The Hit

Elena looked down at the feet sticking out from behind the dumpster and sucked her teeth for a moment. A long sigh escaped her lips and she glanced back over her shoulder down the alleyway, dusting her gloved hands off. Oh no, the man wasnt dead. Simply... rendered unconcious for a few hours. A full twenty-six'er of Jack Daniels over the head could do that to a man. Crime was high and Elena wasn't any cop, nor would she ever personally consider herself a crook. In her eyes, she was simply... being a good samaritan. Getting rid of those whom others wanted dead or out of the way for a few hours. This was one of those cases. Someone high up there somewhere in the long, terrible food chain had ordered for this thug of a man to be tossed into a dark place where he wouldnt be found for at least a few hours and somehow she'd gotten the message in the end. Elena wouldn't ask why. She never did, it made the jobs too personal... then again, after having her parents offed by some determined stranger, Elena never especially felt much towards killing those who in her eyes, deserved it.

A cooler breeze came through the alley and she stepped away from the dumpster, continuing to walk through the back-way that led behind some shops, coming out on the other side of the block, hands in her pea-coat pocket, low heels clicking on the pavement. Her long brown hair was pushed slightly across her face, dark blue eyes peering about for anything that looked less than ordinary. Some days, she felt paranoid. Others, she felt fine. Tonight was one of those paranoid, someone-is-out-to-get-you feelings... or maybe it was just because it was ten years to the day of her parents death. She had the Jack Daniels bottle tucked in her large purse - which also gave to her a small flip knife for protection more than anything else, a girl could never know. Turning a corner, the young woman stepped in, easing her shoulders back as the warmth met her in a welcoming manor. Nothing better than going to a bar to drown your sorrows...

Sitting down at the bar she crossed her legs and rubbed her hands together for a bit of extra warmth. She pulled out the bottle of alcohol and opened it up, not really seeming to pay any mind to the tenders. She took a swig and visibly cringed before looking up to the man standing on the other side of the counter infront of her, looking rather displeased. She gave a slow, knowing smile. "Oh. Right. Shot of JD please?" She gave the man a nod before going back to her own bottle for a swig. Hey, a girl could try.

"Nice shot, but you could have got that in if you hit it harder."

Alex glanced up at his friend who had made that remark, and leaned against his snooker cue. He was winning, and still eddie, his friend, insisted that he give Alex reccomendations for a better game. This was a usual haunt for them, cheap drink, good games of snooker, and a TV which played the sports.

"Ed, for the last time - just let me play!" Alex replied, and leaned down onto the cue to hit the next ball...

Alex was a cop - he had been for about four years now, and that was quite a long time, since he was only 21. He managed to join early - only because his father was the chief of the county.

Alex looked very much like his father too - handsome faces, jet black tousled hair and dark eyes. His gun hanging from his slim waist made him look very formidable, but he was a kind hearted man, although criminals made him see red with anger.

Alex hit the ball, pocketing it. He grinned at Eddie, "See, yet again I'm winning!"

Elena took the shot from the bartender and downed it as soon as his back was turned, refilling it from her own bottle.

Looking over, she saw the men playing pool just as one spoke, and her attention was drawn to the black haired man who had just taken a shot, and instinctively she checked him.

Gun, left hip, no other sign of a weapon, concealed or otherwise, but you could never be sure. She picked up her shot from the bar and sauntered over, sitting on a barstool near the table.

"He's right, you know" she smirked to the man.

Alex was leaning down onto the snooker table, looking down the cue to aim it just right, when he heard a voice. He stood back up, and arched his eyebrows at the woman who had joined them.

"Well y'know, I'm just a legend at the good old game of snooker." he said, flashing her a smile, leaning down the cue again. He lined the cue up with the ball, and hit it - the sound of the ball going down the pocket made his chuckle.

"Think you could do any better?" he asked, handing the cue over to her.

She put on a mock voice of being dumb and said "Uh, well I dunno, but i'll try.." - truth was she was an ace at games like these, all they took was precision and geometry, something she was good at after all the target practice she got in. She could bounce a knife of off a lampost and make the rebound hit a moving target. She was well trained by someone she could never name or she would be dead in an instant.

Taking the cue, she held it feebly to lure him off guard, then aimed for one of the reds, her vision barely on it, it wasnt her real target. She pushed the cue forward, grabbing it at the last instant to give it the required force. It bounced off the padding twice, giving the impression of a miss, before smacking off three balls in the center, sending them all rolling back into the pockets with an almost deafening crack. She held out the cue to Alex. "Careful what you assume" she smiled. "I'm not what I appear."

Alex watched the girl as she made a feeble attempt at trying to hit the target straight. He whistled after she took her shot though, genuinely impressed by her skill. He wasn't about to admit that though.

"Pretty good, pretty good...although it could be beginners luck." he said, but he smiled as he said it. "Not what you appear eh? So who are you really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in interest.

Elena raised her own eyebrow in response, wondering what he would say if she told him the truth, that she killed people for a living.

"I'm a nobody" she answered. "I take on a lot of...temporary jobs...and finish them quickly and efficiently. I do a little bit of everything, and I have a lot of time on my hands - but to most people, i'm a mystery." she smirked, a daredevil glint in her eye as she awaited his response to such an unusual answer.

Alex looked at the girl disbelievingly, and glanced at Eddie. He had wandered off to talk to one of their friends, and had left Alex on his own with this woman.

Alex smiled slowly as she spoke - he liked the sound of her. She sounded like a challenge - most girls were either full-on with guys, or played so hard to get you never knew what they wanted. But this one...she was somewhere in between. There was something definately mysterious about her.

"A mystery, huh? Do you have a name, or is that a mystery too?" he asked, putting the snooker cue down on the table and moving nearer to the girl.

She smirked, "I can tell you that but I can't promise I wont have to kill you at some point for knowing it." She was smiling, nobody but her knowing how true those words were. "Its Elena. How about you?" she responded, her face curious. She was ever so slightly drunk, but for the first time she was genuinely intruiged by this man, as she had never been before. Perhaps it was the drink, perhaps not.

Alex nodded slowly, and smiled. "The names Alex - and please don't kill me. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to get to know you." he smiled at her. "So what do you do?"

"A little bit of everything." she answered. "Would you like a drink?" she asked him, producing the bottle of Jack Daniels from under her jacket with a furtive glance to check the bartender wasn't looking.

Alex smiled, half with disbelief, half in amusement. What a suprising woman!

"Ah, so you're a rulebreaker eh?" he said, making his face as stern and serious as he could.

She chuckled darkly. "No, i'm the savior of mankind...these bar prices are daylight robbery" she grinned, her eye twinkling. "Which side are you on?" she was subtly prying, seeking to find out as much as she could.

Alex grinned but didn't speak for a moment. This was dangerous ground - he was a Policeman, he had to be very careful what he said. Although, he hadn't actually mentioned the fact he was a policeman. The gun might have given him away, but it wasn't just cops who carried firearms - especially around here.

Ahh what the hell, he was out to have fun, and fun he would have.

"Which side? Well, that depends which side has the most to offer." he said, and pointed at the bottle she had half-concealed, "Aren't you gonna pour me some?" he smiled.

Elena grinned, pouring him the promised drink. "You surprise me - I had you down for a nice guy." she smirked, eyeing him up and down. "What are you doing in a neighborhood like this?" she asked, perching against the pool table as she slipped the bottle back inside her jacket.

Alex gulped the drink down, the liquid burning his throat as he swallowed it. "Nice guy? What makes you think I'm not?" he said, grinning. "Ah, this neighbourhood isn't all that bad - not when you know how to protect yourself, anyway." he chuckled, "How about you?"

She smiled secretively. "Oh don't worry about me, as I told you i'm the saviour of the modern world." Elena chuckled. "And good guys don't carry guns and drink illegal liquor." she smiled. "Good cop, bad cop." She sipped her drink innocently, watching for his reaction.

Alex shuddered momentarily. She had noticed the gun? He thought he had it well concealed - then again, he never thought he'd drink illeagal drink!

"I like to think I'm the good cop - but I think you've just turned me into a bad one." he chuckled, downing his drink, and holding his glass out for another. "Please?" he asked.

"Cop being the operative word." She smiled seductively. "And i'm not complaining, as long as you realise i'm a working girl and I dont like to be hindered." She poured him another drink on the sly before topping up her own.

Alex nodded in thanks for the drink, "Of course. But you know my...staying out of the way, could cost you something?" he leaned towards her and his eyes glittered.

Cost? she thought to herself. "What kind of cost" she murmured back, not moving - she never allowed anyone to call the shots with her, and he'd learn that if he tried anything funny.

Alex stared at her for a few moments, "Perhaps the odd game of pool, a free drink here and there - sound fair?" he said, for some reason wanting to see this woman more.

Elena relaxed, so he wasn't a scumbag. "Deal" she smiled, filling his glass again. The bartender shot them an accusing glance, and she chuckled to herself. Sod them!

Alex noticed the bartender, and chuckled with Elena. He caught the Barkeep's eye, and raised his glass. "Cheers." he said, grinning and downing his drink.

Elena was mid gulp by this time and she choked as he spoke, laughing at the same time. "You're terrible" she gasped at Alex, trying to stop coughing.