Total pages in book: 11
Estimated words: 10371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 52(@200wpm)___ 41(@250wpm)___ 35(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 10371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 52(@200wpm)___ 41(@250wpm)___ 35(@300wpm)
Opening the passenger door, I take off her backpack, and I lift her into the seat. I watch her buckle up before I place her bag in the backseat.
Quickly, I walk around to the driver’s side and get in.
As I turn on the car, I glance over at Claire noticing how small she looks sitting in the large leather seat. Sometimes, I forget how tiny she is.
“Next time someone bothers you, you tell me right away, okay?”
“Okay,” she murmurs, but I don’t quite believe her.
“Did you tell anyone else about it? Your dad or your teachers?” I ask as we drive down the road.
“No.” She shakes her head and starts to shift in her seat, nervously. “Telling people makes it worse. I don’t want to draw attention to myself.”
“Not when I handle it. You tell me, and I’ll take care of it. Deal?”
She nods, but I’m still not convinced. “Maybe I should talk to your dad?”
“No! I’ll tell him,” her voice climbs and drops again when she adds, “he doesn’t like you very much.”
I noticed. The question is, why? Clearly, it’s not because he worries about his daughter’s safety or wellbeing. Could he possibly know who I work for? Is it possible he’s simply scared of me?
A few minutes later, we pull up in front of my place. My eyes immediately go to the beat-up Honda in front of Claire’s house. Her dad must be home early from work.
The front door flies open, and her father steps out on the porch. His eyes immediately find mine, accusing me of something without even knowing what happened.
“I-I got to go,” Claire’s voice is shaky, and when I look over to her, I notice that the rest of her is shaking too.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing… I mean… I’m not supposed to get in anyone’s car.”
“I’ll talk to him, explain what happened.”
“No, it’s fine.” Claire opens her door and slides out of the car.
Unbuckling myself, I’m about to get out of the car and run after her when my phone buzzes in my pocket.
Fuck!
I fish the sleek device out of my pocket and unlock it. Markus’ name flashes across the screen, and I know I can’t ignore the call, not even if I wanted to. Pressing the green answer key, I bring the phone to my ear.
“Yes,” I say, hoping I can keep the annoyance hidden from my voice.
“Meet me in fifteen minutes at the same place we used last time.” He ends the call, leaving no room for discussion, knowing that I’ll be there.
Looking up, I catch Claire and her father disappearing inside the house. Shit. I can’t make Markus wait. I’ll have to take care of Claire when I get back. At least she’s home now and away from the fuckers at the park.
Knowing she’ll be safe and content until I get back, I put the car in reverse and back out of the driveway, and head toward the warehouses in the industrial park.
The blood in my veins hums, and my finger slides over the trigger. The man is pleading for his life; a slew of excuses for not having the money he owes Julian fills the space. It’s hard to feel sorry for someone when you know the type of person they are. It’s not like this man borrowed money to care for his family. No, his debts are from gambling and using whores. His begging falls on deaf ears. Neither of us cares. We’re here to finish the job.
Markus gives me the head nod. I pull the trigger, keeping the gun steady in my hand. I don’t even blink in the time it takes for the bullet to whizz through the air and hit the fucker right between his eyes. The man’s eyes go vacant, and he slouches forward in the chair.
The sound echoes through the warehouse for seconds after life leaves his body. This is the way it is sometimes. One day you’re hunting someone down for a debt that’s owed, and the next, you’re putting a bullet in their head. It doesn’t matter to me what I have to do. That might be harsh, but that’s the reality of it.
I’m here because killing is something I like to do, and the paycheck isn’t bad either.
Markus turns, looking from the lifeless body and to me. “I’ll call for a cleanup crew and let the boss know the job is done.”
I nod and tuck my gun back into my pants. The first time I killed someone, I didn’t even blink, didn’t even feel a sliver of remorse. I knew then that I was made for this job. Since I’m eager to get back to Claire and explain to her father what was going on, I leave before the cleanup crew arrives.
The drive back home leaves me on edge, and I go a few miles over the speed limit to get to the house a little faster. I’m not sure what it is about Claire that makes me care so much. Part of me knows that it has to do with her being alone all the time. I know what it feels like to be alone as a kid, not to have anyone. I don’t want that for her.