>>10540748"Does that feel good?" Lonergan asks, as he continues Cassie's foot massage.
"It's perfect," she replies.
She reflects on what he asked a short while ago. How can someone like her ever be washed up? How indeed. But yet, it's what happened. Her success over the years pushed her higher and higher until she was sitting in an office giving orders instead of sharpening her claws by executing them. She's not the lean, mean Irish Widowmaker of Dublin anymore. Yet she's approached her time in the WWA as if she is. But while her maturity may have robbed her of the insane level of speed and stamina she possessed as an assassin, it's given her something else besides the greater strength that came with a thicker, more mature body. Wisdom and experience.
"Raquel was right, I am complacent," Cassie says. "I've underestimated her, and so many others. But no more."
"What's the plan, boss?" Lonergan asks.
"Over the years in my line of work, I've discovered the value of allies. Having someone to watch your back, or even just to motivate you like Misquita does for Raquel. And yet I haven't done the same as a wrestler. I've forged no alliances in the WWA, because I felt I could do it all alone. It's time I accelerated my efforts to change that."
She sits up. "I want to meet with Kasumi as soon as possible. She's good, but she's rash, hotheaded. She could be so much more with my experience behind her. And that other girl that's always in Club Xtacy, Ratasha. She has the look of a star and showed her potential when she put that old lady down. But outside of that, she's wasted her talent. If I could change that, even a little, she'd be a valuable ally."
Lonergan nods. "I'll ensure you're notified if either of them are spotted in Club Xtacy."
"Good." Cassie sits up. "I've lost today's battle. But this business is a war, and it's not one I intend to lose."
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