"Shut up, I need to think" Tommy interrupted. He paced up and down the tiny office for a minute debating the best possible action. A cunning smile crossed his face, "I'll make you a deal," he said turning his attention back to the assassin, "You do a few chores for me and I'll pretend that Kathy Saunders is just another normal person". Kathy paused, she knew that she had no real choice in the matter, "What kind of chores" she said as she shifted in the chair, the cables where still cutting into her arms.
"Nothing that an assassin of your caliber can't handle. So do we have a deal?" he said, his voice sly but showing no kindness. Kathy sighed, she nodded reluctantly, "looks as though we have a deal" she said almost miserably. Tommy grabbed the dagger and slashed the cables holding her to the chair. Kathy stood up quickly; she rubbed her arms and wrists. Tommy offered out his hand, Kathy shook it carefully.
"I'll be in touch," Tommy said as he opened the door to the office. Kathy stepped out of the office and into a dull hallway, "tell anyone and you're a dead man" she whispered bitterly, just loud enough for him to hear. She disappeared down the stairs, within seconds.
Tommy closed the door and look at two startled faces. Paul took a huge mouthful from another bottle that he had found in Rosenberg's desk.
"God what where you thinking Tommy. You just let an assassin that took a shot at my, MY life back onto the streets" Rosenberg panicked, "I'm dead, so dead" he kept muttering under his breath as he rested his head in his hands.
"Calm Down and shut up" Tommy said coldly, "She won't try anything, unless she wants to be hunted down by every gang in Vice City. More importantly she gave us the edge on the Forelli family".
Rosenberg nodded; he breathed deeply trying to fight off the panic attack. Tommy looked at his watch, "Get some sleep, we'll meet back here a 7am sharp" he said as he opened the door. He turned and looked at Kent Paul, "and sober up" as he slammed the door behind him.
Rosenberg stared at the closed door for a few minutes, "What a day" he sighed, "don't you think?" he said turning to Paul. There was no reply, as Paul had fallen asleep on the office floor, a bottle still clutched in his British hands. "Great" he muttered as he sat on the oak chair promptly falling asleep.
A knock at the door made Rosenberg stir in his sleep. He groaned, his shoulder felt stiff and sore. He forced an eye open, a clock on the wall showed that it was already 7am. The knocking continued, never stopping or softening. He rubbed his face, feeling the stubble of a five o'clock shadow. Rosenberg staggered to his feet, he pulled open the door. Tommy stood in the doorway; he pushed past Rosenberg and entered the office. He kicked Paul, who grunted and swore under his breath. "Wake up you bastard" Tommy said, kicking Paul harder. Paul let out a stunned puff of air and sat up slowly, "What the fuck" he grumbled.
"We've got work to do" Tommy said coolly as he sat himself down on the desk. He pushed his hand through his dark black hair and watched Paul stand up uneasily. "Miss Saunders will be here in five minutes," he said calmly. Ken Rosenberg shivered, "What! Here? Can I remind you she tired to kill me, it's a bad idea Tommy" he said, panic once again creeping into his voice. Rosenberg took his glasses off and cleaned them on the corner of his jacket; he replaced them on his face and looked around the office. Paul managed to stagger over to a chair. He rubbed his forehead, "Bloody hell, my heads bangin'" he said a little too loudly. Tommy looked at his watch, "She's not coming, I knew it, I knew" Rosenberg flustered. At that point there was a knock on the door. Tommy smirked as he got up and opened the door. In the doorway stood Kathy. She was dressed in a simple pair of blue jeans and a tight white t-shirt. The bottom of her jeans where tucked into a pair of knee high black boots. A dog tag hung around her neck and her hair hung loose and free, the tips reaching the small of her back. The bruises on her face had disappeared under a layer of carefully applied make up and there was no sign of her limping due to her wounded leg.
"Your late" Tommy said coldly as he stepped back to let her in. Kathy Sighed, "Really, I though it was a woman's purgative" she said with a smile as she slipped past, her hair brushed past Tommy's face. Rosenberg looked at her; he shifted uneasily in her presence, the memories of the night before still fresh in his mind. Paul looked her up and down, he was tempted to whistle but thought better of it.
"So come on, what meaningless jobs have you got," she said as she rested her weight on one leg. Tommy sat down behind the desk and rested his feet on the cluttered table. "Well then Kathy" he started to say.
"Kat" she interrupted, not happy that she was in this situation at all.
"Kat, how ironic" he said with an amused smile, "Well, a French reporter by the name of Leonardo has been causing trouble, snooping around. Take care of it, I'm sure you know how" Tommy took his feet off the desk and looked her directly in the eyes of the assassin. He picked up and small photo off the desk and offered it to her. Kat took it carefully. The man in the picture was at an age when the gray hairs where starting to show and he was making his last attempt to become a famed reporter.
"That's it" she said sounding bored, "no problem" she said confidently. She tossed the photo onto the desk; it twirled through the air and landed face down.
At that moment a mobile phone rung, making Rosenberg jump and Paul swear. Kat pulled a phone from her pocket. She looked at the number flashing on the screen. "Excuse me" she said as she turned to find that Tommy had grabbed her arm. "You're not going yet," he said bitterly. She shrugged him off and spoke into the phone, "I've taken care of it" she said sounding irritated, "He's in hospital, I'm letting nature take it from here. No, no I severely doubt that he'll survive. I'll keep you informed," she said defiantly sounding annoyed as she hung up. Kat turned to look at them, "Great now I've got the Forelli's on my back. And you had better keep a low profile for a while or they are going to figure out that your not laying on death's doorstep" she said pointing at Rosenberg. He nodded gratefully and even managed to smile weakly. Tommy smirked, "Why the change of heart" he said curiously. Kat rolled her eyes, "Because my head is on the line as well as Rosenberg's when it come to messing with Forelli's" she said as she opened the door of the office. She quickly sulked out, not wanting to think of the trouble she was in. Not just with the Forelli family but with the IRS. She was almost broke and that million was her last lifeline. Kat sighed; it appeared that she would have to return to mindless life of hired thug and common hit man. She walked coolly over to her 'borrowed' black sports car. She slipped inside and sat there for a moment. She took her mobile phone out of her pocket and looked at it. She cursed at her foolishness; she had covered for a victim. She shook her head; she should have never got involved. Kat turned on the radio; she had no idea why she had even spared the irritating trio. She grabbed her phone and dialed the Forelli family's number. Her finger hung over the call button, she closed her eyes and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat and started the engine. She let the tires squeal as she raced down the road towards the only place an up-and-coming journalist would be, the racetracks. She turned the radio up, Styx was playing, she let the song blare out of the speakers and block out her thoughts.
Kat slowed as she passed an ambulance, the siren somehow seemed comforting to the assassin. She turned off onto a small dirt path and let the car stop under a leafy oak tree. She grabbed a thick bomber jacket and slipped it on. Then silently she opened the glove box and took out a small handgun. It would suit her needs perfectly. She slid the gun into the pocket of her jacket and got out of the car. She smelt the morning air; the faint aroma of manure was carried on the soft breeze.
Kat walked swiftly away from the car without looking back. There in front of her sat the derelict stadium, which had hosted many grand races in the past. Now however it was falling apart and though it was designed for racing horses, dogs where a common appearance. It never bothered the punters, as long as there was some sort of animal to bet on, they kept coming.
She pushed through a squeaky turntable. It may of only been morning but people had already started to gather. A few lackeys ran around placing bets for their mafia bosses, while the drunks hurled abuse and scurried along the floor looking for a few measly cents. Kat quickly spotted the reporter, but remained deadly calm. She walked over to a betting booth, "$20 on 3 to win" she said calmly as she slid a twenty-dollar bill through the slot. There was the creaking whirl of a machine before the attendant handed her a small slip of paper. She nodded politely and crept away. She sat on a damp bench and glanced over at her victim.
The reporter, Leonardo wrote something down on his hand and rushed past Kat. After he had passed through the turnstiles she got up and followed. Leonardo had pulled his car door open and was dialing a number into his car phone. Kat sighed and ducked behind a trashcan. She raised the gun. A bell rang shrilly, signally the start of a race. At that second Kat fired, the bullet smashing into the back of the reporters head. His very skull seemed to explode in a ball of blood and brains. His body folded on itself as he fell to the floor.
Kat quickly replaced the gun into the folds of the dark bomber jacket. She slithered back into the stadium. "Number 3 has crossed the line, against the odds number 3 has won" the excited voice crackled out of the old microphones. Kat smiled as she went to her booth to collect her winnings. She stuffed the hundred-dollar bill in her jeans pocket and beat and sly retreat from the racecourse.
In a matter of mere seconds she was back in her car, bomber jacket tucked neatly under the passenger seat. Kat carefully reversed the car out from under the tree and headed back onto the main streets of Vice city.
On the drive back Kat pulled over and cleaned the gun of her prints, she then tossed into a garbage bin next to an unconscious hobo. She crept back into the car and swiftly drove away. She smiled in a relaxed manner, knowing that she had covered her tracks for good.
Back in Rosenberg's office Tommy Vercetti was flicking through some files, trying to get some more information on Kathy Saunders. All he had gotten so far was that she had been caught stealing a couple of times and had been charged with GBH but none of the accusations had stuck.
Rosenberg sat in the corner of his office eating a box of noodles that he had ordered over the phone. As for Kent Paul he had returned to the Malibu, a nightclub that he seemed to live in most of the time.
The telephone rang. Tommy looked over at Rosenberg, who just shook his head, refusing to answer it. Tommy sighed and picked up the phone. He frowned as the familiar voice spoke into his ear. "Hello Sonny" he said sounding far from pleased. Sonny was one of the Forelli family and a troublemaker.
"How are things going between you and Rosenberg" Sonny said slyly.
There was a quiet knock on the door followed by the entrance of Kat. Tommy seemed not to notice, "Not good. Rosenberg is in hospital. The doctors doubt he'll last long" he said pretending to sound slightly concerned. Tommy spoke on the phone for another minute before he hung up.
Kat smiled, relieved that he had said nothing about her failure or of her identity. Tommy shrugged it off, "I covered your back. Now have you taken care of our nosey reporter"
Kat nodded, "Of course" she said as she turned her attention to her black fingernails. Tommy nodded casually, "Nice job" he mused as he took something from his pocket and gave it to Kat. She flicked through the envelope; there was two hundred dollars in tens and twenty dollar bills. She shrugged as if the money meant nothing, "Hardly a million is it," she muttered coldly as she pocketed the cash. "So deals done, I'm out of here," she said as she turned on her heel and stepped towards the door. She stopped suddenly as she heard a click from behind her. There was no mistaking that sound, it was the noise of someone cocking a pistol. Kat sighed and closed her eyes as Tommy spoke, "The deals not over yet". Rosenberg sat watching silently, carefully eating his greasy noodles and tangy sauces.
Tommy lowered the gun slightly, "I have a proposition for you" he said with a sly smile. Kat sighed, "I'm not interested," she said becoming irritated that someone dared to try and control her. He smirked amused at how easily he had gained control of one of the most feared assassins in Vice city.
"You don't have a choice. Now listen good," he said sternly. Kat turned around slowly; a loose strand of black hair fell over one of her vibrant green eyes. She waited patiently for him to speak again. She thought of making a run for it but knew perfectly well that she would be sprawled on the floor in seconds. Tommy finally spoke, "You work for me and I'll keep the Forelli's off your back, permanently," Kat almost laughed, "I'm more than capable of handling the Forelli's". Tommy was a little offended but hid it well, like all of his feelings. Tommy glanced over at Rosenberg and signaled him to leave. The colour drained from Rosenberg's face but he knew there was no point in arguing. He got up and sheepishly left the office. He stood in the hallway for a few seconds, listening, before he wandered down the bare corridors, going nowhere in particular.
"Perhaps the Black Panther can deal with the Forelli's but can Kathy Saunders?" he threatened. Kat scowled, she was furious. Her eyes seemed to glow with rage. "You wouldn't dare" she hissed, trying to keep calm and fight the urge to attack him. Tommy snickered and nodded smugly. Kat shook her head angrily. She pivoted on one leg, kicking his hand in an attempt to knock the gun from his grasp. She turned and darted towards the door, as she touched the door handle Tommy wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her back. He pressed the gun against her head. She cursed and tried to pull away but Tommy's arm didn't move.
"Care to rethink that reply" he whispered into her ear. She felt his breath against her pierced earlobe. Kat closed her eyes as if she was trying to gain the strength to speak. She kept her eyes tightly shut as she spoke, "Doesn't seem that I have a choice in the matter" she paused and sighed softly. A faint smell of aftershave crept up her nostrils, the smell seemed sickly sweet. "Very well, I'll...I'll work for you" she whispered lowing her head disgracefully. She felt Tommy move his arm away from her neck but kept close, "Good to hear it" he muttered as he stepped back and stared at the miserable figure of his latest employee. Kat pulled the door open angrily and stepped out into the dimly lit hallway. She paused and took a flick knife from the top of her boot. It whipped open silently. Kat turned swiftly on her heel and threw it at Tommy. It sliced through the collar of his shirt with a faint rip, narrowly missing his throat.
"Betray me and next time I won't miss" she said with a sly smile as she turned sharply, her hair billowed after her a she darted calmly out of the door.
Tommy looked at his cut shirt, "I liked this shirt" he muttered to himself. Tommy turned around; the knife had stuck in the wall behind his head. The blade had pierced an elegant oil painting. He ripped the knife out of the canvas and examined the beautifully carved handle of the deadly weapon. He smiled as he folded the blade in and shoved it in his back pocket. Tommy shook his head; he would have to keep a careful eye on this assassin.