Assassin Affairs by R. S. Smith

at the end, too intense, that's why I chose to
leave the business and move here. Your mom's ten million dollars
lured me back into it all.”
    “Go
on, please.”
    “You'll
find I was linked to New York City's most notorious criminal, Charles
Cicero, the man who makes made-men. Find a photo of him and odds are
you'll spot me in the background. I knew organized crime family
leaders in all five boroughs. I still do. I was Mr. Cicero's
enforcer, his hit-woman.”
    “This
is so fascinating,” said an awed Jessie.
    “Danny
served overseas in Special Forces. He killed a lot of people, but
never anyone for money. After that, he was a detective in a small
town in Arizona. When I killed a man there, our paths crossed and we
were promptly smitten with one another.”
    “He
seems really nice. What about Laura?”
    “Laura
is the top-ranked assassin in your home state. I've made a lot of
enemies in my line of work, Jessie. She got a lucrative contract to
take me out, and Danny and I were nearly killed. Instead of killing
us, she became our lover and together we took out the people who
hired her.”
    “That's
amazing. How does one go from killer to lover like that?”
    “That
was when I discovered how insatiable she can be. I was fighting for
our lives the only way I could at the time, and at gunpoint, too.
That, plus a bunch of cash, brought her over to our side. Jessie, you
lasted longer with her than I did, that's really incredible!”
    “I'll
do even better for you. How do you know my mom?”
    “I
don't, yet,” she said with the hint of a wry grin. “Jessie,
we're people-of-interest to the FBI, but they have nothing solid on
us. We'd like to keep it that way, so keep your mouth shut if you
enjoy living.”
    Jessie,
couldn't take her eyes off her beloved mentor. She sat ogling how her
beautiful legs curved up into her new short skirt as she fired off
some practice rounds.
    “Renée.....”
    “What,
Jessie?”
    “I
can't wait.”
    “You
gotta pee, kid?”
    “No,
the other thing.”
    “Huh?”
    “I
saw that you have a blanket in the back of the SUV. I could go get
it. There's no one else up here, we have a great lake view with tons
of privacy. It beats being in a stuffy bedroom. You can make a video
of our special picnic together if you want.”
    “Jessie,
I haven't enjoyed this much special attention in a long time. What
are we waiting for? You get the blanket; I'll set up the camera.”

    Meanwhile,
the FBI, still unaware of Jessie's rescue and Lionel's unusual death,
continued planning its own operation. They had just received a ransom
request that Lionel had mailed the day of his demise. It was for a
million dollars in small bills to be delivered to an abandoned
building near Denver.
    Joanna had
become concerned over not hearing from Laura. Each time she had tried
to contact her, the call had gone to phone mail. She realized cell
phone reception was iffy in the mountainous areas. The burner cell
phone was kept with her at all times.
    When her
sister Jennifer had learned of the abduction on TV, she had insisted
on helping out. She'd been having problems of her own, just going
through a divorce and having financial issues because of it.
    Unknown to
everyone, Lionel had recruited a partner, one of his buddies from the
mental institution. Melvin's history included bouts with arson, fire
bombs and other explosives. His mental level was similar to Lionel's
and that's how they had become friends. In the event of Lionel's
delay, Melvin was to accept the money and bring Joanna to Lionel's
cabin for some special entertainment.
    The FBI
felt confident they had control of the payoff situation, and assured
Joanna all would go well. The sisters maneuvered them into agreeing
to Jennifer going along as back-up, and soon their entire group was
moving into position outside Denver. Both women wore a wire, two
snipers were strategically placed nearby, and several agents hid in
an adjoining area.
    “Here,
Jen” said her sister