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

by James P. Sumner

  Horizon moves over to Lily and places the back of his hand gently on her cheek, stroking it. “What happened in Abu Dhabi, my dear?”

  She flinches slightly at his touch, but I can see she’s trying not to. She takes a breath. “I had a plan for the hit and it went wrong. When I realized Adrian was living in the city, I asked for his help.” She moves her head away from him and turns to look him in the eye. “That’s not against The Order’s rules, is it?”

  He shakes his head. “No…” In the blink of an eye, Horizon strikes her across the face with the back of his hand. The slap sounding like a whip crack in the otherwise quiet room. “But lying to me is!”

  I spring to my feet. “Hey!”

  He snaps his head round to look at me and points his finger. “Sit… the fuck… down. I’ll come to you in a moment.”

  I’m a little shocked he would speak to me like that. I’m not just saying this, but I actually have killed people for less. Stunned by his response, I just sit down and watch.

  He turns back to Lily. “If something goes wrong, you tell me. You come to me. That is your only priority if you fail a contract. To lie to me is unacceptable.”

  She takes a small step to the side, away from his hand. She doesn’t look at him. “I was embarrassed and ashamed I’d failed. I knew with help I could get the job done, and I didn’t want you to worry or think less of me.”

  He turns to face her, grabbing her by her elbow. “The Order consists solely of the world’s greatest assassins. It has done for countless years. Pride has no place among our ranks, do you understand?”

  She nods.

  “You have disappointed me, Lily. You have always been one of our most reliable and effective weapons, but this was an amateurish mistake.”

  I clear my throat. “Can I… say something here?”

  Horizon looks over at me again, still holding on to Lily’s arm. “Something tells me you’re going to anyway…”

  I shrug. “I just wanted to point out that, regardless of who or how, the job got done, and there was minimal fallout and exposure. I’m not saying what Lily did was right in the first place, but she found a solution and the job got done. Can’t you just let it go?”

  He holds my gaze for a moment, and then turns back to Lily. “We’re done here. You will be contacted when we have another contract for you. Now leave us.”

  She stares at him for a few tense seconds. I can see the anger on her face, but I’m not sure how much of that is directed at Horizon, and how much of it is directed at herself.

  She yanks her arm free from his grip and marches toward the door. She glances at me as she passes—her expression is difficult to read. I watch as she leaves the suite, shutting the door gently. I turn back to Horizon, who’s staring at me.

  I walk over to him. “C’mon, lay it on me…”

  He shakes his head. “You shouldn’t have helped her.”

  “Alright, look. She came to me, she asked—”

  He holds a hand up. “Don’t talk to me like I’m your colleague. I’m telling you, you shouldn’t have helped her. It’s not always about just getting the job done, Adrian. Some jobs have to be done a certain way to have the maximum impact.”

  Don’t lose your temper…

  I nod. “I know that. I just—”

  “Oh, and you mentioned minimal exposure… Please, tell me, what part of ‘your face appearing on the security footage of twenty-seven separate camera feeds in one of the world’s most famous hotels’ would you class as minimal?”

  Okay, I can’t get angry about that one.

  I chuckle. “Yeah… funny story about that. My plan was to—”

  “Your plan was bullshit. It was reckless, unnecessary bullshit, and it resulted in seven dead bodies no one asked for. Something I specifically remember telling you not to do. Ever. I’m starting to think recruiting you maybe wasn’t in everyone’s best interests.”

  I take a short breath. “Finished?”

  He stares at me blankly, but says nothing.

  “Good. First of all, if you ever cut me off like that again, I’m gonna knock you back in time, alright? Secondly, my plan to get to bin Mawal was sound, but even the best-laid plans sometimes turn to shit. If I hadn’t handled things the way I did, I’d be dead for real, and as grateful as I am to your little group for saving me, I’m not willing to actually die for you. Now, answer me this: did you manage to find a way to delete all traces of me from the security footage?”

  He nods, but remains silent, his lips pursed together, almost stubbornly.

  “Right, so that’s that problem solved. The prince is dead, so there’s your other problem solved. I completely get why you’re pissed at Lily, and at me, but the job got done. A very difficult job, I might add. So, how about you cut me some slack? First offense, et cetera.”

  He looks at me for another moment and then smiles, mostly to himself, I think. He walks over to one of the sofas and picks up a cell phone resting on the arm. He starts typing something.

  “Do you have your phone with you?” he asks, still staring at the device.

  I take it out of my pocket and hold it up. “Yeah, it’s here. Why?”

  He looks up at me. “I’m going to be honest with you, Adrian. Regardless of circumstances, you killed seven people you weren’t asked to, which is a direct violation of our rules. Expulsion from The Order is the bare minimum punishment for such recklessness, but in this case, I would normally have no other choice than to authorize your execution.”

  I stand up straight and take a deep breath, involuntarily steeling myself for what might come next.

  Behind me, I hear the door open. I look around and see Pierce stride in. He leaves the door open, and I can see his men in the hall outside.

  I look back around at Horizon and raise an eyebrow. “Normally?”

  He shrugs. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think you’re an outstanding talent. Your skills are largely unmatched, and while your attitude sometimes leaves a lot to be desired, you’re an asset we simply can’t afford to lose.”

  “So… what now? A slap on the wrist?”

  My phone vibrates and beeps in my hand as a message comes through.

  Horizon nods at me. “I’ve just sent you details of a new contract. You will do this one alone, and you will carry it out immediately. Think of it as a way to redeem yourself.”

  I frown and open the message. I use my thumb to scroll through the details and—

  My eyes go wide. I look over at him. “You’re fucking kidding me?”

  On the screen is a full-color image of Lily.

  16

  13:58 AST

  Horizon stares at me. “I don’t make jokes, Adrian. I don’t make idle threats, and I don’t bluff. You have your job. It doesn’t warrant justification, before you ask me for any. Failure to carry out this task is not an option.”

  I watch him walk away toward the bedroom. He pauses outside the door and glances over his shoulder. “Something you want to say?”

  I go to speak, but I can’t think of any words that would be relevant. I’m angry that he’s managed to get one over on me so easily, and that he’s done it brazenly. He smiles at me, steps inside the bedroom, and slams the door shut behind him. I look back at my phone and stare at the image of Lily on the screen.

  Shit.

  “Let’s go, asshole.”

  I turn around to look at Pierce. He’s standing with his arms folded across his chest, smiling at me. I fix him with my coldest stare. “I’m not doing it.”

  His smile fades, but the arrogance doesn’t. “When are you going to understand? You don’t have a choice. You belong to The Order now. You owe us your life. You do what we ask without question. End of story.”

  I step toward him so our faces are mere inches apart. “I don’t belong to anyone. Not you, not Colonel Sanders back there, not anyone else. This is who I am and what I do, and I’m here purely due to lack of a better option, alright? I’m grateful for them saving my
ass, but I’m not gonna change who I am and start blindly pulling the trigger just because they tell me to.”

  Pierce raises an eyebrow. “Finished?”

  I shrug. “Yeah, I guess.”

  He takes something out of his pocket and holds his hand out to the side. I glance at it. He’s got something… It looks like—

  “Argh!”

  My eyes go wide and I drop to my knees. I cradle my head in my hands. The pain is sudden and blinding. It’s—

  “Argh! What… the… fuck?”

  I fall to the side and roll on my back. My jaw’s aching from grinding my teeth together so hard, trying to manage the agony. There’s a pulsating sensation of intense burning behind my eyes. I screw them shut and let out an involuntary growl.

  What the—?

  It’s stopped.

  I open my eyes and look around. My vision’s blurry and I have to squint against the brightness of the lighting in the room.

  I’m breathing fast. “Holy… shit! What just… happened?”

  I sit myself up and slowly get to my feet. I massage my temples, trying to reduce the pounding inside my head.

  Pierce grabs me by my collar and shoves me into a nearby chair. “That was a warning.”

  I frown and shake my head, still feeling groggy. “I don’t… understand…”

  He crouches beside me. “Let me break it down for you, hero. You know that tracking device in your neck? Well, it’s not just a tracking device. There’s an explosive charge embedded in it that can be activated, and detonated, remotely. Normally, once a device like this is active, it’s not uncommon for the low frequency of the electrical pulse in the device to cause some… discomfort. But with it being so close to your brain, the effects are amplified exponentially—which is what you just experienced. The charge itself is obviously small enough to be contained within such a tiny device, but make no mistake—if it’s detonated, it’ll take your head clean off your shoulders. Well… maybe not clean—it’s actually quite messy… So, I will say this to you one more time, Adrian… Brad… whatever you feel more comfortable calling yourself nowadays… You will do exactly what The Order asks of you, and you will do it with no further hesitation or doubt. And if you don’t, I will personally, and literally, blow your fucking head off. Do we have an understanding?”

  Well…

  That sucks.

  I move a hand to the back of my neck, suddenly very aware of the small bomb stuck in there. I can’t believe I was so careless… so stupid as to think The Order wanted anything more than to make me their fucking slave. I wasn’t thinking clearly, back when I escaped that room. I wasn’t prepared for them sticking me with anything, and I should have been.

  I glance down at the tattoo on my forearm.

  WWJD.

  What would Josh do right now? First of all, he would definitely insult me using a British phrase I’m unlikely to have heard of. Something involving muppets, probably. But once he’d got that out of his system, he’d start working on a way to get it out of my body, or at the very least, disable it. Then he’d—

  What’s that noise?

  I realize my mind’s been wandering, and as my vision re-focuses on my surroundings, I see Pierce clicking his fingers near my head to get my attention.

  “There we go. Did you hear what I just said?”

  I frown at him and nod at his hand. “That’s really annoying. And no, I’d stopped listening to you shortly after you told me about the bomb in my head.”

  He smiles. “I figured. I said… and before you get any ideas, you can’t remove the device. It has a sensor on it that acts as a failsafe, causing it to detonate the second it comes into contact with the air.”

  Shit!

  Okay, poker face…

  I shrug. “The thought hadn’t crossed my mind.”

  “Uh-huh…”

  I get to my feet. “Listen, if you’re done with the science lesson, it turns out I’ve got a job to do. Any chance I can catch a lift back to Abu Dhabi?”

  He steps back, giving me room to move. He puts the detonator back in his pocket and shakes his head. “No, you’re on your own. But… we did have someone drive your car over here. It’s parked outside. Make your own way home.”

  “Huh… that’s actually pretty nice of you, thanks.”

  He shrugs. “We’re not trying to be your enemy. If you would simply commit to what we’re trying to achieve and stop all these mindless acts of rebellion, there wouldn’t be a problem.”

  I stroke the stubble on my chin. “And it’s exactly that, which isn’t sitting right with me. What we’re trying to achieve… Is The Order simply a collection of the best killers for hire, or does it actually have its own agenda? You seem pretty well informed about what The Order’s working toward, Pierce. Maybe you could share some details about what you’re trying to achieve? Y’know, purely out of curiosity…”

  He rolls his eyes. “You just don’t learn, do you?”

  His hand disappears into his pocket again. I hold a hand up. “Now, now… there’s no need for that. I’m not questioning the jobs I’m given. I get that, okay? That’s not what this is. The job’s done. I’m just asking, like I say, out of curiosity… one colleague to another. Just some friendly, water-cooler conversation. We’re all on the same side, right? I just want to understand what I’m a part of.”

  Pierce holds my gaze for a moment. I can see the cogs working behind the scenes, as if he’s trying to figure out if I’m being serious.

  He stays silent.

  I sigh. “C’mon, man… I’m pretty sure I know why Sayed bin Mawal was taken out, but whose benefit did The Order do it for?”

  He arches his brow. “Okay, I’ll play along. Why do you think he was eliminated?”

  I shrug. “Money. He was happily giving something away that other people were trying to sell at a decent margin. I’m not an economics professor, but I know what he was doing would have had an impact on the stock exchange, which would’ve cost people millions of dollars. Without him, that doesn’t happen.”

  He regards me silently for a moment, and then shrugs. “Nice theory. It makes a lot of sense.”

  “So, am I right?”

  He shrugs again. “I have no idea. I’m not told the reason, and I don’t fucking ask.”

  I’m going round in circles here!

  “Look, I get it, you’re a company man, happy to accept and feed others the company line. But what I’m asking, is if I’m right about bin Mawal, why does it matter to The Order if some rich prick in the States stays rich or not?”

  “It probably doesn’t. But there will be a valid reason why we wanted bin Mawal to stop doing what he was doing. Same reason we asked you to take out Mr. Way when you first joined. Doing something bad isn’t justification enough to be killed. Lots of people do bad things every day. But we don’t go around killing every drug dealer, murderer and rapist. We take out the people whose actions are having, or are likely to have, a profound effect on the larger picture.”

  I shake my head and let out a short sigh. “Okay, fine, whatever. I can see I’m wasting my time. The organ grinder won’t tell me anything, so why would the monkey, right?” He smiles at me, which I ignore. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I apparently have a job to do.”

  He steps to the side and I walk past him without another look and head out into the hall. I make eye contact with everyone standing here as I push past them and make my way back toward the elevator.

  This is turning out to be a really shitty day.

  15:13 AST

  I’m sitting in my car on the driveway outside my house. I can’t quite bring myself to go inside. Maybe it’s on principle, I don’t know. I mean, the place is bought and paid for by The Order, and in the last couple of hours, I’ve come to realize they’re nothing but a bunch of maniacal, sadistic, delusional bastards. I’m not sure I want anything from them anymore.

  I wonder how many of the assets they have on their books are actually aware they have a bomb in the
ir neck…

  I wonder how many know they’re working for a cult of arrogant pricks with a God complex…

  Probably not that many. I bet the others aren’t stupid enough to keep asking questions.

  Actually, no—it’s not stupidity that makes me do it. It’s fucking talent! You hear about it all the time. Well, at least, I used to, when I had Josh as my link to the community that forms the basis of the world I live in. Assassins who were supposedly at the top of their game, making big money, living the fast life… suddenly disappear because they were set up, or because they were ambushed, or because their target got lucky…

  That won’t ever happen to me. You know why? Because I ask questions. I find out information for myself. I don’t take things at face value from the people who hire me, because I’m a paranoid sonofabitch. I make sure the job is done cleanly and that the target deserves to be on the business end of my Beretta. If I’m not satisfied by what I find out, I turn the job down and walk away.

  D’you know what? If The Order of Sabbah doesn’t like the way I do things, they can kiss my ass! They hired me for my skills, not my personality. They would’ve done their research on me, they would’ve asked around… they would’ve known my reputation before they approached me. As far as I’m concerned, I’m well within my rights to ask for some information when I’m putting my ass on the line.

  Pierce was surprisingly helpful earlier, offering me some much-needed insight into how The Order works. But I’m not happy with what he said. A handful of people making decisions on behalf of everyone else never works out well for everyone else. I can guarantee that any decision made is in some way beneficial to the person or people making it. Or, at a push, the highest-paying clients.

  He mentioned Mr. Way. For me, that was a cut-and-dried job. The guy sold women and girls to wealthy men, essentially for the purposes of sexual slavery. No one will ever convince me that killing him wasn’t the right thing to do. But what I’m not convinced of, is that there wasn’t a bigger picture being considered when the contract was taken out on him. I think they do go around killing all sorts of bad people, for no other reason besides they were bad—which I consider almost honorable. But what I don’t like is when they start serving their own agenda and disguising it as the greater good. Shit like that sounds a little too familiar, and history proves it’s never a good thing when people do it.