Good Intentions - Adrian Hell #6 (Adrian Hell Series)

by James P. Sumner

  “Tonight’s been nice, thank you. It was just what I needed to unwind.”

  I smile. “I’m glad it helped. So, are you gonna tell me what happened?”

  She stands straight, as if she’s steeling herself for the unenviable task of telling me. “Well, it all—”

  “There they are!”

  We both frown, confused, and look behind us. Nicki and Hannah are walking purposefully toward us, striding confidently in their heels. Behind them, six men are huddled together, looking angry. They’re all big guys, and they look capable and organized. They all have tanned skin and thick, black beards, painstakingly groomed in a variety of different styles.

  Nicki steps forward. “Hey, asshole… no one turns us down, do you hear me?”

  Lily and I exchange another glance. She smiles. “This should be fun!”

  I rub my eyes with tired frustration. “I think you and I interpret fun very differently…”

  10

  22:06 AST

  I turn to face the approaching mob, my mind already running at full speed, playing out my first few moves. I glance at Lily. “Just follow my lead, okay?”

  She pats my arm. “All yours, hotshot.”

  We don’t make a move, we just stand and let the group come to us. The girls stop a few feet away from us, standing defiantly with their arms crossed and a hip cocked to the side—the universal position that pissed-off women assume right before a confrontation.

  The huddle of men fans out to surround us, taking up the full width of the sidewalk. The few passers-by hurry to give us a wide berth. Nicki and Hannah push their way into the middle, smiling arrogantly as if they’ve gotten one over on us both.

  A man from the right steps forward and moves next to the women. His hand disappears inside his pocket, and comes out a moment later wearing a set of brass knuckles.

  I take a deep, calming breath, trying to keep my heart rate steady. I can sense Lily doing the same beside me. We both stand loose, ready for anything.

  Hannah shakes her head. “You should’ve just come with us, Brad. Yeah, we were gonna rob you, but chances are you wouldn’t have been hurt that much.”

  Nicki nods in agreement. “Plus, you are pretty cute. We might have taken pity on you…”

  I ignore them both and look at the man standing with them. He’s a powerfully built guy, a bit shorter than me, but wider, with more obvious muscle mass. His bulky fingers look swollen, forced into the grip of the brass knuckles. He’s staring at me, trying to look intimidating.

  Dick.

  In my head, I’ve already planned how I’m going to take out all six of these pricks. Shouldn’t be too difficult, especially seeing as I have Lily with me. But I want to understand something first…

  I point to the guy in front of me. “Are you in charge?”

  He doesn’t say anything, but I notice the two women glance at him expectantly, so I guess he is.

  “I’ll take your silence as a yes… So, what is this, exactly? Are you really just a gang who go from club to club, using these two bicycles…” I nod at Hannah and Nicki. “…to lure rich, gullible idiots outside so you and your boys can rob them?”

  Hannah tuts loudly. “Hey! Who are you calling a bicycle? What does that even mean, anyway, asshole?”

  I smile. “I’m insinuating that, like a bicycle, I suspect most people have ridden you at some point…”

  Next to me, Lily snorts as she laughs aloud.

  Hannah’s eyes go wide and she scoffs with shock. Nicki looks angry and lunges at me, winding up a big slap. I barely need to move to catch her hand, but I do, firmly, as it comes round aimed at my face. I grip her wrist tightly enough to stop her moving, but no more than necessary. She’s just a dumb kid at the end of the day, and I don’t want to hurt her.

  “Don’t be silly…” I push her arm away. “Now be quiet, darlin’—the grown-ups are talking.”

  The circle of men all visibly tense, dropping their arms and getting ready to fight.

  I ignore them, focusing again on the main guy standing with us. “Let me save you some time here, Chief. There aren’t enough of you to take anything from me. I appreciate the gesture—I’m sure it’s a sweet little set-up you have here… But I’m the wrong guy, alright? So let’s save everyone some time and some pain. Just cut your losses and walk away, no harm, no foul.”

  He shakes his head and smiles. “You don’t know who you’re fucking with…”

  I raise an eyebrow. I actually feel pretty bad for the guy…

  I look at Lily. “Are you still bored?”

  She cracks her neck and winks at me. “Believe it or not, I’m starting to feel a little entertained.”

  “Glad to hear it.” I look back at the guy. “Okay, you little fucktrumpet, this is your only warning—your only shot at walking away from this unscathed and unaided. I suggest you take it, before it’s too late.”

  He steps toward me, raising both arms and clenching his fists.

  Here we go…

  I don’t move forward to meet him. Instead, I stay still and simply push my foot forward and down, connecting with his kneecap. Then I take a step forward, keeping the momentum going, so I follow through as if I’m stomping a cockroach and want to put my foot through the ground. All his weight is currently on that leg, and it snaps like a twig. He screams and buckles, falling quickly to his side. He lands hard, clutching his injured leg, which is flopping lifelessly around in his hands.

  “Oh, nice!” shouts Lily, hitting my arm in a congratulatory fashion.

  The two women are stunned. They gasp and hug each other, shuffling outside the circle to safety. The remaining men exchange uncertain glances, but no one moves.

  In my experience—which is, sadly, quite vast in this area—if you have a group of adversaries like this, the best strategy is to hit the first one who moves or talks. Put them down, hard and fast, with little or no warning. Usually, the one who acts first is in charge, and if you drop them, the rest of the group will be shocked and confused, which gives you a great advantage.

  I look at each one in turn. “Anyone else? Anyone still think this is a good idea?”

  There’s a guy on our left, maybe a step or two behind us, who’s the only one close enough to grab us if he wanted to. He needs to go next, just to hammer the point home. I subtly nudge Lily’s arm. Without a word, she quickly steps toward the guy, turns counterclockwise and slams her forearm and elbow into his temple. He didn’t even see her move, let alone process the strike or attempt to block it. He was just standing there, minding his own business, preoccupied with trying to look imposing. She caught him right on the money and he dropped like a stone.

  I look back at the group, who have now all taken a step back. “Seriously… anyone else feel compelled to finish what you started?”

  Silence.

  “…is the smart answer—well done. Now, fuck off, all of you.”

  Without hesitation, they scoop up their unconscious friends and walk away from the club, tails between their legs, leaving Lily and myself with the two women. Hannah and Nicki look terrified. As they should. I take a step back, and Lily moves toward them. They visibly shrink on the spot.

  Lily lets out a tired breath. “You two should choose your friends better. Do you actually realize how close you both came to dying tonight?”

  They exchange a glance and look confused.

  “Wha-what do you mean?” asks Nicki.

  Lily steps backward, drawing level with me, and in a lightning-fast movement, reaches behind me and takes out my Beretta. She levels the gun at the pair of them, her arm steady.

  “I mean… I’m trying very hard not to shoot you both, you stupid bitch.”

  They both scream. Loudly.

  I hear the faint sound of a siren in the distance. They’re playing our song…

  I think it’s time we were somewhere else.

  I move beside Lily and push her arm down gently with my hand. I ease my gun from her grip and slide it back into
its holster. “Come on, Lily. We’re done here.”

  I put my arm around her shoulder and usher her away from the screaming women and the retreating men, walking hurriedly in our original direction. After a few minutes, we turn off down a side street and drop to a more discreet, casual pace.

  I turn to look at her. “So, are you gonna tell me what happened that really brought you here?”

  She turns to meet my gaze, her brown eyes sparkling in the glow of the streetlights. “I will, but not now, okay? After all that, my adrenaline’s pumping, and I just want to drink and dance. We can talk tomorrow.”

  I nod. “Fair enough. Drinking sounds good.”

  “And dancing…”

  I shake my head and smile. “You can dance. I’ll drink and watch.”

  She rolls her eyes at me and we share a laugh.

  I have a feeling our night is just beginning…

  11

  June 3, 2017

  09:31 AST

  Holy shit… what was I drinking last night?

  I open one eye. I’m lying in bed, face down, buried in my pillow. It’s daylight outside. Far too bright for my liking… I glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table and close my eye again.

  Ugh! The inside of my mouth feels like the desert, and my head is banging louder than the music was in the club last night. I’m not cut out for this shit anymore. I’m too old.

  I frown.

  Wait a minute…

  I snap both eyes open and quickly roll over on my back. I look to my right and see Lily lying next to me, seemingly still asleep. She’s sprawled on top of the covers. She still has her cropped top on, for what it’s worth, but she’s dispensed with her white jeans. Her underwear doesn’t look like it offers much in the way of warmth.

  Oh… my… God…

  I stare at the ceiling, massaging my temples. What the hell happened last night?

  I roll out of bed carefully, so I don’t disturb her, and make my way to the kitchen. I grab some juice from the refrigerator and stand looking out the window at my pool. It’s already hot, and there isn’t a cloud in the sky, so the glare from the sun is unrestrained. Neither of which are prime conditions when dealing with a hangover.

  I hear something behind me. I look over my shoulder and see Lily padding barefoot into the kitchen, looking tired, but decidedly more awake than I feel. She waves silently and heads straight to the fridge, takes out a beer, pops the top, and takes a big gulp before walking back out. I force myself to look away, so I don’t stare at her ass as she goes.

  She really is something else…

  I finish my juice and follow her out. I push open my bedroom door to see her sitting on the bed, leaning back against the pillows.

  She smiles weakly. “Morning, sunshine.”

  I nod a quick greeting. “It sure is. You okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m alright. Those cocktails were stronger than I thought, though...”

  “Yeah… what happened last night? I remember going in the first place we found after the fight, but then things get a little blurry…”

  She chuckles. “Yeah, I think that was where we discovered that really expensive tequila.”

  I raise an eyebrow and try desperately to recall anything about what happened last—

  Wait…

  Tequila?

  I remember shot glasses.

  I hold my head with both hands and breathe a heavy sigh. It’s as if remembering it is actually increasing my hangover.

  “Oh yeah… tequila.”

  I sit down on the end of the bed, lean forward, and rest my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands.

  Lily moves next to me and pats me on the back. “Don’t worry, big boy—it’s just your age.”

  I don’t bother looking up. “Gee, thanks. How are you so perky, anyway? You’re way too skinny to absorb that much alcohol, surely?”

  She giggles. “Practice. I’m gonna jump in the shower… that okay?”

  I wave a dismissive hand. “Go for it.”

  She disappears inside my bathroom. I quickly throw some clothes on, pick up my cell phone from the bedside table, and walk back out to the kitchen. I make a pot of coffee—I need the caffeine to wake me up—and check my phone.

  No messages.

  I let out an impatient sigh.

  Considering all the hoops I jumped through to get in The Order, and the fuss they made about recruiting me, things have been annoyingly quiet. I guess I envisioned being busier than this…

  I sit down and sip my coffee. Ten minutes or so pass easily enough before Lily appears next to me, wearing the same clothes as yesterday, looking more refreshed and smelling amazing. She pours herself a cupful of the good stuff and sits down opposite me.

  I gesture a silent cheers with my mug. “Feel better?”

  She nods. “Yeah, thanks.”

  “Okay, down to business. I don’t know what, if anything, you told me last night, but I’m damned if I can remember any of it, so we need to run through it again. Or for the first time—whichever. Who’s your target, and what went wrong?”

  She sighs and stares at the counter, seemingly reluctant to tell me. I can understand that—it’s a pride thing. We’re meant to be the elite in our profession… it’s not easy to admit you failed.

  “Horizon activated a contract on a man called Sayed bin Mawal. He’s a Saudi prince visiting the city for a few days. Naturally, he’s well protected. My plan was to use what God gave me—” She gestures to her chest with her hand. “—to get close to him, then take him out once we were alone.”

  I shrug, trying not to stare. “Makes sense. So what happened?”

  “I couldn’t get close enough. His security was too thorough and they didn’t trust me. When I pushed the issue, they threatened me and I was forced to defend myself, blowing my cover. I barely got out of there alive. I won’t get within a mile of him now.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up over it, Lily—that happens sometimes. Just regroup and try again.”

  She shakes her head. “No, you don’t understand… I told Horizon it was done. I said I’d killed him.”

  I frown. “Why would you do that?”

  “I don’t know! I panicked, I guess…”

  “But won’t Horizon and The Order find out he’s still alive?”

  She nods.

  “And I’m guessing they frown upon the whole failing and lying about it thing, right?”

  She nods again.

  “Shit… How long d’you think you have?”

  She shrugs. “Twenty-four hours, max.”

  I nod, processing the information. Instinctively, I start thinking about the hit—looking at every option, every eventuality… playing out the contract in every possible way, considering every possible scenario, until the target’s dead. Then I rewind everything in my mind, right back to the very beginning, and focus on the single most important question.

  “Why does The Order want this guy dead?”

  Lily sighs. “Not this again, Adrian… I don’t know, okay? I didn’t ask, and Horizon didn’t tell me. Besides, who cares?”

  “You should. You’re putting your life on the line here… don’t you wanna know why?”

  She shakes her head. “No, I don’t. We’ve been through this—that’s not how things work. It’s not for us to ask why. I trust that Horizon has his reasons. I’m just his weapon.”

  I roll my eyes. “Jesus, Lily—when are you going to wake up and smell what you’re shoveling? You sound like you’re brainwashed, reading out of the Welcome brochure! We’re highly trained killers, but we’re not animals. We’re professionals, and you can’t honestly tell me, if you were working for yourself, you wouldn’t ask that question…”

  She pushes her mug of coffee away from her slightly and sits up straight in her chair. “No, Adrian, I wouldn’t! I don’t work for myself, but even if I did, I wouldn’t care. I’m an assassin. People pay me to kill other people. I’m not interested in why—all I’ve ever cared about
is how much I’m getting paid for it. And I respect the fact that, like many other jobs around the world, there are people who know things others don’t—now, even more so. I’m not here to know what he knows. I’m here to shoot who he tells me to. End of story. Why is that so hard for you to come to terms with?”

  “Because I’m the absolute best at what we do, Lily. Without exception. Not finding out why you’re killing someone is amateurish. It leaves you vulnerable to potential repercussions. You have to—”

  She stands and slams her hand on the counter. “Fuck you! Who are you calling amateurish, you fucking asshole?” She paces away toward the back door. “I can’t believe I came here…”

  Jesus…

  I’m a little taken aback by her outburst. I hold both hands up. “Alright, take it easy. I’m not questioning your abilities, Lily. Knock it down a notch, okay? All I’m saying is it’s a mistake not to ask that question, and mistakes get people like us killed.”

  She doesn’t say anything, holding my gaze for a moment. There’s a confused rage in her eyes that I can see her wrestling with. She slowly sits back down and grabs her mug, taking a sip. I can see her jaw muscles tensing as she thinks about what I’ve said. I can see the doubt slowly creeping in, replacing the anger.

  I smile to myself.

  I’ve been there, sweetheart.

  “Lily, I’m sorry, alright? I didn’t mean to give you a hard time. Old habits, I guess. We’ll do this one together. That’s not against the rules, is it?”

  She fixes me with an unblinking stare. I can see her trying hard to stay angry at me, but after a moment, she relents. Her expression softens and she smiles. “No, there’s no rule against a helping hand… providing it’s from someone in The Order, obviously. Thank you.”

  “Forget about it. I’ve been looking for something to do anyway. This playboy lifestyle gets a little boring after a while.”