Troy Weight: Assassin of the Year I

Even the dog felt Troy's excitement. He wagged his tail and stuck out his tongue. He didn't know what for; if his owner was happy, he was delighted. Troy looked at him, smiling ear to ear.

"It's coming. Babe! How long do the new amazon drones take to deliver a box?" he shouted at her.

A few hours, at the least. Depending on air traffic." She shouted back.

He let out a deep cackle of joy before ordering. Then he knelt down to scratch behind his dog's ears. He reached up to lick Troy's face, but the cuddling was overbearing. Troy bolted to his wife in the bathroom. She was pulling her hair back in a ponytail with a hair tie in her mouth. He picked her up while kissing her neck. His love was appreciated but uncalled for at the moment.

"Okay, okay. I'm trying to—let me go!" she laughed.

"I ordered it. Hopefully, it'll be here soon."

"Well, while you wait, I'm going to go for a run."

The doorbell rang. "No way! That was quick." Troy ran to the door. He yanked it open, looking down to see a small box on his doorstep. The drone backed up and scanned him briefly before flying away. It had military-grade armor all over it. Troy left the package there and shut the door. He backed away slowly to the closet by the stairs. Inside was a large assault rife he pulled out.

"Honey!" He cried, "We gotta code seven."

"A what?" she said, coming down the stairs.

"Get the bomb case. The drone was military grade and scanned me."

She ran to the basement to grab a suitcase and haul it up the stairs. Troy gave her the rifle as he put on the bomb suit. She walked around the house, closing all the blinds to the windows and double-checking the locks. Troy took the box to the living room and left it on the table. He scanned it. No bomb components, but it began ticking.

"It's ticking?" She asked.

"But it's not a bomb."

The ticking went faster.

"Shit," They said.

She ran to the fridge and pulled everything out before crawling in and closing the door. Troy panicked and flipped over the dining room table. He dove behind it and braced for impact. "Bones, get over here!" The dog barked as he ran to him.

The box opened, confetti shot out, and music played. Troy saw that it wasn't a threat. He got up and walked over to the box. Inside were two cards with their names: Troy Weight and Rachael Weight.

"Rachael, we're good."

She crawled out of the fridge with some food on her. Bones began to lick it.

"What is it?" she asked.

"An invitation." Troy opened his letter.

You are invited to the first annual Assassin of the Year Award Ceremony. Please RSVP by November 29th, 2022. The ceremony is on December 2nd, 2022. Those who do not RSVP will have their personal information released to the public and sent to government agencies. The location of the ceremony is below. Attire is Formal. Small firearms and knives are allowed.

- Tyler Brand

Behind the invitation was a picture of a heavy-set man with dark orange hair and smiling. Above his picture was the word; WANTED: Tyler Brand. Below read; REWARD 1,000,000 USD. On the back of the photograph were sixteen small images of people with prices under their names. Rachael and Troy were on it. At the top, read; ASSASSINS NOMINATED.

They looked at each other. Troy wouldn't kill his wife for money. But she was already plotting to kill him.

"We don't really have a choice, do we." He asked.

She shook her head. "All of us there with a price on our head is a blood bath."

"Why would Tyler do this? He knows he has a bounty on his head." Troy began taking off the bomb suit. "Unless we do the math. If we take out everyone else, that's more than his bounty."

"And that's probably what he wants. All of us to take out each other and pay us off. We also don't know if he really has our information."

She helped him take off the bomb suit, then sat on the couch with Bones still licking Rachel. "What if we kill him and take the information. We auction it to the highest bidder."

"And if he doesn't have our information?"

"We've done everyone else a favor, and they owe us. Debt is better than money.

She danced the thought around in her mind before responding. "We should make a copy of it too."

"Obviously."

"I guess I'll shower and change so I can go dress shopping."

"Imagine if I won Assassin of the Year."

"You just might. He didn't nominate Mike."

"That's right because he knows I'm bigger, badder, and better than Mike."

She kissed his forehead, "Badder isn't a word. And yes, you are slightly better."

"Don't forget bigger." He flexed his muscles.

"Calm down, T, you're good. The big ones hurt. She got up and walked upstairs.

"Damn right—wait—Rachael, what do you mean? Rachael!"

Bones barked as Troy chased after her.