With some difficulty, I dragged Roger towards my car. He was being uncooperative and dragging his feet the whole way. At least he handcuffed his hands to his back like I told him to.
I pushed him into the back and climbed in the driver’s seat. I installed a metal divider between the front and back seats a few years ago after an incident with a criminal. I had a bruise on my right cheek from his kicking feet. Needless to say, I knocked him out real good. I wasn’t gonna put up with that crap.
I pulled out of the old parking lot and headed towards Boss’s office, 45 minutes away from my position. I always put on Slipknot because the criminals always wanted to have a little chat. They seem to like kicking the metal divider or yelling obscenities to me. Slipknot drowned all of their pathetic whining out all the time.
I reached Boss’s building (a 4 story business looking building) and headed towards the back. Boss’s building was situated behind a childcare center, a convenient place to ward off the federals. Our business isn’t part of the government or anything. It’s independently owned, but it’s not like the government doesn’t know about us. They just choose to turn a blind eye and, frankly, that works for everybody. As I reached the back, I pushed a tiny button located at the bottom of my set, and the makeshift wall in front of me opened up. I pulled up quickly and pushed the same button to close the wall. I was now inside a heavily guarded room with steel bars everywhere. Before getting off, I flashed the guards my tattoo on my arm. They lowered their weapons and some went back to what they were doing. I turned off my car, and welcomed the silence. Slipknot could really do a number on you. Three of the guards came up to my car and opened the back door.
Before they could pull him out I said, “This one needs to be alive per clients.”
I stepped out and noticed who the guards were, Jim, Jack, and Jason. My three J’s! The three of them have had random classes with me in college, but not once had I talked to them there. We only talked when I was in assignment and I had my ski mask on. They still haven’t picked up who I am. Jim and Jack had a much more bulky build then Jason, who had a more average body type. They were also extensively trained by some bodyguards, but not by assassins.
Sometimes I wish I could tell them who I was in the real world so I wouldn’t have to hide from them in school. I can’t really hang out with these guys in my ski mask.
“One day you’re going to have to kill someone, you know,” Jason said.
“Nah, our little Emily would never have the balls to do it,” Jim teased. Jim and Jack had Roger by the arms, and by the noises Roger was making, it was painful. The three trudged forward towards the locked door in front. Jason slid his card to get in while still holding his big gun at Roger. I followed behind.
“Hey! That’s sexist! I could kill anyone I want, I just choose not to,” I frowned. They were always on my case about not killing anyone like other assassins who come in do. It’s not like they were serious, but it still hurt my ego to know that they don’t think I’m strong enough to kill.
They opened up a small cell and roughly pushed Roger inside. I walked past them and headed towards the another door at the end of the hall that led inside the building.
“Boss is looking for you, by the way,” yelled Jason, before the door closed behind me. It was still dark outside, so I had at least an hour to get back home.
I headed towards Boss’s office, located on the fourth floor. Once I reached it, I knocked hard. His door was bulletproof, as were his walls in his office.
“Come in Emily,” He must have hidden cameras around here, but i can never find them!
"You wanted to see me?" Now that i was inside I was able to take my ski mask off. Boss was one of three people in the world that knew who i was. The other two, Laura and Mike, were my trainers. He motioned for me to sit down and I complied.
"Laura tells me you haven't been showing up to training sessions for the past week.," Uh oh. I knew I was in trouble then. Part of my yearly contract was that I was to attend training sessions three times a week, but ever since I was hired to work at the local fast food restaurant (The 3 Pollos), I hadn't had time to come in and train.
"I have no excuse. I will attend regularly from now on," Anything to get out of there and get back home before my parents woke up.
"Glad you understand. Don't let your pasttime get in the way of your training," He said. As if working at a greasy fast food restaurant was a pasttime. I had to keep up with my looks, didn't I?
"Yes, sir. May I be excused?" I was on edge, I'm hoping he doesn't bring up something else to chat about. I had to get home!
"Yes, you may go," I sprinted out of there as fast as I could without looking rude.
He stopped me right before getting through the door, "Don't forget to sign out." He knew i was going to forget to sign out. And he was right. I almost left without signing out, and that would've made my assignment void, which means I would not have been paid. I quickly ran down the stairs towards the first floor and into any empty room with a computer. I had to log into my profile and write down everything that happened with getting Roger. It was a tedious task, but it had to be done.
As I was about to close the door, I feel a gun pressed against my back.
"Don't move," I recognize the voice as Jim's. I was about to turn around and tell him to knock it off, but then I realized I didn't have my ski mask on!
He didn't recognize the black braid wound tightly on my head, or even my neck for that matter! Fuck, I was really screwed this time. But I had no choice; I have to do what I have to do.
With lightnening reflexes, I brought my left elbow back until it connected with his gun, twisted my arm around it, and dislodged it from his grip. All this time, I had my head facing foward, so he wouldn't be able to look at my face. At the same time I had taken his gun, I pulled my foot back to connect with his precious jewels, and once I hit home with my left leg I roundhouse kicked him unconscious. I felt bad for knocking my friend out, but I wasn't about to let a mistake ruin my life. I can't trust anyone else with this secret. I pulled my ski mask on, got to a computer and quickly do what I had to do.
Once I was done, I walked over to Jim's body to make sure he was still doing ok, before leaving him. Cruel, I know. I stepped over him and walked out the door. I reached the back where my car was, without having to go through the cells like the first time. Outside, Jason was patrolling the area, and Jack was nowhere in sight.
"Uh Jason, Jim is unconscious in Room 117. Kinda had to knock him out,' I sheepishly said. I couldn't just leave him there, like I previously thought. Hm, I guess I am a nice person.
"You what!? Why?" He had this adorably bewildered face on, I couldn't help cracking a smile. Not that he could see it anyway.
"He was about to see my face."
His face was priceless. His mouth dropped to an 'o' shape and his eyes widened. They knew how important an assassin's identity was. After getting reassured that he will tend to Jim, I walked towards my car and headed towards my neighborhood. It was a 20 minute drive, but I was really cutting it close. My parents wake up at 6:30am everyday. And it was close to 6am at this point. I still had to drop my car off a block away from my house, run home and change into my pajamas. There was no way i was gonna make it on time!
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(HISTORY! Didn't know where to put this little excerpt in this dang chapter, so i'll just insert it here)
There are only 5 such buildings in the world. But they are all owned by one person, and that would be Boss.
Boss used to be my science teacher in High School. He looks to be around his 40s with graying hair on the sides and a lanky build. That’s what makes him the best of the best. He just doesn’t look the part. He recruited me when he found me in the Teacher’s Lounge one day, stealing some of Mrs. Gunther’s lunch (she always had the best lunch). He told me he knew it was me the whole time, but wanted to see if anyone else would ever catch me. I thought I was gonna be in trouble, but instead he gave me a blank black business card and left. Apparently it was a test to see what I would do with the card. To this day, I have no idea what I had done to get him to tell me his second job: assassin. I thought he was crazy, but in the end I ended up getting trained by two of his retired assassins. Friendly lot, really. No, not really. They were the meanest, most cruelest, people I had ever met, but they taught me everything I know now. Assassins train from a young age, according to them it's easier for the lessons to stick.
It’s been 6 years since I started and not once has anyone ever had a suspicion.