Chapter Text
Kylo Ren lets out a small sigh of boredom as he lurks on the roof of a parking garage. He leans against the concrete railing and holds his phone between his shoulder and his ear. As the line continues to ring, he fiddles with the gun in his hands. The bullets click as they are loaded carefully into the magazine.
The cold German air stings at his skin, tinting the tip of his nose and his cheeks a light red. Thin streams of breath pass through his lips. They swirl into the grey sky and disappear with every exhale. The breeze was light enough to just barely ruffle his dark hair and clothing, but it slithered its way through the seams of his clothing and raised goosebumps on his skin. Thick grey clouds had shifted in front of the sun a while ago, shielding Kylo from its warm beams.
Cold was the least of Kylo Ren's concerns. His intimidating gaze lifts every few seconds to check on the empty lot beneath him. He had already checked his surroundings upon arrival. No cameras and the only cars around were speckling the other end of the parking lot beneath him.
"Come on," he grumbles impatiently as he snaps the magazine shut and shifts the phone beneath his ear. "Pick up."
"Ren?" A familiar voice finally speaks as the phone is picked up on the opposite line.
"Vicrul." Kylo says flatly.
Brief shuffling can be heard on Vicrul's end before he speaks again. "Where are you right now?"
"Waiting. What's new?" He scoffs and shakes his head before clarifying, "I'm in Germany. Waiting on some guy who tried to run off to Europe. Slippery bastard."
Vicrul chuckles lowly. "What's this one done?"
"Nothing interesting. Just got himself into some shit with a drug cartel. I'm just finishing the job." Kylo replies curtly.
"Hm. Well, hurry up and get the job done. I've got one hell of a customer back here. You're definitely going to want to take this one." Kylo could hear the smile in Vicrul's voice. When that man got excited over a job, it definitely paid well.
Kylo wets his dried lips from the cold European air. As he secures the silencer over the barrel of the gun, he sighs once more and shifts his phone, opting to hold it with his hand. "You know I don't give a damn about the money."
"The money's just a plus, Ren." Vicrul's voice drawls. "Easiest job of our lives or so I've been told."
"By who exactly?" Kylo leans over the railing when he sees a sleek black car approaching in the emptied lot below. "Make it quick. You've got thirty seconds to convince me."
The man laughs. "I only need one word to convince you. A name." He pauses rather dramatically. "Snoke."
Kylo's grip around his phone tightens. "Fuck off. I'll be there tomorrow."
Vicrul's laugh of glee is cut off when Kylo hangs the phone up. He sets it down and casually adjusts his grip on the gun. He raises it and peers over the barrel as the door to the black car swings open. His target comes into view for a split second. That split second was enough time for Kylo to pull the trigger and the man falls back into the car before he can even step out of it. He hears the immediate panic coming from the driver of the car below.
All that fuss. For such an easy kill. How boring. Kylo thinks as he tucks his gun back into the waistband of his pants.
Kylo Ren tugs the door to his sleek little rental car open and ducks inside. He turns the key and the engine springs to life with a steady hum, purring like a cat as the wheel vibrates beneath his hands. Without even so much as a glance back at the life he had taken, the assassin speeds off towards the airport.
The name that Vicrul had given him was flying around his mind just as quickly as he was driving. Snoke. Sure, Kylo Ren was infamous in the world of crime but Snoke was something else entirely. He was both feared and respected. Nobody dared to cross his path. When that man was angry, it wasn't just the victim of his anger that paid a price. That price was usually a bullet to the back of the head.
Although Snoke had blood on his hands, he didn't have a single drop on his skin. All of the killing he did required the use assassins and hit-men. If he did kill someone, it would be through methods like poisoning. The bodies that were piling up under Snoke's name matched even those that were beneath Kylo's. It was astonishing that he hadn't killed for Snoke yet considering his impressive track record.
Now that Snoke finally managed to get a hold of him, what did he want? Whatever it was, it made Vicrul awfully giddy. That meant a great sum of money was involved. If a great sum of money was involved then the job must have been challenging. That's what Kylo believed, at least, until Vicrul mentioned that it was an 'easy' job. Whoever this target was, Snoke wanted them dead desperately. What kind of dangerous mafia business was Kylo getting himself into this time? Which drug-dealer or trafficker did he have to erase from existence?
Whatever it was, Kylo couldn't shake the thought of it. Even when he arrived at the airport to discard of his shitty little rental car, he was still in deep thought. Since he hadn't intended to remain in Germany for very long so all he really had with him was a carry-on bag.
Kylo glances down at the expensive watch on his wrist. Right on time. He breezes through the airport, ignoring the looks he was receiving from the people standing in the TSA line. There were perks that came with money, Kylo couldn't deny that. He was practically rolling in green paper and black cards and yet he couldn't care less. Money wasn't important to him. Perhaps it was because he had been desensitized to its worth.
An automated woman's voice speaking in German echoes around the airport but he pays no mind to it. All of that wasn't important to him. After all, Kylo was headed to the private hangars. As always, there was a man at a small desk in front of the door to the hangar. At the sight of Kylo Ren himself, the man nods and gestures to the glass doors without asking any questions. Nobody really knew what he did for work, but they did know he was wealthy and important. They probably thought he was a CEO or owned a chain of Walmarts or some shit. People were gullible like that.
Kylo releases the two buttons of his black suit jacket as he makes his way down the stairs. He tugs the jacket off and slings it over his arm, feeling much more comfortable in just the white button-down. Like anyone he would prefer to spend his days in t-shirts and sweatpants, but that didn't make much of an impression.
"Right this way, Mr. Ren." A man nods to him as he approaches the hangar. He guides him towards a sleek white private jet lined with gold.
Kylo Ren cracks a small smirk. Good old Vicrul. With how competitive it was in their line of business, it was a miracle the two of them were close friends. If it weren't for him, Vicrul would be in the running for the top spot for most sought-after. Still, everything between them remained friendly. As Kylo climbs the high steps up into the jet, the single flight attendant nods her head at him. Despite her smile, he could sense her nerves. He didn't blame her. Kylo wasn't exactly the approachable type.
He didn't want to be either. There was no point in being friendly unless it got one something they needed. Kylo learned that from a young age from his father. Kindness only got a person so far. One thing was for sure; Kylo didn't get as far as he had come by being kind. He learned to be ruthless quickly. Perhaps that was why he had never once failed to assassinate a single target. All of his clients got what they wanted and Kylo?
Well, truthfully Kylo didn't know what he was in it for sometimes. He could convince himself that it was just in his nature. That being ruthless and bloodthirsty was what got him this far and would continue to take him through the rest of his life. Deep down he knew that wasn't the truth. Deep down, Kylo Ren was not the person he said he was. What he forced himself to believe he was, was very different than reality. Reality was often cruel and disappointing. Why would anyone want that?
He settles himself into a comfortable white, leather seat and fastens the flimsy belt over his lap. His eyes remain glued on the flight attendant as she tucks his singular bag up in the overhead bin. She turns to him and folds her hands in front of her.
"Would you like anything to drink, Sir?" Her red painted lips tremble slightly.
"Whiskey." He replies curtly.
She nods and scurries off on her tall black heels. Unfortunately for him, he wouldn't be receiving that drink until after liftoff. He scoffs softly as she straps herself in and the jet rumbles as it picks up speed. It hurtles down the runway before lifting off into the gloomy sky. Kylo had flown so many times that he was unfazed by it now. It didn't bother him and he didn't take any interest in it either. All he wanted now was that damned drink to get his mind off of what was to come. Maybe if he was buzzing by then, it would take the edge off.
Eventually the jet levels out and the flight attendant returns with the golden-brown liquid in a chilled glass. "I apologize for the delay, Sir. Is there anything else I can get you?"
Kylo eyes her as she bends forward to set down his drink. It gave him a good eyeful down her barely unbuttoned top. Her cheeks burn red as she straightens up. If he wanted her, he could have her with a snap of his fingers. He exhales sharply out of his nose. "No, that's all."
Today was not that kind of a day. Besides, there were plenty more of her kind that would be eager for him. They sought him out for his reputation and his money mostly. His looks were just a plus. Most of them would run screaming out the door the moment they found out what he was. What he really was. That was why he kept it to himself. If people didn't know they had anything to fear, they were easy to manipulate.
Slightly disappointed, the flight attendant hurries off just as Kylo's phone begins to buzz and vibrate in his pocket. Vicrul's name lights up at the top of the screen as the caller-ID. He raises his phone up to his ear but offers his silence as a 'hello.'
"Are you on the plane?" Vicrul asks, voice strained with impatience.
"Yes." Kylo replies flatly. "We just took off."
"Good. The sooner you get here the better. I can just tell Snoke is getting impatient. He really wants to hire you." His voice sounded hushed as though he was trying not to be heard.
"What about you?"
Vicrul scoffs softly. "Snoke doubts you'll fail but in case you do, he wants to step in instead. I'm your back-up. Congratulations." With a short laugh he adds, "if that doesn't convince you about how important this job is, I don't know what will."
Kylo hums. "I don't like this."
"What's not to like?"
"Snoke. He's the type of man to think he owns us if we accept this. He's not my boss just because I work for him once." He replies coldly.
Kylo didn't have a boss. He hated the idea of being told what to do. All he got were his instructions, his cash, and that was it. Everyone knew what he was capable of so they never tried to push him around. That's how he liked it. Snoke was different. Snoke was the man who controlled everything so naturally he assumed he controlled his hired assassins. Although that might have been the case with the others, Kylo Ren was different. He worked independently and rightfully so. None of that mafia or mob business. He saw that to be quite foolish at times.
"Well you can make a decision when you get here. I'll text you the address once you've landed." That's all Vicrul says before he hangs up.
With a heavy sigh, Kylo sinks further into his seat. He flinches, hand shooting reflexively for his gun, as a light hand settles on his shoulder. Kylo's head snaps up when he hears the sickeningly familiar click of heels.
"How did you get on board?" He drawls as a woman sits down across from him.
Her puffy red lips form into a pout as she crosses her shiny legs. Kylo's eyes trace from her black pumps, along the curves in her skin-tight red dress, and up to her pretty face. One well-manicured brow arches as she whines in that high pitched voice of hers.
"Did you really not see me when you boarded?" She huffs.
Truthfully, he had not. Kylo's head had already been swarming when he boarded the plane. He hadn't taken notice of his little playmate in the back of the jet. Courtesy of Vicrul, no doubt, just to provoke him. This woman acted like she knew him so well and yet he hardly knew her. She was just someone from a bar he had met a month or two ago. Some stranger eager to suck him off. Kylo didn't even know her name.
"Guess not," he mutters, glancing back out of the window.
He shifts slightly when he feels her heel slowly slip up his ankle and push against his pant-leg. Kylo looks back to her in annoyance as she gives him doe eyes. She tugs at her tight curls and bites her lip.
"You look stressed." She leans forward to grip his thigh. "Let me help ease your tension."
"I'm not in the mood."
And he really wasn't. All he could think about was his conversation with Vicrul. This meeting with Snoke was more important than this dark-headed bimbo. He pulls his leg out of her steel grasp and gives her an annoyed look. That needy, seductive expression she had worn had now faded to anger.
"You don't give me any attention anymore. It's always work, work, work. When was the last time you actually called me? When was the last time we ever went on a date? I'm bored." She whines. "You barely talk to me. Do you even know my name?"
"Yes."
"Then what is it?" She raises her eyebrows.
"Don't you know?" Kylo shoots back mockingly. He was not in the mood for this bullshit.
The girl whines and crosses her arms. "It's Charlotte. Besides, you promised you were going to take me to LA for a shopping trip."
Gold-digging bitch, Kylo thinks as his lips twitch. "What do you want from me?"
Her eyes light up. "A new purse. Mine's getting old."
Which purse did she mean exactly? The Gucci clutch she had glued to her hand, or the seventy-three other expensive bags she had bought with his credit card? Kylo sighs and reaches into his pocket, pulling out the thick leather wallet he always carried. He shoves a thick wad of 100 dollar bills over toward her and she accepts it greedily.
"I'll call you after work today," she purrs as she rises from her seat to return to the back of the jet. "Then I'll show you just how much I appreciate you."
Kylo's hands roll into fists as he clenches his jaw. He had had just about enough of this woman. "Don't bother. Once this jet lands, I never want to see you again. We're done."
She stares at him, jaw falling slack with disbelief. Her face heats up as she begins to stammer over her words in anger. Finding nothing to say, she storms to the back of the plane and throws herself into her seat.
Kylo Ren couldn't care less. He could find someone else to replace this one. Just like he had with all of the ones before.