Primrose and Brimstone

by Jason Mueller

  Danny would soon be another ten thousand dollars richer. He didn’t work for small time clients. He was good at his job and was very discreet having done many hits over the years. Ten thousand dollars wasn’t a lot of money if you considered the risks and the fact that often there would be months between jobs. It was a fair price though, and he lived simply. Watched his spending and had several hundred thousands of dollars stashed in banks offshore. Danny Grey was a killer, and a piece of shit human being but he was far from being stupid.

  Danny Grey checked a map he kept in the car just in case. The address was where he thought it was and he made his way there quickly. He would at least look the place over. If he could get in and get the job done tonight, he would. Either way, he would play it by ear. You had to have a lot of patience to be a good hitman.

  He hoped that he could get it done. With it being Halloween, there was more movement by people, and the police were occupied with dead hookers, arson, and splattered trick-or-treaters, so there was less risk. A hit on Halloween would get lots of attention in the media, but he could use the confusion of the night to conceal his identity.

  He rolled through the upper middle class to a moderately rich neighborhood, admiring the large houses. The term “McMansion” came to mind as he cruised by houses holding people that believed their money kept them safe from the horrors of the world, but little did they know the proverbial monster was in their midst with murder on his mind. The sacrifice had been determined, and he was the vessel to carry it out.

  He found the address easily. There was no one out on the streets. Trick-or-treating was officially over by 6:30 p.m. these days and it was now a little after 7:30 p.m. Another example of modern day paranoia fucking shit up. He sat for a minute, scoping out the scene. It would be easy, he thought. The streets were empty. The front doors were mostly closed. People were shut in for the night; no one was paying any attention, and to make things even better, the Cutlers, who he was soon to meet, had left the garage door open. There were two SUV’s parked in the garage. Chances are the target was there.

  As he sat and watched the house, a young brunette walked by the large picture window. She looked to be seventeen and thick and curvy with what looked to be very large tits. This might be a lot of fun, he thought to himself. He reached into the glove compartment and took two of the Viagra from a bottle and swallowed then down. He put the bottle in his jacket pocket. Yea, it might be a lot of fun, he thought with a nasty leer. There would be no repeat of his impotence like with the slutty hooker; he comforted himself, still ashamed of his problem earlier.

  He checked his pistol. It was fine. He reached under the seat and felt for the clip that held the suppressor. It would be very hard for the police to find it if they searched his car. They would literally have to pull the seats out to find it. He threaded the suppressor onto the end of the barrel.

  When he was satisfied that the suppressor was on correctly and tight he shoved the gun into his pocket that was modified to hold the entire gun.

  He pulled four extra magazines from the center console and shoved them into his jacket. He reached over the seat and grabbed a small backpack that held a multitude of things he might need. It was his tool box; much like a plumber or electrician might carry. His profession was just a little more deadly. Finally, he pulled on tight-fitting leather gloves.

  Danny Grey, hitman and all-around blight on humanity, got out of the Lincoln and walked across the street. He took a casual look around to make sure everything was still quiet. It was. He walked at a normal pace toward the garage. If he were to be seen walking too slow or too fast, it would cause people to pay more attention to him. As long as he looked as if he belonged there they were likely to not pay attention. Human nature was a wonderful thing if you understood it.

  He ducked into the garage and squatted down out of sight, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. The garage was well kept with the usual shit, he observed. He crept toward the door that would lead into the house. He stood at the door for a full minute listening for any sounds or signs of life on the other side of the door, getting control of his breathing and getting focused.

  Once he entered the house, there was no backing out.

  He tested the door. It was unlocked. He turned the knob. Still, no sound coming from inside the door. He pushed it open just a crack. Nothing still. He continued slowly till he could see inside. It was clear it was a mudroom with shelves for storage, washer and dryer, upright freezer and a collection of coats and shoes. He reached back out and pressed the dimly lit button that would shut the large garage door. He pressed it and quickly shut the door to muffle the sound. Hopefully, no one would pay any attention, and if they heard it, would just think one of the other residents of the house had shut the door for the night.

  He waited at the door that let into the house. Still no signs of anyone being aware of his presence.

  The interior door was also unlocked. He went through the same system of opening the door the same way he had done with the first. It led into an empty kitchen. Damn, the Cutlers made it so easy for him, he thought as he made his way through the kitchen; not liking being in such a high-use area. Danny stopped to peek around the corner of a doorway into what seemed to be a large front room or family room. The brunette was engrossed in a music video on her tablet with headphones on. A young boy was sprawled out on the other end of the couch playing a video game on the T.V., with a set of headphones on, talking to an unseen person playing on the other half of the split screen.

  He swore he could smell the young brunette. It was intoxicating, making him feel as if she would hear his heart beating in lustful anticipation for her. He moved on, wanting to subdue the adults before he dealt with the kids. Taking care of the biggest risk first was just common sense. He headed down the hall. The first room he hit pay dirt. Sitting behind a desk and large computer monitor was the target.

  The gun was in his hand, ready to go but he wanted to make sure he had the right guy and also to make sure he had all the loose ends tied up before he left. An idea popped into his head. He knocked on the door.

  Cutler answered “Yes” to his knock.

  Danny didn't make a sound or move. He knocked again this time you could hear the annoyance in Cutler's' voice.

  He was louder this time. “Yes?”

  When there was no answer, the elder Cutler admonished his son for bothering him while he was working.

  Danny knocked one more time, figuring that would be all that it would take. He was right. William Cutler got up and stomped to the door to yell at his son Jeremy, thinking he was playing tricks on him like any boy would do. Instead, he found Danny Grey, who bashed him in the head with the gun in his hand, making a loud clunk as it made contact. Cutler stumbled backward. Danny followed him hitting him with a haymaker that landed Cutler on his ass, stunned.

  The next thing Cutler knew he was bound to his office chair with duct tape, and gagged by several strands of tape around his head, covering his mouth, rendering him speechless. He struggled against the tape but there was no way to escape. Danny Grey was a professional; there would be no getting away.

  Danny watched him struggle and calmly told him to stop with the wave of the gun. Cutler continued to struggle. Danny bashed him in the head with the gun. The steel didn’t cut him, but it got his attention.

  William Cutler had made a deal with the devil for loans from the mob he could not pay back and now the devil was there to collect as the gun-waving Danny Grey. He sat wide-eyed with fear as the realization that shit had just gotten real.

  Cutler had always believed himself smarter than everyone else, and he was smart. Sometimes, though, life has this way of fucking up, and people, even smart people, make dumb ass decisions. Acting on a tip about a stock that would jump because of a merger, the full-time day trader had taken out a second mortgage on his home. The merge didn't happen, and the stock plummeted and he lost his money.

  So, struggling to make even a larger house payment and
to keep up with the appearance that everything was fine, he went to the loan sharks to win back his money on the market. What should have been a sure thing turned out to be a nightmare; the market crashed two days later. He was fucked. The bank wanted their mortgage payments, and the mob had run out of patience with him. He had finally told his wife what he’d done, and she hated him more than ever. Things hadn’t been good for a while and this just made it worse. He couldn’t remember the last time they’d had sex. Oh God what had he done? Now a gunman was in his home with his wife and children.

  Danny cleared his throat and brought Cutler back to the present. “Okay, you are William, right? Don't lie because I will find out and it will hurt. I promise you that. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

  Cutler could do nothing but shake his head yes.

  “Good boy William. Now I know your son and daughter are here. I’ve seen them so no need to protect them they’re fine. They don’t even know I’m here. What I need to know now is this. William is your wife here?”

  Again, Cutler could only nod his head yes. His heart pounded. He could end up dead or maimed, but what about Beth, Amanda, and Jeremy?

  “Where is she William, in the bedroom?”

  Cutler hesitated. Danny slapped him hard in the face stunning him.

  Patiently the question was asked again. Cutler nodded yes.

  “Good job William,” Danny said with a smile. “You keep this up and everything will work out just fine. Now I will go find her real quick and bring her in here. We don’t want any accidents or surprises. That’s how people get hurt, and we don’t want that do we?”

  Cutler again could only nod as he cursed himself inwardly for bringing this trouble on his family. His intentions had been good, but he'd fucked up and now they were all in danger.

  “So here is the deal William. I will go get your wife. If you try to escape, call out, make a fucking noise, I will kill your family slowly in front of you, and kill you last. Do you understand?”

  Cutler shook his head yes, defeated, and Danny slipped out of the room and down the hall, looking for the master bedroom. He found it at the end of the hall, and it was empty. A large king size bed sat in the middle of the massive room. Very nice, he thought. He would definitely move the party to this room when it was time. The dirty thoughts that flashed through his mind left him flushed.

  He stood quietly at the bathroom door. She must be in there. He heard the gentle splashing of bathwater. Perfect, he thought she was already buck ass naked!

  Beth Cutler lay in the tub enjoying the warmth of the water and some time away from the problems she and William were having. She couldn't believe he would risk their home the way he did and what of these other loans he had taken out? How were they going to survive? Their marriage had been a sham anyhow but there were always the kids, the house and their reputations to protect. She had been willing to stay for the security. It shamed her to think that way. It made her feel like a whore but she had come from nothing and had grown up in poverty. The only thing she had going for her was her looks. She was beautiful they said, but she never felt like it. In her mind, she was still the same poor little girl wondering if she would be made fun of by the other girls because she didn’t have the right shoes, purse or hair style.

  It was funny in the ironic sense to her that nothing had changed in her life. She and William had a nice life and yet she still felt looked down upon by people who had more.

  He twisted the knob and walked in. “If you scream you die and so do your children.” He said calmly, deadly as he pointed the gun at her. The woman stifled a scream at the sight of the man with a gun. Danny couldn’t help himself as he stared lustfully at the wife of William Cutler. “Hot as fuck!” Were the words that came to mind. He could see where the young brunette had gotten her beauty from if this was her mother and he was sure she was.

  She sat up slowly and Danny nearly lost it. Her huge tits swung sexily back and forth when she moved to get out. Her face was sweet, and she had the most expressive eyes that Danny had ever seen. The fact that they were wide open in fear and shame at her nakedness never crossed Danny's mind. Danny Grey found little beauty or wonder in the world but the sight of her made his heart skip a beat.

  “Step out of the tub.” He ordered. He needed to secure her, but he was also desperate to see the rest of her. She hesitated, but the children flashed through her mind. Maybe if she did as she was told no one would be hurt? She stood up. The change in temperature caused her large areolas to shrink and her nipples to jut into the air rock hard. Danny licked his lips as he took in her curves. As she was climbing out of the tub Danny could see all that she had to offer.

  Damn he thought if the hooker had been this fucking hot he wouldn’t have had to kill her to make his cock get hard. It would have seemed odd to Danny that the average person would have been horrified at the thought of killing someone to make their dick work.

  “What’s your name?” He asked her as politely as he could considering he had a gun pointed at her.

  “Elizabeth but my friends and family call me Beth.” She answered hoping that if he called her Beth that he would think of her as a friend and not hurt her or the kids. William was a fucking asshole and had likely brought this shit on them with his stupid loans he couldn’t pay.

  "Hi, Beth I'm Danny."

  "Hello, Danny." She said in the friendliest voice she could muster. She needed this man to like her and not want to hurt her and the kids so maybe it would work she wondered inwardly. Beth, was wondering if this gun-wielding man was insane or not. Unfortunately, she would soon know the brutal answer.

  "Danny, would it be ok if I dried off?" Not wanting to risk making him pull the trigger on her.

  “Sure, go ahead.” He answered as casually as asking a longtime friend if they’d like a glass of water. Beth noticed the gun never wavered. She took a towel from the towel bar and dried off as fast as she could. Both because she was cold and the way Danny looked at her with open lust made her uncomfortable. She desperately wanted to at least put her robe on.

  Danny watched mesmerized. He was almost giddy watching her. She was amazing and sounded so sweet when she talked. She was perfect in every way from her thick brown hair to her perfectly painted toes. Erotic images dancing in his mind Danny thought maybe he wouldn’t have needed the Viagra if he’d known about her and that sweet ass daughter of hers. She reached for the robe hanging on a peg.

  “NO!” He barked. He waved the gun towards the door. “We are going to the office quietly and to collect your husband.”

  “What if the kids…” She trailed off.

  “Then you have dead kids.” He said it as calmly as ordering a happy meal. Beth knew in her mind that the man meant what he said and that he was a killer if not insane. Tears ran down her cheeks as she walked down the hall. Her nakedness making her feel all the more vulnerable.

  They entered the office. William Cutler’s eyes widened when he saw his wife naked with the gunman behind her. Beth snapped at the sight of her husband.

  “William, you bastard! I can’t believe you brought this on us! You and your fucking schemes and bright ideas!” She slapped and hit Cutler in her anger.

  "Knock it off!" Danny said. For the first time, the menace was in his voice and it sounded like the devil himself speaking. She stopped too afraid to continue. Cutler sat there stunned at not only her uncharacteristic outburst but at what he'd done. His sins had come home to roost.

  The sight of her naked and in danger. Vulnerable, it killed him inside. God, what had he done? He took notice of her beauty for the first time in a very long time. She had been a trophy to him and had never loved her like she deserved. She had been like the fancy house. A status symbol is how he had treated her and now he ached to show her how much he loved her even if he wasn’t good at letting her know.

  Danny broke into his thoughts. “I will assume that you two know each other?” He did his best to be funny but didn’t quite pull it off. When h
e didn’t get a response besides them looking at him like he’d farted in the pool, he shrugged it off. He didn’t give a shit what these fuckers thought of him he had a job to do and that’s what he was getting paid for not making friends.

  “Bend over your husband and put your hands on his arms.” He demanded quietly. Beth hesitated at the thought of being bound and even more helpless and shook her head no. Wrong move! Danny removed his right glove and delivered a vicious slap to her left breast leaving a large handprint on her milky flesh. She cried out in pain and doubled over sobbing. Danny straightened her back up with a fist full of brown hair.

  William did his best to vent his rage at the treatment of his wife but the duct tape binding his arms held and the tape over his mouth muffled his curses. He felt impotent. Even if he had been free, there was little he could have done. This man was much larger, harder and meaner than he was. His attempt at an outburst did nothing but get him smacked in the head with the gun again.

  Danny shoved Beth toward the chair and her husband.

  "Now put your fucking hands on his arms and do it now before you piss me off," Danny demanded.

  Beth tearfully obeyed and did as she was told. She bent over and Danny taped her to the chair wrapping the tape around Williams’s arms making him even more secure. He stood back admiring his work and Beth’s shapely and ample ass before him and her heavy tits hanging sexily. Ass up and face down he thought happily. The best part was that she would face her husband square in the face later when Danny took her from behind. He rubbed his crotch with anticipation. “Now we’re going a little trip down the hall to the bedroom.”

  William and Beth locked eyes knowing nothing good could come from them moving to the bedroom.

  “Beth, you will be quiet and push William in his chair to the bedroom. I’ll help you by pulling but if there is any bullshit…” His words trailed off as he pointed the gun at her again.