HOOKED ON ZERO

                                                             CHAPTER ONE

As I opened the swing doors, the smell of liquor hit me like a force. I stood for a bit taking in the scenery before me. Men and women from different works of life crowded the chairs and the dance floor. Some chatted amongst themselves, while others rocked to the beats from the live band playing on the stage.

The bar, however, seemed to be in a different world of its own. All around it sitting on stools were men jostling for beer or whisky, while others threw back the contents from their bottles down their throats.

It looked like a war-zone, except the prize was alcohol and there would be no prisoners.

I smiled to myself. It was stampede night. All the stools around the bar had been occupied, but I needed to be close to the beer, so I headed there. I sashayed forward, my hips taking up a rhythm of their own.

"Hi!" I flapped my eyelashes at this guy with a port belly that could rival King Kong's. "Can I have a seat, please, kind sir?"

He looked at me long enough to know I had a b sized-cup and full hips, and then he made the mistake of leering. "Yeah, sweetheart, you can seat on my lap and I'll give you some of my beer."

Poor man.

I knew he was going to try to draw me to him, and I sighed tiredly.

I gave him a chance. I even stepped back, but he was such a pig-headed son of a gun, so I tried telepathy instead. Maybe that was his thing.

Don't do it, mister, it'll only end in sorrow for you.

But when do men ever listen?

As his hand rose to curl around my waist, I fisted my right hand and hung it in the air as a warning. He flashed his upper missing teeth at me instead of taking heed, stood and walked close to me.

Maybe he thought I was some helpless woman that didn't know how to defend herself, or it could have been because I had red hair and wore a leather mini skirt. Whatever the case was, he didn't see it coming.

My hand landed on his jaw, hot and heavy, giving him and upper cut and making sure to rearrange it. Yeah, he wouldn't be able to talk to anyone for awhile, that's for sure.

For a big man, he went down pretty quickly. He was out like a light at my feet. Make that a beer-filled light.

"Hi, Z!" Ron smiled at me from behind the counter. He didn't so much as blink as he set a green bottle in front of me.

I opened it, about to tip it into my mouth when from the corner of my eyes, I saw him. It had to be him. He stood out like a sore thumb in stark comparison to the other guys around. What with his cold demeanor and all black leather get up, he was a poster boy for dangerous, and he wore it well. He sauntered over to me and with a piercing look at the guy sitting beside me, that one fled, and he took his place.

"I can see you've already made yourself at home." He glanced meaningfully at the unconscious man lying not far from my feet. One of the bouncers was already dragging him away by his legs.

"What can I say, I'm a regular." I shrugged, tipping back my head and gulping the contents of my bottle and smacking my lips after.

"I'll have what she just downed." He indicated to Ron, who had anticipated his request and set before him an identical green bottle.

The man removed a long brown envelope from inside his coat and slid it on the table towards me. I caught it, just before it could get away. As I brought out a 12 by 14 black and white picture of a man from the envelope, I became mesmerized. The man in the picture could have been mistaken for a model by all and any standards. His black hair framed an oval face and a square jaw, while his eyes were grey, hooded and smoldering.

I had never seen a man with such arresting features before. And his eyes, they were so beautiful.

The man I stared at was hot, make that drop dead hot, by any standards.

Pity he had to die.

I looked up to see leather guy quirking a brow at me. "There a problem?"

I shrugged. "Just wondering when you want him gone."

"Tomorrow!" He arched a brow, as if daring me to refuse.

I tried not to look surprised but I couldn't not. That was almost impossible.

"I heard you're the best, so why look so shocked?" His brows arched cockily as he stared at me.

I knew what he was trying to do and I was over that male ego bullshit. I've had to prove myself time without number in this business, and I'll be damned if some man thinks he can swing by and cast aspersions on my reputation.

"For two million quid, I'll do it now if you want." I jutted my chin, daring him to back down. I wasn't just the best, I didn't come cheap either.

He nodded. "My boss will pay you five million. Two and a half million upfront in an untraceable account to be accessed immediately you sign here. . . " He pointed to a form he had whipped out, ". . .and the rest once the job is done."

I struggled not to widen my eyes. Five million was a whole lot of dough. Chito could be made whole again, and I could start a good business with the rest of the money and leave this kind of life I was presently in.

"What's the problem?" The man's gaze settled on me penetratingly. "Money too small for you? My boss is very generous, he can up it if you do a good clean job."

"No problem, mister, except I don't accept transfers upfront. For me, cash is king. Cash advance first, and then a transfer for the balance. I must be paid in full."

The man's eyes glistened dangerously as he leaned forward. "Do you except me to walk around with that amount of money?"

My lips curled in a smile and I also leaned forward. My face was only two inches from his as I replied. "You should have thought about that before contacting me. That's my policy."

Our eyes locked. This wasn't about money, it was a battle of dominance. Who would capitulate first. I didn't blink, neither did I flinch. And then his upper lip tugged up in a smile and he nodded. He drew the briefcase on the floor up to the bar and slid it across to me.

I caught it and looked at him. "What's this?"

"Open it and see."

Without taking my eyes off him, I opened the briefcase slightly. It was stacked with neat-looking one hundred dollar bills. I brought out one and sniffed it before putting it back. I looked up to see the man watching me closely.

"Hi, my name is Zero, glad to make your acquaintance."

I lifted a hand towards him in a hand shake and watched in rising amusement, the flow of emotions on his face. I knew he debated on whether to shake me or not. Coming to a conclusion, he brought out his hand and clasped mine in a firm shake.

Just as he was about to release my hand, I leaned close once more. "I have one question."What's his profession?" I tapped the picture in my hand.

Ridges appeared on his brows immediately, and I knew he didn't like my inquisition. Too bad, because even I lived by a code, and that was never to kill a man who didn't have blood on his own hands.

Trust me, I always knew.

The man released a heavy sigh, removed his hand from mine and inclined his head. "Fair enough, he's a scientist who has been made rich by killing a lot of people with his drugs, and that's all you need to know. Now, enough talking. Are you in or out?"

I looked at the man seating before me for what seemed like a long time but could only have been a few seconds, and shook my head. "I'm in!"

His face stretched in a smile, but somehow it didn't sit well on his face, unlike Mr. Hot in the picture, the look alike model that was actually a scientist. The man opened his jacket and brought out a phone which before my very eyes, was enlarged to form a mini laptop.

I watched as he tapped on some buttons and after some seconds, turned it round to face me. I saw the name of an escrow bank on the top corner and below it, was two and a half . . . I counted the number of zeros. I filled in the column for my offshore bank details and watched as he tapped on the send button. I smiled in satisfaction as I watched the cursor disappear and in its place, a message popped up - SENT.

"Inside the envelope you're holding are more details of him. Find him and end his life once and for all. My boss will be waiting impatiently tomorrow for the news. Do not contact me when you're done, trust me, my boss will find out."

He stood, tucked the phone back into his jacket, and without a goodbye, walked off.

Rude.

I looked at his retreating back until he disappeared from sight before I turned to Ron once again. "Another bottle, please. Oh, never mind." I picked up the bottle the man hadn't even touched. "I'll have his."

I downed the contents in five gulps and belched loudly. The man on my left poked his head out and smiled. "I like a woman that can throw back her liquor, and you seem to fit that bill. Care for a dance?"

I smiled and shrugged. Why not. I needed to dance to my victory of getting five million just like that. But as I got up to dance, something about this deal didn't sit right with me. I couldn't pin point what it was, but as the night went on and I took more bottles of beer, the feeling left me and was quickly replaced with a feeling of euphoria.

I deserved this break, and so did Chito.