A light breeze swept through the monolithic crypt like a lost child.
The building had long since been abandoned.  A family crest embroidered on the scarlet-red curtains was obscured through the centuries of settling dust.  The cracks in the floor and wall said that a great battle had once happened here.
A spirit walked through the bare-stone walls, barely discernable against the darkness.
Something will come soon, it thought to reassure itself.  And I will be ready this time.
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CHAPTER ONE

Catrina took a habitual swig of the beer.  She could hardly taste it through the bile clinging to the back of her throat.  Her head was still ringing from where it had hit concrete; the music and constant drone from the bar’s occupants did not help.
No one noticed she was injured.  Her dark clothes and thick, chestnut hair hid the blood.  It was not all her own.  Clotted in her hair and stuck under her fingernails was the blood of the man she had killed that night.  Her own contribution to the scarlet stains happened during her less-than-graceful retreat to what was possibly her worst performance on record.
The man sitting across the table was a stranger to her.  He had saved her life less than an hour earlier.  This drink and her company was all he had asked for in return.
He had admitted openly that he was not there by coincidence.  His organisation had been tracking her work for some time.  Her initial hesitance had already subsided into suspicion, reinforced by the man’s composure.
He did not touch his drink and tended not to focus on her for very long.  He had not spoken since their arrival.
‘…What did you say your name was?’ she tried.
‘I didn’t.’   He offered his hand across the table.  ‘It’s Fox.’
She shook his hand out of courtesy but was eager to pull away.  ‘I’m Catrina, before you ask.’
‘Catrina Malinka.’  He went for his drink, a double shot of whiskey neat in a tumbler glass.  ‘I know who you are.  I know a lot about you.’
‘Do you?’ she challenged.  ‘Like?’
‘Like what you do for a living.’  He leant in closer.  ‘Like your business with Stephen McCann.  Like why you have a Beretta tucked into the back of your jeans.’
‘So you knew I’d be there.’
‘I knew you both would.  I have to say, I was a little disappointed.  I thought you were capable of a simple contract killing.’
‘I had it under control.’
While defending her actions, she wondered if she should be talking about it at all.  It had been incredibly convenient that he had arrived on the scene seconds before McCann could kill her.  She did not know this man or his background.  She had become so used to discussing murder and paid kills that it was part of any normal conversation now.
He took out a cigarette.  The flame from the lighter caught a distant gleam in his eye.  ‘You don’t trust me.’
‘Why should I?’
‘I just saved your life.’
‘That’s not good enough.’  She went for her bottle.
‘What more do you want?’
‘You could start by telling me what you were doing out there tonight.’
He leant back in the seat.  ‘It was fortunate I was there.  I would’ve left you to deal with it, until he started to strangle you.’
Damaged pride spurred her.  ‘I had it under control.’
‘It didn’t look that way to me.’
She folded her arms but could not form an argument.  In the back of her mind, she knew he was right.  ‘Maybe you should’ve left me, then.  Now we’ll never know who was right.’
He was smiling, but in his pale and serious face, it was hard to distinguish a smile from anything else.  He took the cigarette from his lips and exhaled a cloud of smoke, watching it drift towards the ceiling.  ‘Maybe.’
‘So, how long is some time?’
‘I’m sorry?’
‘In the alley, you said your ‘organisation’ have been watching me for some time.  How long is ‘some time’?’
‘You don’t want to know.’
Her eyes narrowed.  She already despised his attitude.  Past the chiselled features of his face, and an impressive physique hidden under thick clothes, he had an arrogant manner.  And he had barely said a word.
She did not like the little she had gathered from him so far.  She realised he was watching her and stiffened.
‘If you’re not going to tell me how long your people have been watching me, you can at least tell me why…’
‘First of all, it hasn’t been my people watching you.’  He paused to tap excess cigarette ash into the already bulging ashtray on their table.  He leant over to the table beside them and took an empty one.  ‘It was just me.’
‘Okay.  Why?’
‘I need another drink first.  Can I get you another?’  He was already walking away.  She must have been drowsy, because she did not see him get up.
She shrugged.  ‘Sure.’
She watched him head towards the bar.  His pale features were more accentuated within a crowd, but the people were too engrossed in their own social niches to care about a handsome stranger.
Yet he did not avoid walking into people.  He did not have to.  They stood aside without acknowledgment.  The whole crowd parted for him to pass like a shadow.  Most failed to notice him at all.
She sighed heavily.  Without his presence as a distraction, she had a few precious moments to take stock of the situation.  It happened so quickly.  One minute, she had McCann on his knees, crying and begging for any amount he could pay to keep his life…
She did not remember much after that; her mind repressed the details to keep her from screaming aloud.  She did remember being underneath him.  A black shadow had fallen from the sky, arms spread like wings, and landed without a sound behind them.
Within seconds, McCann was pinned against the wall.  His feet did not touch the floor, as her saviour pulled a knife and slit the man’s throat.  
She did not register his arrival feat at the time, but now she thought about it, she wondered how Fox had gotten there.  The only place he could have jumped from was the building’s roof, some five storeys up.
He returned with their drinks.
‘Everything okay?’ he asked.
‘Just reliving the event,’ she admitted, taking the bottle he offered.  ‘Thanks.’
‘Where was I?’ he asked as he sat down.
‘You were about to tell me why you’ve been tracking me.’
He lit up another cigarette.  ‘I was?’
‘Yes.’  Her agitation showed.  ‘Stop avoiding the subject.  Look, I’m grateful for your help back there.  But if you know me as well as you claim to, you’ll know that I’m a person who needs information quickly.’
He considered saying something outright but then decided against it.
His eyes drifted to his glass, either thinking how to respond, or else forcing her to wait a while longer.  She presumed the latter.  The discomfort of the silence slid over her shoulders.  She wanted to leave.  He could not have been more at ease, having already spent ‘some time’ in her company.  This was all his idea.  He had wanted to talk.  It was about time he started.
She was determined not to be intimidated this stranger.  She stared at him, waiting.  The closer she looked at his face, the more concentration she put into examining his features, the older he appeared.  It hurt to stare too long.  He watched her do this.  She would never guess what made him different, so there was no harm in letting her try.
She blinked.
‘Three years,’ he said.  Her eyes wandered up towards his.  ‘You wanted to know how long I’ve been watching you…it’s been three years.’
She went very quiet.  Her brows knotted, and she was not quite looking at him.  She was thinking back three years, which was a very long time, especially for a contract killer, and especially for one like her.  Then she was half way across the table with her fists balled, ready to throw all her energy into hurting him.  How anyone could have the audacity to watch her without her knowledge was frightening, and in those few seconds, she wanted to kill him.
The next moment, she was being held by the wrists.  Fox was standing now, with one hand wrapped around both of her wrists.  She tugged, but his grip was like a vice.  His face showed no effort, and he even put his other hand to his lips to take another drag of the cigarette.
Her eyes blazed.  No one else in the bar even lifted their heads to see what was happening.  It was only when she started shouting that a few heads turned.
‘Who the Hell do you think you are?’ she growled at him, still trying to wriggle out of his grip.  He moved when she did.  ‘Let go of me!’  She tugged again, but this time he pulled back.  She almost tripped, but he held her entire body steady with that one hand.  Twisted amongst the thoughts of violation at his secret observations and the shock of how long it had been for, she was stunned by his strength.
She stopped struggling and straightened up.
‘Are you done?’  His voice was slightly agitated, but it did not show on his face.
The few people who had stopped to watch the drama returned to their business.
Catrina nodded.  He started back to the table; she watched him.  She was not imagining it; he was moving quicker than she could see.
She sat back down opposite him.  In the back of her mind, beyond the way he could rile her with only words, she was interested in his abilities, something he was not being very open about.
‘I expected something like that,’ he said.  ‘You usually act before you think.’
‘You’re not helping me come to terms with this.’
‘Forgive me,’ he said graciously, putting the cigarette to his lips a final time.  As he stubbed it out, she leant closer.
‘Three years is a long time.  I need you to tell me why, and I need it now, otherwise I don’t care who you are…I’m leaving.’
He caught her gaze; she was anxious.  This was getting to her more than he wanted it to, and he had to calm her if she was going to listen.
‘You’ve been in the business from a young age,’ he said.  ‘My mentor was actually the first one to come into contact with you.’
‘Your mentor,’ she repeated.  ‘You mean your boss?’
He nodded.  ‘You were sixteen at the time, just starting out in the contract business.  Something about you interested him.  He couldn’t explain it, but that was when he gave me the assignment of watching you.’  Her eyes asked for more.  ‘I only really watched you work.  Your personal life was of no real interest to me.’
That reassured her somewhat.  ‘You were headhunting?’  He nodded.  ‘Why?’
‘Because your skills are interesting,’ he said.  ‘You never had formal training, did you?’
‘People say I was meant for it,’ she said with a shrug.  ‘Like how people say they just ‘fall into’ the right career.’  She spread her arms quizzically.  ‘It’s not exactly a clerical post, is it?’
His smile was slightly wider this time; he almost opened his mouth.  ‘Was it your choice?’
She shrugged again, but a thin smile crept into the corner of her mouth.  ‘I don’t have any complaints.  I’m good at what I do.  You’d have seen that in your observations, right?’
‘Without taking tonight into account?’
‘Mistakes happen.’
‘You could’ve been killed.’
‘So you’ve said.’
‘Putting your mistakes aside, we are interested in your work and your potential for the future.’
‘I’m listening.’
‘We want to hire you,’ he said.
She smiled.  ‘That’s the first direct thing you’ve said to me.’
‘Are you interested?’
‘That depends,’ she said.  She crossed her legs and silently revelled in the fact that the conversation was under her control.  ‘I’ll need a pretty sweet deal to draw me away from what I’ve got now.  But I’m guessing you already know that…’
‘I know that what you have with Tony.’  The name passed his lips with slight acidity.  ‘But you’ve been looking for a way out for a while.’
Her eyes widened.  ‘How did you…?’
He lifted one hand to stop her.  ‘I didn’t need to be watching you privately to know you were getting lax to your responsibilities as a killer.  That usually means one of two things…either you’re too old for your station, which you’re obviously not…or else the work isn’t challenging enough, because you’re outgrowing it.  I’d say it could be down to you being in the wrong line of work, but…’
‘It’s not that,’ she agreed,
‘So you are looking for something more?’
‘Well, sure, just like anybody, but…it’s complicated.’  She started to pick the label from the bottle-neck.  ‘I owe Tony more than just a job.’
‘I know,’ he said.  ‘You let him control your life for the best part of nine years.’
She did not deny it.  ‘I was happy being like a daughter to him.’
‘And he was happy with you as a replacement child.’  It was not posed as a question, and it struck a chord.
Her fingers curled around the chair arms.  ‘Where do you get off with this shit?’
‘I didn’t come here to argue with you.’
‘Then what did you come here for, Fox?  This proposition is sounding more like a sorry excuse to criticise me.’
He held up his hands; she had no idea whether his submission was genuine.  ‘It’s not intentional.  I just wanted you to know that, despite your flaws, we’re still interested in taking you on.’
She exhaled.  ‘I’m flattered.’
‘You should be.  This isn’t an offer open to anyone, and I haven’t decided how long you’ve got to make a decision yet.’
‘You still haven’t told me why,’ she said, catching him slightly off guard.  She saw it in his eyes and smiled.  ‘You’ve said you want to snatch me from my current employer, but you haven’t said why.’
‘Do I need a reason, other than what I’ve observed?’
‘For someone like you, yes,’ she replied.  ‘You’re not just your average organisation.  I saw you pick a guy up with one hand.  Something like that requires special training.  What I want to know is why someone of your obvious abilities would be interested in me.’
He opened his mouth but no words formed.  He checked himself.  ‘It gets complicated.  If it helps your decision, you’d get the same training.’
She pinned her attacker against the wall and lifted with ease.  He cried out, but his voice was choked from her grip at his throat…
‘You don’t expect me to make a decision now, do you?’ she asked.  She could not guarantee that – should he offer her the job right then – she would turn it down.
‘Of course not,’ he replied.  ‘I wanted to make you aware of the offer, that’s all.’
She tried to keep a composed mentality.  ‘So what’s the catch?’
He had been waiting for this question.
‘We would only ask one thing from you.  You would have to give up your identity as it stands.  You’re coming into a business of people that don’t exist.’
‘That wouldn’t be a problem,’ she said.  ‘If I was leaving the Gostanzo business, it wouldn’t be safe to go around with the same name, anyway.  Is that it?’
He hesitated.  ‘There are certain ‘restrictions’ when it comes to leaving our organisation, once you’ve accepted.’
‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning that you don’t leave once you’ve been taken in.  It’s a job for life.’
She thought about this carefully.  ‘But what if I started to look for something more challenging, say, some years down the line?’
‘You wouldn’t.’
‘Humour me.’
‘If you became unsuitable for your post for some reason, for example mental instability or the inability to carry out assignments, you would be removed.  Other than that, you’re in it for life.  But trust me, Catrina, you’d never find a reason to look elsewhere.’
She sighed.  ‘A couple of years ago, I would’ve said that about Tony.’
‘I understand if you want to take some time to think about it.’  He took a few seconds to light up another cigarette, as though his very being revolved around the small white sticks.  ‘It’s a life-changing decision.’
‘A minute ago you wanted nothing more than for me to accept right here and now.’
‘I know.  But you need to be aware of the requirements and I have to enforce our rules.’  He did not sound enthusiastic.
‘Isn’t there a probationary period?’ she asked.  It was unusual if not unheard of for an organisation to accept a new employee outright.
‘It’s been three years,’ he clarified.  ‘We’ve had all the probationary period we need.’
‘I don’t appreciate the fact that I’ve been watched like a lab rat being shoved in my face.’
‘Well, for such a renowned sniper, you’re not all that difficult to track.’
She exhaled loudly and bit her lip.  ‘Sure, for someone of your abilities.’
‘For anyone, actually,’ he retorted.
She fell silent, rapping her fingernails on the tabletop.  Her mind was clouded with emotions – mainly a conflict of interest and hatred – for this man.
‘What are you thinking?’ he asked casually.
She continued to tap her nails on the wooden surface.  ‘I’m thinking that three years is a long time.  I’m thinking…sorry, hoping, that, should I accept this proposal, I wouldn’t be reporting to you.  And I’m thinking that if you keep demeaning my abilities, you can shove your job offer up your ass.  What about you, Fox?  What are you thinking, right now?’
He let his underhand smile slip and checked his watch.
‘I’m thinking I’ve said all I have to on the subject.’
He was standing before she blinked.  He did not wait for her to get up after him, so she was a few steps behind as they headed through the crowd.  The mass unconsciously parted for Fox.  They moved in again once he had gone, leaving Catrina to shoulder her way through the tight-packed bodies.
Away from the bar’s horde, she welcomed the cool night air to her lungs.  Fox threw his latest cigarette butt out into the empty street.
‘Where do we go from here?’ she asked.
‘That depends,’ he replied.  His eyes were burning with more intensity than before.  ‘I don’t expect you to make your decision now, but you can appreciate that an offer like this can’t be kept open indefinitely.’
She nodded.  ‘I understand.’
He took a business card from the lining of his thick woollen coat and handed it to her.  On the front was a cell phone number; the back was blank.
‘I want you to think about your decision carefully, but call me as soon as you’ve made it.  I’ll give you three days, is that fair?’
‘I suppose,’ she said.  ‘Even though you still haven’t told me anything about you or your company.’
‘I’ve told you all you need to know.  Your intuition should fill in the rest.’  As though he’d said all he’d ever need to, he started to walk away.
‘That’s it?’  She took a few steps after him.  ‘Thank you and goodnight?’
He turned back.  ‘What else do you want?  A nightcap, maybe?’
Her face flushed red.  ‘I want more information, for starters.’
‘You don’t need it.’  He continued to leave, and she did not try to go after him.  ‘You’re looking for an excuse to escape.  We’re offering it to you.  Call me with your decision.’
He turned the corner and was gone.
She was left in the quiet street, alone and none the wiser.  She passed the card between her fingers.  She was wary of him, but there was something more to him that drew her interest.  It was something beyond his distracting good looks and conceited behaviour.

Fox made his way farther towards the outskirts of the city.  A car horn blared from behind.  As he stepped into the road, a black Mercedes came hurtling around the corner towards him.  The driver hit the breaks so hard that the tyres left a trail of burnt rubber and smoke behind.  His hand instinctively reached out to touch the front end, as the car slowed, stopping inches from him.
He opened the back passenger door.
His mentor, of African-American decent and far into his thirties, stepped out of the car.  His soft brown eyes and gentle smile were more like a confidant’s than a leader’s.
The driver barely gave him time to close the door.  The engine roared and the heavy vehicle sped into the distance, overshadowed by the constant thud of the driver’s music.
‘I suggest we walk,’ the mentor said.  His voice was deep but polite.  ‘You can tell me what happened.’
They walked side by side down the deserted streets.  Fox straightened his thick woollen jumper, pulling his coat tighter around his broad chest to guard from the cold.  His mentor’s eyes drifted upwards to watch the stars dance over the black sky.  While Fox was slightly taller than his mentor, it was obvious who held the influence
He resisted the urge to light up a cigarette.  ‘I put the offer to her.’
The mentor was momentarily surprised.  ‘So soon?’
‘It seemed the right time.  She was in danger.’
‘I understand your drive to protect her, but there was no real danger there, no more than usual.’
‘She could’ve died.’
‘Do you honestly believe that?  It was dangerous, but her life is a constant threat.  You accepted that a long time ago.’  His attention returned to the sky, immersed with the grandeur of the heavens.  ‘You’d think they’d lose their appeal after all this time, wouldn’t you?’
Fox tilted his head briefly to look.  The stars did not cast the same spell over him; he looked on with slight disdain and instead thought of her.  ‘Some things you never tire of.’
He did not see his mentor smile.  ‘I’m assuming your persistence stems only from her abilities and not your fascination with her?’
‘If I hadn’t been there…’
‘But you were, as you always are.’
‘And if there comes a time when I’m not?’
‘There is always that chance.  Considering her life to this point, I’m surprised she has made it this far, even with your protection.’  He glanced to his friend with an astute look this time.  ‘I’m starting to wonder if your reasons for taking her are as justified as you perceive them to be.’
Fox pretended not to hear.  ‘I assumed it would be in everyone’s interest to offer it while time isn’t against us.’
The mentor let out a weary laugh.  ‘Time is not always on our side, is it?  How ironic.’  The smile crept back on his face.  ‘Her life has always been your occupation, Fox, not mine.  Do as you feel is necessary.  I will stand by your decision.’
Fox bowed his head.  ‘Thank you.’
The two parted ways at the next junction.  Fox would head home, but the dark-skinned man had something he wanted to do first.  He waited until the sound of Fox’s boots against asphalt faded, before he went to the nearest building and ascended to the roof.
There he was at peace with himself, looking out beyond the slums to the urban skyline.  He listened to the night.  His smile made lines to crease his features.  The stars remained out of his reach for a few seconds while his mind endured the matter at hand.