Assassin Affairs (11 page)

“This
is fun,” said Jessica. “Can we take the camera with us to
our nap?”

“Sure,
if you want to, I just don't want anything inappropriate ending up on
the internet.”

“It
won't, I promise. Besides, you'll be the one who has the memory chip.
It's your camera!”

“I'll
email you all the photos from today, ones of our matching outfits,
you shooting and ones from nap time, plus a few others.”

“I
didn't know you had a computer.”

“We
have a WiFi laptop stashed away. Sometimes we use it in town where we
can get a signal at some of the fast food places.”

They
proceeded to do some self-defense practice, then went back to some
more shooting.

“Did
you really kill all those people?” asked Jessie.

“Yes,
I did, hon. Does that bother you?”

“When
I look you guys up on the internet, what am I going to find?”

“Danny
told you most of it at breakfast. Normally, I never talk about it,
but considering our special relationship, I'll let you know. Things
got really intense at the end, too intense, that's why I chose to
leave the business and move here. Your mom's ten million dollars
lured me back into it all.”

“Go
on, please.”

“You'll
find I was linked to New York City's most notorious criminal, Charles
Cicero, the man who makes made-men. Find a photo of him and odds are
you'll spot me in the background. I knew organized crime family
leaders in all five boroughs. I still do. I was Mr. Cicero's
enforcer, his hit-woman.”

“This
is so fascinating,” said an awed Jessie.

“Danny
served overseas in Special Forces. He killed a lot of people, but
never anyone for money. After that, he was a detective in a small
town in Arizona. When I killed a man there, our paths crossed and we
were promptly smitten with one another.”

“He
seems really nice. What about Laura?”

“Laura
is the top-ranked assassin in your home state. I've made a lot of
enemies in my line of work, Jessie. She got a lucrative contract to
take me out, and Danny and I were nearly killed. Instead of killing
us, she became our lover and together we took out the people who
hired her.”

“That's
amazing. How does one go from killer to lover like that?”

“That
was when I discovered how insatiable she can be. I was fighting for
our lives the only way I could at the time, and at gunpoint, too.
That, plus a bunch of cash, brought her over to our side. Jessie, you
lasted longer with her than I did, that's really incredible!”

“I'll
do even better for you. How do you know my mom?”

“I
don't, yet,” she said with the hint of a wry grin. “Jessie,
we're people-of-interest to the FBI, but they have nothing solid on
us. We'd like to keep it that way, so keep your mouth shut if you
enjoy living.”

Jessie,
couldn't take her eyes off her beloved mentor. She sat ogling how her
beautiful legs curved up into her new short skirt as she fired off
some practice rounds.

“Renée.....”

“What,
Jessie?”

“I
can't wait.”

“You
gotta pee, kid?”

“No,
the other thing.”

“Huh?”

“I
saw that you have a blanket in the back of the SUV. I could go get
it. There's no one else up here, we have a great lake view with tons
of privacy. It beats being in a stuffy bedroom. You can make a video
of our special picnic together if you want.”

“Jessie,
I haven't enjoyed this much special attention in a long time. What
are we waiting for? You get the blanket; I'll set up the camera.”

Meanwhile,
the FBI, still unaware of Jessie's rescue and Lionel's unusual death,
continued planning its own operation. They had just received a ransom
request that Lionel had mailed the day of his demise. It was for a
million dollars in small bills to be delivered to an abandoned
building near Denver.

Joanna had
become concerned over not hearing from Laura. Each time she had tried
to contact her, the call had gone to phone mail. She realized cell
phone reception was iffy in the mountainous areas. The burner cell
phone was kept with her at all times.

When her
sister Jennifer had learned of the abduction on TV, she had insisted
on helping out. She'd been having problems of her own, just going
through a divorce and having financial issues because of it.

Unknown to
everyone, Lionel had recruited a partner, one of his buddies from the
mental institution. Melvin's history included bouts with arson, fire
bombs and other explosives. His mental level was similar to Lionel's
and that's how they had become friends. In the event of Lionel's
delay, Melvin was to accept the money and bring Joanna to Lionel's
cabin for some special entertainment.

The FBI
felt confident they had control of the payoff situation, and assured
Joanna all would go well. The sisters maneuvered them into agreeing
to Jennifer going along as back-up, and soon their entire group was
moving into position outside Denver. Both women wore a wire, two
snipers were strategically placed nearby, and several agents hid in
an adjoining area.

“Here,
Jen” said her sister Joanna, handing her an envelope.

“What's
this?”

“It's
an overdue thank you for being such a good sister over the years. I'm
sorry I've never been there for you. There's some cash inside to help
you out. There will be more later.”

“That's
not necessary, sis.”

The two
sisters stood nervously in the center of the empty building as Melvin
entered.

“Why
are there two of you?” he asked, most agitated.

“I
brought my associate along to help me carry all the money,”
said Joanna.

Melvin
walked right up to them, shouting in their faces, “No, no, this
is not the arrangement!” He took the case of cash from Jennifer
and knocked her out cold with the butt of his automatic pistol. “We
go now!” he said, dragging Joanna and her case full of cash
behind him.

The FBI
agents hurried in from the adjoining area. “Halt, or we'll
shoot!” they hollered. The snipers couldn't get a clear shot.

“I've
wired this place to blow! It's set to go off in sixty seconds!”
Melvin shouted. He fired off several rounds at the agents. They
ricocheted off the walls and the cement floor. Everyone ran for the
exit nearest to them, Melvin and Joanna went one way, the two agents
the other. Moments later came the promised explosion, injuring both
snipers.

“You
shouldn't have done that!” Melvin yelled at Joanna. “You
must be punished! Come with me now. We go see your girl.”

“My
sister, you killed my sister! Where's my little girl?”

“I
take you to her. Shut-up now, or I shut you up!”

That night,
when everyone met back at the cabin, they heard a news item on the
radio about the ransom payoff and Joanna's abduction by Lionel's
partner Melvin.

“Oh
my God, he's got my mom!” shouted Jessica. “You guys have
to save her!”

“Damn
right we do! Or else we're out ten million dollars and a few
bonuses!” exclaimed Laura.

“How
do we find them?” asked Renée.

“We
let them come to us,” said Danny. “I bet he's bringing
her to Lionel's cabin. He thinks he's still alive. We can probably
intercept them there.”

“I'm
not going back to that horrible place,” said Jessie.

“You
don't have to. Besides, you'd only get in the way. Let us do our
thing, kid. We'll have your mom free in no time,” said Danny.
“My guess is that Melvin will spend the night with your mom,
and then make his way to the cabin in the morning. We'll be up there
waiting.”

“That
cabin must reek of the smell-of-death by now,” said Laura.

“That's
why we'll wait outside! I'm sure the FBI placed a tracking device in
with the ransom. The cabin will be the safest place for them to
intercept the pair. They'll be right behind them.”

It was dawn
as the threesome approached the infamous cabin. They were on foot
about a quarter of a mile away as they checked out the place with
binoculars.

“It
looks like the FBI put the pieces together and are already there
waiting, too,” said Danny. “They're coming out of the
cabin with masks over their noses, so I bet it is stinky inside. I
don't see their vehicle anywhere, so they must be expecting to
surprise them soon.”

“It's
a good thing I wiped away any fingerprints we may have left. Even
though we're not guilty of anything, I prefer to avoid any FBI
contact,” said Renée.

“Look!”
shouted Laura. “There's a car coming up the road. Maybe it's
them.”

They
watched as the agents disappeared inside and the car soon turned and
headed toward the remote cabin. Moments later, Melvin was in custody
and Jessie's mom Joanna was free. They watched as she went inside to
see the gruesome scene, then came out and threw up.

“That
makes this the easiest rescue-op I've ever been on,” joked
Danny.

“I
wish you guys got cell phone reception up here,” said Laura.

“Why?”

“I
bet she still has that burner phone I gave her.”

“Cell
phones will work closer to town. Let's follow them down the mountain
when they leave. Try calling her once we're closer to civilization.”

They were
soon following them down the winding mountain road.

“Are
you sure we shouldn't just pull them over?” asked Laura.

“I'm
sure. Things would get complicated, they'd ask too many questions,
they'd come to our cabin; let's just use your cell phone.”

“I'm
getting a signal!” said Laura, dialing the number.

“Laura!
I've been waiting for your call! Where have you been? Where are you?
Is Jessie with you?” asked an excited Joanna.

“It's
all good, Joanna. We have your daughter. She's safe. Don't repeat
what I'm about to say.”

“Okay.
What?”

“We're
a hundred yards behind you. We prefer to avoid FBI contact. Ditch
them when you can, then call me back. We'll take you to her.”

A short
time later, Joanna found a way to hook up with them at a convenience
store, in their SUV.

“We've
determined that you may have an FBI tracking device on you and not
even know it, Joanna. We don't have the gear with us to check for it,
so we'll keep this brief and bring Jessie to you tonight,”
Laura said. “These are my two partners who shall remain
nameless for now. I just wanted you to meet them.”

“Hello,
thank you for saving my little girl!”

Both smiled
at her and said, “Hi, Joanna.”

“They
will be getting an equal share of all payments and bonuses, Joanna.”

“Oh,
okay. That part is up to you. I'll have your money ready as soon as I
get back to L.A., with a million dollar bonus for what you did to
that wicked man at the end. It was gruesome, but nice.”

“I
thought you'd approve. I saved it for you.”

“Oh,
that's okay, just throw that nasty thing away. I don't need to see it
now that I've seen him.”

“One
more thing, Jo. I told my friends about our fun time together during
my visit to your bedroom and about the promised redo upon Jessie's
return.”

“You
did?”

“Yes,
and they consider that to be the same as a bonus payment.”

“What
are you saying, Laura?”

“I'm
saying that I've agreed they will share in 'everything',” said
Laura, as she slid her fingers suggestively along Joanna's inner
thigh. “We'll be in touch later with the details for the ten
million and for the two bonus payments. I just wanted to let you know
ahead of time, so that you can be all psyched-up for the proper
enthusiasm. Remember how I stressed enthusiasm last time? It's very
important to each of us. Now give me a thank you kiss to show this is
all right with you, one that shows you really mean it, and then we'll
bring Jessie to you tonight.”

Recalling
the warning she had gotten from the Commissioner, Joanna turned and
looked into the back seat at Renée and Danny, wondering what
she had gotten herself into. She was clearly flustered and showed a
look of nervous apprehension.

“Try
looking at this as good news, Joanna,” said Renée.
“We'll be nice and gentle with you. When the time comes, we'll
take things as slow as you need us to.”

Then Danny
chimed in,”Speaking of good news, I have some for you, Joanna.
I went to the scene of the explosion and used my old detective badge
to get some information. Your sister is still alive!”

“She
is? Oh Jesus! I was certain she'd been killed! Are you sure?”

“Very
sure. I visited her in the Denver trauma center and told her I was a
detective working on the case. She has amnesia. Go visit with her
this afternoon. Tonight we'll bring Jessie to meet you at the United
Departure Terminal at the Denver Airport at midnight. We like busy
places for such things, just to ensure the FBI is kept at bay. From
there, you can either go home or stay with your sister. It's up to
you.”

“Oh,
thank you, sir, whatever your name is!”

She
then looked Laura in the eye, inched closer and gave her the
requested confirmation kiss of passion.

“Hey,
we'll need a token gesture, too,” Danny wryly added. “Give
us your panties.”

“What?!
I'm wearing pantyhose, sir.”

“That
will do.”

“Oh,
good grief!” Joanna wriggled about awkwardly in the front seat
as she removed them. She found him to be exceedingly handsome and
blushed as she reached into the back seat and handed him her
underwear. When their fingers touched, each sensed a special
chemistry. They exchanged a look of intensity, both envisioning their
next encounter, then she got out of the SUV and walked away.

“Did
you see the way she looked at you, Danny? That was so hot I could
feel the heat all the way over here. I so want to see her face
planted between my thighs, Danny! I want to own her!” exclaimed
Renée.