Shadow Cipher

3. Jake

I'm relaxing at home when I get a ping on my work phone. Another hit. Probably another one of those Shadow Ciphers. That organization has been causing all sorts of problems to the higher ups of the city lately. Especially their damn hackers. Most of the hackers I've been paid to take out are nothing but geeks with too much time on their hands, but a job is a job. This one is different though. They don't want the mark dead, just brought in. Ugh, they want her brought off planet. That's going to be a pain. Having to travel a month in space with someone who knows they are about to die is always a pain in the ass. I look through the listing. Hmmm, she's cute. Her blue eyes, her pink hair, her full lips. Maybe the trip won't be so bad. I grab my gear and start to head out. I shoot a message to my neighbor asking them to feed my cat while I'm away. I never meant to get a pet. They aren't really practical with how often I have to travel, but the damn cat walked into my house after a particularly difficult job. He flopped on my chest and just started purring. I gave him some food and water and even though I offer to let him leave at any time, he never even glanced at the outside. He's gotten pretty spoiled since then. He has cat trees in almost every room, toys all over the place, too many treats according to the vet, and only the best food I could find. His name is Shadow. He's orange, and I thought it was kind of funny. Naming my cat after my secret identity was a bit ballsy, but f**k it.

I pet Shadow and give him a kiss on the top of his head, and he chirps at me. "I have a job. I won't be home for a bit. Be good for Miss Mai, okay?" He looks me in the eyes and gives a meow of confirmation.

I grab my gear and travel bag and head to my car. Once I'm in it, I head to the address listed for the mark. Her name is Nova. She has a brother and no pets. I was shocked when I saw that her brother is Cygnus. Everyone knows him. He dominates every racetrack he touches. Although, lately he has had a bit of a losing streak. Some say he's throwing the races. It's caused a bit of an outrage amongst the fans.

I get to the address. It's nothing special. Just a simple house that looks like it is definitely a home that is lived in and loved. I have already studied the schematics and know that the easiest way to grab the girl is through her window. She just did a job, so she's hopefully asleep. Her window is open. Is she stupid? Sure, it's a safe neighborhood, but does she care about her safety at all? Oh well, her recklessness is my boon.

I easily and silently climb the house to her window and slip inside the room. She is asleep. Nice. This is going to be so easy. I smile down at the girl curled into a ball on the bed. Yeah, she's as cute as her picture. I grab some of her stuff. Clothes, toiletries out of her bathroom, etc. Not only will it make the trip easier if she has her stuff, I've noticed that often times it reduces the amount of complaining that the marks do if they have their own things, but also it will make it look like she ran off.

Now the hard part. I cover her mouth and inject her with a sleeping serum. Her eyes fly open in a panic but roll to the back of her head as she falls limp. It's a fast-acting drug that a chemist friend of mine created to help with my jobs. She's the only one who knows about my secret life.

I pick her up, she doesn't weigh much at all. I can tell she's got a fit but lean build. She's wearing a crop top and shorts that give me a view of her legs that I did NOT need. I hop out of the window with her in my arms, set her in the passenger seat of my car and head to the docking bays. The drive is peaceful. When we get to the docking bays, I take her to my ship. I pay to have a private space with a private garage for when I have to transport people.

Once in my ship, I put her in one of the guest quarters and start taking off. Everything is peaceful for about 2 hours and then she stumbles into the command room. There's no point in keeping her confined unless she causes a problem. She's still in those shorts, now that she's standing, I can see just how perfect those legs really are, and the shorts hug her ass so perfectly. She's not just cute, she's gorgeous. I feel my pants tighten around the crotch as my p***s decides it is time to make himself known. It's been far too long since I've gotten laid. Going by the pissed off look on her face, I don't think that's going to change anytime soon though.

"Where the f**k am I?!" She shouts at me.

"A ship." I say simply.

She glares at me. Is it toxic that that turns me on even more? "I know it's a damn ship. But..." She really looks at me then her eyes go wide. "Holy f**k. You're Red Shadow. You're Red Shadow, and I'm going to f*****g die. You're going to kill me aren't you?"

I give her a cocky smirk. "So my reputation proceeds me, eh? Yes, I am Red Shadow. I don't know if you're going to die. I was simply hired to take you to my employer."

"Aren't you a hit man?" she asks.

"Yes, but you see, it's a common misconception that hit men only kill. I can do a lot of things. You, my dear, have caused my employer a great deal of stress by sticking your nose into his business. He wants to deal with the inconvenience that is you." I know I'm being a bit of an ass, but she seems to know this world well enough.

She swallows and a concerned look flashes across her face before she hides it. She's good, I gotta give her that much. "Um... I know it's probably stupid to ask this, but can I use your computer to wire my brother the money from my account? He needs it. Bad."

Usually at this point, people are begging and bargaining for their own safety, but she just wants to send her brother money? She's intriguing. "I'll tell you what, I'll do it, just give me your information. I don't want you sending any secret messages."

"Can you just add a note that says, I'm in trouble and had to leave for a while? He's a worrier, and he'll probably panic, but there'd be less panic if he sees that."

"You don't want your brother trying to find you?" I ask.

"I don't want him caught up in my shit." She mumbles, looking at the ground.

"Fair enough." She gives me her information and I do as she asks. I don't usually do these kinds of things for my marks, but she's being fairly reasonable considering she's probably on her way to a gruesome death. I don't know how she pissed off Governor Bolton, but he's not someone you want to be on the bad side of.