Sarah was halfway through pulling on her gloves when her brother's voice came through the comm: clipped with a familiar edge of surprise that she liked almost as much a sit annoyed her.
"Kain Ruan," she said, dropping the pretense of formality. "What's up?"
"You're really on this on a school night?" Kain sounded incredulous.
"Since when do you accept missions on school nights?"
Sarah didn't bother answering. She could feel the aftertaste of the day in her mouth. She had seen it all. When Aria had tucked away her phone in her drawer before she got up to leave for the library. That small, deliberate distance had stoked something with a slow, private fury. Tonight she needed to burn it off.
Kain's voice softened in the way only brother's could. Asking in a soft voice, "You okay, Sa? You don't sound like yourself.
The normal her would have snapped at him already.
"I'm fine," she lied easily. "Will be there in three."
They parked two streets away from the compound. No police patrols in sight. The guest house sat inside a quiet lane with trimmed hedges and a wide driveway.
Ruan Kain hadn't expected his sister to show up that night.
Normally, Sarah refused missions on school days. But when his father called her, he said she said yes before he even explained the job. That alone told him something was wrong with his baby sister.
"You sure about this?" Kain asked as she strapped on her holster. "You dont usually take these kinds of jobs during the week."
"Take it off the list of things you don't know, send me the coordinates. I'll prep." Sarah said.
"Who stepped on your tail?"
Sarah didn't answer. She checked her gun, locked the magazine, and pulled her black jacket on. Her face was blank, her eyes colder than usual.
Kain sighed. "Who pissed you off now? You look like you are going to war."
"Just give me the details," she said flatly.
"The client's from Country Y's inner circle," Kain said, tossing her a file. "Target's the President's assistant. Turns out he's been leaking confidential Intel to a rival faction. They want it done tonight before it spreads. Clean and quiet."
"Copy that," Sarah replied.
Kain studied her for a second. "You hate political contracts. What changed?"
"Nothing."
He smirked. "Let me guess...someone ignored your advances?"
Sarah froze for half a second, then looked away. "Focus on the mission."
Kain chuckled. "Got it, got it."
....
The target's house sat in a private compound outside the capital. Guards patrolled lazily at the front gate. Typical of government staff who thought their positions made them untouchable.
Kain stayed in the van with the tablet and comms. "I've got the street cam looped for about five minutes enough to go in, finish the job, and make an exit. Gate guards are fixed."
Sarah crouched in the shadows, checking the time. 23:37. She adjusted her earpiece.
"Entry point?" Sarah asked, already running through routes.
"Basement service door. Old supply ladder at the back courtyard. One guard rotates with a cigarette at 23:40 every night. You neutralize him, you get your window," Kain recited.
"You go in cleaner you come out even
cleaner. You know Politicians hate spinach in the soup of their reputations."
"Understood."
Right on time, a guard walked to the far corner, pulling out a lighter. Sarah moved fast, closing the distance between them in silence. Her arm snaked around his neck, hand covering his mouth. A short twist. His body went limp. She dragged him behind a Bush, stripped his ID, and entered through the side door.
Inside everything smelled and looked expensive. She moved quietly, gun raised, clearing rooms one by one. Upstairs, a faint light glowed under a half-closed door.
"The assistant's in his study," Kai whispered.
"Cameras looped for ninety seconds. Make it fast."
Sarah pushed the door open.
The man turned from his laptop, startled and terrified. His hand moved toward the drawer.
"Who are-"
He didn't finish. Two clean shots to the chest.
He dropped, chair crashing backward.
"Target down," Sarah reported.
"Already? Damn, that's cold," Kai said. "You really are mad. Backtrack. We're on loop for forty more seconds."
"Not done," she said, voice low.
Sarah stepped closer. The man's chest rose shallowly.
She fired two more rounds into the chest. Then one into the head.
"Sarah," Kai's voice sharpened. "He's dead."
Her breathing was steady. "I know. I just made sure he wont get back up."
"No I really want to know who made you this mad."
Silence.
Kain sighed. "Next time, shoot a dummy, not a high-value target."
"Exit route?" She asked.
Kain exhaled through his nose. "Same way. I'm bringing cameras back in ten. Move."
She left the study, wiped the handle with a clothe, and took the stairs down. Footsteps approached at the end of the corridor. She ducked into the linen closet and held still.
Two guards jogged past towards the outside. She was out and down the basement stairs before they turned.
...
Outside, the alley felt colder. She hoped the wall and landed on the other side without a sound. The van rolled up two corners later.
She got in. Kain looked at her hands. There was a thin line of blood on her cuff.
He clicked his tongue. "You didn't even wipe properly. This is unlike you at all!"
She tugged the cuff down. "Drive."
"You really emptied half a mug on that guy."
"He talked too much," she said.
"He didn't even get the chance."
Sarah gave a small shrug. "Then maybe he thought too much."
Kain clicked his tongue. "You know Dad's gonna complain about the ammo count again."
"Put it on my tab."
He eyed her carefully. "You really that bothered by her?"
Sarah looked away. "I don't care."
Kain laughed. "Yeah, sure. You nearly shredded a government mole because a girl left you on read."
....
The cleanup team handled the rest. By the time they reached the warehouse safe stop, a black SUV had already taken the body and the laptop. The client would get what they paid for. The rest would be Ash.
Sarah stood outside, wiping blood from her gloves. After she took out her carbine. Her brother walked up, shaking his head.
Kai leaned against a pillar and watched his sister strip down the carbine and clean it.
"You're worse when you are quiet," he said.
Sarah kept working. "You called me."
"Dad called you, just to be clear. And we expected you to say no," he said.
"You said yes because you were angry. You shoot straighter when you're angry, but you also do dumb little things like overkill."
"Overkill is certainty."
"It's also unnecessary noise," Kain said.
Sarah broke the carbine, wiped the carbon, reassembled, and checked the bolt. "Noted."
Kain held up a plastic bag. "Dad's noodles. He said eat."
She took it and ate standing, fast. "Payment?"
"Clears by morning," Kain said. He studied her face. The knot on her jaw hadn't eased. "You going to sleep?"
"Probably not."
Kain pushed a bottled water into her hand.
"Try to get some rest atleast!"
Sarah's eyes flickered up. "Tell that to your father."
Kai scratched his neck, then decided against saying anything more.
Sarah slid the cleaned carbine into the case and into her small backpack.
"Dad said anything else?"
"Only that you owe him ammo," Kain said. "And to get some sleep and take care of yourself. "
She zipped the bag. "I'll change and go. I need to be at school in a few hours."
Kain blinked. "You're actually going to class?"
"Yes."