A Different Call

1. The Itsy-Bitsy Spider

The itsy-bitsy spider crawled up the water spout.

The loud music of the club drowned out the tune of her low hums. Mood lights bathed the room in red tonight. Her clear glass and vodka glistened like ruby and blood as the strong liquid slid down her throat. The empty shot glass made a dull tap against the countertop. The bartender wordlessly offered to pour another shot by raising the bottle questioningly. She shook her head with a faint smile.

The red light cast darker shadows in the corners. If this were a stealth mission, it would be a perfect place to hide. Tonight, she needed to be out in the open, show herself. She preferred combat or sniping to seduction, but she knew it was just as deadly.

Natalia's target entered the club a few minutes later. His crisp suit, well kept face, and confidence spoke volumes of wealth and importance. All her targets were one or the other or both. Anything less didn't interest the KGB.

Her target sat at the bar a few stools away and ordered a drink. You wouldn't expect to find a high class figure such as himself at a rundown, less-than-respectable club around this part of the city. Except she knew that they came to drink the best alcohol and be out of the public eye. The latter is what made this mission all too easy.

She waited patiently until the man had a few shots before making her move. His eyes widened in surprise as this attractive young woman placed herself on the stool next to him, and his mouth curled into an eager smile.

  "What is someone like you doing in a gutter like this?" she asked in Russian, tugging the man's collar to indicate his fine suit as she spoke. She was spinning her web.

  "I could ask you the same thing," he responded in the same language.

  "The vodka here is top notch."

  "Agreed." He raised his shot glass and downed it. "What do you need from me?" She allowed him to stroke her bare shoulder.

  Natalia leaned in. She could smell the intoxication on his breath. Good. "Walk me home?"

  The voluptuary's smile grew broader. "Where is home?"

  "You tell me."

Grinning like a fool now, her target placed some cash on the countertop and stood. He extended an arm for Natalia to take and she accepted.

The man babbled as they walked, slurring his words slightly although he could still maintain a steady stride. Natalia didn't even attempt to listen. She repeatedly glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was following them. The street and sidewalks were empty. They were alone.

Once she deemed them far enough away from the club, Natalia pulled him into a dark alleyway. She purposefully placed herself so that he naturally pinned her against the wall.

  He chuckled. "Couldn't wait?" His hands sculpted her hips.

  "No," she laughed breathlessly.

Down came the rain and washed the spider out.

She made him feel in control, but really he was the fly trapped in her web.

As he leaned in to kiss her, the Black Widow drove her hidden knife into his stomach, a precise hit to his diaphragm. Her victim gasped and stumbled back. He pressed a hand to his wound and it came off red.

The assassin rushed forward and, before he could scream, slashed his throat.

He fell dead. His eyes remained open and unseeing, filled with horror and void of life.

Out came the sun and dried out all the rain.

She dragged his body behind a trash bin for someone to find in the morning. She wiped her blade clean on his suit and slipped it back into its hidden sheath beneath her skirt.

She didn't know why she needed to kill him nor did she care. All she knew is that the KGB wanted him dead and his name. She remembered his name. She remembered all their names.

Her ledger continued to drip red.

Behind her red hourglass belt buckle, Natalia produced an earpiece. Securing it in place, she opened the comm.

  "Target eliminated."

  "Well done, Natalia. You may return home until your next mission."

  "Yes, Madame B."

Then the Black Widow walked away, vanishing into the night.

And the itsy-bitsy spider crawled up the spout again.