The buff figure that sat across Nikki slid a white envelope across the table. It was sealed shut and she had to open it right in front of him, aware of his eyes trickling down her face to her hands. Another job. Another person to kill. She looked at the man, not phased by what she was asked to do and nodded.

She thought about her words carefully before she spoke. “What’s in it for me?” He adjusted his tie and lifted his cup of coffee to his mouth, drinking it all down as if he was buying time. His eyes shifted to the clock on the wall, then back to her own gentle brown eyes.

“One million if you can find her. Five million if you can kill her.”

The Next Day

Hard heels clack across the floor above Nikki's head. She was beyond irritated already by whoever booked the hotel room above her, but she had to stay focused on her task. No distractions. Yesterday, after meeting with the man who assigned her the task, she was immediately instructed to stay at 'Millennium Biltmore Hotel' in Los Angeles which was the last known location of her target.

The man let her go after that, with not much info left to pass on. She was on her own now. After a while, the woman staying in the floor above Nikki finally made her stomp out of her room in frustration. Focus. On. The. Task.

She had huffed and puffed the whole way down to the bar, where she found herself having more than just a few drinks. The bartender didn’t pay her much attention, but other guests of the hotel were looking at her strangely. Was she just having a bad day? Or was she a raging alcoholic on the verge of being broken beyond repair?

Evening had come so quickly. The bar area at the hotel had these lovely leather sofas and Nikki was bathing herself in the comfort of the soft cushion. She slid her legs off the sofa, trying to snap back to reality as she gazed from the empty wine bottle in her hand to the time on the clock.

The sun was up early the next morning. The light prickled Nikki's eyelids and slowly but surely, she started to open them. The empty wine bottle from the previous night was knocked on the floor and she pretty much looked like a whole mess. Thankfully, her blanket was covering her nakedness. Well, that's it huh? One night wasted by drinking instead of focusing on the assigned task. She stretched to ease the tension in her neck, her arms and legs spreading wide. That was the moment when she felt the first throb of a hangover behind her eyes. 

She knew that her target wasn't even at the hotel anymore. What was the point of being here again? Oh, that's right... scouting for potential witnesses. All Nikki had was a sketched drawing of her target though, which hopefully would be enough for anyone to identify her. She got up, finally, and got dressed. She brewed some coffee in the kettle and poured herself some in a brown mug. The warmth in her throat from taking a sip wasn't going to be enough to relieve her for the rest of the day though... just a feeling she had. 

The sketch was sitting on the countertop and she decided to take a look at it again. Long black hair... seductive eyes... a sharp chin... bony cheeks. Nikki drank the rest of her coffee and folded the sketch up, tucking it in her back pocket.