“And why am I considered a loose tie?”
I shrug. “You’re his therapist, he might have told you something. I don’t know.”
“And why are you helping me?”
“As I said before, I’m after the Jade Serpent. They’re after you. Therefore, you’re the perfect bait to draw them out so I can kill them.”
“So that’s all I am to you?”
“Yep. Hey, it’s better than being a bounty. At least I don’t want you dead,” I say.
“Why are you after this “Jade Serpent” organization?” she asks.
“I used to work for them and when I say work, I mean they enslaved me as a kid and trained me to become one of their many deadly weapons.”
“So, everything you said back there was true?” she asks.
“Of course, why wouldn’t it be?”
“This is all way too much to handle!”
I pull off at the next exit and pull into a parking lot for carpools.
“Of course it is,” I say as I park the car.
“What are we doing?” she asks.
“Trading cars. We can’t just drive this stolen car around. It tends to draw attention.”
“You stole this car?” She stares at me all wide-eyed and slack-jawed.
“Of course, you can’t expect me to drive the same car around everywhere. Might as well put up a sign that says bounty here on the windshield,” I say as I get out.
She gets out too. “Thank god I keep a spare car hidden for occasions like these.”
I walk over and unlock the Prius.
“Get in,” I say as I hop into the driver’s seat of the Prius and start her up.
Once she hops in I take off and get back on the highway.
“Where are we going?” she asks.
“One of my safe houses. It’s not that far from here.”
“When will I get to see my friends and family again?” she asks.
“When everyone after you is dead.”
“What? But… That could take forever. What if…”
“Relax. Just calm down.”
“How can I calm down? I was almost killed by an assassin. Now I’m on the run for my life with another assassin. And you want me to relax?”
“You are strung up way too tight. Here. Let me put on some music. That usually helps.” I turn the radio on to a girl band.
“Music isn’t going to help! How can you be so calm?”
“This is a walk in the park for me. I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember. Just keep your cool and do what I say. You’ll be fine.”
I turn off the next exit and after a few miles turn off into a subdivision. As I pass house after house, I finally pull into one at the far end. I park the car in the garage and we both get out.
“This is the safe house?” she asks looking around.
“Yep, one of them at least.”
“Not what I was expecting,” she says as she follows me inside.
“And what were you expecting?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Something shabby and run down piece of garbage. Maybe a crack house or something.”
“Yeah, that’s what most people expect. But no one expects an upscale suburban house. We’ll hide in plain sight. You just have to act like a suburban housewife and no one will suspect a thing.”
We stroll into the average and plan looking kitchen. “There’s food in the fridge. Eat whatever you like. I’ll run to the store later and stock up on groceries. You should probably make a list if you want anything.”
“Oh, and also. You probably should stay inside for the time being. It’s best to be incognito. Decreases the odds the bad guys will find you,” I say.
I open the door and head downstairs.
“I was expecting lots of weapons and whatnot,” she says. “This place looks fairly simple and… Well. Normal.”
Of course, she follows me down. As soon as I turn on the lights, she lets out a gasp.
“Most of the house looks normal, besides for scattered caches of weapons here and there, but the basement is my armory.”
There’s a large vault door and behind it, is a room almost as big as the basement itself. Weapons lined the walls. A large 10 monitor computer takes up the entire back wall. Adjacent to it is a large cork board with pictures, articles, and bios of all my targets with string and tacks connecting them together. I walk over and grab a Sharpy to X out Frank, the hitman who attacked back at the head shrinks office. A bunk bed lays against the wall. A couch sits next to the bed and there are a few shelves with a year’s worth of nonperishable food.
“Make yourself at home,” I say.
“Right…” She says with such a flat tone. She looks as if she just ate something fowl.
“You know, we never got a chance to finish our session? I think we were about to make a breakthrough before we were so rudely interrupted?” I say as I shut the vault door.
“Are you serious?” she asks.
“What? You are a therapist, right?” I ask.
“My life has just been turned upside down and you want me to counsel you?” she asks.
“Sounds about right,” I say.
“Unbelievable!” she collapses on the couch as her head falls into her hands. She starts to cry. Shit… I should probably say something. I’ve never been really good in moments like these. I take a seat next to her and place my hand on her back.
“Hey, cheer up. I’ll kill them all eventually and then you can go back to being a head shrink,” I say. Fuck, I said head shrink, didn’t I? “I mean, therapist.”
She looks up at me with bloodshot eyes. “Is there really going back?”
“Who knows. One things for sure, you’re still alive. Anything could happen.”
She leans into me and wraps her arms around my waist. “Thank you.”
As gently as I can, I pull her in tight. She buries her head into my chest. Just then, my phone goes off.
I pull myself away from her and answer it. “I’ve got a lead on Garvoni. He’s meeting with a senator. You have a small window to pick him off.”
“Awesome, send me the location. I’m on my way.”
I hang up and I get a buzz. I look down to see an address. He’s on the 8th floor. His room is facing the south and I could easily have a clear shot in one of the other buildings. “I’ve got to go.”
“What! You’re leaving. You can’t just leave me here by myself.”
“Just stay inside this vault. It can only be opened from the inside or by myself. I won’t be long.”
“Please, just come back,” she cries. I take one last look back at her before closing the vault door. I toss me gear over my shoulder and head out.
—
On the rooftop
The information I was given was right. At the moment, the man I’m after, James Garvoni is in a meeting with his clients. Look at him. His balding head reflects the light as beads of sweat drip down his fat face.
This is the man who is responsible for kidnapping so many kids from their families, myself included. If it wasn’t for him, I could’ve lived a normal life. I could’ve grown up with my family and masturbated my teenage years away. I probably would’ve gotten into drugs. Maybe knocked up a girl or two. Who knows… The point is, I never got those chances all because of this man. And look, the man standing behind him is his henchman. The one who follows out his orders, Calvin his name is and he’s on my shit list as well.
I take in a deep breath as I line up my sight. I take one last look at the man who ruined my life and slowly squeeze the trigger. I watch from 1,500 meters away as his brains splatter everywhere. I take another deep breath and pull the trigger once more. Calvin’s neck bursts, creating such sophisticated artwork on the wall with his blood. Such a masterpiece