I got to the apartment and started to pack my things together. I was without guards and the only person apart from Larry I considered my friend no longer, saw me as one.

Larry came a few minutes later, and without saying a word he joined me in packing up. We were only taking things that we felt were necessary. I got a beer from the fridge, Larry took it from me very quickly and dumped it back.

“You should not be doing that and you know that,” Larry said.

“Excuse me, who told you that, you don’t have to take the drink from me like that,” I said.

"Okay. How was I supposed to take the drink from you? On my knees?” He asked.

“I don’t know, maybe with some respect,” I said, laughing and throwing a pillow at him.

We both turned to each other as we heard footsteps on the stairs.

“Hurry, Larry, open the door wide and get behind something. I knew they would come after us, so why are they late?” I said sarcastically.

“Don’t be a funny thing, please tell me you have your gun with you?” Larry asked.

“I am always with a gun, Larry, I always do,” I said.

Two men came to the door but halted when they saw that the door was wide open. Each took each side of the door. Larry and I were in a position where they would never see us.

I signaled Larry to wait a little bit. He signaled back, asking why. Not that we could not take them out, but I was not sure the footsteps I heard were those of two men. It looked like one of them had stopped at the staircase and was waiting for the outcome.

I signaled to Larry to show me his gun. He did and it was a silencer. I signaled that he was okay to shoot but not to kill. He acknowledged. The men had entered the apartment.

Before they could guess what was happening, Larry had shot both of them in their knees and arms. That was some very good shots. I ran immediately to the stairs. I saw the last man hiding under the stairs.

He reached for his gun but I shot him and dragged him to the apartment. He was dead when we got to the apartment.

“I thought you said we should not shoot to kill,” Larry said.

“He died, he was not a strong man and I do not have that kind of time nor patience,” I said.

Larry looked at both men lying on the floor wailing in pain. He had taken their guns from them and was already inflicting more pain on them by hitting and stepping on the gunshots on their knees.

“I never knew you were this callous,” I said.

Larry looked at me. He was not shocked, but I could see the anger and frustration on his face. He was tired of being on the defensive. He did not need to tell me, I could see it.

I was not happy that I had put him in that position. I was only doing all this to protect Marvin and right now Marvin was acting like he did not need my protection. I looked at the men and pointed my gun at them.

“You better start talking before I shoot you,” I said.

Though Larry and I knew the answer to whatever they wanted to say. We just want to hear from them. It did not take much persuasion to get them to talk.

They were just like babies that were given candies to spill out some vital information.

My phone rang and it was the Contractor.

“You sent this bunch of morons to kill me? What do you expect?” I asked.

“I did not. But you have failed in your contract. I sent you to rescue a child for me. It was the child’s father that placed the contract to kill you.” The Contractor said in his usual husky voice.

“I have no obligation to the father,” I said.

“If you had picked up the file, you would have seen that the rules have changed. The rules were changed because of your recent behavior,” the Contractor said.

“You only and always change the rules to suit you,” I said.

“If you do not get me those documents, I will make everyone come after you, including the Martinez Gang and the Marvin you are protecting. Yes, Cassie, I know you are protecting him,” the Contractor said.

“Is that your final answer?’ I asked.

“Do not joke with me,” was the Contractor’s reply. He had failed to see that I had outsmarted him.

Everyone that I had a contract to kill had become my ally and I needed to make this kid’s Dad too.

“Larry, it was the Contractor that called. Did you take pictures of the file like I asked you to do?” I asked.

“Yes! What is the fuss about?” Larry asked.

“We need to rescue the child,” I said.

“Are you mad, Cassie? So you took another contract from the Contractor knowing that we may be killed by him,’ Larry said.

“No, I did not, but I suspected that he was going to turn around and make us pay for every job we had taken, so I had to make this kid’s father an ally too,” I replied.

“So, in other words, we are going to save a kid to make his father who tried to kill us our ally?” Larry asked.

“Yes! Only if his father was influential,” I said.

“Well, you may just have won a jackpot as the father is one of the top politicians. I don’t know his position in government but we can find out,” Larry said.

“After we rescue his child,” I said.

“So who should I kill? I am guessing we may need only one of them,” Larry said, looking at the two men lying on the floor in my apartment.

“Your choice, Larry, I have got no time for them,” I said, trying to ensure I completed the packing we started before the men came.

One of the men raised up his hands, “Please do not kill me. I am on the security detail of the senator. I can take you to him please,” he begged.

Before the other one could speak, Larry shot him in the forehead. I told Larry to clean up the apartment later as we had to move out now. I have already booked one of the most secure hotels in town.

“Can you walk Mr….?” I asked the man who claimed to be a security aide to the kid’s father.

“...Jackson, my name is Jackson,” he said.

“Can you walk was the question?” I repeated to myself.

“No, I can’t” was his reply.

“Larry, please do fix him up, we have a senator to visit right away,” I said.

Larry brought out our life kit and started removing the clothes of Jackson, who kept repeatedly saying thank you. I told Jackson to shut up and concentrate on being alive.

After dressing his wounds and removing the bullets. We all moved downstairs to my truck. The hotel called to confirm that everything was okay and they were waiting for us.

Larry asked if we were going to our base and I told him no, that we were going to see Senator Thomas, the new senate president of the country.1