Free as a Jailbird

Chapter 18

"Normally," begins Morrison with a reserved snarl in his tone, "we wouldn't have to contact the Southbend Bikers and ask them for help. But the number of criminals your age, Miss Knight, are scarce nowadays, so our choices are limited. The last teenager we used for a mission as important as this didn't make it to the end."

"Let me guess: They were arrested?"

Morrison's face is blank. "Shot, actually. Useless girl."

I swallow a lump of nausea rising in my already shrinking throat. How in hell am I going to get out of this?

"This job is virtually the same as any other. The target owns a billion dollar company in Las Vegas. The company, should its owner pass away, would be entrusted to a man named Joey Barbados. Fortunately for us, Mr. Barbados does not want any part of it and has agreed to hand the reins over to us. He owes us some favors. That being said, we can't have the company if the target is still in charge, so we need him ... eliminated. Our aim, once the mission is complete, is to shut down the company and take the money invested in it."

Morrison seems to think that is all the information I need to agree to this thing, but my head is still spinning.

"Who is the guy?"

Morrison glances at his associate and then the Southbend Bikers before revealing the name of the target. "Alonzo Garcia."

Some of the bikers let out gasps. Even I feel my heart start to race.

"Alonzo Garcia? As in the mob boss who literally owns half the crews in the city?"

"That guy is a murdering snake," says Sam loudly.

"He tortures crew members and doesn't even get blood on his suit," Li whispers in fear.

"You can't be serious, there's no way Jess could kill him. She'll be slaughtered before she walks through the front door!" says Todd and I'm shocked to hear him speak for me, even if it's a little insulting.

"Oh," says Morrison, "but I know all of you would be happy to see him cleared off of your streets, am I right?"

There is silence. They all agree with him.

"So ... you're sending a teenage girl to kill a psychotic billionaire?" I ask.

The man with the gun to Belle's head shifts his feet to a more comfortable position and it causes Belle to whimper in his grasp. Morrison's lip twitches.

"The target's security is extensive. The only time it would be possible to kill him would be at his house, which is always heavily guarded. The target travels mostly to Las Vegas on a private charter, and unfortunately it's much more difficult to infiltrate him there since our alliances refuse to get involved. The target lives here with his wife and two children when he is not away on business. There is a way to get inside the house, which is where you come in."

I've been waiting for this ever since Morrison started talking. Does he want me to sleep with the guy and then kill him? Or am I supposed to dress in black and scale the building, dodging red lasers and snarling guard dogs like some secret agent?

"The target has a daughter," says Morrison. "Your job will be to get close to the daughter so you can enter the premises unguarded and unsuspected and eliminate the target. It's simple, Miss Knight. I assure you."

I snort. "Of course. You want me to become best friends with Richie Rich's daughter so, on the off chance she invites me for a sleepover, I can sneak into his bedroom, kill him in his sleep and leg it out of there before any of the guards see it coming?"