The Assassin's Weakness

by Jeanette Rico

  All I can remember is Adrian and I were at a coffee shop getting some lattes and when we stepped out some man grabbed me. Adrian tried to fight back, but they hit him and he fell. I just hope that he’s still alive. I tried to resist but something hit me and then it was lights out. Now here I am.

  A commotion arouses the men. An outside door opens, revealing Micah. His eyes scan the room until they land on me. His eyes widen slightly and his mouth tightens. For a moment I think he’s going to walk towards me but then he stops his face clear of any emotion. It’s almost as if he’s frozen. I give him a pleading look but he looks away. A door opens behind me. The hairs on my back stand up when the footsteps get nearer and a hand lands on my shoulder. Micah’s eyes land on the form behind me. “Willem you fucker, what the hell is this about?” He waves towards me nonchalantly. “And why do you have one of my lays tied up in that chair?”

  My anger ignites at his comment. I begin to struggle in my seat, but the hand tightens painfully on my shoulder. “Savage, good to see you. Do you like your present?” Micah moves closer never making eye contact with me. He raises his brow arrogantly. “And what present would that be?” The man behind me steps to my side raising my chin roughly towards Micah. He’s older. Not as tall as Micah about five foot eleven with grey hair. He doesn’t look like an assassin. The man rubs my chin seductively and says. “This present. When you and Reaper killed my men they told me that this pretty little girl was with you. Then he follows you to Gideon’s house. Where you both took her.”

  Micah shrugs. “So? We met her yesterday and decided to screw her at Gideon’s place. At first Gideon was hesitant, but look at her…” He says running a finger down my cheek. I pull away giving him a hateful look. “She liked both of us.” He waggles his eyebrows. “She was really good. I left a little after. Gideon must have kept her a little longer.”

  The man, Willem, presses something to my head. “I guess I should kill her then.” Micah does not even flinch. He just shrugs again and says. “I mean you can. But it would be a waste. She can suck cock like a vacuum. I wouldn’t mind giving her another round. It’s up to you.” I wince as the man pushes the gun further into my temple. Silent tears run down my face and my chest is rising erratically. Micah ignores my state. Instead he looks around with a bored look on his face. “I thought I was here for another reason. If this is it, may I go?” Willem must believe him because he pulls the gun away and releases me roughly. “Actually, you’re here because I want you to join me.” Micah pulls closer with an inquiring smirk. “And what’s in it for me?” Willem gestures to the men and several boxes near the back wall.

  “I can make you very rich Savage.” Micah seems nonplussed. “I already have all the money I need.” Willem takes deep breath as if trying to find patience. “You can never have too much money. I’m talking about making you one of my Generals. You will have money, endless resources and anything you want at your fingertips. All of the beautiful women in the world, only if you join me.” Micah moves closer to me, running his finger over a lock of my hair. “Power and women… sounds good.” He gives me a predatory look then looks back at Willem. “I think you can start by giving me this one. I can use her talented mouth.”

  Willem narrows his eyes for a moment then concedes. He snaps his fingers. A few men walk up to him. “Untie the girl. She belongs to Savage now.” The men move forward and untie my restraints. I try to rise up on shaky legs. Micah extends his hand for me to take. I give him a look of contempt but take his hand. He pulls me into his body running his hands through my hair. “Hello beautiful.” He says before kissing me deeply. I cling to him tightly kissing him back.

  After a moment he moves back. Running his thumb over my bottom lip. He looks at me through heavy lidded eyes then looks back at Willem. “What do you need me to do?” Willem gives him an evil smile. “First, I need to call Reaper. You have to understand that I need to make sure you and Reaper are not working together.” He pulls out his cell phone and makes a call. Then presses the speaker button. The phone rings for a moment then clicks. Willem gives me and Micah an evil smile.

  “Reaper, did you like my surprise?” Willem says caressing my cheek. “What surprise?” Gideon’s voice resounds over the speaker. I want to call out to him but Micah tightens his arm over my shoulder in warning. Willem lets out a sardonic laugh. “Let’s cut the shit Gideon. I know that you and Micah are working together. Imagine my disappointment when one of my men comes back the other day to tell me that Reaper and Savage killed the men I sent to attack you.”

  Gideon’s voice grits out angrily. “Well I did run into Micah screwing some girl in the alley. I was suspicious as to why he was in my territory. However, before I could glean any information your asshole meatheads attacked us. Is that the night you’re talking about?”

  I move closer to Micah when Willem looks over to me and says. “Some girl, eh? Well that’s too bad. Is that why you and Micah took her home? I was going to use the girl as leverage to hurt you but since she’s just some random girl, I guess I’ll have to kill her.” I flinch in terror when Willem lifts his gun up threateningly. Gideon responds. “Really? Fine. I’ll admit it. Savage and I took the girl home and screwed her. After Micah left I screwed her some more. Then I dropped her off in the morning. Your men wasted their time following us. You know I’m not the long term type. What does it matter anyway Willem? Micah can tell you it was just fun. Where is he?” Willem sniffs loudly and smiling widely at Micah. “Micah is here actually. Here, why don’t you talk to him?”

  Micah takes the phone and answers. “Reaper, what the fuck have you gotten me into? Willem is here holding the piece of ass we were banging the other night. Why the fuck does Willem think I’m working with you?”

  I keep my eyes down hoping that Micah somehow lets Gideon know that I’m alive. Gideon answers in a gravelly voice. “I don’t know Savage, maybe you should start banging your women in more private settings. Hopefully, it won’t get around that you and I are tag teaming chicks. Of course, I won’t let you live long enough to confirm it. I should have known that you and Willem were tight. You mother fucking traitor.” Micah clucks his tongue. “Don’t worry about me Gideon. The girl is just incentive. She was a good fuck. So I guess I’ll keep her. Willem needs me right now. I’ll see you around Reaper.” He says then hangs up the phone and hands it to Willem.

  Micah pulls me closer inhaling my hair and running his fingers over my breasts. Willem gives him a hooded look. “Welcome to the team Savage. How about we move from this place and talk some more.” He gestures to a door walking towards it. Micah walks over to it ushering me behind him.

  The door opens revealing the bright sky. I hold my hand over my eyes trying to ward off the penetrating light. The sounds of water and machinery reach my ears. I take a closer inspection of the area once my eyes clear. We’re in some kind of holding center on the docks near the harbor. I can see large ship craters and cranes moving and lifting cargo.

  Willem leads us to a nearby SUV. His men open the back doors for us. Micah wordlessly pulls me in to the vehicle. Willem sits in the front. Micah continues his pretense. He caresses my knee and kisses my throat. I let out an aroused gasp when he nibbles on my ear. He’s very good. If I wasn’t so in love with Gideon, I’d have probably given in to Micah. Feeling guilty over letting him grope me, I try to create some distance, but he doesn’t let me.

  Our trip is not very long. After a moment we make it to another side of the dock. There’s a large yacht stationed near an opening. The man stops the car. Micah pulls back as Willem is stepping out of the car and whispers. “I know this is scary Jade, but I need you to do everything I say. Gideon will find us. I will protect you. I promise. Nod your head and smile lovingly if you understand.” I give him a sweet smile and caress his cheek. He kisses me lightly on the lips and smiles back. “Good girl.”

  Chapter 28: Rescue

  Gideon

  I have never felt so helpless in my life. Not even as a child when I
ran away from home and had to sleep in alley and under bridges. I know that Micah will protect Jade, but I’m not sure what she’ll go through to stay alive. It has been hours since Jade was taken. I retraced Adrian and Jade’s steps in hopes of finding a clue. I also hacked into a few traffic cameras to get some information. I was able to locate the vehicle and see the kidnapping. I sent Cameron the information in hopes that it would help. Right now I’m driving to Cameron’s to help sift through whatever information he can find. Suddenly, my phone rings. “Please tell me this is good news Cameron.” Cameron answers quickly. “I found it. I sent you a map with coordinates. It looks like it’s coming from the New York harbor. It might be some sort of boat or ship. I’m on my way there now. Meet me at the rendezvous point I listed on the map. I also called a few friends to help.” I scroll through my phone to find the coordinates. “I got it. I’ll meet you there.”

  I turn my car towards the harbor feeling a sense of urgency. Cameron meets me near a secluded area in the harbor. Night has fallen like a blanket over the water. A few men step forward with weapons. Cameron points to a yacht hidden between two large freighter ships. The yacht is very well hidden between the large black and orange cargo freighters. “This is Willem’s yacht. I ran the name against the harbor logs. The yacht docked several weeks ago. It’s captained under Black Jack LLC. That’s Willem’s handle name.” He points to the men standing there stoically. “This is Kyle and Brian. They are Confradia cleaners. They scoped out the yacht. There are a few men with weapons guarding the hull and mast. I haven’t seen Willem. But the vigilant way they pace tells me that he’s there. We need to get into that ship. There are men standing outside guarding the entry way. If we kill them we risk the chance of being found out before we hit the ship.”

  I look around the ship that is sandwiched between two larger ships. A thought strikes me. “Maybe we don’t need to go into the yacht. Maybe we just need to get into one of the ships next to it. The men are not guarding those freighters. They need to stay close to Willem. We can sneak into one of the freighters and jump down from one of the openings used to hold the cargo cranes. It’s not that great a distance.” I point to the gaps between the yacht and the boat. “Willem might have thought that he was hiding in plain sight, but he actually gave us a way to get to him.” I look at the men behind me. “This is simply search and rescue. However, if someone attacks, shoot to kill.” I move towards my car and open the trunk. Inside there are various weapons. Cameron rolls his wheelchair closer. “Wait Gideon, I know you have to find your woman. I just want to make sure you understand that the main objective is to capture Willem. I’d prefer him dead, but the bastard has to pay for what he’s done.” I nod my head.

  “Fine, I might need you in your sniper mode. See if you can find a way to get higher and shoot anyone who might get in the way.” I reach into my trunk and pull out my bag with my MKIII and silencer. I hide several weapons in my clothing and bag. Placing my gun in the waistband of my pants, I wrap zip line and propelling gun around my shoulder. Thankfully, I’m wearing a black hoodie, black cargos and black boots which will help me blend into the night.

  The men and I make our way to the cargo ship. No one seems to be around. We trace the cargo ship to the opening were they load the cargo. The door is locked. Kyle nudges my shoulder and points to some kind of gooey green substance in his hand. “This is a special gel that when placed on metal it burns through it like acid within minutes. It’s safe to touch it as long as it’s not around metal. It eats metal like termites eat wood. ” He says brushing the gel over the door hinges. Nothing happens at first then it begins to smoke and sizzle. Suddenly the hinges clatter to the floor. Using a crowbar he pries the door open. We rush in cautious of any onlookers. The ship seems empty. We make it halfway through the ship without any issues. When we’ve come level to the yacht we go into a room. It’s difficult to get through the various cargoes. However, after a few moments we get to a porthole near the hull. We use the gel to make the opening bigger. Then ready a zip line. I aim and shoot off my cord, attach my harness to the trolley and smoothly glide into the air.

  Going through the zip line is simple. I’ve parachuted through planes, bungeed through bridges and climbed mountains. This was a cake walk. We quietly make our way through the ship. A man stands guard near the mast. Before he can spot me, I cover his mouth and slit his throat. Brian and Kyle fall behind. We methodically make our way through the ship. It seems almost too easy.

  The ship is large. We locate a lone crewmember and take him. The man is holding his hands over his bald head, dressed in a greasy white t-shirt and coveralls. He begins muttering and shaking. We search him for any weapons. There’s nothing. I pull him by his neck. “Where’s the owner of the ship?” The man looks at me. “I don’t know. I spoke to someone downstairs. I did see a few people on the main level.” I pull out my gun and point it at him. “How many men are there in the ship?” He shakes his head and shrugs. “I don’t know. I swear. I’m just here to clean the septic system. I don’t work in this ship. See?” He says pointing to the faded words in his greasy shirt. Harlan’s Sewer and Septic. I look at Kyle and Brian. “Let’s check the main area. It would be better if we split up.” The men nod. We split up and move on through the ship.

  As I walk through the ship I can hear people talking. I move closer to inspect the scene when a shadow moves in front of me.

  Chapter 29: Plans

  Jade

  Micah and I follow Willem into the yacht. The boat is beautiful. Weirdly enough it’s hidden between two large cargo ships. Micah keeps his hand around my waist creating a buffer between me and Willem. Willem leads us through a few corridors until we get to a large room. The room is very luxurious looking. There are chandeliers, plush couches, and a table with loaded with food and drinks.

  Micah walks over to the table and prepares a drink. He hands me a drink and ushers me to a couch. He sits down and pulls me on to his lap. I try not to stiffen. He runs his hand down my back in a caressing fashion. Willem sits next to us. “There are a few things we have to take care of before we commence with business.” Micah takes a sip of his drink. “What things would those be?” He runs his tongue over his teeth placing his drink on the table. Willem smirks. “For one, we need to take care of Reaper and Cameron. They are getting too close to my business and I can’t have them ruining this for me.” Micah tightens his hand on my waist in warning. I want to scratch Willem’s face off.

  Micah looks at Willem contemplatively. “Leave that up to me. I’ll take care of him.” Willem laughs evilly and salutes him with his drink while Micah smiles placing his hand on my thigh. “You still haven’t told me what we’re planning here Willem. What role am I to play in this act?” Willem narrows his eyes then gestures to the room. “What we’re planning is…” He clucks his tongue pursing his lips. “…complicated.” He moves to the drink bar and pours himself a drink. "When I left the Confradia… I went into certain business ventures. I have a great deal of interests invested in this. My partners have created a very profitable business.” He turns back with his drink in hand. He takes a sip letting out a satisfied sigh. “We provide a service for some clients overseas. They have specific needs and I find them an outlet for those needs.” Micah clenches his jaw. “Services? Like young women for sex?”

  Willem gives Micah a shrewd smile and points his finger in my direction. “You have it right Savage. That… and a few other things. Young beautiful girls like your sweet little beauty over here.” He moves closer giving me a contemplative look. “What’s your name little girl?” I swallow taking a deep breath. I clear my throat my name coming out with a croak. “Jade.” Willem looks at Micah. “So you and Gideon shared this beauty?” He says giving me cursory look. Micah gives him a sly smile. “Oh yes we did.” He kisses my neck again and rises from the chair taking me with him. “As a matter of fact, I think I’ll give her a ride right now. Where are the bedrooms?” Willem gives us a lecherous smile. “You never change Sava
ge. Your life is all about fucking and killing. I’ve always liked that about you. You don’t give a shit about anyone but yourself. I’ll give you this moment, but as soon as you’re done we need to talk. The rooms are down the corridor to the right. Enjoy.”

  Micah leads me towards the bedrooms. Once we reach a room he locks the door and turns to me. Micah moves stealthily around the room. He looks calm and collected. I observe as he pulls drawers out and looks under the mattress. “What are you doing Micah? Shouldn’t we be trying to get the hell out of here or something?” I whisper forcefully. Micah stops his search looking at me incredulously. “I’m trying to see if there are any weapons I can use, unless, you have something hidden underneath that pretty little dress of yours.” I look down at my green summer dress with spaghetti straps and cross my arms unamused by his sarcasm. Releasing a resigned sigh I start looking around too. Micah lets out a resigned huff after a few moments. He tosses a pillow angrily across the room running his hand through his hair. “Fuck! There’s nothing.”

  Throwing himself down on the bed he runs his hands over his mouth. “We’re going to have to go in cold. He thinks we’re fucking right now. But Willem is not one for discretion. He won’t give us enough time. We need to...” Before he can finish a knock resounds across the room. My eyes go wide with fright. Micah gets up placing his index finger over his mouth. I let out a startled yelp when he rips his dress shirt open and pulls me into his arms. I can hear the ping of buttons as they hit the floor. Micah unzips my dress pulling it down to my waist. I don’t even have time to be outraged. I gasp in surprise when he crushes my bare breasts against his naked chest. He places his hands in the back of my neck and kisses me hard, pulling me down on the bed with him on top of me.