Hunter's Games (39 page)

“This is about
you
, you overwhelming waste of sperm, and the fact you’ve been beating on your poor wife for so many years, somebody has felt it necessary to hire a professional assassin—that’s me, by the way—to kill you. So, any last words?”

Fear spreads across his face like the plague across Europe. Pure terror etches on every inch of his bloodstained features. He repeatedly opens his mouth to speak, but every time he does, words seem to fail him. He’s the epitome of a beaten man, and he’s about to reap everything he’s spent the last few years sowing.

“I’ll take that as a
no
,” I say, having given him ample opportunity to say something deep and meaningful.

Without any further warnings, I squeeze the trigger three times, putting one bullet in his balls, one in his stomach, and one between his eyes. In that order.

I’m a killer; there’s no escaping that. I made peace with what I do a long time ago. But I’m not a bad person, and I take no pleasure in doing what I do for a living. I certainly don’t intentionally make people suffer unless I absolutely have to. I look at what I do as being similar to working in a slaughterhouse. It’s a dirty, messy business, but it needs doing and you do it as humanely as possible. But, as an exception, I felt compelled to make sure that in the last few seconds of his life, Jonathon Faber felt pain he couldn’t have imagined. It might not seem like much, but I did it for his wife and I’m sure she’d agree it made all the difference.

I look around the hallway. The blood has stained the walls and the expensive-looking beige carpet. I make sure not to step in any as I walk back down the hall and into the living room, which is the first door on the left. I carefully walk across the room in search of a pen, ensuring I don’t touch anything and leave any forensic evidence. I see one on the side and take it, then reach into my back pocket and pull out a blank check. I write out the check to Tania Faber, for the amount of fifty thousand dollars—what her brother intended paying me for the job. I keep the pen and retrace my steps back into the hallway. I place the check on Jonathon Faber’s dead body. I take one last look around then open the front door, covering my hand with my jacket so I don’t leave any prints. I walk casually across the street, for the sake of appearances to anyone who might be looking, and climb in the Winnebago.

“You good?” asks Josh.

I look at the house, then at him.

“I’m good. Tell our client to tell his sister she should make a fresh start. I’ve left her with a little something to help her on her way.”

I stare out of the window, gazing at nothing in particular as my mind instantly wanders back to the larger task ahead of us. I can feel Josh staring at me silently for a moment, but I ignore him. He worries too much. I’m fine, just a little pre-occupied, which is understandable.

Without another word, he pulls away from the curb and we set off, back on the road and heading for Pittsburgh.

So, there you have it!

To find out what happens next in this exciting new Adrian Hell action thriller, head over to
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