A Rogue's Tale

The Trouble with Assassins: Part 3

That same morning Lucas Lansing, owner of the Blue Star Hotel, got into his car and sped off but was shaking a bit at the wheel. He hated what he had to do, but he felt he had no choice. The prince of the Thieves Guild had used him one too many times, but to betray The Thieves would mean his death, so he went to the only source of refuge that might save him. Sure, it was a deal with the devil so to speak, but he had run out of options.

As he was driving down the road, his hands shook and he could barely keep control of the car. His phone rang, which startled him, but he picked it up trying to drive with one arm on the stirring wheel. He nervously Looking at the caller ID, he saw the caller had a Mississippi number, one he recognized belonging to his cousin Nora.

"Hello," he said into the phone.

"Lucas, it's Nora," a woman's voice came on the other end.

"Ah figured that, so is there anythin' wrong?"

"Well, maybe," Nora said hesitantly. "There was an incident here the other night. My boy Kelvin went to this party where a kid got knocked out by some girl."

"Is that all?" Lucas said with a groan in his voice. "Ah don't have time for this stupid gossip."

"Lucas, the boy is in a coma, and they're sayin' the girl who did it was a mutant."

"Really? Well, what happened to the girl? They lock her up or somthin'?"

"No, she took off, and no one knows where. Authorities questioned her aunt, but she claims the girl ran away. You haven't seen anything suspicious down in swampland have ya?"

"No, not really," Lucas said, but thought back to the girl who checked in last night, a girl who was of such great interest to a certain thief. "What she look like?"

"Kalvin says it was a girl from school, one a those goth girls. She gotta strange white streak in her hair."

"Really?" Lucas said, remembering what his latest guest looked like. "So how did you suppose she knocked this boy out?"

"Can you believe a kiss of all things," Nora practically screamed. "Ah just wonder if it's all a tall tale, but if she is one a them mutants, anythin' is possible."

"Yeah, ah know what you mean," Lucas said in a faraway voice. He was silent for several moments before he realized Nora was screaming at him over the phone. "Uhh, look, Nora, ah gotta go. Ah'll talk to ya later."

She was still talking when he ended the call. He didn't want to be rude, but he thought back to incident he heard about last night involving Julian Boudreaux. Word on the street was he got knocked out after supposedly attacking some girl, but she had turned the tables on him. He had a hard time believing a girl could knock him out. He had a reputation on the street of being one of the most ruthless assassins in the guild, which made sense seeing he was Marius Boudreax's son. This piece of information his cousin gave him just cemented what he was about to do.

He approached the home of Marius Boudreaux and climbed the steps of the large mansion almost stumbling with each step. His first instinct was to turn and run, but he kept going. His hate for Remy LeBeau, which extended to the entire Thieves' Guild, was overpowering his good sense.

There was a guard at the front entrance which made Lucas even more nervous. Given who Marius Boudreaux was, it was no wonder he would have the best protection.

"State your business," the man said and stared down Lucas as if he wanted to kill him right then and there, but seeing that it was broad daylight he refrained from that impulse.

"My name's Lucas Lansing. Ah need ta see Marius Boudreaux right away," he said nervously.

"No one sees Marius Boudreaux," the man said. "Not without an appointment and some are never seen again." The man gave him a smirked as if he was reliving past memories of other visitors, ones who mysteriously disappeared.