Clean Money

The Assassin's Arrival

There weren’t many things in this world that could faze a woman like Jae Brown, given her previous occupation, it was damn near impossible to ever see the colour drain from her face as it did when she received the call. When she got the call, Jae was warm, smooth waves of severity lapping over her nerves as she dragged yet another long hit from her blunt. She had almost missed the call and she would’ve if the beautiful brown skin woman hadn’t drawn her attention to it. Across the room from her, Jae could see the two sexy women she had hired perched on her bed enjoying themselves as they helped themselves to her liquor; one pretty, pale and blonde and the other, the beautiful brown skin who had stood turned her attention from the blonde to Jae, her full hips swaying as she moved towards Jae with her phone in her hand before re-joining the blonde on the bed.

‘Don’t take too long Papi.’ The beautiful brown skin woman said with a wink. Jae smirked and nodded, picking the call.

‘Someone better be dead or dying.’ She said into the receiver.

There was a bubble of excited giggles that erupted at the bed and Jae’s gaze turned to the blonde whose attention was focused on the other woman, blue eyes blown wide with lust as she looked at her. Jae smirked as she watched the beautiful brown skin woman gently tilt the head of the blue eyed blonde, her dark eyes sweeping over Jae in a sultry manner, silently inviting her to join them, before she turned her head back to the eager blonde and pressed her lips together.

‘Well, no one is dead yet.’ The voice on the other end said, a distorted chuckle echoing through the phone. Jae froze, not expecting to hear that familiar distorted voice on the other end address her. Jae startled, her nose stung and her eyes watered as she released the puff of smoke she had held in before she had a chance to choke on it. s**t, s**t, s**t, s**t. It was them.

‘It’s you.’ Jae said, her voice hoarse and sounding far calmer than she actually felt in that moment.

‘Well, you seem quite excited to hear from me.’ The distorted voice said sarcastically, amusement frayed on the edges of their tone.

‘I’m overjoyed.’ Jae said sardonically. ‘What do you want?’ she asked.

‘We have a job for you.’

‘I don’t work for you anymore.’ Jae said. ‘And I wanna to keep it that way.’

‘Are you sure? We have a well paying customer and we know how much you love those.’ They said. ‘And need them.’ They added, a knowing, biting glint in their voice. They knew. Jae could already sense it. Of course they f*****g knew. It not like she had been gone long, it had only been a few months since she had handed in her resignation and she couldn’t help but be mad at herself for thinking they would willingly let one of their biggest assets go away without having someone shadow her for the past few months; she had just been too caught up slaving away at a multiple mediocre jobs, struggling to keep herself afloat with the s**t salaries and dealing with insufferable bosses, co-workers and customers to notice. 

Jae paused, her mind wondering and she almost hated herself for considering their offer. Jae had promised herself, she had promised herself that she wouldn’t get involved with this group anymore but she also wasn’t stupid. It had been a few months since she had left their company, months of her trying and failing numerous times to get a proper job and months of her watching the numbers in her account slowly shrivel into nothingness.

It had been a tough few months. A tough few months that was supposed to culminate in this night. This night was supposed to be her last night of debauchery before she gave out completely; she was on her last leg and she figured that at this point, she might as well enjoy the last new hours of her life so she spent her last few dollars on the few things she knew could give her the momentary happiness; on alcohol, on blunts and on beautiful women. These things that would give her momentary exculpation before she executed the last step in her plan and granted herself permanent reprieve from this life that had been handed to her, this life that she didn’t exactly chose but was now inextricably linked to, this life she wanted to leave behind for good but knew it was impossible to do so without suffering the inevitable death. But this offer…this offer could change that…

‘You always have well paying customers.’ Jae finally said. If she was going to take this job, she wanted it to be worth it. She knew that their customers did tend to pay well but a few thousand dollars wasn’t going to cut it, it was far below her pay grade and skill level, she wanted to be compensated for her troubles and maybe…maybe with a higher pay cut, she could actually start a proper life on her own.

‘This one is exceptional. They want your assistance to take care of a problem…permanently.’

Jae felt her brows climb into her hairline. It had been a long while since Jae had been put on a permanent case. Those cases always paid very well, a couple of million at least and any additional work to be done was charged separately. This job was everything she wanted, everything she needed and everything that would change her life for the better if she was to take it.

‘Oh and what’s your cut?’ Jae asked. There was always a cut.

‘The usual.’ Huh? The usual seemed far…lower considering the case, not that she was complaining but it was completely out of character for these people to miss an opportunity to amass an obscene amount wealth...there had to be a catch somewhere.  

‘What’s the catch?’ Jae asked.                             

‘There isn’t one.’

‘There has to be.’ Jae said.

‘Can’t you believe in our good and generous faith?’

Jae scoffed.

‘No.’

There was a deep distorted chuckle.

‘Well, we need a favour.’

There it was.

‘What favour?’ Jae asked.

‘We’ll call it in when we need to.’

Jae felt something twist uncomfortably in her stomach; she hated such favours, not knowing when the favour could be called in put her on edge but she couldn’t exactly complain, they were giving her a good job and letting her keep a good chunk of her money without any other interest slapped onto it – still, it didn’t ease the disquieting feeling settling in her belly but she chose to shove it down. It probably wasn’t a big deal and she was just blowing things out of proportion.

‘Fine.’ Jae said. ‘Just send me the details.’

‘Sure thing.’ They said. ‘Oh, and Jae?’

‘Hm?’

‘It’s good to have you back.’

With that, Jae hung up the call, switched off her phone and hid it for the night before turning her attention to the two women on the bed; they had been too engrossed with each other to notice, too engrossed touching and kissing each other and Jae couldn’t help the grin that flourished on her face as she joined them. Jae had a new job now, a job that was going to pay well and a job that she knew could take her a few years before she ran completely dry again with its heavy pay. As she sank into the embrace of the two women, Jae let out a slight laugh, elation pulsating through her veins as she did so – all things considered, everything was finally starting to look up.

*    *    *

Jae knew that the nature of her occupation meant that she could experience things that other people couldn’t even dream of trying in their lifetime but the last thing she expected was to be here; travelling to the East African city Asab, in the country Kynea. Once Jae received confirmation for the deposit, she was promptly placed on the next flight halfway across the world and although she had been hesitant at first, the sum of the numbers filing into her account motivated her against turning away from this project.

The sun had long set by the time Jae had arrived in Kynea and the moment she stepped off the plane, she was hit with the heavy humid air, the scent of the sea wrapping its welcoming arms around her. Even though Jae had expected this from Asab, given that it was a coastal town, she had not anticipated that it would be this warm, especially in the evening; she had only walked the distance from the plane to the airport building and she could already feel beads of sweat forming at the crown of her brow. Jae was not a fan of profuse and unprovoked sweating and she couldn’t help the audible sigh of relief that passed through her lips when she entered the air conditioned building.

As the other passengers passed by her, Jae took notice of the airport and her jaw nearly touched the floor; it was ridiculously huge! From where she stood, Jae could tell it was at least five floors high, numerous souvenir shops lined neatly beside each other selling trinkets with words in a language that Jae couldn’t understand but assumed was the Kynea’an language Nea;  from beaded accessories, to simple shirts with animals prints on them, hats and other art such as the stunning wooden carvings of popular animals such as lions, giraffes, rhinos and hippos and intricate paintings of open savannah fields, crystalline oceans brushing softly against the clear sandy beaches and portraits of people wrapped in beautiful clothes that she was unfamiliar with and could only vaguely describe as traditional with their brilliant colours and delicate designs.

There was a large notice board that flashed numerous instructions in multiple languages, informing travellers that they had just entered the shopping section of the airport, encouraging them to browse the isles for whatever they wanted and not be shy to purchase to their hearts content. The board also informed travellers that if they felt hungry and weary from their trip, they could visit the second floor where they could treat themselves to a variety of delicious local and international dishes as well as listing nearby rooms they could pay to unwind in if they wished to do so. Jae felt her stomach rumble as she made her way down the tiled white floors, noting that the further she walked towards the exit by the elevators, the stronger the scent of the food above her became but she fought the temptation, opting to jump straight into the elevators with her luggage in tow after picking them off the conveyer belts and following the guide that saw her arrive at the pickup point.

At this point, Jae pulled out her old work phone and searched for the details delivered to her about the car and number plate she should be looking for. It took a while for her to find the vehicle and it wasn’t anything extravagant, it was a small descent looking cab with an older man leaning on it; his face was worn with age and fatigue, his bushy brow rose in question when his tired eyes cut into her with cold critique.

‘Jae Brown.’ Jae said. The man’s face didn’t rest, if anything, it seemed to tighten with understanding as he nodded and turned to help Jae with her luggage. ‘Thank you.’

The man nodded.

‘You don’t talk much, do you?’

The man raised another bushy brow, his moustache twitching slightly. He shook his head.

‘Your employer doesn’t allow you to talk?’ Jae asked, glancing at his reflection in the mirror.

The man smiled and shook his head.

‘So you just don’t like talking?’  

The man turned in his seat and with a small quick wave of his fingers, Jae understood, the man was mute.

‘Oh, okay.’ Jae nodded. She didn’t mind that the man was mute but it did put a slight damper on Jae because she was hoping to get some information out of him about her employer before she met them and couldn’t do so when the man was driving her to them. Keeping with the code of confidentiality, Jae wasn’t handed exact details of her employer; it was common practice to be handed her employers target and go after them but she rarely had details on her employers themselves. Now, however, the person hiring her didn’t have a clear target in mind (which was fine with Jae, more money for her) and she had travelled halfway across the world to meet one complete stranger and kill another complete stranger. It was odd. So odd. Jae had insisted on being told the bare minimum, even with the knowledge that her general contract didn’t permit it, and as expected she was met with resistance.

‘Can I at least get a name?’ Jae had asked.

‘No. But we think it’s a surprise that you’ll definitely enjoy.’ The distorted voice had chuckled.

It had been hours since that conversation and now Jae was here, exhausted and on her way to meet her employer. The navy blue sky was sprinkled with stars that seemed to twinkle with an anticipation that Jae could not measure; she wasn’t exactly excited or nervous, she was too tired to truly care about anything but the money that this job was going to give her because that was all this was to her – a job. Still, something pulled in her stomach.

As she stared out the window, noticing the way the city lights faded the further away as they began to wind up the road, Jae couldn’t help but marvel at the city of Asab; it was vibrant, even in the late evening as Jae noticed the streets seemed to be crowned with the brilliant flashing colours of the numerous stores, pubs and restaurants open, packed and practically pouring with patrons, some stumbled in groups and others stumbled alone, all of them piling into one of the many make shift cabs and motorcycles in the intercity. Her window was pulled up but even then, Jae could hear the sound of muffled music that she was mostly unfamiliar with, she could hear the casual laughs, the banter and even cheerful jeers as the buildings blurred by – it was truly tantalising.

The city was beautiful and alive and Jae wondered what it would look like in the glory of the morning sun; a part of her guessed that the dark waters looked just as clear, cerulean and majestic sparkling under the sun as they did basking in the moon. Jae was almost certain that such a sight must be wonderful to behold and none could replace it. However, even with that thought in mind, there was one thing that made her question her certainty and that was the sight of her employer’s house.

Jae didn’t know what to expect but it sure as hell wasn’t this. Some people would have looked at this building and called it an estate, perhaps even compared it to the old Victorian estates in terms of size and grandeur but no, it wasn’t anything like those places and Jae felt as though such a comparison fell short and was downright insulting. It was an obscenely huge! The massive fortress gazed down at Jae proudly, the three gold plated balconies seemed to jut out like a proud peacock, with the two balconies facing east and west while the largest faced the guests directly, grand and gleaming off the white stone walls.  

The house was well lit, the roof of the house folded into a gilded dome and the house itself glowed with an almost ethereal grace as the branches of the trees standing by it silently swayed to the beat of an unknown rhythm. Jae could see the rich mahogany doors that arched into the building, she could see the intricate carvings marked on the doors and she could see the strip of tastefully coloured textures that wrapped around the building. By the doors stood two men in black suits and another in an article of clothing that Jae found was drastically different from what she was accustomed to; the man seemed to be dressed in a single black fabric that was draped over one arm and shoulder and wrapped together with white beaded accessories. Was he the one who hire her? Jae wondered. He was a short old man that stood tall, his kind hazel eyes stood out on his deep brown skin and crinkled around the edges with age when he smiled at Jae as she approached him.

‘Ash’a. ’ He drew his hand into a fist and placed it on his own palm with a bow. ‘Welcome to the Kimani home.’ He said, rising up. Jae didn’t know if this was a customary but she didn’t want to risk pissing off her employer by coming off as rude so she mimicked his stance, bowed and rose as she greeted him

‘Hey.’ She said. The man chuckled.

‘My name is Maina and I am the inju of this residence.’ He said, introducing himself, his accent heavy as he spoke. The inju? What is that? Jae’s confusion must have shown plain on her face as Maina decided to elaborate ‘I oversee the duties of the staff around the residence.’ He said. Ohhh!

‘So you’re like the butler?’ Jae clarified. Maina nodded with a slight shrug. ‘Wow.’ Jae couldn’t keep the disbelief from her tone as she looked over the man because he looked…regal, like a king. Even though Jae didn’t know much about the traditional wear here, she did know what fine fabric looked like and she was certain that Maina was draped in it from head to toe, even his beaded sandals looked like they could be worth a good sum on the market.

‘My boss has been expecting you.’ He said. ‘Well, our boss now, I suppose.’ He added as an afterthought. ‘Your luggage will be brought to your quarters.’ Maina said, waving his arms behind him. Jae turned to see two black suits reaching into the cab to pull her luggage out. Jae didn’t mind it, she had secured all the things she thought were necessary and was certain that even if her boss did try to peruse her things, she wouldn’t be successful in doing so without her present to ensure nothing important was tampered with.

‘Okay.’ Jae shrugged, placing her hands in her pockets.

‘Right this way.’ Maina said.

Jae walked pleasantly with the man but once they stepped over the threshold, her mouth touched the floor. The large crystal chandelier seemed to cut each corner of the room with clinical precision, making the boarder of white titles framing the beautiful mosaic tiles pieces within sparkle and highlighting the rich red cloth that wrapped around the cream pillars, their golden edges frayed with age that gave the room character; the kind that vaguely reminded Jae of an ancient Arabian palace for that was what this was – it wasn’t a house, it was a palace. They passed room after room, the doors of each room thrown wide open, most of them dense in décor until the blur of detail woven fabrics and portraits that hung decorated the walls seemed to meld together to form this one overarching theme of unabashed opulence; deep red, blue, green and yellow hues all fused with gold and silver, some accented with stones that looked like precious gems that all glittered and gleamed as though they knew that they inspired a level of awe that was just as alluring as it was enraging – how could anyone have this much money to throw around? Jae had never seen such an ostentatious display of wealth even back home in America and she didn’t know whether she was impressed by it, disgusted by it or both.

Jae followed the man dutifully as they moved further ahead and took a few corners, all the while making note of the black suits stationed down each hallway and the security cameras shrouded at each corner. That was strange. Jae could understand having cameras stationed outside our house for protection and safety but inside the house? Wouldn’t that be rather invasive? Jae wondered. She made a mental note to check whether or not the room she was staying at was bugged with any devices later and to bug it herself if it wasn’t as a precaution; if the owners of this house were comfortable with having cameras within the house that probably means that they don’t not feel safe within their own house – not a good sign for a someone like Jae who was a stranger in this home.

It took a moment before they finally reached the room where the boss was staying at but once they had, they paused outside the door. Jae could hear some soft music playing in the background behind the shut doors, Jae couldn’t put her finger on the instrument that was playing but if she had to guess, it was some form of a string instrument; she couldn’t recognise what sort of music it was but it did sound hauntingly beautiful; the melody was sombre but arduous, the strings seemed to weep, whirling skilfully between whispered whimpers and vociferous trills that spoke to the talent of the person playing the instrument.

The music faded out and that was when Jae noticed something, Maina hadn’t knocked on the door. He remained poised at the door, one arm behind his back while his other hand was frozen mid-air as though to knock. Jae would have thought that his boss would have been in a hurry to meet her, to give her instructions and put her to work but Maina’s hadn’t bothered to cut the performance short, his face looked significantly older, a knowing melancholy creased between his features as though the song itself had sang his greatest grievances to him, making him relive the harsh pain of loss in the most intimate way possible. Jae felt her stomach jump, uneasy and she looked away from the old man, embarrassed; she felt as though she had seen something she wasn’t supposed to see, something that was quiet and private.

Maina seemed to be pacing himself, Jae count hear him beside her, silently counting the seconds as they ticked on by before he knocked on the door, three quick knocks that were then followed with:

‘Raen, your guest has arrived.’  

They could hear some movement within the room and Jae turned to Maina and in a hush whisper, she asked:

‘Is that their name?’

Maina looked puzzled and amused by this question but before he had the opportunity to answer the question, the large, heavy wooden door swung open and another voice answered her instead:

‘No. It’s a title. My name is Aida Kimani.’