I let out a low whistle as if I’m impressed by this kind of money. I mean in the grand scheme of things, he paid a quarter of a million dollars for a writing instrument, so by normal people pen buying standards, he’s basically offering me the equivalent of a hundred dollars to take care of his problem.
I’m a little insulted.
“He must have done something to really piss you off.”
“You could say that.”
Putting out a hit on him would probably do it, though I still have no way to know he knows there’s a hit out on him. It’s not as though he’ll volunteer that information.
“When do you need it done by?”
He lets out a sigh. “As soon as possible, but that’s not very realistic, is it? You know Dante is always surrounded by heavy guard. He’s a hard man to get to.”
Just like you.
I nod and swirl my brandy around as though I’ve been savoring it this whole time.
“Did you plan to come to the Masquerade Ball on Halloween?” Windsor asks.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“You could bring the piece of ass with you.”
It takes all my self-control not to explode. I’m pretty certain he’s just playing a role now. His tastes run a lot younger.
“I could,” I say noncommittally.
“I’m inviting Dante. You could do it here.”
“It’s a lot of people. It’s pretty risky. A lot could go wrong. I’d need hazard pay.”
“What if I raise it to seven and I’ll let you stash weapons in my house ahead of time and turn off the security cameras? I’ll make sure my guards are all at the party and no one’s in the video surveillance room.”
“And I’m supposed to take that on a word and a handshake?”
“You can check it all out yourself. If it doesn’t meet your standards, you can postpone the kill. It’s a masquerade ball, so you’ll already be wearing a mask, and all the men will be dressed the same. Black tuxedos. Not a lot of variation there. It’s perfect cover.”
Yes, I’d thought pretty much the same thing. It doesn’t sit right with me that my target is now planning the kill of myemployer a bit too closely to my own plans. I’m still not sure how much he knows or if he just suspects.
“Nine,” I say.
“Done.”
This guy? No, he doesn’t know about the contract. Maybe he suspects Dante is moving in that direction, but I’d bet he doesn’t know it’s already active and that it’s me. Drake Windsor doesn’t have the balls to invite his killer into his private study with a counter offer. That’s actually more Dante’s style.
“I assume this isn’t an open contract,” I say, keeping my tone neutral.
“Oh, God no! Could you imagine the scandal?”
“Then why did you invite five of my colleagues to this party? It’s really not your crowd.”
“Backups, in case you said no.”
“The money’s good enough, and you know I don’t have many scruples.”
“It’s what I love about you, Brian.”
“Then you’ve got yourself a killer.” I raise the glass of brandy and take the risk. This little bitch doesn’t have the balls to poison me.
