In the back of Dark Moon Rising, Suzanne Irwinian was waiting.
And she hated to be kept waiting.
She checked her watch and tried to move further into the shadows. She watched a woman with horrible hair and shitty ass make up dance her shit around for some old wanker who was jerking it under the table.
She sighed and took a sip of her Mai Tai. She wondered when killing had become so seedy. It used to be, if you went out to meet a client, you put on your best dress, made sure you had lots of cleavage showing and remembered to smell nice, you got the job.
It had been dangerous, vivacious and just a little bit glamorous. She watched as Holie Lemon swung herself around the pole and wondered how the girl didn’t pull a muscle. She tried that shit now and she’d fucking hurt herself. “Stupid flexible bitch.” She mumbled.
There was a noise to her right and Suzanne looked up to see a slight woman with a shock of blond hair standing in front of her. Mentally, she cursed herself. She should have been listening for the woman’s footstep instead of engaging in a pity party. Fuck me, she thought. “Yes?” She said.
“Are you Irwin?” The girl asked? “Oksanna Irwin?”
Suzanne regarded the woman. She looked as she said she would. “Who wants to know?”
“I’m Penelope.” The girl said, whispering the last word. “Penelope Finkelstein.”
Sighing, Suzanne regarded the girl. “You want a drink?” She asked.
“What?”
Suzanne sighed again. “Sit the fuck down.”
“What?”
“Are you deaf?” Suzanne tried to keep her voice level. Even though there was the thump of music and the hum of voices and the smell of sweat, the sounds echoing off the walls and the bodies, a voice could still be heard.
“Sit. The. Fuck. Down.” She said. The girl complied. Suzanne tried to remember that even stupid people are good people. She also tried not to hate her because she was blond. “Are you a fucking idiot?”
That got the girl going. “I don’t know what you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean Maniac Mary. Is this the first time you ever tried to get someone to sleep? You don’t use your real name. Are you a fucktard?”
The girl blinked. “I never thought of that.”
“Of course you didn’t. You’re too eager.”
“Eager for what?”
Suzanne shrugged. “Does it matter?” She took a sip of her Mai Tai and made a face. She should have ordered a Cosmo instead. “There is always some kind of passion behind a crime. Jealousy, greed, desperation, need, want.” She regarded Penelope with an open stare. “Looking at you, I’d say anger and revenge.”
Penelope smiled. “You’re very good.”
Letting out a genuine laugh, Suzanne smiled. “That’s why I charge the big bucks.”
“Are you worth it?”
“Want to see my credentials?” Suzanne took a card out of her wallet and threw it at Penelope.
Penelope looked up at Suzanne with a sly grin. “You know that Oksanna means Susan too, right?”
“What?”
“Well, you’re first name is Suzanne and you’re middle name is Oksanna. That means your name is Susan Susan.”
There was a beat of silence. Suzanne reminded herself that it would be wrong to frighten a potential client by reaching into her new Poppy Coach bag and taking out her small pearl handled gun and blowing the smug bitches perky little blond head off.
That would be bad business.
Instead, she reminded herself that even perky, happy people could be rude. Especially bottle blond pieces of shit like Penelope Finkelstein. “So?” She said. She reached forward and snatched back her card. Slipping it back inside of her bag and closing nit. “Are we on?”
“How did you get to be number two?” She asked.
Suzanne smiled. “Because honey, when you’ve got it, flaunt it.” She took a sip of her drink. “And besides? Who would ever expect tiny little me in a white pick up truck?” She smiled at Penelope’s expression.
“Exactly.” She said.
And motioned the waiter to order a Cosmo.
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