With a last drag from the cigarette, I lowered the window and flicked it out. As I was raising up the glass, I caught sight of the white van. It was parked two spaces down from me. The more I stared at the vehicle; there were similar scratch marks and dents on the driver’s side of the van.
It looked like the exactly like one that sat in front of Regina’s apartment building this morning.
From my vantage point, I could see that the engine was running, and the guy in the driver’s seat was fixed on the second floor.
I snagged my phone and texted Krew to stay away from the window. Then I slowly reached for my glove box and retrieved my Ruger and silencer. This was a shitty area, and the sounds of gunshots would not be uncommon, but I didn’t want to attract anyone’s attention. Especially unwanted witnesses. Or the cops.
When the driver looked down, I carefully slipped out of the truck, left the door ajar, and dropped to a crouch position. I got to my truck’s taillight and glanced around, making sure nobody was nearby.
Cleared to go, I dashed to the back of the van. Surprising the fucker was my goal, since he was on the driver’s side and in case he had a gun ready. I had no room for error.
If it was me, I’d have the doors locked—not every hitter thought like I did, though. If I had to, I’d shoot through the glass.
After I took a slow even inhale, screwed on the silencer, and slinked to the passenger side. I didn’t hesitate—I reached for the handle and yanked the door open.
Luck was on my side because the idiot hadn’t locked the doors. The driver snapped his head in my direction and audibly gasped.
“Surprise, dumbass.” I aimed my gun at his head. “Oh, no, you don’t. Keep your hands where I can see them, unless you want to find out just how fast I can splatter your brain all over the window.”
The hitman’s gun was on his lap. And from the fury boiling in his pale blue eyes, the hitman wasn’t about to listen.
“Final warning,” I said evenly, giving no clue to how trigger happy I was feeling in that moment.
He must have seen that I wouldn’t give two shits about putting a bullet in his brain. He slowly raised his hands and sneered, “What do you want?”
“Just warning you that you’re going after the wrong people. Those two up there aren’t the ones you’re looking for. I just confirmed it with my handler. So if you want to stay alive, I suggest you leave.”
One side of his lip curled up and the coldness in his eyes revealed everything I needed to know. He didn’t believe me. In a flash, he reached for the gun in his lap. He was fast, but not faster than me.
I pulled the trigger, nailing him in the right eye. On impact, the back of his head bounced against the driver’s side window and he slumped over. Blood oozed from the now-hollowed-out orifice, and his brain matter dripped down the cracked glass.
I waited a moment, listening intently for the sounds of any commotion around us. There was nothing except for normal parking lot noise.
I climbed into the van—keeping the gun pointed at his head, I checked his pockets for identification. I pulled his wallet from his coat pocket—a sure sign of his inexperience, and glanced at the driver’s license. “Thomas J. Malone,” I uttered in a snort before shoving the wallet back in my pocket.
I then manipulated the dead man’s hand to turn off the van and I climbed out. Using my shirt, I manually engaged all the door locks and wiped my prints off the door handle.
This place wasn’t safe anymore. Eventually someone would discover the dead body in the van and they’d call the cops and report it.
I had to get Regina and Krew out of here before another killer showed up. Though, that was the simple part. Telling them about Maya’s involvement, and the screwed-up contracts wasn’t going to be easily explained.
There was no clear-cut way to break the news to them gently. I was pretty sure Krew would take it well. But Regina? Based on her reactions so far, she wouldn’t handle it well.
I returned my gun to the glove box, locked the truck, and rushed back up to the room with only one purpose, to get my friends out of there. Instead, I ended up walking into chaos, with Regina and Krew screaming at each other.
Chapter Twelve
Regi
I slowly opened my eyes, and took in the warmth and quiet that surrounded me. Then memories snapped into place, destroying the peace and throwing everything off-kilter. I sat up straight and looked around as panic lodged in my chest.
Through the semi-darkness of the room, my eyes sliced to the window’s closed curtains, then to the chair adjacent to the bed. I rubbed my eyes to clear away the remaining fuzziness and froze. Someone sat there. It was too dark to see their face, and the silhouette was so still, I swore it was a ghost. Except, I didn’t believe in apparitions.
A spike of fear laced with panic sliced through me, as I swallowed the hard lump that lodged in my throat.
Then I noted the shaved head. “Krew?” I unsteadily whispered his name, almost afraid that the shadow would answer back no.
“It’s me, Krew.” He turned in the chair and moved the curtains a bit to let in a little light.
