His knife narrowly misses my eye as I duck. A swift knee cracks me across the face and I fall to the
ground. That hurt. 'You'll pay for that,' I assure him. He grins. Lunging towards me, I jump back to
reset the playing field, getting out of his range. As he comes forward just a little bit further, I
launch a high kick. Smacking him in the face, he crashes into the street. I move in, when he regains
his knife. He swipes at my middle and I jump back. Amateurs. I kick the knife out of his hand, grab
his shirt, and head butt him. His blue eyes roll back and he slumps. I let go of him and he crumples
to the ground. Wish you were here, Jace. This would be so much more fun. I grab his ankles and drag
him down the alley. I hate this kind of job. You'd think I'd get some better ones after 10 years at
the agency, but noooooo' For ten years I've helped clean up their mess, and this is the job I get?
I'm no better than a rookie to them. At the end of the filth-strewn alley was his ride, an old
p.o.s. that would probably only last another few miles. At least that's as far as I need to go. I
hauled his dead weight into the passenger seat and jumped into the driver's. I reached across the
seat into his pocket for the keys. darn, no keys. Where the heck are they? Whatever. I hotwire that
sucker in a few seconds. I prefer keys. They make my life easier. The engine hesitantly rumbles to
life. I tested the gas, the engine revved, Good to go. I drive his car down the alley, through some
side streets for a couple of miles, and onto the dock. There were plenty of docks out here, the
Ocean was only an hour away, but the Bay gave water access that only my kind of people would
appreciate. I dragged his butt out of the car. His head cracked against the ground when I opened the
passenger door. He wouldn't have to worry about that for long. I laid him out on the ground, in
front of his vehicle, to wait for sunrise. Why smoke him when it was so much more fun to watch him
burn? Sunrise was scheduled for 6:47 am this wonderful morning. A cool breeze blew from the Bay,
tossing the waves about and causing a few strands of my hair to escape. Stupid braid. The sun
crested over the horizon and slowly lightened my city. As soon as the sun's rays hit my unconscious
friend, he began to smolder. He went up like a human torch, only a moment was allowed for him to
scream. He disintegrated while I sighed. Just another day in the life of Jack Monroe. Jace, you
idiot, you should be here right now. We would go get a stiff drink or some Chinese food, but no- you
just had to pull that fast one on me. The mark was reduced to just dust blowing in the wind. Ashes
to ashes, dust to dust. I yawned. 'It's too early for working.' That's what you always say, Jace
said with a smirk. 'And it's true every day.' I should probably get back and get some sleep. I was
out all night hunting for that scum. Sighing, I decided to go back to the compound. It's lonely
without Jace there but rest was a priority. I started walking back to my car. I'll go inform Jules
about a job well done tonight. 'Maybe he'll thank me,' I murmured drolly. Wouldn't count on it,
Jackie.