A Necessary Kill

by James P. Sumner

  She sighs. “Pussy.”

  I walk over to the squad car, aware that the road isn’t exactly quiet and people are going to remember seeing this, and us.

  “What are you doing?” she calls after me.

  I duck inside, reach under the dash, and fumble around until I find the wires for the computer built into the center console. I yank them out and stand up, grabbing the radio as I move away and turn to face Ruby.

  “Just making sure they can’t tell anyone they’ve seen us.” I drop the radio to the ground and stamp on it.

  She smiles. “Good thinking!” She points her gun at the front tire and fires once.

  “Jesus! What are you doing?”

  She shrugs. “Now they can’t follow us, either.”

  “Yeah, but you could’ve just let the air out or something… Firing your gun isn’t exactly—”

  She raises an eyebrow and smiles.

  “—discreet… Never mind.” I sigh. “Christ, you’re worse than me.”

  “Is that a compliment?”

  I shrug. “Depends on your point of view, I guess.”

  I walk past her and get back in the truck. She climbs in beside me. “We need to ditch this car. Chambersburg’s only a few miles away, so we’ll detour there.”

  “Can we get something to eat? Maybe change our clothes again?” she asks.

  I ease away from the roadside to rejoin the line of traffic. I check my mirror but there’s no immediate movement that worries me. “Yeah, why not.”

  09:39

  Ruby insisted we stop at a Dunkin’ Donuts for breakfast. I’m not happy. Apart from being sick to death of seeing them everywhere I go, it’s just not natural! I mean, I’m sitting here with a glazed donut in front of me, which by itself would be fine, but this one’s been sliced horizontally and had bacon and egg shoved inside it! This isn’t food! It’s just a very confused, cross-dressing dessert pretending to be breakfast! When I die from the inevitable heart attack this is likely to bring about, I’m really going to hate myself. If I wasn’t so hungry, there’s no way I would ever eat here…

  “Just eat it,” says Ruby, sitting across from me.

  I look up at her unable to hide the disgust from my face as she takes a bite of her meal.

  She shrugs, swallowing her mouthful of food. “What?”

  “What do you mean, what? You’re eating a goddamn cheeseburger inside a donut. How am I the only one who finds that criminal?”

  She takes another bite, not bothering to finish chewing before replying. “I’ve been incarcerated in an insane asylum for almost a year. This shit is heaven!”

  She swallows again and takes a sip of her drink—some weird ice-based slush thing with fruit in it, apparently.

  I push my meal away from me. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into coming here.”

  “You’re such a snob!”

  “No I’m not. I just feel that filling my arteries with this shit is depriving the CIA of their chance to kill me. I mean, they’ve been working so hard…”

  She shakes her head. “Whatever. What’s our next move?”

  I take a sip of coffee, which is tolerable at best, and think about it. “Well, we’re still a good few hours away from Greensboro. We’ll change clothes quickly, switch cars, then get the hell outta Dodge. The longer we stay in one place, the greater the chance of us getting caught.”

  A waitress walks over to our table. “Is everything alright with your meals today, folks?” she asks, looking at me.

  I can’t do it… I can’t lie to her. No, my meal’s not okay. It’s a travesty—an insult to all food. It’s unnatural, and despite years of perfecting the art of self-loathing, even I don’t hate myself enough to put my body through the torturous experience of eating whatever the fuck it is I just paid eleven bucks for.

  I sigh and grit my teeth. “It’s… ah… it’s fine. Thanks.”

  She frowns at me. I’m guessing I wasn’t able to keep the disdain out of my voice. The waitress turns to Ruby, who smiles at her. “Ignore him.” She gestures to me casually. “He’s just grumpy because he hasn’t been laid in a while.”

  I fix her with a stare I usually reserve exclusively for people I’m about to shoot. The waitress goes bright red and walks away, avoiding my gaze as she turns.

  “Thanks for that.”

  She shrugs. “Well, it serves you right.”

  “For what?”

  “Being miserable.”

  “Being—? It’s a donut with fucking bacon in it!”

  She looks at me like I’m an alien.

  “Oh, whatever.” I stand and stretch my back a little. “I need to make a call. Wait here.”

  I head over to the back near the restrooms, where it’s quiet. I take out my burner phone and dial a number from memory. As it rings out, I turn to quickly survey the restaurant.

  I can’t believe how busy this place is. We were lucky to get a table when we arrived. Our booth’s over by the window, which is useful—means we can see who’s approaching. I’m actually surprised there haven’t been more cops showing up, given this place is a donut-themed breakfast bar. Unbelievab—

  “Hello?”

  I smile at the dulcet British tone. “Josh, it’s me.”

  “Adrian? Where are you?”

  “I’m standing by the restrooms in a Dunkin’ Donuts in the middle of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.”

  “What the hell are you doing in one of those?”

  “I have no earthly idea. I was dragged here by Ruby.”

  “Ruby?”

  “DeSouza. She’s a…” I lower my voice and casually look around. “…She’s one of us. She’s agreed to help me on my next job.”

  “Ah, right. So you settled on the recruitment plan then?”

  “Yeah. Didn’t have much choice. How are things with you?”

  “Busy. My new team’s on a mission at the moment, and I’m running intel for them.”

  “Can’t you just hire someone to do that for you nowadays?”

  “I could, but it’s hard finding people I can trust, y’know?”

  “Yeah, I know that feeling.”

  “So what can I do for you, boss?”

  I smile again. “Nothing, really. Just… y’know, checking in.”

  “Adrian, do you… do you miss me?”

  I scoff. “No, ’course not.”

  I do a little, but I’m not telling him that.

  “Ah, you miss me! Boss, I’m touched, really I am.”

  “Oh, shut your face.”

  He laughs. “Listen, have you seen the news today?”

  “No, why? Am I on it?”

  “Not this time, no. Not yet, anyway—I suppose it’s still early…”

  “Piss off.”

  He laughs, but it soon fades. “There’s a lot of tension overseas at the moment. Lots of rebel activity in certain regions, and refugees from all over are killing themselves trying to find a new life in other countries.”

  “Shit… I suppose you had to expect something like this after everything that’s happened. Still doesn’t make it any easier, though, I guess. How are your employees finding it?”

  “We’re coping, for now. Our peacekeeping forces have come under fire in certain parts of Eastern Europe and Africa—local rebels, mostly. It’s nothing we can’t handle. It’s just becoming a more regular problem.”

  “Has anyone made any more significant advances anywhere?”

  “At this moment in time, no, thankfully. But there’ve been rumblings. All you have to do is look at a map to see where the danger could lie. Russia and China are out of the game. Pakistan fared slightly better, but it’ll still be years before it’s back on its feet. But it’s the people who haven’t been affected that are more dangerous, if you ask me. Guys in places like Japan, India, North Korea… even South Korea were all relatively unscathed. They’ll feel threatened, I’m sure. I think it’s just bubbling away beneath the surface, waiting to erupt.”

  “Christ
… Well, if and when it does, I’m sure GlobaTech will be there to help deal with it. And even Cunningham wouldn’t be able to sit back and let that happen, surely? He must’ve known this was an inevitable side effect of his plan.”

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  “So, how are you holding up, dealing with all this?”

  “Well, Schultz is handling most of the bureaucracy, which is good of him. He’s working around the clock to get anyone and everyone on our side. He’s very much the face of GlobaTech at the moment. I’m organizing the logistics in the background. As well as running a sideline in helping you out where I can.”

  “Yeah, I appreciate everything you’re doing for me, Josh. That intel you secured in Prague will hopefully be the final nail in Cunningham’s coffin.”

  “I’ve got a good team. You’d like them. You know Ray Collins…?”

  “Ray? Yeah, nice guy. I was grateful for his help back in Pripyat.”

  “Yeah, he’s something alright. And you remember Jericho?”

  “Stone? Jesus, how’s he doing after Colombia? I can’t believe he’s not dead.”

  “He’s still pissed about his unit turning on him, and he’s not your biggest fan—although I think he’s secretly thankful you kept him alive.”

  “Don’t mention it. Look, I might not get a chance to call again for a while. I’m heading to North Carolina. Gonna see if I can convince The European to help me.”

  “The European? Isn’t he supposed to be a bit of a dick?”

  I chuckle. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. But he’s a damn good killer all the same.”

  “Fair point.”

  “I’ve already got a guy called Jonas Briggs on board. We’ve arranged to meet in Atlantic City in a couple days. I told him I’d keep in touch with him between now and then.”

  “Be careful with that, Adrian. Remember, calls and texts from a cell phone can be tracked.”

  “Yeah, I know. I use this cell phone sparingly. We’ve both got the log-in details to an e-mail account—we’re leaving messages to each other in the drafts folder.”

  “Holy shit, boss! Did you… were you actually paying attention to me all those times I told you things of a technical nature?”

  I laugh. “You sound surprised. You know I’m actually pretty talented, right?”

  “Yeah, but… y’know… I just didn’t think you fully understood that stuff.”

  I shrug. “I don’t. But I know enough to get by. You’re here for the rest.”

  “I’m so proud! Well, just remember to keep your head down, okay? Being all covert and whatnot is one thing, but the CIA has boots on the ground actively looking for you. Just be careful out there, man.”

  “Yeah, I am, don’t worry. Though I must admit, it’s getting harder to keep a low profile with Ruby in tow.”

  “What’s she like?”

  I think for a moment. “She’s flashed me twice since I busted her out of an insane asylum.”

  There’s silence for a moment. “She flashed you?”

  I shake my head at the fact he completely ignored the part about her being incarcerated. “Twice.”

  “You get all the luck… ”

  I laugh. “That’s one way of looking at it. Listen, do me a favor, would you?”

  “Keep an eye on Tori for you?”

  “Well, yeah, that, too. But I was gonna say, do you have an e-mail account I can contact you with as well?”

  “I do, yeah—of course. Why? What can’t you say over the phone?”

  “It’s nothing I can’t say, I just don’t have the time to say it all. I’ve… I’ve got a plan, Josh. Based on the team I’ve got, I have a plan to end all this. But I need your help.”

  “Jesus, this must be big if you’re planning in advance. You never do that…”

  “I know, but even I know this isn’t something I can make up as I go along. Can I send you the details and what I need?”

  “Yeah, sure. Leave me a draft and I’ll get right on it.”

  “Thanks, man. I’m hoping you’ll agree it could work. It’s easily the most dangerous job I’ve done. If anything happens to me… if I don’t make it out the other side of this thing—”

  “Quit with the emotional shit, boss. You’ll be fine. You’ve got this. You’re, y’know… you.”

  “Thanks. But I’m being serious, Josh. If this goes south, I want you to go to The Ferryman. Tori’s got the code to the safe there. My last will and testament is inside.”

  “Adrian, I… ”

  “All the money’s yours, Josh. Every cent.”

  “Jesus! Adrian, I dunno what to say… I mean, what about Tori? I thought you’d be—”

  “She’s getting the deeds to the bar.”

  “Shit… Listen, I’m touched, man. Seriously. But you can’t think like that, okay? Get your head in the game. Forget about that crap for now. You start thinking about failing, you will fail. Understand?”

  “I hear you.”

  “Having said that, if you fail, I’ll be loaded! I think I might start helping Cunningham…”

  I laugh. “Fuck you!”

  He laughs, too, and I take a moment to remember this conversation. How natural it feels talking with him. If this is the last time we speak, I want to remember the way we were. Everything we’ve been through together, summed up in a few sentences.

  “Hey, have you ever eaten in one of these donut places?” I ask him.

  He scoffs. “Are you fucking kidding me? Those places are unnatural. They’re like a travesty to all food!”

  “That’s what I said!”

  There’re a few seconds of silence.

  “Good luck, Adrian. Whatever happens, I’ve got your back until that piece of shit is in the ground. Remember that.”

  “Thanks, Josh. For everything. See you around.”

  “Damn right.”

  I hang up and let out a heavy sigh and compose myself before I head back over to the table.

  It’s time Ruby and I hit the road.

  12

  18:15 EDT

  The rest of the journey was uneventful, which I’m grateful for. We borrowed a handy little 4×4 on the way out of town, and we only stopped once for gas on our five-hour trek down Route 29.

  I had contacted Jonas via the e-mail account to let him know we were still on track to meet him tomorrow in Atlantic City. He replied saying he was finishing up a contract and expected to be on the road by tomorrow evening at the latest. I also left a message for Josh with my plan, but he’s not come back to me yet.

  The rain chased us nearly all the way to Greensboro but gave up about a half hour ago. We’re parked across the street from a nice-looking bar on the corner of West Market and North Cedar, facing the college. The clouds overhead occasionally make room for some sunlight, but mostly it’s just dull.

  In the interest of saving time, instead of following breadcrumbs based on Ash’s somewhat vague information on the last known whereabouts of The European, I persuaded Ruby to simply call him and find out where he is. She said she wanted to meet up, and when she was met with skepticism I gave her the nod to say she was with me and we were here on business.

  That twisted his arm, and he gave us this address and a time—which is five minutes from now. His only stipulation was that we would both be unarmed, which I half expected, if I’m honest. It’s pretty common when two people in our world meet on business for them to show a certain level of professional courtesy and respect toward each other to compensate for the understandable lack of trust.

  So we laid low, grabbed another bite to eat, and eventually made our way here.

  As I’ve said, by all accounts The European has somewhat of a reputation for being a world-class piece of shit, but there’s no denying the man’s skills as a professional. He’s an all-rounder, adept in most methods of killing. He’s still young, compared to me at least, but he’s experienced and effective. Potential allies are few and far between at the moment, and if I can get him on board, we’ll be i
n a good position to move forward with my plan.

  And I’m sure twenty million dollars will help convince him, if he’s reluctant.

  That said, despite everything that’s happening at the moment I’ve not forgotten the fundamentals that gave me my reputation, either. Namely, my almost-perpetual cynicism and overwhelming distrust of anyone and everyone.

  I’m looking over at the club, which is a nice building, as I’ve said. It’s a corner plot, with one main entrance guarded by a huge doorman. Presumably there’s a back entrance, too, but that’s it. No other way in or out. I have to assume The European is familiar with the place—Ruby said he’s been working exclusively for some gangster in the city, so he’s definitely going to know the area better than me. I’ll be meeting him on his turf, in his own backyard…

  I don’t like it.

  I was prepared for Jonas, using myself as bait to get to him. Ruby was pretty straightforward because if I had any doubts about her, I could simply leave her in her cell. But this guy… I don’t know… he’s got my spider sense jumping all over the place.

  “You want me to go in and meet with him?” Ruby asks, presumably noting my visible hesitation.

  I shake my head. “No, this is my responsibility. I just like to know everything about a new situation before I put myself in the middle of it is all.”

  “What’s to know? He said he was interested in the work and said to meet him here to discuss it.”

  “Yeah, I know…”

  “But…?”

  I smile and turn to look at her. “But… I don’t like it. Just my gut feeling.”

  “Are you sure that’s not you ovulating?”

  I roll my eyes. “Because I’m a pussy… Yeah, yeah—I get it. No, it’s because I’m incredibly good at what I do. I haven’t survived at the top of this business for as long as I have by being reckless, that’s all I’m saying.”

  Which is a complete lie. I’ve survived at the top of this business for as long as I have because of Josh despite my borderline suicidal levels of recklessness.

  But I’m not going to tell her that and ruin a perfectly good point.

  She holds her hands up. “Alright, take it easy. So what do you want to do?”

  I shrug. “I’ve no option but to go inside to meet him. I want you to stay here, out of sight. Give it fifteen minutes, and if there’s no sign. Come in, armed.” I fix her a look, staring right in her eyes. “I hope there won’t be any confusion or misplaced loyalties, should it come down to it.”