“Goodbye, Ms. Sharp,” Davis said. The pale woman turned her back to Davis while she walked back to her seat behind a large wooden desk. Her assistant, Melody, was nowhere to be seen; Davis acted fast. He raised the gun, said his goodbye, then gently squeezed the trigger three times in rapid succession. The bullets entered the back of her head, then, nothing happened. She turned around and gave him a disappointed look.
“Well, that’s rude. Though I am glad you didn’t drag out your silly assassination attempt. So, let’s talk,” she smiled and continued her path to her seat. While Davis panicked and considered his options he felt a small hand clench around his throat from behind. His windpipe was squeezed shut and he felt the ground disappear from beneath his feet. Davis tried to peek downward and saw the edges of a gaping black hole that he assumed was under him.
“You were smart enough to wait until Melody wasn’t around, say hi, Melody,” Ms. Sharp said.
“Hi, Davis,” a woman whispered in his ear, and her hand squeezed his neck tighter to make a point.
“And you acted decisively with no hemming or hawing. Sharp Development values that kind of professionalism; we might have a place for you here. If…,” Ms. Sharp nodded. Davis felt solid ground beneath his feet again and Melody released her grip on his neck. The short black-suited woman walked out from behind him and stood next to Ms. Sharp. “… you’re willing to share some information with us.”
“I’m not a narc,” Davis replied. His eyes focused on the floor to ceiling window behind them. They were only on the second floor, and if Davis studied the layout properly, there was a pool to land in. Ms. Sharp nodded.
“Professionalism will only get you so far, I’m afraid,” Ms. Sharp replied from behind her desk. “Though, it might help you reconsider if I explained a little about myself to you.”
“I don’t care that you tried to kill me,” she giggled and placed a hand on the desk. “You can’t, no one can.” Ms. Sharp moved her hand away and left three spent, dented bullets on the desk for Davis to see. “I don’t even care who it was. This is a matter that won’t get any more thought from me beyond asking you right now. Consider it proof of your loyalty to me over your former employers.”
While studying her, Davis heard countless tales of Ms. Sharp’s eccentricities and ‘business first’ attitude. He didn’t expect those quirks to give him a chance to walk out of the office peacefully.
“It’s still a test,” he told himself. The back of his mind tickled with a nervous warning, but he blocked it out. “It’s what I’d do,” he reasoned. Davis was a top assassin in the field; as soon as Ms. Sharp’s file showed upon his desk he realized he was the top assassin. No one else would get that job. He felt confident in his skills and knew he was the best. However, as professional as he was, he knew he would still care if someone tried to kill him. She was all talk. “She won’t hurt me until she finds out who sent me,” Davis grinned to himself, then shook his head defiantly.
“I’m not a narc,” he repeated. Ms. Sharp nodded at him and smiled. Davis enjoyed a moment of relief washing over him until she spoke again.
“Oh well, I’m done thinking about it,” she said then focused on paperwork on her desk. Davis felt the floor disappear beneath him again. He screamed as soon as he felt himself start to sink.
“WAI-,” he fell too quickly to get his entire word out, then the portal closed.
