The Snake On Ice

Viper couldn’t tell if they were stupid or toying with her. They had followed her since leaving the restaurant and hadn’t been very sly about tailing her. She weaved her way through the dark allies of the city and was sure of the tail now.

She was young but not a rookie. She knew the protocol. She took her phone from the coat of her long jacket and sent Mother the picture of herself in a red dress. Mother’s response was a thumbs up and the words “See you at Club Chaos.” Viper shook her head at the response. Of course, he would choose Chaos.

She skipped the line and walked past the gorilla that held the line back.

“Lawrance.”

“Viper, are you working tonight?”

“Always, Lawrance, always.”

She didn’t stop as she spoke and climbed the steps to the large wooden doors. Chaos was once a church, now it was one of the most exclusive clubs in the city. In another era, she could have asked for sanctuary. Now, there was no such thing as sacred ground. Lawrance liked her, but he had no allegiance to anyone.

She could feel the music shake the core of her body as she ground by the flailing bodies of the dance floor. She knew Mother would be in his booth. Sometimes, she wondered if he slept there. He looked like all the other corporate rats having a drink after their nine-to-five job. He wore a five o’clock shadow, rimmed glasses, and an off-the-rack suit.

“Mother.”

“Viper.”

“There's two of them, both blond, wearing suits and tattoos on their neck. Just foot soldiers.”

“Great, go get changed. Our ride will be here in 10 minutes.” Mother raised his hand, and a short skirt waitress approached the table. “Two vodkas and a club soda.”

Viper moved through the room with the confidence of a royal and got to the restrooms. As usual, the line for the ladies was all the way down the hall. Viper turned into the Men’s and locked the door behind her.

“You can’t close the door, sir.” The attendant said staring blankly in front of him with his cloudy eyes.

“Can’t you make an exception, Jimmy?" Viper asked as she removed her blond wig and placed it inside her long jacket.

“Viper, you should have said something.”

“I just did.” She stripped off the coat, then her blouse and pants. She opened the jacket lining and took out a skimpy red dress and a midnight black wig. If Jimmy could see, he would never have told. Viper quickly slipped the dress on and adjusted the wig in the mirror before checking her lipstick.

Checking the tube of lipstick for the microfilm, she placed it in her tiny purse and slung it across her body.

“Take care of this for me, Jimmy.” Viper handed the balled-up coat to the blind man and kissed him on the cheek.

“Sure thing, Viper, be safe.”

The woman in the red dress walked out into the room without drawing any attention. Mother stood up as she approached his booth and placed his fur coat around her shoulders. The two blond foot soldiers stayed in the booth, foam dripping from their mouths.

“Did you give Jimmy a tip?”

“Of course I did.”

They walked out into the cold night; the air was full of snow. A black sedan was waiting for them. The leather seats gripped Viper's naked thighs as she slid across the far side. Shatterproof glass separated the front seats from the back. And an open black bag rested on the floor.

“Another success.” Mother said.

“It seemed a little easy. Did the foot soldiers give you any trouble”

“They were new, and it was like slaughtering German shepherd puppies. It’s easy when they’re young and dumb.”

“I didn’t take you for a cat person.”

“I don’t like cats either. Do you still have the asset?”

“It’s here.” Viper held the lipstick case and placed it into the fur coat pocket.

“Let me see it.”

Viper’s neck almost snapped from turning to face Mother. “You know that’s not protocol.”

“Look, I want to get done at a decent hour this morning. Let's break protocol this time so we can get to bed before sunrise.”

Viper looked at Mother’s face for a long time. Then, out the window, this route was unfamiliar. Her hand tightened around the tube in her pocket. She shifted her body to face Mother more head-on.

“What’s going on, Mother.”

“Give it to me, Viper.”

“How long has it been now.”

“Viper, give it to me. Give it to me, and we’ll let you out. The bag has cash and some black passports for you.

“Mother, why?”

“I don’t have to tell you shit. Please Viper we’ve worked together a long time I don’t want to kill you.

“I’m not a pup.”

The two stared at each other for a long time. The car began to slow when it came to a stop. Viper kicked at Mother and ripped at the door handle. She knew it would be locked but had to check. Mother caught her foot and slid his body over hers. Stradling her torso before punching her hard in the solar plexus.

Viper gasped for air and brought a fist hammering down at his crotch. He slid his body back, and her fist hit his thigh. He began to bring fist after fist down on her body and face. She kept her hands up, blocking most of the assault. When the opportunity came, she reached up and dug her thumb into Mother’s right eye.

Mother screamed and shot across the car seat as though he'd received an electric shock. Viper wasted no time. She reached into her purse, pulled out a steel pen, and stabbed it against her car window. The Window shattered on the first blow and into the night on the second. She reached her hand back into the purse and shot her fist out the window. The driver slammed on the brakes, and her body flew forward into the safety glass.

Dazed on the floor of the car, she heard the driver’s door open and slam shut, followed by three shots through the window. Mother’s foot kicked in a jarring last reflex of life. Her door flew open, and the driver grabbed her by the wig, ripping it free from her head. Then she felt his hand take the back of her collar.

“Where is it?” The driver asked

“Get stuffed.”

 The driver shot her twice in the chest and threw Viper's lifeless body into the back seat. He returned to his seat and turned on the wipers, clearing the windshield of the new layer of snow.

The black wig lay beside the road, collecting snowflakes until it disappeared. Further up the street, just before the skid marks in the snow, laid a little gold tube of lipstick.