A/N: A huge thank you to Jamie for assisting me with this first chapter and for all of the helpful tips that provided valuable improvement for my writing style.

"I've got thick skin and an elastic heart,
But your blade it might be too sharp
I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard,
I may snap and I move fast
But you won't see me fall apart
'Cause I've got an elastic heart"

-Elastic Heart, Sia

Kate was fidgeting. She spun the half empty cup of decaf in front of her, watching the dark brown liquid ripple and rush against the porcelain walls of the mug. She had done this plenty of times now, enough to be familiar with it, but she still tended to feel the signature touch of apprehension course through her system every time she waited to meet with a client, the unease of being on the wrong side of the law.

She sighed and brought the cooled coffee to her lips, swallowed it down with distaste. She preferred regular coffee, but she wouldn't risk spiking her clamoring nerves with caffeine. She lowered the cup back to the table just as the café door swung open, the bell atop the entrance singing at the arrival of a new customer. Blonde, tall, dressed in designer clothing – definitely her client.

The woman spotted her in the corner booth at the back and Kate nodded to signal her over, lifting her chin in a feigned air of confidence and watching in disinterest as the woman who had supposedly hired her strutted across the tiled floor.

"Mrs. Castle, I presume?" Kate inquired as the woman slid into the booth opposite her, setting her purse beside her hip and clasping her hands under her chin.

"Cowell," she corrected with an icy smile, her eyes gleaming with a lethal form of excitement that set Kate on edge, already convincing her that she shouldn't be at all surprised this woman wanted someone dead. "Pleasure to meet you…?"

"My name is not necessary in this process," Kate answered, retrieving a notepad from her bag and placing it on the table in front of her. In an effort to keep negotiations with clients as impersonal as possible, Kate never gave her real name to anyone, relying instead on an arsenal of aliases or the always preferable option of anonymity when possible. "We're only here to discuss business."

Gina nodded in approval. "I appreciate the professionalism of your approach to this. I'm glad they sent you."

"Happy to be of service," Kate muttered. She'd never been particularly thrilled to partake in this form of service, but circumstances had decided her fate long ago and her life wasn't going to change anytime soon. Not until she found what she needed. "What is it you need me for, Ms. Cowell?"

"It's simple really," Gina started with the pleasant smile still in place, but her eyes darkened. "My husband and I… our marriage has seemingly run its course. I would have settled for divorce, but I made the mistake of signing a pre-nup."

"And you're not willing to give up your lifestyle?" Kate deduced, but with no judgment in her tone. She made it a point to never allow her personal views on a subject's reasoning for murder to interfere with the job, especially not when in front of the client. The last thing she wanted to do was evoke defensiveness.

"Precisely. If my husband was to fall victim to a horrible accident of some kind, it would work out quite well for me financially."

Kate jotted down the information in a scrawl only she could read, a code similar to the one her mother used to go by, just in case. "Any specific kind of accident?"

Gina shrugged, a pleased smile flirting along the corners of her mouth. "I'm not picky. I think something simple would work fine. You know, poison in his meal, a random stabbing in a back alley."

Kate clenched her fist around the pen in her hand.

"All that matters is that there is no possible way this is ever tied back to me."

"I can assure you, Ms. Cowell, you have nothing to worry about. Did you bring the required materials?"

"Ah, yes." Gina pulled her purse into her lap, retrieving a manila envelope from the tote and sliding it across the table towards Kate. "All you need to know about him is in there," she informed Kate, nodding to the envelope. She reached into the bag once more and presented a smaller, but thicker envelope next, placing it atop the one holding her husband's information. "Half of your payment is there. You'll get the rest once the job is done."

Kate plucked the smaller package from the table, carefully removing the thin strip of tape keeping the flap in place and skimming her fingers through the layers of hundred dollar bills. Satisfied with the amount enclosed, she folded the flap back down, smoothing her thumb over the still functional tape to seal the envelope. She then slipped both packages into her backpack and returned her gaze to the expectant woman across the table.

"Time frame?"

"Within the next few weeks would be nice. I'm not in a hurry, but sooner rather than later is best," Gina decided after only a second of thought. "I doubt it would take you long to seduce him anyway, since that is the route I recommend you take. A woman with your looks – he'll be stumbling all over himself for you within a day."

Gina's eyes flickered to a group diners inhabiting a nearby table, tracking the other patrons with an assessing gaze, and Kate used the moment of reprieve to take a deep breath, tucking a stray curl of hair behind her ear. What her newest client was asking her to do was out of her comfort zone, hardly part of her job description, but her physical appearance tended to play a role in her profession, especially when the target was a male. And Gina was paying her to do exactly as she instructed, so if seduction was part of the assignment, Kate could handle it.

"You do know it costs extra, to have me associating with the target like that."

"No worries," Gina waved her off. "If you pull this off without a hitch, I'll even give you a bonus."

Gina rose from her seat, smoothed her hands over her pencil skirt and through the perfectly styled waves of her hair, looking far too put together for a woman who had just organized her husband's murder.

"Oh, and a suggestion?"

Kate gritted her teeth behind a closed lipped smile. Her time with Gina Cowell was already beginning to wear on her patience and she didn't need some controlling gold-digger telling her how to do her job. "Of course."

"He'll be at a book signing in Los Angeles this upcoming weekend. I included his schedule and hotel information in the packet. I figured it might be easier if this incident occurred while he was away from home."

Kate nodded. It was a smart plan, a premeditated plan. "I'll take your idea into consideration."

"Great. There's a plane ticket and hotel reservation in there if you decide to go through with it," she grinned, her gaze narrowing just slightly, expectantly, and Kate realized it wasn't really a suggestion at all.

"You received the contract from my employer?" Kate questioned and Gina tilted her head towards Kate's backpack.

"I included it with the information."

"And you're sure this is what you want?"

Gina arched an eyebrow at her. "Positive."

Kate sighed internally, but nodded her acceptance.

"His name?" Kate asked as Gina slung her purse over her shoulder.

The woman smiled at her, a show for other patrons who may be watching the two of them, but the smile wasn't pleasant up close. It was wicked and conniving and sent a chill down Kate's spine.

"Richard Castle."