regarding Alberto Del Rio was beginning to irritate Barrett. He had entrusted Otunga with such a simple task but he was proving himself to be highly incompetent. Barrett was angry, yes, but not angry enough to kill him. He wasn't going to face death, not this soon anyway. But this was his last chance to prove himself, and if he fucked it up, he could consider himself gone.

That was a promise.

Wade reclined in the leather chair and folded his hands over his chest, his chiseled, handsome face twisted with annoyance as he glared at Otunga, as if inspecting a pesky insect. Finally, he said, "You do know what will happen if you fail me yet again, David."

Otunga nodded. "Yes. But I swear to you, Wade; this woman is unlike any other. I have seen her," he replied, his voice wavering a little. He could almost feel the guillotine coming down on his neck. "Hell, I even brought her here. You will be impressed, I promise you."

Wade rolled his eyes, gesturing with one hand. "Fine. Show her to me then. And I'd better be impressed."

Letting out a soft sigh of relief, Otunga hastily made for the door and ushered the woman in. She entered silently, her face expressionless, her grey eyes steely and penetrating as she made her way towards Barrett, who stared at her, riveted. If Wade Barrett ever had a type of woman, here she was. She was beautiful; tall, confident, walking with the elegance of a queen. Her long blonde hair cascaded down her back. Her physique was slender but muscled, revealing her physical strength. For a fleeting moment Wade thought it a shame that such beauty should be wasted on such a bloody, violent profession. However, this only made her more appealing to him.

"I say," Wade purred, rising from his seat. "David neglected to tell me just how lovely of a woman he had found."

The woman stayed silent, but her icy gaze did not waver. She stood still as the burly Englishman approached, then circled her slowly. His dark eyes traveled down her body; her full lips; her buxom breasts, long legs, nice tight butt. She was physically flawless, very sexy, and Wade found himself thinking of other ways she could be…useful…to him.

Otunga, however, thought otherwise, and knowing very well of his boss's less-than-chaste intentions. There was no doubt whatsoever that she was very attractive, but this woman was anything but an implement to satisfy carnal desires. She was cold-blooded and merciless, bloodthirsty. Otunga could safely say, though not out loud, that he was quite afraid of her, perhaps even more than he was of his boss.

Barrett reached out and caressed her fair hair with his long fingers. The woman stiffened immediately. "I suggest you keep your hands to yourself, Barrett," she stated coolly, glaring at him from the corner of her eye.

Barrett chuckled softly, yet heeded her warning as he continued to examine her. "My fellow countryman, too. Very interesting. So you know my name?" he asked her.

Another woman would have been swept off his feet by his charm and good looks, but the woman did not seem impressed at all. The corners of her lips merely twitched, only slightly, as if asking if that question had been a joke. "Everybody knows who Wade Barrett is."

"So what's your name?"

"Lily," she replied, after a moment's hesitation.

"Lily," Wade mused, smiling at her. "A pretty name to match the pretty face."

Again, there was silence from her, but she narrowed her eyes, the only sign of movement from her.

"So tell me. Why are you here?"

"To finish the job your men seem to find so difficult to accomplish," she replied calmly, looking around at the rest of them. The other men returned her glare, momentarily forgetting their apprehension.

"And why should I hire you?" Barrett inquired with a smile, leaning in close.

"Because I'm much more capable of getting it done than they are," she stated. She would never have made such a bold statement if it was not true.

Barrett contemplated her words for a moment, then said to her, "All right, then. Prove it. Kill him."

And he pointed his finger at David Otunga.

He and the rest of his men watched as before a wide-eyed Otunga could run or even protest, Lily was standing behind him. In one swift move, she grabbed his head and twisted violently, breaking his neck. He never made a sound.

All the other men gaped at their fallen comrade, swallowing hard.

Lily glared at Barrett. "Happy? Or would you rather I used a gun?" she asked, her tone emotionless.

Barrett snorted. "Clean, quick and concise! But that was easy. Any of the men standing in this room could have done that."

"Maybe," she shrugged. "But they haven't been able to kill Alberto Del Rio, have they? And you want him dead, am I correct?"

"Absolutely."

This conversation took place at ten in the morning. By six p.m. Alberto Del Rio was found dead on the Strip, his head blown apart by a single bullet. His murder made the headlines of the front page of the newspaper the next morning. The Vegas authorities were clueless as to who the killer could be. Del Rio had many enemies after all.

Wade grinned at the woman before him, presenting a silver briefcase to her. "You're hired."

"Thank you." She turned to leave when she felt Wade grab her arm, turning her around to face him again. She looked down at the large hand around her upper arm, and then back up at him.

There was a lascivious smile on his face, seemingly unaware of the rage building up in front of him. "How about dinner tonight?" he said. "I know one of the finest restaurants in this town. Maybe…" His eyes trailed down her body again, "we could get to know each other a little better."

She locked cold eyes with his. "I thought I told you not to touch me." And she struck.

It happened so quickly that none of his men even realized it until their boss staggered away from her, a surprised look on his face, his mouth hanging open as he gaped at the dagger buried inside his chest. Blood was already seeping through his white shirt.

Lily yanked the dagger out of his chest. Again, with that same breakneck speed, she threw the knife at Jackson, killing the big man instantly. She then drew out two handguns seemingly from out of nowhere and shot a single bullet into Slater and Gabriel's heads. Though Gabriel had reacted quickly, he was dead before he could even withdraw his gun.

Eyeing the bodies littering the floor for a moment, Lily then picked up her briefcase and walked out. Her cellphone vibrated, and she fished it out of her pocket and held it to her ear.

"Rose. It's done."

When Lily arrived at Seth's apartment the next morning, he was home to receive her. He had made sure to clear his weekend so that he could spend time with her before he had to leave for London for 'business'. He had cleaned the apartment (making sure that all his weapons and gadgets were well-hidden) and cooked for her. Seth preferred to think that he was the better cook. Of course, Lily begged to differ. She promised to learn more recipes just to show him up, and she would. Soon. When she had the time. Which was hardly ever.

The blond woman swept into the apartment, looking tired but stunning in a cream-colored business suit and carrying a roll-on suitcase behind her. "Seth," she gushed in her perfected American accent.

"Lily," he answered, his voice thick with affection. He scooped her up in his arms as her legs encircled his waist. Throwing her arms around his neck, she gave him a long, lingering kiss. "Mm," she murmured, "I missed you."

"I missed you more, beautiful." Kissing her a few more times, he set her back on her feet. "How was Cali?"

"Oh the usual; meeting up with the client, running around, planning, planning and more planning." She rolled her eyes. "There's this girl from Dallas and she's planning her hen night in LA. She wants everything! Anyway, I did a little shopping for you, including a very potent shampoo to wash off that blond in your hair."

"You wouldn't dare!" Seth warned playfully, wheeling her suitcase into his bedroom. Lily had taken off her shoes and jacket and was watching the news. "No, I'm kidding. I actually like it. Gives you a bit of edge."

"I made lunch," he informed her, leaning over the sofa to kiss her.

"Aw, you take such good care of me," Lily gushed, threading her fingers through his hair. "Yes, please, I'm starving. And I'll have white wine if you've got any."

He was pulling away from her when something caught his eye.

"What happened to your arm?" He touched the reddened skin on her right arm with his finger. She shied away immediately. "Oh, that?" She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "It's just a little bruise. You know how clumsy I can be sometimes." Actually, she got the bruise while dealing with Barrett, but he didn't need to know any of that. "So, what's for lunch?"

Seth eyed her skeptically. She often came back from her business trips with some sort of cut or bruise that always went unexplained. He knew she was an active girl: they went hiking, cycling or jogging together sometimes, and she had a black belt in jiu-jitsu. He let it go eventually. It probably wasn't a big deal.

Lily hadn't missed the suspicious look on her boyfriend's face. She needed to be more careful and cover up her battle scars better. The last thing she needed was more questions, and she hoped he didn't ask again, for both her sake and his.

Lily grew up wanting to be just like her father. He was a Judge in the Crown Court of London, and one of the most respected men in the country, famed for his hard-boiled, incorruptible nature. He also doted on his only child, giving her everything she ever wanted without spoiling her. Lily loved her mother dearly, but her respect lay firmly at the feet of her father.

She would never forget that Christmas night, her first holiday with her parents since enrolling into boarding school. Just a month before, her father had overseen the conviction of one of the most dangerous gang leaders in the UK, and his associates had sought revenge. Eleven-old Lily was held hostage at gunpoint in her own home and forced to watch as both her parents were tied up, doused in gasoline and burned alive. Lily was left to die as their home was subsequently set ablaze but somehow, she escaped without burns. She lived quietly with her father's sister until she began college.

Seven months after graduating college, she was recruited by F.L.O.R.A. It was there that she perfected the role that would ultimately define her life. She learned to mask her emotions, revealing only a cold façade in their place. Lily also mastered the invaluable art of patience, which helped her wait for eleven long years to get her revenge on the man who masterminded the savage murders of her father and mother.

She remembered running into him at a charity event. He didn't recognize her, but his face was burned in her memory. She remembered the way he touched her, the way he looked at her with hunger in his eyes as he asked her to join him in his hotel room. She remembered getting him intoxicated, and the anticipation, the adrenaline rushing through her as she looked him right in the eyes. She remembered the horror and fear in them as she told him exactly who she was before tipping him over the balcony, watching as he plummeted twenty-five stories to his death. She remembered feeling nothing at all as she watched him fall. That night completed her transition into a cold-blooded killing machine, devoid of all compassion, committed to nothing else other than her job and carrying the memory of her beloved parents. For a long time this was her way of life.

Until she met Seth Rollins.

Their meeting at the Primetime Lounge was nothing but chance. Posing as a party-goer, she'd killed off the aide to the Mayor of Miami. She was a second away from disposing of those two fools blocking her path of escape when this hot, funny guy showed up and swept her off her feet. She hadn't touched the ground since.

The effect Seth had on her in such a short time scared her. He was re-opening those windows to her soul, breaking down walls she'd spent years building, and making her feel things she never thought she would feel. She'd never expected to get this deeply involved with a civilian, but there was a magnetic quality about him that she found impossible to resist. Still, her life was good at the moment and she tried not to think about the cons.

After everything she'd been through, she deserved some happiness. Seth made her happy and that was all that really mattered to her.

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