Killing Game

by Felicity Heaton

  “Visual,” came a quiet voice over his earpiece.

  “Don’t fuck up,” Cain growled back at him and tried to push the lingering thoughts of Lily out of his head.

  “No, sir!” Russ laughed.

  Cain cringed.

  Always too confident.

  “Good to go.” The voice in his ear caused Cain to look down into the street. A large black limousine had pulled up precisely on time.

  Cain knew the driver. His signal would give him the all clear to get the hell out of Boston and back to New York. He wished he was on his way already. As the bodyguards stepped out of the car, he tried to keep his focus on the mark. He was a grey haired man in his mid-sixties who was about to be killed by his jealous ex-wife.

  Next thing Cain knew one of the bodyguards was slumping to the floor.

  Instinct told him everything he needed to know. Russ had rushed the shot and missed.

  The sound of his heartbeat accelerating filled Cain’s ears.

  His breathing came faster as he reacted automatically.

  “For fucks sake,” he growled and took a deep breath.

  “I’ll finish it.” Russ sounded panicked.

  He knew that Russ was more than useless now. He’d be too shaken up to do the job and a second shot from the same vicinity would make it too easy for people to pin-point where the killer was.

  “Fucking go, I’ll take care of it.”

  Sucking a deep breath in sharply, he aimed at the two below him—his mark and the remaining bodyguard. The world seemed to move in slow motion. They were starting towards the hotel doors, the Kevlar vest wearing bodyguard crowding the old man in an attempt to protect him.

  Cain steadied the gun and aimed at the back of the bodyguard, closing his eyes for a second as his finger squeezed the trigger.

  “Forgive me, Lily,” he whispered and opened his eyes as he took the shot.

  The gun recoiled slightly and he watched through the sight as the bullet ripped through the bodyguard’s armor and into the target he was protecting. He watched them both fall to the ground, and his world seemed to fall with them, all color draining from it as it turned hard, cold and grey again. Leaning back, he breathed deep, slow breaths to calm himself as he watched the people in the street crowding the scene and saw the driver turn the target’s body over, motioning a cross over his heart.

  Cain frowned on seeing the signal and then heaved a long sigh. Looking down at his hands, he chuckled slightly on seeing them trembling, his heart aching over what he’d done.

  He swallowed hard as he stared blankly at the gun and lost track of time, his mind emptying of thought as he felt his body grow numb.

  The sound of police sirens and Russ muttering something over his earpiece brought him back to the world.

  Grabbing everything that he could and leaving the gun behind, Cain dove out of the door. He ran to the window at the end of the hall, climbing out onto the fire escape and pounded hard down the metal stairs. His mind replayed the night he’d met Lily and it made his head spin as he felt like throwing up.

  Hitting the asphalt hard, he slung his bag over his shoulder and removed his earpiece, shoving it into his pocket as he walked down the alleyway and out of the vicinity of the hit.

  Cain frowned hard as he walked on autopilot, his feet leading him back to the place where the rental car was parked.

  He needed to get away.

  Had to get back to New York.

  Back to Lily.

  * * *

  Chapter 13

  Cain watched from the shadows as Lily moved from table to table, scribbling down the orders of the few straggling patrons. There were still a couple of hours until closing but it looked as though it had been a slow night. The stage lights had been switched off already and half the waitresses had either gone home or were in the back. There was only Lily and three other girls left working the tables.

  He frowned as one of the men patted Lily’s backside and she turned sharply to face him, her expression hard as she scowled.

  Enough was enough. He wasn’t going to let this go on any longer.

  Slipping through the shadows, he moved silently across the room and disappeared into the back before Lily had a chance to see him.

  Lily heaved a long sigh as she finally sat down for a break at the bar. She hated nights like these, not enough people to keep her busy and keep her away from the guys that were clearly ordering drinks just to get a chance to feel her up. Glancing down at her watch, she wondered if Cain would be back soon. He’d promised that he’d come straight to the club to see her, but there was no sign of him showing up yet.

  She couldn’t wait to see his face when she told him about Sarah being over to stay.

  “Hey, you’re the girl Cain’s chasing, aren’t you?” A slim redheaded woman sat down next to Lily and gave her a wide smile.

  “Chasing?” Lily frowned questioningly as she looked at the girl dressed in leather next to her. She didn’t recognize her as a regular at the club.

  “Come on, sweetie. I’ve seen him around you. Dogs are less protective of bitches in heat than he is with you.” The thin, pale girl beamed at her.

  “I’m sorry, you are?” Lily looked at the girl, slightly unnerved by the way she was looking back at her.

  “Name’s Sherry.”

  “You know Cain?”

  “I work with him, in a manner of speaking.” Sherry smiled mischievously.

  It sent a shiver through Lily.

  “And what is it you do?” she said, unable to bring herself to trust or believe anything this girl had to say. There was something about her that set Lily’s nerves alight. She shuffled away slightly as the girl leaned toward her.

  “Well, it isn’t landscape gardening.” She beamed.

  “Um... okay.” Lily resisted the temptation to arch a brow at her bizarre statement and cast a glance around her, looking for a possible avenue of escape—never anyone ordering when she needed them.

  “We work in the same field, but we’re in competition with each other most of the time.” Sherry flagged the bartender down and smiled at Lily again.

  “So, it’s like sales or something?” she said idly as she kept her eyes fixed on anything but the girl, silently wishing that she would either go away or someone would give her a reason to leave the stool.

  “You could say he works some pretty big contracts and I’d do anything to ensure he doesn’t hit his latest target.” Sherry ran her fingers down Lily’s hair.

  Lily swallowed noisily as she edged further away, giving the girl a disgusted look as her hand came to rest on her shoulder and she felt her fingers lightly stroking her skin. “Okay. Um... I have to... should get back to work... nice, um... meeting you.”

  “I’ll be seeing you, sweetie.” Sherry blew her a kiss and winked as she walked away.

  Lily just watched her go. Picking up an order, she pushed the weirdness of the meeting to the back of her mind. She met strange people on a nightly basis. This was nothing new and nothing to worry about. Really.

  * * *

  As he rounded the turn in the hallway, Cain took in every possible exit and all dangers. The only thing standing in between him and where he wanted to be was a single guy. Assessing the situation as he approached the bodyguard, Cain took a deep steadying breath and disarmed him with a warm smile.

  “You can’t...” The bodyguard didn’t have time to finish his sentence as Cain’s palm hit him hard under the jaw. He fell to the floor unconscious.

  In one fluid move, Cain was past him and had swung the office door open.

  “I’d like a word.” He kept his face emotionless and met the boss’s eyes without flinching.

  Mr. Valentino stared back at him.

  Cain heard the bodyguard slumped to the floor. Mr. Valentino didn’t look at all bothered by the fact he no longer had anyone to protect him but there was a spark in his eyes that made Cain smile. He knew his reputation had preceded him, and that most people believed he was a fo
rce to be reckoned with, but Mr. Valentino wasn’t most people. Mr. Valentino had built a reputation on being the best at everything, and that everything included being able to protect himself from anyone, even hit men.

  “Have a seat.” Without taking his eyes away from Cain’s, he intimated the chair opposite him.

  It was a tactical move that Cain recognized straight away. Mr. Valentino was trying to outwit him. Treating him like an equal was just a cover, giving him time to think of a way to defeat himself. He wasn’t in the mood for games tonight.

  “Think I’ll stand. ‘Sides, this won’t take long.” Cain smirked at him, keeping his eyes locked on his opponent’s and not giving an inch. It had been a long time since he’d been face to face with Mr. Valentino, but he hadn’t changed a bit. The slick hairstyle he’d always preferred was still in place, and his eyes were still black and emotionless. He had a good few inches on Cain, but that only meant that his center of balance was higher up, and in a fight, that was a clear disadvantage. As for build, they were almost evenly matched, but Cain had the slight advantage. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to use it.

  “How can I help you, Cain?” Mr. Valentino’s voice was even, emotionless. Cain got the impression he was trying to show him how unaffected he was by his presence.

  “Lily,” Cain said bluntly.

  “Charming girl, isn’t she. After a private audience with her?” He picked at his fingernails with his letter opener. Cain’s fists clenched. “Or maybe not.”

  “Transfer her back and I let you live.” Cain kept his tone cold and empty as he stared straight into the boss’s eyes—murder reflected in his own blue ones.

  This was the game that Cain hated. He hated trying to get an opponent to back down and accept his terms. He’d done this kind of thing a hundred times before when he’d been nothing more than a hired thug. In his latest line of work, killing someone face to face was somewhat taboo. You were supposed to stick to your marks and that was it, end of story. Now here he was, breaking that rule for the sake of a girl. He hoped it wouldn’t go that far. He hoped the guy wouldn’t be so stupid.

  “No,” the boss said flatly. Cain inclined his head slightly, his jaw tensing. “She’s mine. I’m going to see about priming her for a different line of work.”

  Cain felt as though he was going to explode. Either this guy really wasn’t scared of him or he was damn stupid.

  “Don’t think you understand me, mate.” His tone turned venomous as he moved towards the desk. “You die if you don’t do as I say.”

  “You really think I’m going to let a snotty little upstart like you kill me?” Mr. Valentino laughed at him.

  Cain felt his whole body tense in response to his words. He wished that he didn’t have to do this, but the thought of Lily being primed sickened him and there was no way he was going to let it happen. A slight movement caught his attention, and he moved sharply to the side as the letter opener that Mr. Valentino had been holding whizzed past him, embedding itself into the far wall with a thud.

  “Slippery little things.” He smiled coyly.

  Frowning hard, Cain grasped the edge of the desk and pushed it with everything he had, ramming his opponent hard against the wall and pinning him there with it.

  “Let’s try this again. You transfer Lily...” Cain pushed the desk harder into him. “I let you live.”

  Mr. Valentino looked pensive for a moment and then laughed at him. Cain didn’t have the chance to move out of the way as Mr. Valentino grabbed a heavy green glass desk lamp and smacked him hard across the side of his head with it. Cain stumbled backwards and shook his head, feeling blood trickling into his ear as it weaved a sticky trail through his hair.

  “Fucking bastard!” he spat out.

  Mr. Valentino pushed the desk off him and stood up.

  “You need a lesson in manners, boy, and I think it’s about time someone gave you one.” Mr. Valentino rounded the desk.

  Cain shook his head again.

  Slightly addled by the force of the blow to his temple, he was finding it difficult to focus. It felt as though someone had just driven a steamroller over his head.

  “This girl, is she really worth dying for?” Mr. Valentino punched him hard across the cheek and laughed as he stumbled backwards into a chair.

  Collecting himself, Cain closed his eyes and thought about his opponent’s words.

  Lily was worth anything.

  Opening his eyes again, he frowned and sneered as he met Mr. Valentino’s eyes. He set his jaw tight and stood up.

  “Only one person is leaving this room, and it’s going to be me.” Launching himself at Mr. Valentino, Cain kicked him hard in the stomach and then elbowed him in the face.

  Mr. Valentino reeled backwards and laughed again. He hit Cain hard in the stomach, but it didn’t bother him. Cain was more concerned with keeping his opponent distracted long enough to reach where he wanted to be. As they neared the back of the office, Cain grabbed the letter opener from the wall, rammed it into Mr. Valentino’s thigh, and then backed away from him as he cried out in pain.

  “Fuck... little prick...” Mr. Valentino stared down at the silver opener sticking out of his thigh and then met Cain’s eyes as he pulled it out. “Forget manners. You just overstepped the mark.”

  Cain chuckled dryly before punching him repeatedly in the face. On his fifth swing, he felt something grate along his ribcage and it seared with pain. Looking down, he saw blood seeping through his t-shirt and he stared at Mr. Valentino, who was holding the letter opener and smirking at him.

  “Oh, you’re definitely dead now.” Holding his side, Cain grabbed the desk lamp and brought it down hard on the back of Mr. Valentino’s head.

  Anger taking over, Cain didn’t even feel the impact of the wall as he was shoved backwards against it, his head smashing against a picture frame and glass raining down his neck. Bringing his foot up, he kicked Mr. Valentino off him and into the desk. In the second it took his opponent to recover, Cain was on him, pinning his head down against the desk as he fumbled about for a weapon. The only thing that came to hand was a pen. Cain looked at it in his fingers and shrugged.

  The pen was always mightier than the sword, in the right hands.

  Bringing it down, he plunged it deep into Mr. Valentino’s temple and then yanked it out again. He backed away from him as his opponent gasped and tried to hold onto the side of his head, blood spilling from the wound like a waterfall as he slumped his knees, his upper body still sprawled across the desk. Meeting his eyes, Cain hardened his expression, narrowing his own eyes into icy blue slits.

  “You couldn’t just say yes. You had to say no.” He watched as Mr. Valentino’s eyes turned dull and glassy, the blood pouring from him slowing to a trickle as he fell to the floor limp and lifeless.

  Grasping his side, Cain sighed and walked out of the office, subconsciously slipping the pen into his pocket.

  * * *

  Cain walked through the streets, gripping his side tighter and ignoring how the pain made him feel dizzy. He needed to get somewhere safe, and fast. He wasn’t going to stay conscious much longer if he didn’t get the cut across his ribs seen to. Calculating the distances to the nearest places he had access to, Cain screwed his face up in frustration. Fate was being a royal bitch tonight.

  The nearest place to him was Lily’s.

  He weaved his way through the back alleys and passageways that led across town to her place. They were streets that he recognized all too well from his previous hits. He pondered how this was going to work as he came to a halt outside her building. She would be at work for another couple of hours at most. It would give him enough time to get in, clean up and get out. She’d never know he’d been there. If she did come home and find him, then he would tell her the truth. He’d been in a fight about her. Only he’d omit the fact that he’d killed the other guy.

  Reaching the apartment, he turned the key in the lock and eased the door open. The room was pitch black. Cautiously f
licking the light on, he slipped into the room, making sure that he moved silently in case someone was around. After standing still for a few minutes, he felt assured that he was alone and made his way towards the bathroom. Opening the little mirror fronted cabinet, he pulled out the medical box and placed it down on the vanity and unzipped it. He stared at himself in the mirror as he closed the cabinet door. He hadn’t realized just what a state he was in. Blood was caked across his left temple and in his ear, his lip was split and his cheek was bruising rapidly. A noise caused him to freeze, instinct making him reach for the nearest weapon. In this case, it was a pair of scissors.

  “Lily?” An unfamiliar voice rang through the apartment. Cain grasped his side again and slinked towards the bathroom door. “You home?”

  Peeking around the door, he could see a girl. She was a little taller than Lily and her dark brown hair almost reached the small of her back. Cain winced as the pain in his side worsened. Stumbling backwards, he grabbed hold of the doorframe and flinched as he heard a bottle behind him smash.

  “Lily?” The girl’s voice sounded out, a slight tremble to it.

  Cain screwed his face up and cursed himself. He could hear the girl heading towards him. Swallowing his pain down, he stood up and straightened himself out as best he could. When the girl appeared, she looked more than a little shocked to see him there.

  “Sorry. I didn’t realize... um... is Lily home?” The girl blushed furiously.

  “No,” Cain said bluntly. “How’d you get in?”

  “Was gonna ask you the same thing. I’m Sarah, Lily’s sister. I’ve been staying here a few days now.” She extended her hand to him.

  Cain stared at it, unable to focus clearly on it as the pain in his side made him dizzy. He struggled for a few moments before forcing his words out. “I just dropped by... thought Lily might...”

  “You’re him, aren’t you?”

  “Me? Who?” Cain looked flummoxed. The pain in his side was making him feel sick and this girl didn’t seem to notice anything that was happening around her. She just stared at him with wide eyes full of fascination.