Lips Like Coffee

cup: 20

Norma

"This is too close to home," I said, watching through the scope of my rifle.

As it turned out, my job was to eliminate my boss' husband. When I got home last night, Pen wasn't there, so I read the file to occupy myself. Once I realized who the target was, I felt sick. If killing my boss was the job, he'd be dead already but his husband was different. His name was Ross, and he always brought soft sugar cookies for the office when he came to visit. Why was this wonderful man my target?

I had been watching the two men for about an hour, yet nothing that could be seen as suspicious had happened. Within the short time frame of my stakeout, I observed a few things about the men. Although their house was fairly large, they lived alone; Ross baked like the world was going to end if he didn't; and they kept their house immaculately cleaned. Probably the most refined gay couple I had ever seen, and nothing about them screamed, threat to the government.

Then, a white van pulls up in front of the house, and my interest was piqued. Two men dressed in all black exited the van, and the one driving slid open the door on his side. My eyes widened as he pulled --more like yanked-- what appeared to be a girl from the back of it. Her hands were tied, mouth taped, and hair disheveled; she stopped on the foot of the driver, then tried to make a run for it before the second man caught her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, then hauled her over his shoulder. What the hell was going on?

Looking closer, I felt as if I recognized the girl from somewhere. As the man carried her up the wooden steps of the house, he turned and looked up in my direction. I moved away from the window and pressed my back against the wall next to it. The lady in bed stirred, and I rushed to place the pillow back over her face. I closed my eyes as I held the pillow down, then watched as her body stilled once more.

"She had to be home," I sighed, moving back to the window.

Once again, I perched myself to look through the scope of my gun, and located my target. Too my utter shock and horror, Ross stood with a kitchen knife in his hand as he stalked around the tied up girl. When I shifted my view, I saw one of the men from the van holding what looked like a camera. Ransom, he was using her as ransom. Who was she? Maybe this is why he was my target.

Wrapping my finger around the trigger, I readied myself to shoot but cursed when one of the henchmen closed the drapes. There was no other vantage point to take to get a good shot, and I sat on the floor as I rested my face in my hand. Was being free from the government really worth me sneaking into that house? Did I really have to kill that man?

"Just do it, Norma-Jean."

Packing away the equipment I borrowed, I left the house and exited out the back door. Before leaving the yard, I picked up a brick and threw it through the window to trip her alarm system. The woman lived alone, so I doubted anyone was going to check on her anytime soon if I hadn't. With the backpack slung over my shoulder, I made my way across the street to my boss' house. I hoped this wouldn't get any messier than it needed to be.

When I knocked on the door, one of the goons from before answered with a frown on his face. Before he could speak, I hit him in the side of the neck and he fell to the floor with a soft thud. I closed the door as gentle as possible as I made my way toward the kitchen.

"Ay, who was at th-" As the man rounded the corner, I punched him in the stomach then kneed him in the face as he hunched over.

I laid him on the ground, then proceeded to the kitchen. Ross was sitting with his back toward me, and I motioned for the girl keep quiet. She blinked rapidly, which alerted the man anyway and I sprung at him before he could turn around. My hands went under his chin and on top of his head, then I twisted his head sharply to the right. There was no last gasping breath, just the harsh sound of his neck breaking. The job was done, and I was free.