Dangerous by Default

15. Jeff

A leather finger balanced a long blade delicately off of the balcony. Ten stories below, ant-like spots strolled along the sidewalk, unaware of the mortal danger that was being chanced above their heads. The crimson-robed figure flicked her finger, tossing the knife upwards in a dazzling arc. She watched it dance and spin like a dark spot against the midnight blue sky and as it came tumbling back down she caught it's carbon fiber handle firmly.

She was enjoying the fresh air. It reminded her of another balcony. She wondered if - she smelled the blade - no, she couldn't. There was no longer any whiff of fresh oranges. No doubt Granny's blood had washed it all off. She peered back into the apartment.

The man she had been observing had spent the last 45 minutes 'standing' in the shower with a photo of Mina Blue open on his laptop. Such a pig. This was getting boring. She had things to do, a company to steal. She thought about interrupting him, if only to get it over with.

A cell phone rang from its cradle on the leather bench in the hall and White Wing crouched back into the edge of a shadow. Jeff Stanson approached the phone still dripping wet, read the name that appeared on the screen, but hesitated before picking it up. He let it ring a few times more, then he answered it. His pruned naked body paced the apartment as he talked over speakerphone.

"Hey pecker face, bout time I heard back from you" Jeff said. The caller laughed.

"So, was the girl I sent you crazy or what?" Jeff asked, stumbling absentmindedly as he hopped on one leg trying to fit into grey underpants.

"Best bang for my buck" the voice said. White Wing grit her teeth.

"Save the dirty deets for happy hour."

"Same place with that bartender? The one with the tig bitties?"

"Alriiight!"

Jeff tugged out a mahogany dresser drawer, his hand bouncing around carelessly until settling one of the many pairs of black dress socks.

"So, how was the meeting?" The voice flourished over the word meeting as if to acknowledge that they both knew something that needn't need to be said. White Wing was a like bloodhound for intel, and this pricked her curiosity.

"Yeah, that trap at Dimensions is crazy. Hot - does that make me gay if I admit that she's hot? - but crazy. Yeah, you are toast..

"We all knew you were gay. But, no bueno? Is this an inspired moment where Jeff Stanson decides to give a woman money for something other than a blow job?"

Jeff smirked. "Uh, nah."

One sock. The other.

Pearl button to button, he reached the collar of his pressed shirt.

"Well pretend to drag it along. I hear trannies love that power play shit. See if you can learn something that might be useful when...." the voice on the phone hesitated.

"When you ask the other members of the Board of Directors to vote on firing her? Sure, sure. I'll let you know what I find out."

Jeff buttoned his pants. "Catch ya soon, captain."

Fumbling with the strap of the newly acquired Hublot watch, a yelp escaped him as it slipped out of his hand and fell behind his dresser. He picked it back up with a sigh of relief. Seemingly unscathed.

Putting on his coat, Jeff tapped his pockets instinctually. No phone. He glanced over to the leather bench but it wasn't there either. Relieving the confusion, his phone rang again. With a slight shrug, but otherwise not thinking too much about it, Jeff kicked off his shoes and walked back through the apartment following the sound.

Jeff didn't bother to turn on the bathroom light as he followed the source of the ringing to the toilet. He glanced around confused. It sounded like it was coming from the toilet bowl. "What in the.." he said, but his sentence was cut short by a shadow that moved faster than a nightmare.

The carbon fiber blade cleaved through the muscles in Jeff's neck like a knife in hot butter, and his sputtering body dropped to the cold floor, the blood trickling out in a viscous pool, taking his life with it.

"You're not wrong, gorg. Us Transgirls do love a good power play." White Wing said with an impish grin as she kicked his body supine. "But I'm always the one on top, sorry bout it!"

White Wing reached over the body and carefully removed a button from the dead man's shirt.