A beautiful night at the Casino Monte Carlo, Monaco.

"Nya!"

Rica basked in the obscene wealth on display at the magnificent hotel casino. Everywhere she looked, well dressed millionaires gambled away in the presence of beautiful woman in the luxurious casino. The eleven year old twirled in circles on the betting floor, flashing her jailbait legs in a violet gown.  

"Rica, you're not a top! Stop spinning and keep your eyes open!" scolded Rica’s mother, Reyna Rai.

"But ma-ah-om!” Rica pouted and spun in front of the burly man she was hired to protect. "Boss Andre look, Grrrr!"  Rica, showed him her teeth.

"Oh, they are lovely!" he replied, enjoying her young presence. He then turned to Reyna, "Ah-lo, Reyna! Don't yell at Princess Rica, hanh! She can spin in za casino all she wants, hanh!" His thick French accent drowning his english.

"Andre, you tell me how to raise my kid again and you and me are gonna have words!" Reyna shot back with a glare, in her stunning white gown and diamond earrings. 

"Izzat zo?" said Andre, leering at her with a smile, "But villainous Reyna, I didn't hire you for your words, hahaha!" he laughed with his guests and six bodyguards. 

"Hmph!" pouted Reyna masking a smile.  She turned to Rica, "Baby, leave Andre alone and run a sweep."

"Right!" 

Rica walked onto the casino floor and called Reyna with an earphone.

"Mom, can you hear me?"

"I hear you honey. Start by the slots, profile anyone looking this way!"

"Got it!" Rica hustled over and scanned the slot machines for young men aged twenty one to thirty, with military fit bodies. Men who posed a threat to Andre.

"All clear here, just older men and their young girlfriends and-" Rica paused, cocking her head.

"And what? What do you see?"

"Nothing. Some waiter made eye contact with me," she answered.

"Who made eye contact with you? What’s he look like?"

"He looks too young to be a waiter here, and he's the only Asian- oh no!" the waiter pulled a gun, "Mom, three o'clock!"

“Crap!” yelled Reyna and tackled Boss Andre to the ground as three bullets struck and killed his head bodyguard. Patrons panicked at the commotion. Then the casino went dark.

"Rica, he's gonna esca-"

"I'm on him!" Rica shouted.

The shooter doubled back but Rica tracked him in the shadows. Within seconds the emergency lights beamed on and Rica cornered him in a hallway, "Gotcha!" or so she thought.

The shooter smiled at her and ran left up a flight of stairs to a wing under construction.

"Hey! you messin with me, man?" she yelled.

"What's happening?" asked Reyna in the earphone.

"I'm still on him, he ran up-"

"What? Rica! It's a trap-"

Whooosh! Kangggg!

Rica blocked a flying dagger with her bayonet, pulled from her leg garter. Following the dagger, the shooter whirled a roundhouse kick at Rica's face. But Rica’s assassin sigil is mongoose, a fast creature. She evaded his roundhouse and countered with a straight kick to his shoulder. Pow!

Surprised from the blow the shooter reeled back. Rica charged him with a frontal knife attack. Whoosh! Whoosh! sounds cut the air as he dodged her lightning fast strikes. In the melee he pulled back and recovered his dagger.

Kang! Kang!

Bayonet on dagger clashed as he blocked two of her attacks. Cautious, the fighters backed off with their blades held close. They paced each other's movement, probing for a strike.

"Rica, where are you?" Rica’s earphone dropped by her foot, the shooter heard Reyna’s voice.

"You're name's Rica?” the shooter asked. “You're an American."

Rica faced him, and thought, And you’re a pretty teenage boy, but he spoke again.

"I know you," he said in a Korean accent, "You're the snake-ferret, and your mother is a demon, yes?"

"Hunh?" Rica didn't know what to say, this freaking guy. Suddenly footsteps marched up behind her. Reyna with Casino security.

The outnumbered shooter bolted to a window and faced Rica, "Snake-ferret, my name is Ko," then he jumped out.

"Wait!" she yelled, watching him drop three flights and tumbling on the grass below. He recovered and gazed up at her, and she at him. "I'm a mongoose, not a snake-ferret!" she shouted. He heard her, and escaped.

"Rica?" Reyna and the casino security entered the barely constructed room. The casino security wanted to question Rica but Boss Andre's bodyguard, Laurent, told them to piss off.

Soon the Monaco police arrived and from there Reyna and Rica retreated to their suite. They weren’t talking to anyone.

Questions

Rica opened the curtains of her and Reyna's fabulous two bedroom master suite. Fully furnished with a skyline view. But the scenery took a back seat as Reyna listened to Rica.

"He was a real fighter, he dodged my attacks like a pro!" said Rica, pacing in the suite living room.

"Hmm, not an amateur on a suicide mission, but his target, hmm, " said Reyna, laying on a beautiful white couch.

"Eh, you don't think his target was Boss Andre?" Rica asked.

"Somehow I doubt it. What else can you tell me, baby?"

"He was Korean and when he heard you say my name, he knew who I was. He called me a snake-ferret, and asked if my mom was a demon."

"Snake-ferret? That means he knows who Rifle Girls are. Maybe he’s a fan. The question is, what will he do now, knowing we’re here protecting Boss Andre?” Reyna pondered.

Bing! Bong! The suite doorbell, "Ah-Lo, Miss Reyna, it's Laurent," said the bodyguard from the hallway.

"Oh crap, Rica stall him!" yelled Reyna, running in the bathroom with her makeup bag.

“Hee, hee, Mom's funny!”

“I can hear you!”

“Nyah!”

Boss Andre's bodyguard Laurent was dreamy hot so Reyna stayed sexy around him, on principle.

Rica cracked the door open, "Ah-lo, Miss Rica, is-"

"Hi Laurent! My mom is here. Just give her a second while she dolls up for you, heh heh!" teased Rica.

"Shut up Rica!" Reyna popped in all dolled up with fresh touched eyebrows and lipstick. Rica chuckled at how fast she fixed her face.

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"Miss Reyna, Boss wants to plan our next move," said Laurent.

"Not a problem, let's go. Rica, go find something to do!"

"Yes yes!"

"One 'Yes' is enough young lady!" growled Reyna, vanishing down the hall with Laurent.

Rica'd be fine, she had a plan. The private spas on the roof were open by appointment, and she had an eleven pm reservation for a private pool and a hot tub, good times.

A Step Ahead

Splish, Splash! "Nyah, this is the life!" laughed Rica, swimming in the rooftop pool. She loved her new two piece red and blue swimsuit, but felt lonely with no one to see it.

"Mou! maybe it's better no one see's me," she frowned examining her little girl frame.

Bam! A loud crash. A pool chair fell from a rack behind her.

"What the heck?" she shouted, seeing movement behind the rack. Slip! Slop! wet footsteps.

Rica leapt out the pool and pulled her M24 rifle, Strongbow, from his bag. Hell yeah she brought Strongbow to the pool.

Click! Clack! She loaded a round in his chamber, "I will shoot if you don't show yourself!"

The person hiding stood up, it was Ko.

"It's you!" yelped Rica.

"Please don't shoot," he shouted with his hands raised. He emerged near naked. He wore dark blue swimming trunks, and his well defined teenage abs and chest, nothing else.

Rica admired his body, but she kept Strongbow aimed and ready to pop his pretty ass if he moved funny.

"Boy, you got balls coming here-"

"I came to see you," he said.

"Eh? Why would you do that?" she asked, tensing her rifle.

"An M24, so it's true. You girls fight with bolt action rifles, why?"

"Because were deadly with them!" she answered with pride.

He lowered his hands, and gazed at her slim frame.

"Hey buddy! Don't get any ideas!" she barked.

"Buddy? My name is Ko," he laughed and jumped in the pool, splashing Rica.

“This guy!” she cursed to herself, and lowered her rifle.

Ko slicked back his wet hair. "But you know my name, don't you Mongoose?" he asked.

"I know what you call yourself-"

"Your name is Rica?” he asked. 

“Yes, that's me,” she said.  

“I like your name, are you free to talk?” he asked.

“Talk? Listen 'Ko’, you tried to kill the man-"

"No, I killed the man I was hired to kill."

Rica paused, he could be lying. She was unsure of his motive, but he seemed to want to hang out.  

"What do you want from me?" she asked with a squint-eyed stare.

"I wanted to get to know you," he blushed.

"You mean you wanna hear me talk? Uhhh... Ok!"

The under-age assassins moved from the pool to the hot tub, and Ko learned that western preteen girls love talking. Ko sat close to Rica, she didn’t mind, he was pretty. But she had a lot to say, except for one topic.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked.

"Eh? Why would you ask me that? It's not like-"

"I'm sorry, please, forget I as-"

"No, it's ok. I do have a boy, I like him," she turned away.

Ko caressed her hair, and whispered, "Good for him."

Rica trembled, she wasn't good at this. She enjoyed playing the flirty little girl, but when time to deliver the goods, she tensed.

Ko read her body language and backed off, but held her waist in the water. She let him.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"Eleven, I'll be twelve in November, Sagittarius."

"Ha! Still a baby!" he laughed.

"Yeah, what about you?"

"I turned thirteen in April... Aries," he replied.

"Aries? Oh, I got you now, heh heh!" said Rica, figuring him out. He still held her.

A voice called out from the changing room. "Rica? Are you out there!" 

Rica's eyes widened, "That's my Mom!"

Ko jumped out of the tub into a defensive stance. Rica assured him.

"Ko, it's ok, she-"

"Rica, I'm one step ahead of you!" he warned, running to the exit.

"Ko!" she yelled and he stopped, but didn't turn around, "You may be a step ahead of me, but I won't lose to you!" she vowed. He smiled back at her,  accepting her challenge.

"I'm sure you'll try, Mongoose!"

"Rica, are you talking to someone- Oh wow! That's a big hot tub! How long have you been here?" asked Reyna walking in the pool room.

"Uhh, I haven't been here long, there was someone here, but they left."

"Good, more room for us!" Reyna dropped her robe to reveal her little black bikini. With all the right curves.

"Mou!" cried Rica, jealous of Reyna's proper contours.

"What's your problem?" asked Reyna, rubbing bath oil on her body.

"Nothing! hmph," pouted Rica, but she had to ask, "Ma! if you let a boy touch your hips is that cheating?"

"Cheating? Tch! Time for Mother's advice. Baby, unless a man provides you a home, puts a rock on your finger, and treats you like a princess, he will have no claim to you. Which means any man you want can touch your hips, hmph!"

"Mother, you're too much!" Rica chuckled.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, you're the best and I love you!"

"Of course you do, Mommy tries hard. Now, rub this oil on my back!"

"Yeah, I'll rub it alright!" Rica smacked a glob of oil on Reyna's back.

"Aaaah! Rica you put too much, it's cold!"

"Yaaaa! You get the service you pay for, don't you?" laughed evil Rica.

"You jealous brat!"

"Hee, heeeee!"

The Rifle Girls soaked away the evening stress. Afterward they hit their suite. Busy day tomorrow.