Red Lady

-15-

Eden

“So, whose place is this again?” I asked my cousin when we walked into the roomy and mansion like cabin. There was a fire already roasting in the fireplace. Above it, there was a moose head with a large set of antlers. Typical.

“A get away home that one of my friend’s owns. I told him I would be coming up here and he insisted we stay here. I only agreed because this house is surrounded by trees and is nicely secluded. That way we can have our privacy and not have to worry about someone spotting us.”

“Smart,” I mumbled, opening the closest door to me. It revealed to be a spacey room with a large bed against the opposite wall.

“I called this room,” I said over my shoulder to the mostly empty house.

“And this one is mine!”I heard Donavan shout, claiming the room next to mine. I shook my head and closed the wooden door behind me after I stepped inside.

Looking to my left, I saw a sliding door right next to me. Opening it up, I saw that it was empty except for a few heavy lumberjack looking jackets on hangers. Something I would surely need.

Throwing my suitcase on top of my bed, I unzipped it and opened the flap to look down at my small amount of clothes. The ones that I did have were no good for the cool air out here.

"Damn the cold weather," I grumbled before grabbing a matching set of clothing, walking to the door on the opposite side of the room, which held a small bathroom.

--------

It only took me twenty minutes to clean up in the small shower then blow dry my hair. Grabbing one of the jackets from the closet, I threw it over my arm and headed out of my temporary bedroom. I was dressed in a tight black sports bra and a loose pair of black work out pants.

"Where are you going?" I heard from behind me. I let out a breath then turned to see Donavan standing there. He was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest and I had to keep from rolling my eyes.

"I'm going out to run, what's it to you?"

"Do you really think you should be going out right now? You're a wanted woman."

"I've been on that FBI list for a long time, nothing is different now."

"But still-" the man started before I cut him off.

"Avian said this place was private. I take his word for that."

I left the younger man there to ponder and quickly headed out. The cold wind struck my exposed body, causing me to grit my teeth. No sign of weakness, never let anything bother you. I left my eyes to become emotionless and empty, putting my body into assassin mode. Everything around me, the smells, sounds, anything, became sharper and I noticed things I hadn't before. There were a couple of rabbit prints in the sand near me, I felt at random intervals that the wind would get stronger. That was to my disliking.

And then there was what I head behind me. Putting on the heavy jacket, but leaving the front open, I turned to see Donavan trying to sneak up on me. I gave him a look before I turned around and started walking slowly. The large oaf ran the rest of the way towards me until the two of us are in step.

"How did you know I was there? I was being super quiet." As he said that, he zipped his jacket up all the way and dug his hands into the pockets of the garment. Sissy.

"Maybe quiet to you, but to me, you sounded like an elephant stomping on autumn leaves."

"Then how come you didn't sense me when we were in the house then? Seeing as I'm just an elephant and all."

I shrugged my shoulders, picking up the pace slightly. "I wasn't in my assassin awareness mode."

The man beside me snorted. My blue eyes snapped to his direction, giving him an icy glare.

"Assassin mode, huh? Where you become one with your surroundings and can notice everything around you?" I nodded my head. "Shouldn't you be in that 'mode' all the time then?"

"Maybe," I answered, "but I take breaks now and then. If you stay like that all the time, sure, you feel and hear everything around you, but it's also unhealthy. You get suspicious and every twig snapping is another killer in the bushes. So, I only get like that when I need to."

"That could end up getting you killed you know."

I just shrugged again. I now started to jog. Donavan was surprised for a moment before he caught up.

"I thought you said you were going for a run?"

"Do you ever shut up?" I asked him, looking at the trees around the path we were on.

"No, not really," he answered with a cheesy grin.

"I think I liked you better when you were a quiet FBI agent."

He rolled his eyes. "Answer the question."

"I will be running, but I'm pacing myself."

He shot me a confused gaze and I sighed.

"You have to be a predator, Donavan. The cheetah doesn't just spot an animal and instantly chase after it. It stalks them in the grass, hiding and sneaking closer until is is close enough to attack."

After I finished explaining, I started to run, not full out, but a pretty quick trot. Donavan once again caught up.

"But sometimes the prey is faster and can get away," he said before darting into the forest. I smirked and ran in after him. It was a hunt.

"Yes, they can get away, but the cheetah doesn't stop. They've trained their entire lives to be the top hunters. They know tricks that the prey does not."

I then started running at top speed, but not at Donavan. I went right, deeper into the trees. I could still see my "prey", but he couldn't see me.

The man was confused to where I went and slowed down. Not a lot, but just enough. I sprinted forward, emerging from the trees to stand in front of him. He quickly came to a stop and tried to turn around. Unfortunately, he was not quick enough. I yanked his arm, pulling him back to me and held the arm behind his back to me and held the arm behind his back painfully. I then leaned into his neck. My breath was on his sensitive skin, ragged from the run.

"Then, the cheetah has the prey in its clutches, clenching their powerful jaws into the jugular. Instant kill."

I kept him in that position for a few moments before I released him, that smirk still on my face.

Donavan leaned over,bracing himself by putting his hands on his knees. I raised an eyebrow at the action.

"Tired already?"

"Um, yeah. Any normal human being would be."

I shook my head. "Go rest yourself back at the house. I'm going to continue running."

I didn't wait for his response before I sprinted away into the trees.

------

Dominic

I let a hand run through my brown hair as I let a sigh escape my lips for probably the fifteenth time in three minutes. I was staring at all of the files at my desk, sorting through them all. All of the files were on the founders that Eden was after, dead and alive.

"What are you doing Ramirez?" I heard Myers say from beside me.

"Looking through all these files." Yeah Dominic, that was pretty obvious.

"Why?" the older man asked more specifically.

"I'm trying to figure out which one the Red Lady is going to go after next. It seems impossible though, She has absolutely no pattern. All serial killers have a pattern."

"You're forgetting that Eden Hayes isn't really classified as a serial killer. She's an assassin."

"What's the difference?" I questioned, frustrated, "They're just killers under different names."

"The point is," Myers interrupted, "she doesn't fall under the same category as everyone else. She has no set schedule. The Red Lady can be anywhere she wants to be."

"I wish she was like all the rest of the guys we've busted."

"But she's not Dominic. This is totally different. We have to do our best to figure out where she is going to strike next. Have you called them?"

"Who?" I asked, looking at the man.

"Everyone she's after. The ones that are still alive anyway."

I ran my fingers through my hair again and stopped myself from sighing. "Not yet. I'm not sure if it's the right thin to do. All these people taught Eden how to kill. They will know that she's after them and who knows what they'll do. They might kill innocent people."

"But if you don't call them, they're left unprotected and if we don't catch Eden, then those people, some Americans like us, can die. Can you really let that happen?"

"No."

"Then call them." Myers said, hitting my back. Reluctantly, I picked up the phone and dialed the first of many numbers.