“Kat I’m sure that you are aware of your precarious position in regards to what happened at the ball.” Ciel shuffled his papers on his desk thoughtfully as Kat fidgeted. “Everyone in London is talking about the mysterious woman who attended the ball and stole the hearts of all the men in attendance. The gossip hounds are gong absolutely mad. Do you know what this means?”
“I owe you a major favor for keeping this a secret?” Her hands twisted the front of her jacket nervously as the young Earl nodded, “Exactly so in return I want you to do something for me. There is a drug ring that may have information on the missing girl case. I would like you to go to this address,” he pushed a slip of paper in her direction, “And find out what they know. If you can I would also like you to make sure they aren’t up to anything. There have been rumors this group has been putting out a particularly powerful new drug.”
Kat picked up the paper, and slid it into her pocket after glancing at it, “Is there a level of force I should attend to?”
“Try to keep the property damage to a minimum, I’ve been thinking of purchasing the warehouse to expand my company, but use whatever force is necessary.”
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Breathe; just breathe…The slim black form, highlighted by the rising full moon behind her wavered for a moment before disappearing into the surrounding blackness.
The mask that concealed her face itched terribly; it’d been so long since she wore it. Living at the manor has made me soft, I should practice more…
The building that loomed ahead, stood like a cracked and ramshackle hull, empty of everything but the ‘cockroaches’ that infested it. The Earl wants to buy this? She grimaced as a piece of masonry came loose in her palm, I don’t believe this is safe at all, but I have a job to do. Carefully dropping the piece of stone behind a stack of crates where it wouldn’t be noticed she began to climb, the best vantage point would offer the best chance of taking them out before they knew she was here.
Windows bisected the upper part of the buildings giving a split moment where she could be discovered as she swarmed up the side of the building like a spider. In fact the faint light emitted from the grimy windows blinked as she passed over them.
Settling at the top she found a skylight that afforded her a choice view of the occupants. There were six men, standing, and another three sitting. Without a doubt there are more that I can’t see. A rule of being an assassin was to never assume anything even if everything pointed to the absolute obvious. Too put it simply just because it looked like a dog, and barked like a dog, didn’t make it a dog.
“Did the new shipment come in? I want it on the streets tonight if it is.” One of the men sitting spoke. He had a balding crown which he desperately tried to hide with a comb over and a set of chins that quivered with every word that he spoke. “I want my money for this as soon as possible. The pup is sniffing at our heels and its getting dangerous.”
Pup? Could they mean Ciel? Kat leaned in closer, careful not to touch the thin glass that offered her the words she was looking for with such clarity.
The standing men shifted nervously, “Well, sir, you know how this guy works; he has to test each batch.”
“Which means we have to keep giving him test subjects. I wonder why he has to have,” The hair on the back of Kat’s neck stood on end and she pulled back from the window, barely avoiding the notice of the man who glanced up her way to scratch his chin. Waiting for her instincts to tell her it was safe she sat back on her heels, her pistols pressing reassuringly into the small of her back.
“Kat what are you doing here?”
Kat jumped, the pistols in her hands, reflexively aiming towards the voice. Grell threw up his hands, “Wait don’t shoot me!”
“Did you hear something?”
Darn it all! Flipping backward, she broke through the thin glass to land on her feet like her namesake. The men, caught unawares, took several crucial seconds to draw their weapons, seconds she used to drop the four that had been standing.Guns are fast, be faster. The words of her mentor pounded in her ears as the men aimed at her.
Everything seemed to melt away, sounds, sensations; there was only Kat and her prey. She sidestepped the first bullet, dove under the next, and ran into a solid wall.
Searing pain erupted in her shoulder, bringing realty back like a slap in the face. Grell blinked back at her from he sat on the floor, “Why’d you knock me over? That wasn’t very nice.”
Her heart was pounding in her ears like a battle drum; she could feel the hot, sticky blood dripping down her shoulder. Drawing her own pistols, she fired, taking the weapons out of her assailant’s hands, her throbbing her shoulder rewarding her with a particularly painful twinge.
Ignoring it she stood, even if you are hurting show a smile to the prey before you kill them. It’s only polite, to do so.
However with her arm throbbing as painfully as it did, she couldn’t smile. She merely the special pistol she kept for just these cases and fired.
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“And I thought I was cold blooded, you are definitely much more so. Kat why are you here? I thought you…” Grell prattled on and on, asking question after question as Kat tried desperately to tune him out. Her arm throbbed painfully still. And it’s all because of this idiot. She glared out of the corner of her eye at the oblivious man.
Normally she would be a bit more charitable but now? Not so much. Now she was in a lot of pain, with the culprit acting as if nothing had happened. “I didn’t kill them.” She bit out, tearing her mask off.
“What?”
“The bullets are blanks, but at such close range, it’s enough to knock them out.” Blood seeped through her make-shift bandage creating a red stain against the loose white fabric. “I don’t kill unless explicitly ordered to or…it just depends on the circumstances.” It hurts, why does it hurt so much? It’s not like I haven’t been shot before.
“I hope you aren’t upset with me, I just wanted to say hello and ask how Bassie was doing. So how is he?”
Grell…I swear. I’m going to…
“Reaper Grell, what are you doing? You won’t be paid for overtime if you are not doing you r job.” Kat turned to see Will adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. “Ah, I see you have been speaking with Miss Kat.”
Her shoulder throbbed even more, but she took the hand that William offered in greeting, “Hello, Will.” She winced, “I hate to be short with you, but I have to get back.”
Was it her imagination or did he look crestfallen? “That’s not an issue; I have work to do tonight anyway. I have actually been meaning to talk with you, would it be permit able for me to call on you at the Phantomhive manor? I…I have business to discuss with the Earl.”
Blood began to pulse against the filthy bandage; she ground her teeth in pain. “I don’t see why not, just let Sebastian know first. Goodbye.” Without waiting for a reply she began the trek back to the manor.
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“I wonder why she is not back yet. Meyrin?” Sebastian handed the freshly washed dish to the maid to dry without answering. He knew where Kat had gone, none of the others did, but the Earl had seen fit to allow the butler in on the news.
“Are you sure we can’t bring Pluto in tonight? At least for a little while? The storms getting really bad.” Vinny glanced out the door with worry at the hulking white form that rested against the side of the house. The moon, earlier unobscured, was now shrouded with a cloak of dark pregnant clouds emptying their bounty to the earth with a fury.
Sebastian wiped his hands on a drying rag, “How about you all go to bed. We are going to be up early to repair the damage of the storm.”
The servants gave a collective groan, but obediently shuffled to bed, leaving the butler with a stack of half dried dishes and another mountain left to be washed, “This is simply ridiculous, what-” A knock came from the door. “I wonder who that could be?”
Wind lashed at the door violently as he opened the door to admit a rain soaked Kat. “You are home early.” He remarked wryly.
She smiled at him weakly, holding a hand to her shoulder, “I ran into a few…friends and they…helped.”
“Helped did they? Then perhaps…” A thin trickle of blood threaded down over the back of her hand, “You’re hurt?” Another weak smile was his only response; she stumbled and fell to her knees.
He knelt beside her, gently prying her hand away from the wound, wincing in sympathy when he saw the mangled flesh, “You were shot.” It wasn’t a question. He felt her body stiffen as he probed the wound, “I believe the bullet is still in there.” Sliding his arms underneath her legs and back he lifted her and sat her on the counter, scattering unwashed pots and pans to the floor. “I have to get it out. Do you want something to numb it?”
She blinked up at him, and shook her head, eyes slightly glazed.
Smoothing the rain slicked hair away from her face he studied her pain drawn feature, “Sleep then. I promise you that you will wake again.”
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Hey, everyone, as promised a new chapter is up and posted! Thanks to everyone who has supported this story so far it really means a lot! Chapter insight for the next chapter, Kat decides she needs to do a little retraining, and thats all I'm saying. Please, Vote, Comment, and Fan and I will do the same.
SideNote-If you fan me because of the story post a message on my message board with a BB in it so I know to fan you.
-Shadowquill