PRESENT DAY
Karla's apartment was beautiful, organized, and sparkling clean from top to bottom (she had professionals clean it once every week). The interior design was themed brown, so that the color of all furniture ranged from cream to dark brown —a very refreshing color combination. The apartment was located in one of the upscale parts of town, where rent could be as high as $60,000. Assassination wasn't a pretty job, but it paid well.
The phone mercilessly rang, and Karla reached for it, half asleep. She glanced at her alarm clock which was yet to go off, and groaned. It was still 6 am. Karla mostly wasn't an early riser, and the fact that she'd been up all night taking care of Elmer Edwardson didn't help matters. She went over her phone screen, the caller ID read Jimmy, her direct boss.
"5.06CB4" Jimmy said the secret code immediately she picked the call. The code was used to confirm the person at the other end of the phone was a cartel member, and everybody who was somebody in the C Cartel knew it.
"8GR.013" Karla replied accordingly.
"Who's my favorite bird?" Jimmy chippered. "I'll tell you who. Karla Nightingale!"
"What the fuck Jimmy?" Karla rubbed her eyes, in an attempt to make some of her sleepiness go away.
"Hey! I'm just checking up on my employee. It's okay to do that, right?"
"If this is about Elmer Edwardson, I've already sent in my report."
"And I've seen it. Clean hit by the way."
"Thanks."
Jimmy sounded like the regular cheerful fellow, and he mostly looked the part in real life. Only few, like Karla, knew just how many people the man had eliminated, and how much he enjoyed doing it.
There was silence at both ends for about two beats, before Jimmy began talking again, more seriously this time.
"I've got a message from the big boss."
"So you didn't just call to check up on me?" Karla asked sarcastically.
"That too." Jimmy said. "He wants to see you at 2 pm sharp."
That surprised Karla. The big boss was at the very top of the cartel chain, the leader of the C Cartel, and not just anyone got to see him. Being sought after by the leader himself should have been a thing of celebration, but when you've heard stories about how cruel and ruthless that leader could be, you couldn't exactly get excited.
"What the hell does he want to see me for?!" Karla asked, unknowingly letting her anxiety show.
"I don't know. He didn't say." Another two beats passed before Jimmy continued. "Don't worry. As long as you haven't broken a rule, or majorly slipped up, you'll walk out of his office alive. And don't be late."
Before Karla could reply, he cut the call. Karla slammed her head into the pillow twice, out of frustration. Her day had already kicked off with a bad start. And here she thought she was going to have a peaceful day, with lunch at her dad's place and watching the sun set at the park in front of her apartment. But nothing ever went her way.
•~♥~•
At 12 noon, Karla was seated tight at the table in her former home's backyard. The place had gone through some major refurbishing ever since she joined the cartel. With her pay, she'd been able to fix or replace everything that was broken, both in and outside the house. The paint no more peeled off, the roof no more leaked, and the yard didn't look like a burned down forest which was just growing back.
Luke walked out of the farmhouse styled bungalow, wearing an apron and mittens, and carrying a tray filled with muffins.
"Order up! Nice and hot!" He yelled.
"Let me help you with that."
Karla took the tray from him, and immediately regretted it —the tray was steaming hot. She half ran and dropped the tray at the table, before she began blowing her fingers.
"Sorry buttercup. Forgot to warn ya." Luke chuckled, rubbing her shoulders.
"It's okay." Karla assured him. "I forgot mom's lesson number one: never handle a tray that just came out of the oven with your bare hands."
Mentioning her mother immediately took Karla down memory lane. Her mother had loved cooking, especially baking. Muffins had been her specialty. Luke had brought up the idea of outdoor meals. Every Sunday, they either ate at the park, or at their backyard, but ever since Karla's mother died, neither Luke nor Karla had attempted an outdoor meal, till now. Maybe they'd finally learnt how to move on, 13 years after her death.
"Cmon. Let's dig in, or the food will get cold." Luke smiled sadly, because he had been thinking the same thing as Karla.
They started eating the rice and pepper soup Luke had prepared. As expected, it was delicious, Luke was an excellent cook. Since one couldn't rely on takeouts when one had a hobby of exploring, Luke had had to learn to cook for himself. And his widespread travels allowed him knowledge of delicacies all over the world.
"You almost never visit buttercup. Does the cartel really keep you that busy?" Luke asked, making small talk at the table.
"I guess so."
Karla didn't mention that she was intentionally keeping her distance. Luke knew she continued working for C Cartel after repaying his debt, but he didn't know the exact work she did, And she didn't plan on telling him. Karla couldn't let her father find out she was being forced to kill people for a living. The guilt would kill him. He already blamed himself for her mix up with the cartel. That was more than enough.
"This soup is so good." Karla earnestly changed the topic. "You have to pack some for me to take home."
"Sure thing buttercup."
Luke understood that Karla didn't want to talk about her job, and followed her lead. He supposed she couldn't talk, even if she wanted to.
Conversation at the table drifted from topic to topic, all random, till Luke and Karla finished eating. They washed the dishes together, still talking and laughing. For a brief moment it was just like old times, where everything was perfect and her mother was still around, but Karla quickly reminded herself —nothing was the same. For one, she had bigger boobs and ass. And there was always tension in the air, as if both her and Luke expected the next day to be their last.
"I have to go. Got an appointment with my boss at 2 pm." Karla said, placing the last cleaned dish in the rack.
"When you put it like that, I think of bank managers and CEO of toothpastes companies." Luke snorted.
"He is definitely a CEO. Just not the kind you're used to."
Luke dragged in Karla for a hug. "Stay safe Karla."
She hugged back. "You too Dad."
TEASER: KARLA MEETS THE BIG BOSS