This was the address, according to my watch.

The large warehouse didn’t look like anything special from where I stood in the shadows, in an alley across a narrow street. The building was one in a line of many, all in various states of disrepair. The synthetic wood paneling had been painted at some point, but it was so discolored and had peeled so much that I could only guess at what the original color was. A flicker of movement in the hazy window of a nearby building caught my eye and I glanced over. A reflexive sign of nervousness I couldn’t stop.

Nothing. But that didn't mean nobody was there.

Every part of the city dome was crowded, but bad areas like this one gave the appearance of being sparsely or not-at-all populated. However, that wasn't because people weren't here. It was because those who lived and survived in places like this knew better than to make themselves known. A person in plain sight was a potential target. When I had to be seen, I made an effort to appear strong—eyes forward, confident stride. I was already at a disadvantage being a young woman.

Every so often, developers tried to come in and clean the place up. Space was at a premium since expansion was limited. They never got far. The residents here made sure of it.

I looked up and down the street, scanning the few older vehicles parked on the side. Most of them had already gathered a thick layer of dust. At closer inspection, key components of each of them were stripped. Lovely. I doubted any of them were even functional.

Good thing I didn't bring my car. With traffic the way it was, and the maze of narrow streets that were closed down for repairs that never happened, it didn't make sense for me to drive much. I rarely took my old piece of junk on a job unless the package I needed to deliver was heavy or bulky.

I was much faster on foot. Speed was more important to me than the dubious convenience of a car. On the other hand, not having an enclosed vehicle also meant that I had to be on my toes. There was no metal and glass between me and everyone out here.

I adjusted my grip on the slick handle of the briefcase I held down at my side, considering the deceptive emptiness of the street.

Ah, the joys of self-employment. Sometimes I had to remind myself why I got into certain situations.

Times like this.

I started my carrier service, Mia Hill Delivery, a few years ago after I found myself without a job. With so little employment opportunities and so many people willing to work for non-living wages, job stability was a joke in most sectors. Going out on my own and building my own business was a difficult decision, though it ultimately paid off.

I'm glad I did it. I might not make a lot, but I had enough to get by and I didn't have to answer to anyone but myself. Suited me just fine.

There were definite pitfalls, though.

The main con was that I often had to go into the shadier areas of the dome. I knew I couldn't compete with the larger services that only took jobs with limited liability. Deliveries that were completely clean and on the up-and-up with the so-called respectable sections of society.

So I targeted the somewhat less respectable. They were underserved. For good reason, but a market was a market. I was hungry enough to make it work. I built my reputation on being discreet, fast, and reliable.

The fact that I was a company of one also helped. The paranoid thought there was less of a chance of something going wrong if there was only one person involved. They might also have thought I'd be easier to lean on or control, but if it got me work, they could believe what they wanted. So long as I was paid on time for my services, of course.

It was times like this, when I found myself hanging out in a dark alley lined with trash and intermittent shallow pools of mysterious liquid that stuck to the soles of my boots that I wondered if it was time to bring someone else on.

If something seemed a little more dangerous than I could handle, I might tell my neighbor Jacob where I was going, just in case. But I tried not to do that before I left, because then he tried to insist on going with me. I had given in a couple of times, and both times his presence had only escalated the situation.

Guys saw him and wanted to prove they could take him. They were wrong but I didn't particularly want to get into a fight every time I went on a job. As it was, if anything went south in this part of the city dome, I was on my own.

It was a well-known fact that cops only showed up in the nice neighborhoods. Where the rich greased their palms, essentially converting public law enforcement into a private security detail. Corruption. Wasn't it grand?

I looked at my watch again. One minute left.

Showtime.

I stepped out of the alley, my boots silent against the asphalt as I crossed the empty road. The spot between my shoulders itched from the idea of multiple pairs of eyes on me. More than a few of the broken, dingy windows that looked out onto the road were likely occupied with people curious to see what I was doing. And wondering if they could get something out of it, no doubt.

I forced myself to keep my head straight, only using my peripheral vision to keep an eye around me. If I acted like a mark, I was much more likely to be jumped. I touched one of my knives, the smooth hilt calming my tightly controlled nerves.

The door to the warehouse was rusted and old, but it didn't budge when I pounded on it. Reinforced. It looked old, but that was likely deliberate. It was window dressing, added on by whoever took control of the place. One more thing to show me that nothing here could be trusted.

I didn't have to wait long for a response. The door opened smoothly, with no eerie creaking sound like its appearance might have suggested.

I blinked at the overly developed chest that was suddenly at my eye level. Two odd bumps around the nipple area suggested he was into piercings. I tilted my head back and looked up at the man with the thick neck. Sunlight coming through the filter of the dome glinted off his bald head. His eyes were small and close together, his nose slightly off center from being broken, most likely more than once. His jaw was heavy and clean-shaven. His black t-shirt was tight enough to show off the very large muscles of his shoulders and arms, with black trousers and boots adding to his monochromatic look.

He had a couple of shiny knives in holsters on either side of his hips, but I knew just from looking at them that they didn't get much use. I glanced at his hands, taking in the calluses and the scarred knuckles. The knives were just for show. This guy used his fists. I might have been more intimidated if I wasn't preoccupied thinking about his nipple piercings. Was he a simple bar or hoop guy? Or were they sparkly?

Important questions.

"Delivery," I finally offered when he just stared at me.

He nodded, stepping back and gesturing into the dim interior. Why, yes, large scary man. I'd be more than happy to step into your isolated, dark warehouse. That seems like an excellent idea.

I stepped inside anyway.

The hair on the back of my neck stood straight up. I didn't have a great feeling about this but I’d never left a job uncompleted before and I wasn't going to start now. I had a reputation to maintain. Such as it was.

Inside, the cavernous space was lit by a few spaced-out bulbs hanging from a high ceiling. Crates were stacked in massive columns and rows. There was only one path to take, and crates lined both sides of it.

"This way," he said in surprisingly high-pitched voice for a man so massive. I wondered if he got so built just to preempt any jokes about it.

I followed behind his bulky frame, my eyes peeled for anyone else. If there were more people hidden among the crates, they were deliberately still and quiet.

The path twisted and turned, with multiple places where there was more than one direction you could go. As he led me through, I made sure to memorize the path we took. I could see why they had the crates in here arranged this way. It would be hard to break in and find what you were looking for and it would be difficult to leave if they didn't want you to.

It would be so easy to get lost. What a comforting thought. I repeated the turns in my head.

We walked for a full two minutes before the narrow walkway through the crates ended abruptly, and we came out into a clear space.

It wasn't what I expected. It looked like an average office. Well, except for the fact that it was in the middle of a dim warehouse. There was a desk set in the center with a cushioned chair behind it. There were no chairs in front for guests. Guess they didn't have many of those. Or at least not ones they wanted to be comfortable.

Filing cabinets in an industrial-beige color defined the sides of the square area. I wondered if there was actual paper in them. It was difficult to come by. As with most things, a synthetic material was available, but it was expensive. There was even a bookshelf directly behind the desk, though I couldn't read the spines of the books from this far away. They looked old and worn, as most books did these days. Digital was the norm. It didn't need physical space and paper was, as I said, expensive.

Whoever had designed this place had an old-school office in mind. I was guessing it was the middle-aged man sitting behind the desk.

He was small, balding, and dressed in a tightly fitted pinstriped suit. Unfortunate. It showed off his narrow shoulders and his small belly, the kind that grew when you had a desk job. His face was round, his cheeks full, and small wire-rimmed glasses sat on his equally round nose. He smiled at me, but it didn't reach his eyes. He might have looked like a mid-level executive, but the mild exterior was meaningless.

"You have a delivery for me?" he asked pleasantly enough, his eyes glancing over at the briefcase I still had attached to my wrist.

"Yes." I looked up at the other two guards he had waiting on either side of him, a few steps back, their outfits and demeanor the same as the guy who brought me in here. They gave me hard stares, ready to tackle me if I made the wrong move. I was not moving forward until I got an invitation.

"Bring it here," the man ordered.

A please would have been nice, but that was probably asking a little too much.

I nodded and stepped forward. Using my fingerprint, I undid the custom handcuffs that attached the briefcase to my wrist. It had been a splurge to get something so secure, but it had been worth it. If I used the wrong finger, it would be locked for twenty-four hours.

I also had the option of setting it to detonate if it sensed my vitals declining—either because someone killed me or because they chopped off my hand. Gruesome, but it would be a good deterrent. Not that I ever activated that feature. But any would be thieves wouldn't know that.

Pocketing the handcuffs, I set the briefcase down carefully on the desk. I had no idea what was in it and that's the way I liked to keep it. All I asked was if the contents were fragile. In this case, they weren't.

The man reached out with his small, well-manicured hands, the gold watch on his wrist glimmering even in this lighting. Gaudy. But I guess it matched the stark pinstripe of his suit. He'd probably watched one too many classic mob movies. He pulled the briefcase over to his side of the desk and opened it. I still couldn't make out what was in it as he scanned the content with his eyes.

"Looks like it's all here," he murmured, closing the briefcase again and smiling at me. "Thank you for your services."

"Of course." Now, to get out of here. I really hoped this would be easy. I took a step back from the desk and sensed movement behind me. I didn't take my eyes off the guy in charge. "I'll just be leaving now," I said in an even voice. Maybe being confident and saying it out loud would help.

A girl could dream. Even before he replied, I knew shit was going to hit the fan.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," he replied just as evenly. "You see, we just can't have anyone walking around with knowledge of this." He smiled slightly. "And I promised Benny to take care of you in exchange for what you have so thoughtfully delivered."

I had an urge to ask knowledge of what, since I still had no idea what was in the briefcase, but I knew it didn't matter. He'd already decided to kill me.

And he'd get away with it.

Benny, the dick-hole who hired me, was so going to regret this. Assuming I got out of here.

If I died, there really wasn't anyone who would notice apart from my landlord when rent didn't arrive and my neighbor Jacob. I might not have told Jacob where I was going before I left, but I did leave a note about it on my kitchen counter in case something happened to me. I'd probably be dead by the time he went into my apartment looking for me, but at least he'd know what happened. I also told him in the note not to come after me.

Jacob had a pretty sketchy past that he wasn't all that open with. From what I could glean, he'd spent quite a bit of time as a mercenary outside the city domes. He might decide to come and find out in person any way. And then he might be hurt. Maybe addresses weren't a good thing to leave for him to find. On the other hand, he could find out where I'd gone by hacking into the computer in my office, which I knew he could do. He had quite a list of skills for a baker.

All of that ran through my head as I pulled my knives out of their holsters. At the very least, I'd make sure I did some damage.

The security on either side of the desk started walking towards me even as I stepped to the side to keep an eye on the guy behind me as well. Taking on all three of them was stupid. If any one of them got their hands on me, they could probably break me in half with all their steroid-enhanced muscles. No, I needed to get through the first guy and run.

But I needed to move fast, before they got any closer.

All in.

Turning to the guy who initially opened the door, I sprinted straight at him. His eyes widened at the unexpected move, though he kept his position.

As I drew close, he reached out to grab me but I ducked and used both knives to slice at the backs of his legs, aiming for his tendons. Incapacitating him.

He shouted as I dodged around him and shoved him forward, towards the other two who had picked up speed. My heart was pounding hard enough it was hitting my chest wall. There was a metallic taste in my mouth as adrenaline rushed through my veins.

Right, left, straight. I tried to remember the exact directions to reach the door, hoping I hadn't forgotten one. A dead end at this point would actually mean death for me. How appropriate.

Crashes sounded from behind as the men's large bodies hit the crates. People that heavy and large just weren't fast. The narrowness of the passageway was in my favor. Being smaller, I didn't crash into anything even at breakneck speed.

If I made it out of here, I was going to kill Benny, the little weasel who hired me for this job. My guess was that he knew exactly how this would go down. No wonder didn't negotiate with me when I named my price. He never expected to have to pay the second half.

I knew I shouldn't have taken the job. He'd given off bad vibes, but I needed the money.

The lit edge of the door leading out finally came into view and a renewed burst of energy suffused my screaming leg muscles.

I might have actually made it, but then another large shape stepped in front of the door. Where did these guys come from?

I didn't slow down, the men running after me were too close, and I couldn’t stop my momentum. They were breathing hard. From the sounds, cardio wasn't a priority for them. Probably the intimidating look of their muscles was more than enough in most cases.

I turned the knives in my hands as I ran and locked my eyes on the new guy's body. This really wasn't the ideal way to do this. It would be so embarrassing if I fell and impaled myself on my own knives.

I pulled my arm back and held my breath for a few strides.

Steady...

Wait...

I launched the knife, aiming at his torso, and watched it fly end over end. I didn't really want to kill the guy, but aiming for something like his leg would be idiotic. And he knew what he signed up for when he took this job. Also, I seriously doubted he would lose any sleep over killing me.

He shifted to the side as he saw the knife coming, but it flew too fast. It pierced his side with a meaty thud, the hilt sticking out.

"Bitch!" he cried out, his hand going to the knife hilt along with all his attention.

Not very well trained. I took advantage of his distraction.

As I reached him, I lifted my leg up and kicked the exposed hilt of my knife through his clutching hands, shoving the blade deeper into his side. He screamed, stumbling as I shoved him away from the door.

"Fair enough," I threw out over my shoulder as my hands undid the lock on the door and I shoved it open. I was lucky it was an old-fashioned one and not one of those that required a password or a fingerprint.

Small favors.

I stumbled out into the light as the stabbed guy let out a string of curses behind me, shooting straight out across the road and into the alley that I'd come from. I needed to get to the closest area with dense traffic. Luckily, I was paranoid enough that I planned out an escape route beforehand for every job I took. If I went a few blocks east, I'd hit one of the busiest streets in this area.

There was no way those goons were going to catch me on foot. They were already on their last legs, judging from how hard they were gasping after such a short distance.

This was why I made sure to get my run in every morning. Being fast and having stamina could mean the difference between getting away or being caught by a nipple-ringed body builder with a high voice. I could outrun most people, but it was nice that these guys were so slow. I couldn't always depend on the thugs chasing me to be so muscle-bound and so against aerobic activity.

Maybe I'd send them a jazzercise e-chip as a thank you.

There were still footsteps behind me, but they were getting further and further away now that I had more room and could run flat out. The alleyway gave way to a narrow street with liquor stores and pawnshops on either side. Not the best street, but better than the warehouse district.

I ducked into another narrow alley, this one so narrow that I had to turn sideways so I could scoot through. No way could any of those guys do that. Their man boobs weren't nearly as malleable as mine. Though they might have been bigger. And even I didn't get out of there without a few scrapes.

The alley spit me out into a river of humanity, people irritably crammed in together as they tried to reach their destinations as quickly as possible. It was lunchtime, which meant it was more crowded than it would have been otherwise.

Perfect.

I slowed down, catching my breath as I stepped into the crowd and began walking at the same pace. Running through this throng of moving bodies would be a dead giveaway if someone was watching. One of the reasons I didn't use a motorcycle was how visible it would make me when most people walked. It would have also limited my choices since only select roads allowed motor traffic.

I let the crowd carry me a few blocks down, keeping an eye out for the guys who were after me.

Nothing.

Once I was sure I’d shaken my pursuers, I peeled away to the other side of the road and broke into a jog. Anger had me gritting my teeth and turning away from the street that would take me back to my place.

No. I had somewhere else to go first.

I stuck to the more-crowded streets as I made my way over to the nicely-kept buildings in the prosperous part of this section. They were mostly residences, with a few convenience stores on the first floors. I rode one of the automated trolleys to cut the distance in half.

It wasn't near my place or my office. But I didn't care. I was angry enough to traverse the length of the whole dome if I had to.

I hopped off the trolley and walked the last block to the narrow stone building that was my destination. Fake trees lined the street. It wasn't worth the resources to plant real ones even in this posh area.

I tested the gleaming door, polished within an inch of its life, but it was locked with a retina scanner. I wasn't getting in this way. At least not without my tools and some study. Luckily, most upper-story windows weren't very secure.

I walked to the side of the building and found the fire escape but it was a ways off the ground.

Hmm.

Slipping into the space between that building and the one next to it, I took a running start and jumped to bounce off the neighboring building and reach for the fire escape.

My palms slammed into the cool metal.

Ouch. A ninja I was not. But at least I made it.

Cursing, I climbed up the fire escape and started counting off the floors.

Whenever I got a new client, I followed them home to make sure their address was accurate—at a discreet distance of course. Didn't want to lose business. But I'd been burned before when someone didn't want to pay and their address had been fake. If the two didn't match up, I didn't take the case.

As it was, I knew exactly where Benny lived. That rat assumed I'd be dead after all. What did it matter if I knew his address? And look—his window was conveniently located right next to the fire escape.

I leaned over to peer inside. Not seeing anyone at first glance, I wondered if I was going to have to wait until after work was over for him to get home, but then I spotted Benny sitting on a couch in the living room, a cup of something hot in his hands. Must be nice to not have to hustle like the rest of us.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out one of the tiny devices that I made sure to always have on my person. I suctioned it to the glass and pushed the little blinking button that indicated it was activated. It tapped the glass just hard enough to create a network of hairline cracks. I carefully took it off the glass and slid it back into my jacket pocket. I'd bought the oversized army green thing because it had so many pockets. A purse didn't really fit with my lifestyle.

Holding on to the railing, I leaned out and kicked through the window. I didn't have to use much force at all. My boots and the thick fabric of my jeans protected my leg from the sharp pieces. A cry came from inside the apartment as I used my boot to sweep away some of the glass from the sill before I stepped inside, careful not to touch the shards.

"What are you doing here? Get out right now or I'll call the police!"

"Go ahead and call them," I said calmly. "I'll wait."

I watched his eyes move over to the communications panel but he didn't take a step towards it. Both he and I knew he wasn't calling the cops. That would draw attention to him that he didn't want.

Sure, the cops were bribed. But if Benny was a threat to any of the other loaded residents in this area, they'd bring him down. Couldn't have the criminal element living here, after all. Which was a joke in and of itself considering how a lot of the rich made their money.

I took a step towards him, taking in the leopard print robe he was wearing. That thing was offensively ugly. And I had a sneaking suspicion he wasn't wearing anything underneath it.

Eww.

"I'm here for the second half of my payment. Plus hazard pay," I added, my eyes boring into him.

"Couldn't you just send me a bill!" he exclaimed, edging towards the door.

I shook my head and stepped in front of it.

He stopped, his narrow throat moving as he swallowed.

"No, I couldn't," I said, crossing my arms. I made sure he had a nice view of my remaining dagger.

His eyes moved towards it, his hand coming up to push back his dark curls. They were so shiny and full of product I was surprised they moved at all.

"Okay, fine." He smoothed down his robe and moved over to the com panel, which he would have to use to pay me. "How much do I owe you?"

"Triple."

"Triple!" he cried out, his voice incredulous. "I'm not going to pay you triple!"

I deliberately pulled out my dagger, tapping it against my palm.

"You sent me there to die. You said it was a simple drop off. You're lucky all I'm asking for is triple," I said softly.

He eyes slid away.

Guilty.

"If something happened, it's not my fault," he muttered.

"He told me you had a deal. That in exchange for whatever I delivered, he would take care of me for you."

His lips tightened. He was caught and he knew it.

"That rat," Benny muttered under his breath. Rich coming from him. "Look I don't know what he told you—"

"Triple. Or I take my payment in a much less comfortable way for you."

I twirled my knife, the sharp edge catching the light. I didn't plan on actually hurting him but he didn't know that.

"Now you're just being unreasonable –"

He let out a yelp as I threw the knife. He didn’t have to know it was my last one. The hilt vibrated as it stuck out from the wall, a foot to the side of his head.

"Okay! Okay!" he blabbered, his hands up in the air. "I'll give you what you want!"

He was cooperative enough after that.

After I used my watch to make sure the funds were transferred to my account, I opened the front door.

"Oh, and I'm not available for you to hire again," I said over my shoulder.

"Yeah. Sure," he scoffed, shaking his head. "You won't find me in a ten-mile radius of the hellhole you work in."

I nodded. "Good. If I have any more trouble, I know exactly where to come to find you. You should probably let your friend know that this particular deal is off."

He sputtered, but I closed the door behind myself and stepped out into the hall before he could say anything else.

Maybe I should've asked for quadruple.