As the moon began her majestic climb over the Detroit skyline, Kates was calmly choking a prostitute in an alley. As the harlot gasped for breath, Kates let the unconscious body slip to the ground. Dead? No. Good. Killing was part of the game in this line of work, but there was no need to shed relatively innocent blood. Besides, she had bigger fish to fry.

Picking up the folded piece of paper from where the whore had dropped it, Kates ambled over to the lamppost to get a better look at it.

Book-Cadillac Hotel Room 211. 8 o'clock. Alone. Payment to be negotiated

Sighing, Kates adjusted her short red dress and began to walk down the sidewalk towards the Book-Cadillac. The hotel was ahead. Checking quickly to see that her pistol was in the small handbag she carried, Kates smiled at the bellhop and walked in to the lobby.

The hotel was full of chandeliers and deep carpet- a fitting place for a wannabe mafioso, thought Kates, as she stepped into the elevator and pressed a button. Apparently a Japanese gangster had just arrived in the country and was privately talking a big game to a few dirty city officials about how he was going to take over the operations of one of Detroit's captains. Usually these sorts of threats wouldn't be heeded, but he had about a dozen fellows with him who looked like they might be able to pull it off. So here she was on a Thursday night, when she should be relaxing back in her hot tub in the Riot HQ. Luckily, she had a nice outlet for her frustration.

The Japanese were on the top floor, staying in a private penthouse. As Kates stepped out the opening elevator doors, she walked down the red carpeted hall towards the penthouse at the end, with a maid thirty feet in front of her. Four men were standing outside the door in the hallway and as the maid approached, they grabbed her, frisked her, and rummaged through her cart before they knocked on the locked door, which was opened from the inside, to let her enter.

Kates panicked. There was no way she'd be able to get inside with her gun. Even if she killed the four outside, she could never fight her way in through a locked door and eight other thugs. Casually, she dropped her handbag in one of the fern plants that lined the hall and continued towards the door. The men glared at her as she approached, but couldn't help but smirk as she winked and told them she had an appointment with the boss, handing over the paper she'd collected earlier. After a thorough and overly lengthy frisking she was forced to smile through, one of the men knocked a pattern on the door and she was quickly bustled inside, with the deadbolt sliding into place again.

Realizing the difficult situation she was in, Kates took a deep breath as she was led out to the balcony. Her target was there alone, dressed in a three piece suit with a bottle of gin. As he raised his eyes to her she kicked off her shoes and slid one of the straps of her dress down off her shoulder. Smiling, he motioned for one of his men to close the curtains to the main room-they were alone. Kates slowly backed up to the edge of the balcony and arched her back against it, beckoning the mobster over with her finger. As he approached her with hunger in his eyes he carelessly lifted off his suit jacket- it fell to the ground with a metallic ringing.

Kates knew she'd only get one shot at this. He looked like he was in excellent shape and, like many Asian men and women she'd met in this line of work, had training in the martial arts. Kates was a good hand to hand fighter, but she could start a fistfight with a skilled combatant when he had a bunch of friends with guns on the other side of a covered glass window.

As he stepped within two feet of her Kates reached out and grabbed his tie, pulling him quickly towards her as she gently licked her upper lip. The target blinked- and died because of it. In the second it took to pull him closer by his tie, Kates deftly sidestepped him and, placing a hand on his back, pushed him over the edge of the balcony.

She was already moving as he flew out, screaming, into space. Kates took two steps forward for the jacket, hoping for a gun, and sprinted to the right towards the fire escape. One floor down, she heard the balcony door open, and two floors down she heard the shouts. The gunfire started then, but she'd built up too much of a lead and they couldn't get a shot at her. Crashing down the last stair of the fire escape, her bare feet slapped against the pavement as she ducked into an alley. After a rapid series of twists and turns on her way back to the HQ, she slowed down, confident any pursuers were long gone.

Digging in the jacket she found not a gun, but an ornately crafted thin blade. The diamonds and emeralds set in the sheath reflected the shining in her own green eyes. She wrapped her hand around the small leather grip on the handle and when she drew the blade the polished metal gleamed in the moonlight. Now THAT, thought Kates, is a souvenir.

Good story. I hope for more, Miss Kates.

Very nice Kates. I always enjoy reading your stories, RolePlays and listening to your speeches and I always want more so.. Can't wait for it :)

This was really good! ;]

Very nice Kates, good work..

Deuce had seen a lot of death in his short time and turned in a lot of witness statements. But this is the first time he had seen one fall from the sky and land at his feet. This guy looked asain, but maybe it was just the way his head split and turned all the way around like that. Hearing the fire escape rattle Deuce instinctively stepped back into the shadows as bullets bounced off steel. He saw someone he recongnized land and head off into the alley. Kates, she always does good work he thinks.

This is one witness statement I am not turning in. Deuce mutters as he disappears into the night.

Wow Kates...I can't wait for more...whats next?

Awesome sotry, im high right now and It seems the best thing ever. At first I thought this thread was about weed but its not. thanks for the story kates!

Excellent read Kates!

cant wait for your next short story, loved it Kates...

can't wait for your next one they are great