December was right around the corner. Cindy had gotten used to it; the blistering cold weather, as well as the killing. So much killing. It was a tough job with no sense of achievement at the end of the day. But she had gotten so good at her job. The ridiculously large payouts were the only things to soften the burden. Cindy still felt as empty as a hollow shell, however. It didn't matter if the one in person staring down her gun barrel was good or bad. Righteous or not, it still took its toll on her. There was always a hope within that hell, however small it may be. The people around her, the friends that she had made, were just as wounded as she was. Amy, Ben, Aria, and Kai all dealt with their burdens in different ways. Maybe they were just better at hiding their feelings as well. That was also something the half-elf had gotten good at. For better or for worse, they were a family of assassins. Killers with stunted growth, with wounds so large, they would probably never heal. It was a bit hard to describe, but it was in their eyes, Cindy thought. That glint of optimism that you see from most had faded from the man before her a very long time ago. The most laid-back of them all, Ben himself, had the coldest eyes Cindy had ever seen.

  There she sat across from the man she deemed Chill-Ben, once again in his office, as he gathered fresh contracts off the printer. They had been piling up lately. It had gotten quieter in the past few weeks. Guess that happens when the neighborhood punching bag, Kai, still had not returned from wherever the hell he was. Not to mention, Aria, who had been found last week and brutally injured, still had not awakened from her coma. Oh, the bruises on that poor woman. Who or what could have possibly done that to Aria, her teacher of all people? The happy city of Baldimore had a black cloud slowly forming that would soon reach over all of its citizens. That was Cindy's gut feeling at least. She hoped it was wrong; she hoped to God that she was very wrong about her hunch.

  "Worried about our friends?" Ben asked, that picture-perfect smile never wavering. He read Cindy like a book, of course. It was scary how he could do that; the very moment she or anyone had thought, Ben could probably tell instantly. He was a very keen observer, and Cindy had come to learn over the months.

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  "Are you a mind reader or what?" Cindy asked in a sighing tone.

  "Sometimes I wonder that myself," Ben chuckled, taking a swig of his coffee. It was almost a ritualistic act at this point. Cindy couldn't recall a time when Ben didn't have a cup of something in his hand.

  "You're really not worried? Your sister's in a damn coma and Kai... Just where the hell is he?"

  "It'll be fine, Cindy," he said nonchalantly. "You should learn to worry less. You'll have a brain aneurysm."

  "Well, that's pretty extreme," It got a grim chuckle out of her.

  "Aria's strong. She'll bounce back just fine. As for Kai, maybe you should have more faith in the kid," he said. "Both of you were trained by the best, remember?"

  How could I ever forget that hell? A shiver went down her spine

  "I suppose you're right, but that still doesn't explain who in the hell did that to Aria in the first place. What if that same person, or thing, got to Kai?" she asked.

  "Everything will be clear in due time, Cindy. Just relax. That's all you can do to keep from going crazy, am I right?" he smiled. "I got the perfect assignment for you to ease some tension. How about it?" he continued, handing Cindy a contract.

  "You tell me to relax, then give me more work? Where's the logic in that?" Cindy groaned as she grabbed the contract from Ben. " By the way, how come it seems like I'm the only one actually doing any work around here? Where the hell are the others? I haven't even seen Jack since last week. I'm starting to feel like I'm getting scammed into taking on more work than I should be."

  "Well, you know. They're around. Some are working on more long-term projects, if you will."

  "I won't," she retorted, glaring at Ben. "We need to hire more people. I'm getting worked to death here, man."

  "Well, we can't just pick up anyone off the street and make them an assassin," he replied.

  Cindy was dumbfounded for a moment until she replied: "I-isn't that how you got me?"

  "Damn, you got me there. Anyway, do you want this job or not?" Ben said, holding back a chuckle.

  "You're a bastard, Ben," Cindy said jokingly as she read over the contract.

  And what a contract it was. A drug lord was on the chopping block next, his bounty going for over one hundred thousand. Cindy even felt her eyelids involuntarily widening on their own.

  "Holy fucking jackpot."

  "I'll take that as a yes," Ben said.

  Well, a girl's gotta eat, Ben. A girl's gotta eat. And, it's not a yes. It's a hell yes."