Silhouette (Part One)

Chapter 2

"Open Casket." He said, jabbing a smooth finger at a picture of the target. Deep sapphire eyes stared in the direction of the camera from under a golden tangle of hair. His sharp jaw was set under shallow cheeks and an oddly plain nose. "By any girl's standards he would be considered quite attractive, the only problem is, he wouldn't be interested in them. That is where you come in." Something felt oddly familiar about him. Even though I was sure I had never seen him before.

"You want me to..."

"Mhm."

"No."

"You don't even need to do anything more than get him alone." His crystal gaze pierced into me, so I avoided looking back.

"What, can't you? From what it says here, he is more interested in people your age." I shuffled through the information.

He walked a short distance and covered his mouth with a hand. Then spoke. "Because." He lowered his hand. "I never let you have a mission this close."

"What?" He was keeping something. Has been keeping something from me for a while. I needed to know what a gay son of a congressman has anything to do with me. "What!" I pressed, not caring if he blew his top.

"This guy is closer to your age. That's why." Pain flashed through his eyes. Definitely hiding something, but isn't that the kind of job we do? Secrets and Assassinations? "Besides, if you don't get him to let you get him alone, then just back out and I'll take care of it the next day."

"What does he have to do with me?" I repeated. "I know you aren't telling me everything."

This time it was his turn to avoid eye contact. "I wanted to wait, but you were going to figure it out eventually." His eyes returned to mine; their icy gaze gave me chills, no matter how much I was used to them. "He is an old childhood friend of yours, from before the..."

"Slaughter."

"If you want to phrase it like that. Then yes. You two were quite close. That won't get in the way will it?"

"Nope. It helps to not be able to remember him. Any particular way I should do it?" Asking to make sure when I get there I don't screw the mission over.

"Just open casket. The client wants him in good shape, just dead." He walked into the bathroom then popped his head back out. "Oh, and you're going to need to change some.... cosmetic things so that he won't recognize you." He disappeared back into the bathroom and kept going. "Better safe than sorry, right?

"Yeah." I mumbled, turning my attention back to the information strewn across the round table. What was his name anyway? The front page had gotten lost so I shuffled a few things and picked it out from under the mess of sheets. Carl, Carl Sandberg. That name was familiar. As familiar as the face, but still familiar.

"Here." Silver plunked a bag of hair dye and colored contacts on the table, making a few sheets fly off. "I was thinking blonde, or better yet. Platinum blonde." He jested, pointing at his head.

"Platinum may work. Especially if you don't want him to recognize me. Combine that with blue eyes and voile, instant hooker." He looked at me and ran his hand down his face in frustration.

"Then let's get started."

————————————————

The hotel loomed above me like a giant. The cream color painted limestone building loomed over the buildings next to it, dwarfing them. How or why such a large building was built here was beyond me. Who am I to question their motives anyway? I have my own agenda and they have theirs. I need only be concerned with mine.