Featured Author~ Alanna Bertoncini
Sins of the Father By Alanna Bertoncini I stood in the jumbled crowd, just one fish in a sea of sweaty bodies. The excited mood pulsated along with the edgy, electronica music that was blaring through a bass speaker. While others danced enthusiastically and became intoxicated on cheap wine, I waited alone, arms crossed. My target had not yet arrived and and I was becoming impatient. I glanced at my watch. 10:14 p.m. Seven minutes late. My informants had been incorrect. I uncrossed my arms and ducked head-first into the throng of people. While stiffly maneuvering through clouds of flowery perfume and wads of too-tight clothing, I went over the plan in my head. Find target. Lead target to rendezvous point. Take target out. This was the kind of plan that made my bosses shake their heads disapprovingly. I was notorious for these vague 5-second plans. I was also notorious for never failing a mission. By now I was used to the staring eyes and the newbies’ whispers that followed me whenever I walked into a room. As I made my way out of the crowd, my eyes scanned the dance floor. Suddenly, I spotted her strutting in through the doors. Her flashy golden dress sparkled in the multi-colored lights and her thick lips were painted hot pink. I smiled dangerously as my fingers brushed against the concealed gun under my arm. Fortunately, the bouncers at the front door hadn’t asked to pat me down. They were probably too distracted by the $100 bill that I had invitingly waved under their noses to look for hidden weapons. I made my way toward her, summoning all of my charisma. As I slowed to a halt in front of her, she abruptly jerked her head up to look at me. Though I had been trained to not be fazed by physical appearance, her eyes distracted me. They were a deep jade green and reminded me of clovers in the springtime. They looked so bright and innocent compared to my emotionless, almost black eyes. Wait, what? I mentally slapped myself. You can’t have thoughts like that on a mission. Assassins don’t get distracted. I snapped back to reality. The woman was staring at me a little strangely. I smoothly averted my eyes from her face and glanced around at her companions, sizing them up. They were all pretty drunk, and didn’t seem to even comprehend that I was here. Perfect. I turned back to the woman. “Hello,” I started suavely. “I’m Joshua Thompson.” This was the undercover name that I had donned for this mission. It actually wasn’t the worst alias I’d had to go by. The woman giggled. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I’m Adeline Burks.” I flashed a charming grin at her and kissed her delicate hand. Of course, I had already known her name. We had been tracking her for months. “I think I’m going to to step out for some fresh air. Care to join me?” I asked. She smiled and nodded her head. I could tell by her fluttering lashes that my charismatic persona was working. A smirk graced my lips. I was good. She linked our elbows and we walked to the nearest door. A balcony with a view of the city lay behind it. The perfect spot for a murder. As we strolled out into the brisk night air, I surreptitiously checked my watch. 10:19 p.m. They were coming in approximately two minutes to pull me out. I turned to Adeline, who was peering over the balcony edge. Her green eyes glinted in the bright city lights. I reached under my left arm and slowly pulled a gun out of its black leather holster. Adeline kept looking at the view, not noticing how I stalked toward her. Only when I leaned against the metal railing did she lift her eyes to me. She grinned, looking intently at my face. Her gaze slowly slid down past my black lapels to the gun in my hand. Her smile melted from her face like maple syrup. “What are you doing?” she stuttered. I smirked coldly. “We know about your father,” I answered. “And he’s about to pay for his crimes.” She stepped back, pressing her back against the cool brick wall. “With what?” she whispered, the words tripping over each other. I raised my head to meet her green eyes, the ones that had reminded me of spring. “With your life,” I said, putting the gun to her head. |
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