A Locked Box

Chapter 14

   Her sleep was plagued with nightmares and restlessness. An idea clicked in her head just as she slipped into blankness. She was doing this for Axel and Mr. Nuzum who were oblivious to Kat. It would be her fault if she got them killed. She was doing this for Devin. The boy who had dealt with her scathing insults and sarcasm. The boy who seemed to care about her. The boy who was her friend. She was doing it for him.

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   Kat skipped lunch. She could not handle seeing Devin again. Besides, she had work to do outside of it. With her equipment in hand, she walked determinedly towards Calvin Harper's law firm that was only a block from the school. She would do her job and still have time to pick up a meal to go and not be late. Walking in, she ignored the security guard's yells to stop.

   She acted completely innocent when the cleanly shaved man grabbed her arm. "You can't just walk in, you have to talk to the receptionist first,"

   "Oh, I'm sorry sir," she was convincing. The man released his grip on her. "I just need to use the bathroom really bad and can't make it back to school. May I use yours?" she asked, sounding rushed from the 'effort it took' to not go on the floor. She bounced on her feet to seem even more convincing. Her black eyes were bright and wide, begging for the man not to kick her out.

   The man sighed in exasperation. "Fine," he pointed to a door down the hall. "Don't take too long and once you're done leave right away,"

   "Yes, sir. I promise it won't take long," she smiled sweetly at the man before following his instructions into the multi stalled restroom. Locking the door of a stall, she quickly stripped off her school uniform and pulled on the black leather jumpsuit, black combat boots, and the countless weapons she was going to need. With five handguns and several knives hidden in different places around her body, she pulled the cloth hood and mask over her head and face. Leaving her bag in the stall, Kat, with her identity now hidden, poked her head out of the restroom window. Slithering out like a snake, she snuck around the back of the two-story firm. Climbing up the side of the building, she located Calvin's office. He was working silently, oblivious to Kat outside his window.

   Slipping inside, she walked over to the back of Calvin's head on light feet. Unsheathing a sharp, silver knife, Kat pressed it against Calvin's neck. He yelped, his heart starting to race. She cut off his scream by covering his mouth with a black gloved hand. She whispered in his ear the well-practiced line, disguising her voice. "Mr. Calvin Harper, you have been targeted by the League. What is your plead,"

   Beads of sweat formed on Calvin's skin. "W-What? A-are you joking?" Calvin shouted, his voice slightly muffled by Kat's hand. Kat pressed the knife closer to his neck and increased her grip on his jaw. He whimpered in pain.

   "What is your plead?" she demanded, not relaxing her grip on neither, his jaw nor the knife.

   Calvin trembled under Kat's hands. "I-I have a wife and kids! Please don't do this,"

   Kat swallowed the lump in her throat. "I know,"

   Calvin struggled to grab his pocketbook from beside him. He was still clutching a pen as he wrote quickly, his hands shaking. "Please, I'll give you anything!" he ripped the check from the book and held it up, it waving in the air from how much Calvin was trembling. "Take this, just leave me and my family alone, please!"

   Kat sighed. "Mr. Calvin Harper, you were found guilty. Your family will receive no harm if you cooperate,"

   Calvin was sobbing. "P-Please!"

   "I'm sorry, Mr. Calvin," Kat mumbled as she slit the man's throat. He sputtered slightly before the light in his eyes died. Kat placed him carefully down on his desk, the blood staining the white papers dark red. Wiping the knife on Calvin's pants, she noticed the forgotten check that had fallen to the floor. Picking it up, she examined it for any flaws. It was clean. After a quick decision, she pocketed the paper and hurried out of the window. His secretary would be here soon to check on him. Kat slipped out of the office and went back the way she had come.

   "Miss?" the security guard asked, knocking on the women's restroom door.

   Silence.

   "Miss? Are you in there?" the security guard knocked louder.

   More silence.

   The guard cursed. Opening the door, he was met with a guiltless smile and bright charcoal colored eyes. He stared in disbelief at Kat. He was sure she was up to no good.

   "Oh, I'm sorry sir, I didn't hear you," she smiled sweetly.

   The guard was speechless. His jaw hung loosely as Kat shouldered her school bag and skipped towards the doorway.

   She thanked him before skipping out of the law firm. Her facade ended the moment she was out of sight. Calvin's death replayed in her head as she checked her watch. She had thirty minutes. Still enough time to calm her growling stomach and make it back to class without a scolding from Mr. Bennett. She focused on her work, ignoring the murder that replayed on repeat. It killed most of her appetite.

   She was silent for the rest of the day. Ignoring Devin as he did to her. They still had not spoken since their conversation two days ago. Devin was questioning Kat's whole life or at least the amount she had shown to him. A small voice in his head convinced him to stay her friend and not report her to the authorities. He did not know the full story. Wrongly accusing her would be devastating to both her and him.

   He followed her out of school, waiting for the right moment to talk to her. He was still contemplating what to say when he noticed that she had disappeared. He looked around in confusion. He slowly walked down the sidewalk, passing several alleyways that she could have walked through. As he was passing the fourth one, he was pulled into it. His mouth was covered by a small pale hand. Familiar black eyes glared up at him. His yell was muffled by Kat's hand.