Ahh, the sweet taste of a successful operation.
Well, actually, it was the sweet taste of cheap airline champagne in a very nice glass, But that didn't matter all that much to Aliza at the moment.
She was comfortably reclined in her seat, she always flew first class when it was an option, for so very many reasons, chief among them being that first class allowed her relative privacy during the flight. She liked to have some time after operations to unwind and enjoy the high.
The high… god she'd missed the high that came with a successful mission. Medically speaking, she knew that it was most likely a rush of dopamine caused by the knowledge that you were no longer in a life threatening situation. That's the way Ben had explained it to her after her first time out.
She wasn't a psychopath, her education in psychology and several very good Israeli psychologists had taught her that.
But she'd enjoyed it, the thrill of stalking another human being and killing them was like nothing she'd experienced before, it was better than any of the shit that she'd experimented with in high school, even better than sex. Aliza had become addicted to it, it had become her drug.
And like any recovering addict, you jumped back into it at the first opportunity, Aliza felt a pang in her stomach.
Who was she kidding, even if she'd been completely happy with her life in Liberty, she still would've taken the job. She loved the work, and when it was the right client, she was paid extremely well.
It pained her to admit it, but Ben was right…
"I'm done Ben" she'd said over the phone, so much conviction in her voice.
"My dear Zl, you know I have to ask why. You are an artist, you've done great things for the House of David. You are one of the Institute's greatest assets."
"You know why, it's only a matter of time before what happened to Ariel happens to me. I'm getting out while I'm still alive. I'm going back to America, I'm going to be normal. I'll still provide whatever important intel I come across to the Institute, but I'm going to be normal." Yes, because becoming a high class call girl is the very definition of normal. She hadn't really made that intellectual leap at the time.
"Is that truly what you want? What happened to Ariel was horrible, but there was nothing we could've done." He had been right, there was no way that they could've known the plan had been leaked. But that couldn't make her un-see the contents of the box that had arrived at the Israeli embassy.
"I know that Ben, but I'm still walking away from this life."
"Liza, you know that I won't stop you, but I worry whether or not you can actually do it. People like us, we weren't meant to have normal quiet lives, if we were, I would be a rabbi and you would be a therapist."
"We are predators, warriors, we are the ones who appear where the sdyms least expect, and strike where they cannot hide."
"We weren't meant to live for ourselves, we were meant to kill for others."
"Not me, I'm leaving."
"If that's what you wish, then go with my blessing, but remember, you will always have a place in the House of David, you will always have a place in my home. Shalom Aliza."
"Shalom Ben" she'd hung up, dumped the burner phone in the trash, took one last look at the airport bathroom she'd just come out of, then turned and headed for her gate.
Ben… she wondered how he was doing, she hadn't heard anything from her old contacts, but that wasn't surprising. Men like Ben-Tzion weren't the type to make noticeable waves.
No, everything that people like him did happened deep below the surface.
The voice of the pilot crackled out over the intercom speaker.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're experiencing some minor trouble with the weather. Nothing to be worried about, but we might experience some minor turbulence, and we'll be getting to Los Santos a little later than expected, as it stands we'll arrive at Los Santos International Airport in five hours."
The few other first class passengers groaned, it made Aliza want to laugh. Put some of these people on an MC-130, she thought, see how they fair.
That's not to say that she didn't love her creature comforts, ooh yes, she absolutely loved her thousand thread count sheets made of Egyptian cotton, her designer clothes, first class flights, she loved all of it. However, unlike the rest of her fellow passengers, she knew how to appreciate it because she had a polar opposite to compare it to. Nothing made a person value the luxuries in life quite like spending a few nights in a cave in Afghanistan.
"Is there anything I can get you miss?"
Aliza looked up and saw an attractive African American flight attendant.
Aliza smiled, "Why yes, I think there is…"
….
"HMMPH, HMMMPH, HMMMMMMMMPH."
Thank god I gagged her, Aliza thought, she's a screamer.
It had taken her about an hour to learn of the premium service that the attractive African American woman, who's name turned out to be Lily, offered. A half hour longer to work out a price, and one more half hour to set up some of the gear she had brought in her carry-on in the first class bathroom, their privacy guaranteed by an out of order sign.
It was truly astounding what a person could take on a plane. A bottle of coke from outside of the terminal, hell no. A ball gag, silk ropes, and a vibrator, certainly.
She undid the clasp and removed the gag from the stewardess's mouth, then set to work on her restraints.
"Holy shit, that was really good, you are really good." The girl was panting and covered in sweat. She bit her lip as Aliza slipped the vibrator out.
Aliza smiled, no one could ever say that she didn't give it her all every time.
"You're not the only professional here sweet heart." She tucked the gag, the vibrator, and the ropes back into her carry-on.
"Wow, I'm not sure if you should be paying me, or I should be paying you." She is an amateur, never ever imply that they don't have to pay, Aliza chuckled.
"I always pay my debts." She shouldered her carry-on, put ten hundred dollar bills on the sink, and left Lily to redress herself.
A grand for three hours was pretty cheap considering the quality of the girl. If she ever ran into Lily again, she'd have to tell her that she should be charging a lot more.
She would tell her this, of course, when she wasn't one of the girl's clients.
She's impressive, but even I'm not going to just throw away money, the thought made her smile even wider as she found her seat again.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are beginning our descent into Los Santos International Airport, the weather is…"
The smile on Aliza's face couldn't get any wider, a successful operation, a glass of champagne, and three hours with a beautiful girl.
Not a bad start to her new life.
So what do you guys think? I'm probably going to stick with these short little chapters. I used to focus more on length, but I like this style better, I just start with a prompt and set myself a thousand word minimum.
Like I said with my last chapter, I have yet to find a beta for this story, so I do apologize if it's sub par.
By the way, anyone figured out Aliza's previous employer, should be obvious after this chapter.
R&R people.