It was about ten A.M when I woke, bright light streaming through the windows with traffic and New York life bustling outside. I yawned, rubbing my eyes and stretching before I felt something shift. Serena was snuggled peacefully into my chest. I chuckled softly and rubbed her back, watching her sleep in awe at how amazing she was.

Her dark skin contrasted beautifully from our red sheets and her skin radiated warmth. Her braided black hair with blue highlights was slightly tangled like it normally was in the mornings we actually woke up next to each other. She shifted again, resting her arm lightly over my waist, pulling me out of my thoughts. It was one of our semi-rare quiet moments. It was hard to believe this was the same girl who could hack into almost anything in the world.

I reached over and grabbed my phone where I had put it on the nightstand to charge, careful not to wake her. Since we worked on our own schedule, who said I couldn't work from bed? I spent some time setting up meetings with clients, including one to talk about a kidnapping, before I ended up scrolling through my phone. I placed it screen-down when I heard a soft groan from next to me, pulling me out of my thoughts. Serena yawned, rubbing her eyes and settling back into my arms.

"Morning, sleepyhead.", I murmured softly. She grunted softly, peering up at me with her beautiful brown eyes, dark as melted chocolate. "No, you can't stay in bed.", I grinned, rubbing her shoulder.

"Why not? I wanna stay...", she mumbled sleepily as she stretched. I smiled gently, shifting onto my side to face her and resting my head on my arm. She was still drifting in and out of sleep, fluttering in and out of reality and fantasy.

"Maybe for a lunch break, we can sneak back here? If you finish that phone?", I asked, stroking her hair. The braids were rough in my hand as my fingers weaved gently through them. She purred.

"Yes, please.", she murmured as I leaned in to kiss her. She pulled me closer and wrapped an arm around my neck to keep me in place until she was done kissing me as if we had all the time in the world. She was pretty enthusiastic for having just gotten up, but I liked her for that.

We probably would have gone farther if there hadn't been a clearing of a throat. Serena flipped him off, either way. I was the one who pulled away, gently stroking a thumb across her soft lips before looking over my shoulder at Mason.

Mason was well-built, with muscled tanned skin mixed with softly highlighted scar tissue, short, soft dark hair, and brown eyes that had seen so much they could be black as charcoal. He wore a white shirt and camo pants with combat boots. He always looked especially great in camo, which he usually was, given he was ex-military. Mason was our top sniper, had a steady hand, and was overall, fairly handsome.

"Was there something you needed?", I asked, trying not to laugh at Serena's pout because we got interrupted. She huffed, rolling her eyes and flipping herself over. I nuzzled her shoulder for forgiveness.

He nodded, holding up a tray of coffees in one hand and a bag in the other. "I need for you two to stop being cute and get out of bed so we can get started. I have coffee and bagels to speed you up.", he announced.

Serena threw a book laying on the nightstand at him before rolling out of bed and stumbling her way to our walk-in closet like a zombie. I followed her in getting up, swinging my feet over the edge of the bed. I didn't care if Mason saw anything as I undressed. He had never really expressed any sexual or romantic desire towards anyone since I met him and if asked, he would describe himself as asexual and aromantic.

Mason strode over and flopped himself into one of the chairs by the window and set the coffee on the wooden table next to his chair. He grabbed the remote, turning on the TV. He sipped his own coffee and opened the bag, too preoccupied with rustling around for one of the bagels to change the channel. Serena turned her back to him and watched the screen as she undressed. She grabbed the remote before he could, and started surfing the channels. Her arm dropped to her side when she found the next news channel.

"Hey, look. It's Max.", Mason grinned, leaning forward and swiping the remote when Serena let her guard down, leaning back and resting his hands and the remote behind his head. Mason and Max had worked together for a short time on an assassination plot once. They weren't, shall we say, agreeable. He watched us, gauging our reactions as the newscaster detailed the remains, flinching as Serena turned her glare on him. "Very nice job.", he added in a small voice.

Serena lazily threw on a t-shirt and jeans, before going to fix her hair. She dragged herself to the bathroom, still not completely awake, forcing her limbs to move. When she finished her hair and makeup after roughly ten minutes, she stalked over to him. "Coffee first.", she demanded, holding out her hand and schooling her face into a stony expression.

Mason grinned nervously, handing her the cup before he ended up on the floor with a dislocated shoulder. We all knew Serena would kill for caffeine, as cats stalking the same prey would fight for their attraction. Once he handed over the goods, she settled on the floor next to him, taking a long sip of her drink before nibbling on the bagel as the newscaster rambled on in the background.

As they started into their food and talked amongst themselves, I dressed in a black dress shirt with a purple tie and black leggings, plus tennis shoes. Tennis shoes and suits went well together in my opinion, and if I was going to spend the whole day in meetings, I would make a professional appearance. And if I had to pull anyone's eyes out with a corkscrew, the blood would be hidden, and another secret cloaked, taken to the grave. I took a few extra minutes to do a quick makeup application.

"That coffee better be cold.", I called, observing my reflection in the mirror and doing a quick few touch ups. I walked back out as I was tying and adjusting the length of fabric around my neck. I rolled up my sleeves to elbow length as I walked over to Mason, scanning the scene of the room.

"As cold as your soul.", Mason hummed, performing an excessive mock bow as he handed me the iced coffee and a bagel. I settled next to Serena on the floor, munching on the food.

"So, about your targets. One is checking into the Marriott downtown today at three. I have a taxi driver who will drop him around back so he can be within range. He'll also collect the information off the body once it's done and destroy it.", I mentioned, sipping my coffee, the cool liquid leaving a chilling effect in my throat. Definitely as cold as my soul.

"Do I need to do disposal?", he asked, eyeing us as we ate and running a hand through his dark hair. I shook my head, choking down a small mouthful of the bland, probably stale bagel I had just taken a bite of.

"Ugh, where did you get these bagels?", I coughed. "Nope, that's been taken care of. Your second target,", I imparted, scrolling through my phone for a picture. I showed the screen to him and he nodded, taking the phone to study the picture. "You only need to take out him. He's a representative from one of two companies competing for a deal to become the main associate of a parent company. Take him out and the deal goes to the second company."

"Email that to me?", he asked, tapping his fingers on the worn faux leather and handing the phone back. I quickly sent the photo to him before I finished off my bagel. Mason thought for a moment before asking, "Where is he going to be?"

"The meeting is at the MacDonald Corporations building, it's between Smith Associations and McAllister Corporation. It'd be best if you could take him out while he's on the street. He'll be waiting for the bus at one outside the bank on Lane Avenue. Make sure you have your silencer.", I listed off to him. I reached behind me to grab the remote, flipping through channels again until it switched to a story about the deal, and I pointed his attention to the screen.

"Alright. I'll go for the second target first since he has an earlier schedule.", he trailed off, watching the story glowing from the screen and falling into his thoughts. His face was calm, revealing no emotion one way or another. A resting blank face. He shifted after a few minutes, taking a deep breath. "I'll leave you ladies to it, and I will see you later."

Serena reached up for a short one-armed hug while he was bent over. Mason ruffled my hair and I scolded him with a swat, sending him a murderous glare. He grinned, pushing himself out of the chair and walking towards the door, grabbing his trash and waving on the way out. That left me and Serena alone together. She shifted and laid her head in my lap, watching me as I sipped my cold drink.

"What're you looking at?", I grinned, looking down at her as I drank my coffee. She reached up and poked my nose.

"You and your slow ass. We got things to do.", she giggled. I grinned and leaned down until our faces were almost touching. It was almost like a switch flipped, and the mood changed. Serena closed her eyes, her breathing hitching quietly. She relaxed into me and smiled.

"What are you going to do about it?", I hummed softly, raising an eyebrow, my eyes searching her face for any hint of emotion. "You don't seem like you're in too much a hurry anymore.", I murmured, brushing our lips together gently. I felt her body shiver and heard her purr softly at the touch. I kept our faces close for a moment, keeping her in place, before I pushed her out of my lap and got up, chuckling as I heard her muttering curses.

"Tease.", she grumbled, trying to get her reaction under control. She shoved past me to grab her computer. Serena always hated it when I left her hanging like that, and I found it amusing to watch her get flustered. She collected her things and turned back around. I quickly blocked her from moving forward by stepping closer to her.

I winked, smirking. "You'd know.", I threw back at her, glancing at her lips. I grabbed her hand before she could react and tugged her out of our bedroom.

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Once we arrived in my office, Serena stood in front of my desk as I opened the drawer and took the phone out. I placed it on the desk for her to take. When she didn't reach for it, I looked up. She looked hesitantly at the device and fidgeted a little bit.

"Hey.", I murmured, looking at her concernedly. "What's wrong? You and I both know this is child's play for you."

My voice pulled her out of her reverie. She suspired, placing both hands on the dark wood, leaning against it and looking at the phone as if she could will it open if she stared at it long enough. I watched as conflicting emotions flitted across her face.

"I'm... I'm just nervous to see how badly this could mess us up. I couldn't get it open last night, so he had a lot of security on that phone, meaning he didn't want anyone to read it, which means he might have lied about the extent of it.", she uttered, almost dejectedly. I watched her think for a minute, tapping my fingernails against the desk in a metronome-like pattern. She was the best hacker I knew since I saw the internet develop.

"Look,", I replied, walking around the desk and leaning next to her. "I know you don't like cliche and sappy, but I'm going to be anyway for a moment. I have full faith in your ability to get this open. Open it. We can figure out where to go from there.", I opined firmly, grabbing the phone and pressing it into her clever hand. I tangled our fingers together around the device so she knew I trusted her with this.

She looked up at me, but I couldn't read the emotion in her eyes. It somewhat resembled fear and dread, but there was an echo of relief to it as well. She slowly pulled her hand away, starting to scrutinize the phone from all angles. Serena also muttered to herself while she examined it.

I gazed at her until the phone on my desk rang. I quickly walked behind my desk and pressed speaker so Serena could listen.

"Raven, Mr. Booker is here to speak to you.", one of the appointment managers' voice crackled over the system. There was a rustle. It sounded like he was going through papers. I sighed.

"Alright, send him up.", I said, breaking off the line. I looked at Serena. She nodded, seizing her laptop and scampering away with the devices through the door that led to her office. I chuckled, sitting down and crossing my legs. My chair was actually comfortable. As soon as the elevator chimed, I schooled my face back into a detached one.

The door slid open to reveal a stout, little balding man with round glasses in a tweed suit, carrying a briefcase. He hurriedly tottered into the room, sitting in the chair with his case, looking like he was straight out of the 1840s. I granted him a moment to settle as he blundered, pulling some papers out of his battered case. I raised an eyebrow, wondering if he knew he was wasting my time.

"Mr. Booker, I presume?", I put forward, observing his behavior. He didn't seem like the type to come to a criminal for help. "What can I do for you?"

"I request your assistance with a kidnapping. I need her to use as blackmail. I'll split the pay with you.", he asserted, his voice drastically contrasting from his shaky actions. He fixed his glasses and offered me the paper he was clutching. I took the sheet and gave it a once-over.

I pushed open my computer, searched the identity of the woman on the paper, and found her schedule. She was the wife of an influential man who had connections with a money laundering scheme that, ironically, Raphael had taken care of a few months ago in D.C. Leaning back in my chair, my head was already running through plans of how to get her.

"Is there any specific way you need her taken? Any deadline?', I queried, still looking at the file in question. He shifted in the chair and pulled out a worn pocket book, nervously flipping through the pages and adjusting his wire framed glasses that were dangerously close to falling off his nose onto his upper lip.

"I need her by the 16th.", he remarked. "Before he makes another payment. And she shouldn't be harmed."

I typed something into my calendar, watching it process. Ten days, ample time to stage a kidnapping. "I'll talk to one of my team about it later today.", I notified him, hoping my voice implied I had enough information.

"I was told you would see it done personally-", he began, but I held up a hand to silence him. He was very good at pretending he was listening. People like him often heard what they wanted, I'd found over the years.

"I'll see it done. I'll make sure my team takes care of it efficiently and effectively. I don't know if you're aware, Mr. Booker, but I run this organization, and the people in it will do the job. Now, unless you have other business with me, I suggest you leave.", I hummed, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I pulled out my bottle of whiskey and pouring myself a small amount.

He looked like he was going to add something, but I raised an eyebrow and he nodded. I handed him his paper back. He shifted for a minute before he got up and waddled his way back to the elevator. For a few minutes, after he left, I sat in contemplation, taking small sips of the alcohol. Sure, it was eleven A.M, but when you'd been around as long as I had, alcohol lost its buzz.

I saved the information from Booker to my drive, sending a quick message to Raphael about the kidnapping. In the background, I barely registered the voice crackling on the speaker informing me the next client was on the way up.

The clock on the wall ticked quietly, marking the time. Outside, rain had started to dot the concrete below as the drops hurtled from high above, growing in intensity until the ground was completely soaked with small splatters of water. It left a steady rhythm on the roof and windows.

The rattling of the door completely ruined the soft pattern. A confident looking woman strutted in, her shoulder-length wavy blond hair floating behind her. Her heels were so high I was surprised she didn't fall or twist her ankle. She had on a ruffled white blouse and a black pencil skirt and honestly reminded me of the cliche secretary seen in movies.

The lady quickly put the files she was holding on the desk. I slid them towards me, opening them and scanning the information.

"I need to disappear. Preferably to Europe." She spoke while nodding to the folders and fidgeting with her skirt. "I started on some ideas of what my life could be."

I nodded, sending a message to floor six to see if they had someone available to get the records in order. I looked back up at her as I waited for a response.

"Can I ask why do you need to disappear?", I asked, leaning back in my chair. She took a breath and launched into her story without fail. It turned out she was illegally smuggling electronics from the black market in China, and now she was at risk of being found out and tracked down for reselling them at a higher price. She was hoping to get ahead of them by disappearing.

"I need to be killed, otherwise they'll know I'm alive. What can you do?", she raised, sounding a bit desperate. I placed each different option on the table and gave them each a quick rundown in my head.

"We can plant a bomb in your residence and say it was a gas leak. One of my operatives can doctor another body to look like you so your family thinks you're dead.", I informed her. Her face lit up with excitement at the idea. I collected her files and handed them back to her. "Floor six can help with getting the current files destroyed and the new ones into the system."

The lady beamed as she acquired her files again and I offered a small smile in return. As she left, I turned back to my computer, notifying one of the explosion technicians that a bomb was needed and instructing one of the medical staff at the local hospital to find a body and fake the DNA records.

There was barely two minutes between the time the woman left and the time the side door banged open and Zoe ran in. She was actually a lovely sweet-tempered girl most of the time, with ivy green eyes and black hair that fell down her back like a waterfall, but that girl had a mean streak a mile wide.

"London's been arrested. Someone's exposed them and they're on trial in two weeks."