"So you don't know the others," she said, more statement than question.
The mongoose shook his head frantically. "No! No, we don't! That's the rule! We don't know each other! We work alone! It's safer that way—for everyone!"
Drip. Drip.
Blood continued pooling beneath him.
Kaya stood slowly, her mind working through the implications. The problem was becoming clearer now. If there were five hitmen, and they didn't know each other, then tracking them down would be nearly impossible. They were ghosts. Shadows. Operating independently, taking jobs through an anonymous broker, never leaving trails.
And if whoever wanted her dead had hired one...
"Did they hire all five of you?" Kaya asked suddenly, looking down at him. "Or just you?"
The mongoose's eyes widened. "I... I don't know! We don't communicate! Each job is separate! I only know my own contracts!"
Kaya's expression darkened.
