Beaten to the Punch

[Kyle Ryan]

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The wizard moved silently through the streets of London, the full moon lighting the way to the home, which the target was staying in. Cutter's employer was willing to pay him handsomely for proof that he had completed the job, taking out Montgomery Wiltshire. The man was in a political party of some sort, Kyle really didn't pay attention to who was running for what and where. All he cared was to see Mr. Wiltshire's name and photo in a confidential folder and the promise of payment. The man was as good as dead. Would Cutter turn down a job based on who the target was? He didn't know, he had yet to come across such a situation.

He approached the building and flicked a few spells to disarm any protective charms in place and he made his way inside quietly. Eyes and ears were scanning the surroundings to find the bedroom that he was sure that his mark to be laying in; according to the file, the man had a family, though none of them could be found. The children must be in Hogwarts and his wife didn't appear to be home. No matter. He stepped through the silent dark hallway until he found the room with the door wide open and he thought that he spotted a shadow move inside. The scent of copper wafted through the air like a thick cloud and he knew that something was off.

Cutter stepped inside and he cursed under his breath when he saw the woman there. He knew who she was, though they hadn't spoken at length and he knew it would be safe to quietly converse over the corpse. "Bloody bugger. He was mine." He scowled at her, though it didn't stop his eyes from traveling along her body and admiring the view. "Who hired you, Ripper?"

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credits .duchess. of caution 2.0? made this. steal it and i steal your spleen

  

[Alice Darling]

IF YOU WANT BLOOD, YOU GOT IT

KYLE RYAN April, 3 1884 template © the wendy dilemma ?! of caution 2.0

Killing someone was easy - human life was fragile at best. It was everything else that made her job so dangerous. Getting away with it scott free, for example. Or avoiding collateral damage. Family. Friends. Lovers. You had to consider the venue, the method, the extraction. With high profile targets, you had to be extra careful. People would miss them; they would want answers. And it was part of her job to keep them from asking the right questions. Which was why she often killed them with no magic. She used it to help her, of course, for cleanup and such. But the actual act that took their life was often something muggle-related. She favoured blades, personally. Quick, quiet, and almost always led to a muggle investigation. Montgomery Wiltshire went the way of the warrior with a knife to his carotid. He had just enough time to be shocked that he was being killed by a woman and raise a useless hand in self-defense before she sliced him open and turned to begin vanishing various expensive items from his bedroom - jewelry mostly, probably his wife's. That was when she gained company in the form of a co-worker - for lack of a better word. Cutter and her had crossed paths a handful of times in the past, but she didn't know a great deal about the man. And she honestly didn't care to know so long as he stayed out of her way. Turns out that that night she was in his way. "Emphasis on was. Next time perhaps you won't dawdle so long," she replied evenly, continuing her work, but keeping him in her line of sight. No, she didn't expect him to kill her, but she also wasn't stupid. Or trusting. Which, in her mind, were one and the same. "And I don't give out my client's names. Bad for business." She moved from the room, intending to go through the house quickly, making it look like a robbery gone wrong. Nothing unusual here, folks. Just muggles being muggles. "Look on the bright side - you get a night off. You're welcome."

EVERY LAST DROP

  

[Kyle Ryan]

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Cutter was not amused in the slightest and his curled with annoyance. Was she teasing him? He certainly wasn't dawdling, he received his hit request that morning and Mr. Wiltshire's itinerary was filled with meetings and assorted fund raisers. Clearly he was a popular man with enemies in the wrong places, if two sources sent killers after him. Cutter didn't care why he was targeted, really, his concern was getting paid. Problem was, he didn't complete the hit so he wouldn't be seeing any money and that made him angry. It wouldn't be a total loss, he could help rob the place as part of her staging and sell whatever he collects. And it didn't hurt that he could watch a gorgeous, unchaperoned woman while he was at it.

"I don't want the night off. Bugger. Well, since I'm here, I may as well help you with the staging." He flicked his wand at the door leading to the second bedroom and entered it quickly, pulling family heirlooms out of the children's keepsake chests and pulling drawers out of the tallboy to show that it had been searched by the robber. He eagerly kept an eye on his sudden accomplice, watching her move through the home. Cutter knew that she would be watching him as well. Did he think that she would kill him? He couldn't see a reason why, but that didn't mean he would trust her. Could she? He wasn't foolish (goofy, maybe) and he was aware of her skills, Ripper was probably one of very few who could succeed if he wasn't careful.

"I should introduce you to one of my employers. At least then we wouldn't be on the same job unless we were working together." Could he work with her as a partner? He supposed that only an opportunity would tell. He continued through the house, pulling apart anything that looked as if it could store valuables.

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credits .duchess. of caution 2.0? made this. steal it and i steal your spleen