by J. P. Sumner
He was a lot bigger than me, in both height and width. He was wearing a gym vest and jeans, and had arms like my legs. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a small guy by any means. But physically speaking, this guy dwarfed me in every way. I subconsciously moved my hand behind me, touching the barrel of my gun for reassurance.
Just in case.
I assumed I was to follow him, so I did.
EIGHT
The club inside was a nice, big place. The main area of the bar was wide open, with the occasional table and chairs positioned around the perimeter. There were different levels and podiums throughout the area, presumably for dancing on. The bar ran a good length along the far wall, surrounded my mirrors and neon blue. Behind the bar were rows of glass shelves that housed more liquor than I knew existed.
To the right of the bar was a red curtain, leading into the back like some kind of VIP area. We were heading in that direction, but before we got there, Jimmy Manhattan came out from behind it to greet us. He was wearing a different, but I’m sure equally expensive, suit from the one he had on yesterday morning. He looked a little more stressed than the last time we met as well, but he hid it expertly behind his powerfully calm persona.
‘Adrian, what a nice surprise,’ he said, in his trademark friendly, smooth tone of voice. ‘What brings you here? Is the job going well?’
‘That’s what I need to talk to you about,’ I said. ‘The job isn’t panning out the way you, so confidently, said it would.’
‘How so?’
‘Well, for starters, Ted Jackson has some serious security. He’s got an armored limousine and what looks like a highly-trained assassin as his personal bodyguard. So, what aren’t you telling me?’
‘I’m not sure what you’re implying here, Adrian, but I don’t care for your tone.’
‘I could care less what you think of my tone, and I’m not implying anything, I’m stating a fact. This guy you hired me to kill is clearly not your everyday, run-of-the-mill, working stiff who just so happened to piss off your boss.’
The big guy who let me in made a move from the side where he was stood to stand next to Jimmy. In the proper light, I could get a better look at him. Aside from being built like three sides of a house, he was a good four inches taller than me, which would put him around the six foot six mark. He had muscles in places most people don’t have places, and his arms were crossed across his chest. He also had a tattoo of a fire axe on his left temple. He was burning a hole through me with his gaze. While I wasn’t fazed in the slightest, he was an impressive sight. Much better than Stan and ‘Oli’ from the other night.
‘Adrian,’ Manhattan began, taking a step in front of his hired muscle, as if the gesture of doing so would defuse any potential confrontation. ‘I can assure you we gave you all the information we had on Ted Jackson. We used one of our best men to tail him.’
‘Well, in just a couple of hours of digging around, I’ve managed to find out that our friend Ted works for a military contractor, who specializes in weapons R&D and private security. Your “best man” failed to mention the target was so well connected.’
I paused for a moment, so he could process the information I’d just given him. He hid any shock or emotion behind his cold, dark eyes very well.
‘If that’s true...’ he started, but I interrupted.
‘If that’s true, you’re asking me to take out a guy who’s more protected than the President. Which will cost you a hell of a lot more than a hundred grand. You also need to be thinking about why he decided not to sell you that land. These people conduct business deals that dwarf your entire operation ten times over. If I carry out the hit on Jackson and take the deeds for you, it won’t be the last either of us hear of it.’
He could see I had a point. He told me that Pellaggio was a businessman first and foremost, which means he’s going to do what’s best for business. Having military contractors and private security firms pissed at you probably doesn’t make the list of good corporate strategies.
Manhattan thought for a moment longer in silence before responding, choosing his words with years of care and diplomacy.
‘For now, I would like you to proceed as you normally would and carry out the contract on Ted Jackson. If you require additional funding to do so, simply name your price. I would like to thank you for bringing these developments to our attention, and I will speak to Mr. Pellaggio about how he wishes to proceed. I appreciate your input, but you simply need to do the job you were hired to and leave the rest to us.’
At that moment, my phone rang. I quickly checked, and it was Josh ringing me.
‘I’m sorry, but I need to take this,’ I said. I answered the phone. ‘What have you got for me?’
‘I’ve had a hit on the searches for our mystery woman,’ Josh began. ‘I still don’t have a name, but there’s another file photo – this one more recent.’
‘How recent?’ I asked.
‘Six months ago. It was taken during a routine surveillance operation right there in Heaven’s Valley.’
‘So what’s the story?’
‘The photo shows her stood with another man who you can’t see clearly. The photo itself isn’t the important part. It’s where I found the photo that we should worry about.’
‘So what should we worry about?’
‘Where I found the photo. It was on a secure military database on one of the servers housed in the Pentagon. I was very lucky to come across it. It was stored in a folder that relates to an ongoing investigation into something called Dark Rain. That name mean anything to you?’
‘Not to me, no. Keep digging though, Josh. That’s great work.’
‘Will keep you updated,’ he said before hanging up.
‘Is everything alright?’ asked Manhattan, as I put my phone back in my pocket.
I was debating how much information to give him. I always try and keep my cards close to my chest, but under the circumstances, I don’t have much more information than they do, and I’ve got too many questions of my own to mess around being discreet. In the end, I was straight with him.
‘Depends on your point of view,’ I said. ‘I’m starting to think you’ve stumbled onto something big with this land you want.’
‘What do you mean?’ he asked, sounding for the first time like he wasn’t in complete control of something. Which he clearly didn’t like.
‘Jackson’s unknown bodyguard appears to have been under surveillance by the US government in the last six months.’
‘So what does that have to do with Mr. Pellaggio?’
‘It means Jackson is being protected by another party. I don’t know why, but this is further evidence that this whole thing is bigger than just Jackson screwing you over. I would suggest approaching this with more caution than simply sending me in to kill him.’
It didn’t take long for Manhattan to see I had a valid point. He signaled his hired muscle over to him and whispered something in his ear. The big guy nodded intently, then walked off and disappeared behind the red curtain in the corner, where Jimmy first came out of.
He turned his attention back to me.
‘Adrian, it would seem we have underestimated Ted Jackson and his resources. It appears we have also underestimated you. I want to thank you for your vigilance and commitment to this situation, and to your job. In light of this development, I would like to extend your contract with us beyond simply disposing of Ted Jackson. I want you to work with us to see this situation through its conclusion.’
I’m a freelance contract killer. I don’t work exclusively with anyone, even on a temporary basis. Especially the mob.
‘I’m flattered, but I have no interest in doing any more of your dirty work than I already am. I’ll kill Ted Jackson for you, and retrieve whatever money or paperwork he has on his person at the time. But once that’s done, I’m gone.’
Manhattan nodded, as if he was hearing what I was saying, but not accepting it.
‘Fine. I’ll get a couple of guy
s on this and leave you to take out Jackson. We’ll be in touch.’
With that, he turned and walked away, disappearing behind the red curtain from which he came, leaving me alone in an empty nightclub.
‘I’ll see myself out then?’ I said to nobody but myself.
As I opened the door back onto the street, my eyes squinting as they adjusted from dark nightclub to bright sunshine, I saw a motorcycle on the other side of the street. It looked like the rider, who was dressed head to toe in leathers, was staring in my direction, but it was hard to tell as the visor was down on their crash helmet. It was a lightning blue and white colored bike - a really sweet looking ride. As I stepped out on the street, the mystery rider revved their engine and sped off out of sight.
How odd.
Back
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
NINE
After meeting with Jimmy Manhattan, I’d taken a nice walk around the city to clear my head and assess my current, and increasingly complex, situation. It was clear there was more at stake than just Pellaggio’s potential earnings, and after more deliberation than I usually afford my jobs, I decided the best thing I could do is kill Ted Jackson and leave town as soon as possible. I have to kill him, because I wouldn’t want word getting round that I went back on one of my contracts. That would be bad for my business. But I know it would be very easy to get involved further in whatever was going down here, and I have no intention of working closely with the mob and giving them the impression we’re bosom buddies. That too would be bad for my business.
I knew Jackson was working out of his hotel room this afternoon, and I was heading there now. He was staying at The Four Seasons Hotel, which was a huge, impressive building on Main Street, right in the center of the city. It covered almost the entire block, and its rooms ranged from your standard single or double to entire penthouse suites with more rooms inside them than your average house.
Have a guess where our guy is? That’s right - in a suite on the top floor. Inconsiderate asshole! That makes things a lot more complicated. But not impossible. Not for me, anyway.
Josh, being the hero that he is, has rung ahead posing as my personal assistant - which you could argue doesn’t require much pretending, but don’t tell him I said that. Anyway, he’s said that I need a room on short notice, and that I’m meeting one of their guests, a Mr. Jackson, for a business lunch later today. He explained I’m running late, and to speed things along, it’d be a big help if I could have Mr. Jackson’s room number, so I can ring him from my room and let him know when I arrive. This was no problem for the very helpful member of staff who wanted to make a good impression on two of their richest guests.
I walked through the large, revolving doors and into the lobby of the hotel. It was enormous. The floor was a polished marble tile with various patterns on it. On the left was the front desk, with three people busily talking into their respective phones. There was a woman on the right with cropped blonde hair, roughly mid-forties. In the middle was a slightly younger guy with glasses on, and next to him on the left was a young girl with long dark hair and too much make-up. To the right was a large dining area, which I think was their own, very fancy, in-house restaurant. It had a waiter wearing a tuxedo stood by a podium that had the reservations book and menu on it. In front of me was a row of three elevators, and either side of them was a large staircase disappearing upwards, out of sight.
I walked over to the front desk and waited until one of the clerks had finished their phone conversation. It was the young girl with dark hair who hung up first. She looked at me and smiled.
‘Good afternoon, sir,’ she said. ‘Welcome to The Four Seasons. How may I help you today?’
‘Good afternoon, Miss,’ I replied, in my best businessman voice, and with my best boardroom smile. ‘I have a reservation with yourselves. The name is Marvin Aday.’
You didn’t honestly think I’d use my own name, did you?
Josh tends to create my personas for such occasions, keeping it entertaining by using legends of the rock industry as inspiration for the names.
‘Thank you, Mr. Aday. Just give me a moment to bring up your room information.’
She pressed some buttons on her keyboard and began programming my room key card. I looked around with a practiced nonchalance as I was waiting. I’d changed into a smart casual outfit of a shirt and tie with jeans and shoes. I had a briefcase with me, and I looked ever the businessman. Obviously, if people knew that in my briefcase I had a gun, a spare magazine, some plastic cable ties and a remote control surveillance camera, they probably wouldn’t buy into my image as much.
‘Here you are, Mr. Aday,’ said the young girl as she handed me my room key. ‘You’re on the fifteenth floor, room fifteen twenty-three.’
‘That’s great, thank you.’
I made my way over to the elevators and got in the first one that arrived on the ground floor. I pressed the button for 15 and the doors closed. Josh had found out that Jackson is staying in the Summer suite, which is situated roughly in the center of the sixteenth floor. Conveniently, directly above my room.
Anyone would think I’ve done this sort of thing before.
I rode the elevator to my floor and stepped out into the hallway. The carpet was neutral-colored and expensive-looking, with the walls complimenting the look by being much the same. There was artwork on the walls. Nothing I recognized – probably local artists keen for some cheap advertising, or someone dead who was so obscure, it would be seen as fashionable to have their work up on display.
I checked the brass plaques to see which direction my room was. I turned right out of the elevator and headed down the corridor toward my room.
There was no sign of life anywhere. Was too late in the day for the maids to still be clearing out the rooms of the people who left earlier on this morning. I imagined most rooms on the floor would be empty now, although I walked past one door and you could hear two people having sex quite loudly. The woman was putting too much effort into the vocals, and was clearly faking it, but judging by the occasional grunt you could hear from the guy, I don’t think he cared all that much.
I smiled and walked on, until I came level with my door on the left: Room 1523. I took a deep breath, calming myself for what lay ahead, and pressed the keycard against the lock pad. It beeped once, and I heard the lock slide back inside the door. I turned the handle and opened the door.
TEN
I entered my hotel room, placed my briefcase on the bed, removed my tie and rolled my shirt sleeves up. After all these years, I still get a buzz of adrenaline when I’m on a job. It’s weird, I know, but I love what I do. In a non-psychopathic kind of way.
I didn’t pay much attention to hotel room itself. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. I just walked over to the TV, turned it on and found the music channels. VH1 was showing a classic rock Top 100 show, and Thin Lizzy was halfway through “The Boys Are Back In Town”. I turned the volume up, smiled, and went over to the bed and opened my briefcase.
I placed my bluetooth headset on my ear and dialed Josh. He answered as I was singing.
‘The jukebox in the corner blasting out my favorite song... The nights are gettin’ warmer it, won’t be long...’
To his credit, he responded immediately.
‘Won’t be long ‘til summer comes... Now that the boys are here again...’
All together now.
‘The boys are back in town, the boys are back in town!’
We laughed.
Nothing ruins a job more than tension and hesitation. Best thing to do is relax, clear your head and just do it. Not procedurally, but instinctively. Let your hands and your mind and your eyes just do what they know they need to. Go with the flow, as the saying goes.
‘I see preparations are going well,’ Josh said, still laughing.
‘As always,’ I replied. ‘Jackson’s directly above me now. Is everything in place with the hotel?’
‘Sure is. If you ring
room service in four minutes, their afternoon shift will have started, and the guy who brings you your food should be roughly your height and build.’
‘Excellent. And the drill?’
‘Should be under your bed, near the window.’
‘Josh, for all of your annoying habits, you are an absolute genius. How do you do it?’
‘C’mon, Adrian, you know a magician never reveals how he does his tricks.’
‘Yeah, well, I’m not paying a magician, I’m paying you. Take the compliment and spill.’
‘Well, you know the guy on the front desk?’
‘Yeah.’
‘You’re also paying him.’
‘Am I?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Do I pay a lot of people that I don’t know about?’
‘Now that would be telling,’ he said, with a knowing smile that I could feel down the phone.
‘I think I need to hire an independent accountant - you seem to be spending my fortune on all sorts.’
‘Adrian, if I was going to screw you out of any money, I’d have done it and gone a long time ago.’
‘Very true. Right, I’m gonna go do my thing. Ring you when it’s done.’
‘Take it easy big guy.’
I hung up and used the room phone to ring down to the front desk and order some room service. Then I moved round the bed, got on my knees and looked underneath it. Sure enough, there was small, industrial drill. The drill bit in the end was a quarter inch wide and close to a foot and a half long. I picked it up and pressed the trigger to check it worked. It did, and it was surprisingly quiet, which was perfect. I got up and moved a chair against the wall nearest the windows and drilled a hole right through the ceiling. This was probably the riskiest part of the job, but the quiet drill coupled with the loud music on my TV should mask the noise in the room above. Unless I was desperately unlucky, and Jackson was stood directly on or near where I was drilling, he shouldn’t notice.
