A Daughter's Duty

Chapter 16

Mrs. N and I sat next to each other watching A View to a Kill for the third time, the last showing of the night before the theater closed and I was to be standing near the dumpster, waiting for Jenkins to show up. As the characters fought one another dangling from the bridge, my hands shivered in anticipation, one gripping the armrest tightly, the other wrapped around the key dangling from my neck. I had no clue how things would turn out. There were so many possibilities - the best being Jenkins and Dunaway both being captured and jailed, and my grandmother safely back at her house.

The worst - all of us being shot to death and my necklace being taken from my corpse.

It was terrifying, but definitely worth the try.

Mrs. N glanced at me, her eyes filled with worry for Gran and compassion for me at the same time. I held her gaze for a second until I turned back to the screen, pretending to enjoy the great (and quite possibly my last) movie.

Before I realized, it ended, and the few people who had come for a late night movie left the theater. Mrs. N and I stayed behind, one of her hands in her pocket, the other on her waist nonchalantly, near the place where her gun was hidden. I gave her a nod, tapping the handle of my Llama M82, and walked out of the cinema.

Mrs. N and I parted at the entrance, but I knew she was going to the same place I was and would stay unseen. The alleyway where the dumpster stood was very dark, and even I couldn't see the other hiding figures of Mr. I, Delilah, Kate and Michael as all of them waited to ambush the man who was going to arrive. I took my place right next to the metallic vessel that was taller than myself, the odor of the foul garbage nearly making me choke. My eyes were trained on the road and the sidewalk, waiting for anybody to appear.

As I stood, I tried to remember the things I had been taught about stealth ambushes - have patience, put a mask of indifference on your face, control your body language, keep a normal pace as you walk, have your weapon in your hand but with the safety lock on, ensure you have a way of communicating with your colleagues when you are ready for ambush.

Well, I couldn't communicate with her team, but I knew that all of us shared a connection so strong there wasn't a possibility of anything falling out of place.

I suddenly heard a sound to my right and my instincts kicked into overdrive. My grip on the gun grew tighter as I stealthily walked towards the other edge of the dumpster. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, knowing the others were just as ready as I was.

My eyes darted around, looking for a sign of movement, the outline of a figure, or anything that resembled life, but I could see no one. I tried to remember what the noise I heard was exactly. It sounded like the crinkling of paper, but it only lasted an instant so I didn't know whether it was Jenkins or just one of the group stepping on trash.

Putting all my weight on one foot, and both my hands on the gun, I carefully looked around the corner of the dumpster.

There was nobody there.

My posture relaxed as I bit back a groan of annoyance. I freaked out over absolutely nothing. That just proved how scared I was. With a shake of my head, I continued watching the road.

It had been over three hours, and sky was starting to get lighter. I yawned loudly, not caring if I was supposed to be discreet. I was too worried and too tired for anything at that moment. The wound on my shoulder was getting itchy under the old bandage, and my chest was starting to hurt slightly after standing in one place for so long. Jenkins had said very clearly that he would be coming at midnight - it was almost four in the morning and my key-necklace was still tucked safely in my shirt. I was certain that one of the others had fallen asleep.