The suburban street was a pastel blur of cookie-cutter houses, each lawn manicured to an almost obscene degree. Valentina "Vee" Voss stood out like a panther in a petting zoo. Her stiletto boots clicked against the sidewalk with predatory precision, her leather jacket hugging a curvaceous frame that could stop traffic—or hearts, depending on her mood. At forty-eight, Vee had the kind of beauty that didn’t ask for permission; it demanded attention. Her dark hair was swept into a severe bun, and her crimson lips curled into a smirk as she eyed the modest house at the end of the cul-de-sac. Her target was inside. A kid. A goddamn kid. She almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of it.
Timmy Harper, age fifteen, was her mark. The dossier had been clear, if utterly baffling: shy, awkward, no criminal record, no connections, just a scrawny teenager who probably spent more time jerking off to anime than causing trouble. Vee had taken down cartel bosses and corrupt senators, and now she was babysitting a hit on some suburban nobody? Still, a job was a job, and Vee didn’t ask questions—she delivered results.
She adjusted the oversized sunglasses perched on her nose and rang the doorbell, a faux-friendly smile plastered on her face. The door creaked open, revealing a gangly boy with messy brown hair and a face that looked like it hadn’t decided whether to break out in acne or just give up entirely. Timmy blinked at her, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
“Well, hello there, sugar,” Vee purred, her voice dripping with honey and arsenic. She leaned against the doorframe, one hip cocked, her presence filling the space like a storm cloud. “I’m your new neighbor, just moved in down the street. Thought I’d pop by and introduce myself. You gonna invite me in, or just stand there gawking like I’m the second coming?”
Timmy’s face turned a shade of red that could only be described as volcanic. “Uh—I, um—hi. I’m Timmy. I mean, hi. Yeah. Neighbor. Cool. Uh, come in?” His voice cracked on the last word, and Vee bit back a laugh as she sauntered past him, her perfume—a mix of jasmine and danger—lingering in the air.
The house was a mess of teenage chaos, but Vee’s sharp eyes scanned every detail as she followed Timmy into the living room. Comic books were strewn across the coffee table, a half-eaten bag of chips sat on the couch, and the faint hum of a gaming console buzzed from upstairs. She could feel the kid’s nervous energy radiating off him like heat from asphalt.
“So, Timmy,” she drawled, dropping onto the couch with the grace of a queen claiming her throne. She crossed her legs, the leather of her pants creaking softly, and fixed him with a gaze that could melt steel. “You live here all by yourself, or do I need to charm some parents into liking me too?”
He fidgeted, shoving his hands into the pockets of his oversized hoodie. “Uh, no, my mom’s at work. She’s a nurse. Long shifts. I’m just… here. Usually. Alone. I mean, not in a weird way. Just—yeah.” He winced, clearly aware of how pathetic he sounded.
Vee tilted her head, her smirk widening into something almost feral. “Oh, darlin’, you’re adorable. Stammering like a little lamb caught in the wolf’s den. Tell me, do you always get this tongue-tied around women, or am I just lucky?”
Timmy’s ears practically glowed. “I—I’m not—I mean, you’re just… really pretty. And intimidating. Not that that’s bad! It’s just—uh—sorry.”
She laughed, a low, throaty sound that sent a shiver down his spine. “Pretty and intimidating, huh? Boy, you’ve got no idea. But I like a kid who knows how to compliment a lady. How about you show me around? I’m dying to see where a sweet little thing like you spends all his time.”
Before he could protest, Vee was on her feet, her movements fluid and commanding. She gestured toward the stairs with a flick of her wrist. “Lead the way, champ. Let’s see your kingdom.”
Timmy hesitated, but the weight of her stare was like a physical push. He shuffled ahead, muttering something incoherent as he led her upstairs to his bedroom. The door swung open to reveal a cluttered sanctuary of teenage awkwardness: posters of superheroes and video game characters plastered on the walls, a desk buried under energy drink cans and school notebooks, and a bed that looked like it hadn’t been made since the Bush administration. The faint scent of sweat and cheap body spray hung in the air.
Vee stepped inside, her boots clicking against the hardwood floor, and surveyed the room like a general assessing a battlefield. “Well, damn, kid. This is… cozy. You bring a lot of girls up here, or am I the first to grace this hallowed ground?”
Timmy nearly choked on his own spit. “N-no! I mean, no girls. Ever. Not that I don’t want—uh, I mean, I just—nobody’s been up here. Except my mom. To yell at me. About cleaning.”
Her lips twitched into a wicked grin as she turned to face him, closing the distance between them in two deliberate steps. She towered over him, not just in height but in sheer presence, her shadow swallowing his scrawny frame. “Oh, Timmy, you’re making this too easy. A virgin in every sense of the word, aren’t you? Untouched, unspoiled… and completely out of your depth.”
He backed up instinctively, his knees hitting the edge of his bed. He sat down hard, staring up at her with wide, panicked eyes. “I—I don’t know what you mean. I’m just… me. Boring. Why are you even here? I mean, not that I mind, but—”
“Shh,” Vee cut him off, placing a manicured finger against his lips. Her touch was electric, and he froze, his breath hitching. She leaned down, her face inches from his, her dark eyes glinting with something dangerous. “Let’s not ruin the moment with too many questions, sugar. I’m here because I want to be. And right now, I want to know everything about you. Every little secret hiding in that nervous head of yours.”
Timmy swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing like a buoy in a storm. “I don’t… I don’t have secrets. I’m just a normal guy. School, games, dumb stuff. That’s it.”
Vee straightened up, her laughter sharp enough to cut glass. “Normal? Oh, honey, there’s no such thing. Everyone’s got a dark side, even a sweet little lamb like you. And I’m real good at sniffing it out.” She turned away for a moment, her gaze sweeping the room again, lingering on the window, the door, the layout. Every exit, every vulnerability. Her mind was a steel trap, calculating, planning.
When she turned back, her smirk was darker, more predatory. She stepped closer, cornering him against the bed, her body a wall of intent he couldn’t escape. “You know, Timmy, I think you and I are gonna have a lot of fun together. But first, let’s set some ground rules. Rule number one: you don’t lie to me. Ever. Rule number two: you do exactly what I say, when I say it. Got it?”
His voice was barely a whisper. “Y-yeah. Got it.”
“Good boy,” she purred, her hand brushing against his cheek, the gesture both tender and threatening. “Now, let’s see how well you follow instructions. Because, trust me, sugar, you don’t want to find out what happens when you disappoint me.”
As her words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken promises, Vee’s mind was already racing ahead. This wasn’t just a hit. This was a game. And Timmy Harper, poor, clueless Timmy, was about to learn just how deadly a player she could be.
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