The Contract: Kill Jessica White

by Remington Kane

  ***

  When Mr. White gripped Tanner’s wrist, Tanner felt as if he had caught it in a vise.

  The man is strong. Tanner thought, and decided to change tactics.

  He had planned to beat White into submission, but the man showed signs of having great skill as a fighter, and was unnaturally strong and quick.

  When Tanner threw White off balance by shifting his weight, he also managed to loosen the grip on his wrist.

  They toppled to the ground together with White falling on top of him and Tanner attempted to knee White in the groin. The attempt failed, but Tanner had managed to place three fingers into a back pocket on White’s pants.

  He yanked on the pocket, which sent White sliding off him just as White had sent a head-butt his way. White’s forehead made contact with Tanner’s left cheek and Tanner felt the teeth beneath it ache instantly.

  White was on top of him again and this time he was using his elbows to pin down Tanner’s arms.

  Then, Mr. White had his hands around Tanner’s throat, but was having trouble getting a good grip because Tanner had brought a leg up between them and had pressed his foot against White’s stomach.

  Tanner strained, as he tried to keep White’s fingers from circling his neck, but the man was insanely strong, and Tanner felt himself weakening. If he didn’t do something soon, Mr. White would kill him.

  White leaned in, which compressed Tanner’s knee to his own chest, and long elegant fingers began to squeeze the life out of Tanner.

  CHAPTER 21 – A predator and a shadow

  Back at the house, Jim Horrigan was testing his weight on an ankle that was injured when Mr. White tossed him to Tanner as if the two men were playing catch and he was the ball.

  Horrigan had no idea who White was, or why Tanner was in Colorado, but he knew it would be best to be gone when whoever survived their encounter came back.

  His bad ankle gave out once as he headed to his car, and Horrigan cursed as he tumbled onto his stomach atop the sleet and snow.

  Once he made it back onto his feet and reached the car, he was shivering and wet from having fallen.

  He needed to get away to some place that was warm and safe, and a drink would help as well. Horrigan drove along in the snowy night and headed to the tavern owned by the Mason brothers.

  ***

  The snow beneath Tanner compressed and then spread out, which caused his entire body to move.

  The sudden shift caused Mr. White’s knee to slide sideways. That took some of his weight off Tanner, and the assassin used that to his advantage.

  Tanner bent his other leg and wedged his left foot in beside the right one, and with as much strength as he could muster he kicked upward.

  That sent White’s body into the air and behind Tanner, while breaking the grip he held on Tanner’s neck.

  White should have come down on his back, but his reflexes were such that he twisted around in midair as if he were a cat attempting to land on all fours. Still, he hit the ground hard, and to his misfortune, his midsection landed atop an old metal bucket that was lying beneath the snow. The impact knocked the air out of him, and he rolled off the dented bucket and collapsed limply atop the snow.

  Meanwhile, Tanner had been coughing and rubbing at his neck as he tried to recover from the strangling he had just escaped. He was eyeing White, but when he saw that the man was incapacitated, he crawled over to claim his gun from the snow and then made it to his feet.

  Mr. White was struggling to regain his breath as he attempted to rise to his knees.

  Tanner marveled at the man. Several times over the years, he had experienced such a blow as Mr. White had sustained, and every time it took minutes for him to recover enough to breathe normally, much less attempt to stand.

  Jessica White might be an exceptional woman, but her husband was equally impressive.

  The back pocket on White’s pants was torn from Tanner’s earlier grip on it. Tanner reached down and pulled a wallet free, opened it, and saw a picture of White with Jessica.

  “So, your name is different from your wife’s, but now I recall reading that she kept her maiden name.”

  White made it to his knees and looked up at Tanner with a pained expression, as his lungs began the process of refilling with air.

  He then lashed out so quickly with one arm that Tanner couldn’t avoid the blow to the back of his knees, and tumbled onto his side atop the snow.

  White tried to press his advantage, but he was still having trouble moving his body well as he struggled to take a normal breath. That allowed Tanner the time to point the gun at his face.

  “I’m not out to kill your wife,” Tanner said as he rose to his feet. He then turned and ran back towards where he parked his jeep, as the time for talk was over.

  Now that he knew that Jessica White was in Boulder, he realized that Styles was still planning to kill her. There was no time to convince her husband of his sincerity; to do so might mean that Styles would get his chance to make the hit.

  Tanner reached the jeep and raced away. He was so intent on stopping Styles that he never noticed Randall Mason’s truck was parked across the street.

  ***

  Mr. White was about to stand up when he spotted a bit of color among the snow.

  It was a keycard, and he wondered for a moment why Tanner had tossed it away after looking through his wallet. But then he picked it up and saw that the keycard was from a motel.

  That was when he came to the realization that it was Tanner’s room key, and that it must have fallen out during their struggle. There was the name of a motel on it. He would hunt the man down and kill him, but first, he had to warn Jessica about Tanner.

  It took him over a minute to locate his phone in the snow, and then he saw that it wasn’t working after having become wet.

  After retrieving his knife from the base of the stack of tires, Mr. White ran back towards Horrigan’s house. He needed a phone. Jessica had to be warned.

  ***

  Randall left Horrigan’s home after finding it empty and wondered who had driven away in the jeep. He had only seen the man’s profile through a snow-speckled window, but could tell that it wasn’t Horrigan.

  Randall had just returned to his truck when he saw Mr. White run from between the husks of two flood-damaged homes and head for Horrigan’s front door. Randall sank down in his seat as he recognized him, and more than that, he felt him.

  The man was a predator like himself, and like Carter. Randall wondered if White were out on the hunt and if the man who had fled in the jeep was a potential victim. If so, the trail would have grown cold, as the jeep had been gone for two or three minutes.

  Mr. White returned moments later and headed towards a car.

  Randall followed White after he drove away. If the man was out to kill, Randall hoped to witness it, and then he would be able to blackmail Jessica if Styles failed to kill her.

  Randall drove with his lights off as the snow reflected enough light to maneuver by. He didn’t want to alert Mr. White of his presence or he might lose the man.

  The two of them drove on in the night, a predator and a shadow.

  CHAPTER 22 – Kick ‘em where it hurts

  Styles entered the hotel for a second time.

  He ignored the elevator and headed back towards a corridor where the restrooms were.

  Past the restrooms was a door marked STAIRS.

  Styles ran up several flights until he was on Jessica’s floor, and then he removed the bundles of firecrackers he carried in his pocket.

  There were four bundles in all, with a long central fuse that was connected to shorter fuses that ran to the bundles.

  When the fireworks ignited, they would do so one after the other, and in the confines of the stairwell, it would sound as loud as gunfire, or so Styles hoped.

  In any event, it would cause the cop guarding Jessica White to divert her attention, and that was all Styles needed to make his move.

  He had tested se
veral lengths of the string he had soaked in lighter fluid and estimated that once he lit the fuse he would have just enough time to get into position.

  The fuse was long, and Styles unwound it as he went back down the stairs. After a slight hesitation, he lit it. The flame ignited the string and consumed it as if it were a living being.

  Styles roused himself and tore his eyes away as the fuse was transformed into ash.

  He left the stairwell and ran through the hallway towards the elevators while smiling. This hit was going down, and once it did, he would have made a name for himself.

  Styles reached the elevator and slammed a palm on the UP button, and then waited, as his mind brimmed with thoughts of murder.

  ***

  Mr. White had reentered Horrigan’s home hoping to find the man still there, but he had also been looking for a phone. He came up empty on both counts and drove off to find a way to make contact with Jessica.

  He had to warn her about Tanner. Once she knew he was coming, she could prepare for him and alert the police and hotel security.

  Facing a strong police presence, Tanner would postpone the hit and return to his motel, and that’s where Mr. White planned to be, waiting to kill him.

  He was leaning over the wheel of his rented car and scanning past the rhythmical windshield wipers when he spotted a payphone on the side of a combination gas station and mini mart. After coming to a sudden stop and causing his vehicle to slide, White jumped out of the car and called Jessica’s cell phone.

  White didn’t believe that Tanner was headed to the hotel, since the man seemed surprised to learn that they were in the city, and thus, couldn’t have done any reconnaissance in preparation of making a hit. Still, White would feel better knowing that greater security measures were in place.

  And Jessica needed to be warned.

  ***

  Styles stepped off the elevator on Jessica’s floor and began walking towards her room.

  The cop sitting in the hallway took notice of him immediately and she remembered him from earlier.

  “No one has come out of that room. Are you sure your friend is in there?”

  Styles had been walking with his head down to obscure his face, and still wore the sunglasses he’d had on earlier. He was aware that wearing the shades indoors looked odd, but it was better than letting someone, or worse yet, a camera, get a good look at his face.

  He knocked hard on the door that was across the hall from the cop.

  “We haven’t heard from Bobby in a while. I’m beginning to worry,” Styles said.

  He was standing with his knees bent slightly, as any moment he expected to hear the firecrackers go off and take the cop’s attention. Once that happened, he’d charge right at her.

  “Bobby?” the cop said. “The first time you were here you were calling for someone named Jimmy.”

  “You must be mistaken,” Styles said, as he moved towards the cop and awaited the popping of the fireworks.

  ***

  Jessica answered on first ring.

  “Jessica, listen to me. There’s a hit man named Tanner who’s been hired to kill you. Alert the cop and have him come inside the room to guard you. Once he’s inside, have him call in reinforcements while you alert hotel security.”

  “Are you all right?”

  “I’m good, but go get the cop now and make sure he places a car in front of the building. I don’t believe Tanner is headed there, but even if he was, you should still have nearly ten minutes to prepare for him, and the best thing you could do would be to scare him off with a strong police presence.”

  “All right, and be safe.”

  Jessica ended the call. Through the closed door of the suite, she heard the cop speaking to someone, which was followed by loud popping noises that sounded like several strings of firecrackers going off together.

  Then, Jessica heard the cop’s raised voice along with the sounds of a struggle, followed by a THUMP! as someone was slammed up against the door to the suite.

  Jessica looked around for a place of concealment and mentally prepared herself to fight for her life.

  ***

  Styles saw that the cop was becoming apprehensive, and then her hand moved towards the weapon on her hip as she stood.

  He sent her a wide smile in an attempt to calm her, and she shouted for him to keep back.

  That was when the fireworks finally went off and it made the cop jump and turn her head, as she fumbled at her holster.

  Styles reached over and gripped her wrist with one hand while grabbing her neck with the other. The officer jerked back with such force that she bounced off the door of the suite. That was when Styles released her neck and smashed a fist into her face.

  The cop groaned, but then she kicked out and caught Styles in the balls. His immediate reaction was rage. He punched the cop twice more, catching her on the temple and rendering her senseless, before taking her gun away.

  That was when the kick to the groin made Styles feel nauseated and he had to fight not to vomit as he leaned against the wall.

  When a bald man halfway down the hall stuck his head out the door to see what all the noise was about, Styles raised his gun and shouted at him.

  “Get back in the room or die!”

  The man ducked back into his room, while several other doors that had been opening were shut again.

  Then, Styles was falling onto his ass, as the cop had recovered enough to reach out and yank on his leg.

  Styles felt a sharp pain at the base of his spine, and then he kicked out at the cop and she went limp from the final blow to her head.

  The sickness in Style’s stomach passed so slowly that Styles wondered if the cop had done real damage to his testicles. Although he was still weakened from the pain, Styles moved over to stand before Jessica’s door, where he destroyed the lock with a single shot, before entering to make the kill.

  CHAPTER 23 – The ole shoe trick 2

  After hanging up with Jessica, her husband made a call to Alan Watson, their FBI contact, who assured White that he would have a police car in front of the hotel in three minutes, as he was only a short distance away and riding in the patrol car of his nephew, who was a Boulder police officer.

  A minute later, White drove in to the parking lot of Tanner’s motel and was pleased to see that a plow had been busy keeping the snow at bay. He cruised the long parking lot until he spotted the number on the keycard he’d found.

  Once parked, White headed for the room while noticing that it was dark inside, as if Tanner hadn’t returned yet. After knocking and receiving no answer, Mr. White used the keycard to enter the room.

  It didn’t take him very long to determine that the room was empty of occupants, but there was a duffle bag sitting on the floor of the closet. That reassured White that Tanner would return to the room, and so he waited in the dark for Tanner to show.

  ***

  While Mr. White was searching Tanner’s motel room, Styles had been searching White’s hotel suite, and coming up empty.

  Jessica wasn’t in any of the rooms, and so he assumed she was hiding. She surely had plenty of time to do so as it had taken him so long to get past the cop. Styles had planned to kill Jessica with a knife, but decided to use a gun due to the length of time it was taking.

  Styles ran back into the living area and saw that the door was still closed the way he had left it, although its lock had been destroyed by a bullet.

  The door had only been out of his view for a few seconds as he search the bedroom and bathroom, and if Jessica had fled during that brief period, Styles doubted that she would have closed the door behind her.

  He pushed aside the room service cart that held a plate containing a half-eaten steak dinner, and peered beneath the box spring of the bed.

  That was when he spotted the tips of two shoes sticking out from the bottom of the drapes, along with what looked like the cuffs of a pair of pants. As his eyes roamed upward, Styles could see that there was a slight bulge b
ehind the drapes in the area above the shoes, as if a person were hiding there.

  Styles crept over to the drapes, grabbed their edge, and yanked them back while aiming the gun at a spot four feet above the shoes.

  The shoes were empty, while the pants were draped over the air vent and kept from sliding off by a stack of throw pillows that had been taken from the sofa.

  With the realization that he’d been tricked, Styles gritted his teeth in anger, but an instant later, he was gritting them in pain, as Jessica rushed from the closet and jammed a steak knife in Styles’ throat.

  Styles grunted and made choking sounds as he stumbled backwards with his left hand going to the knife blade in his throat. The wound was bad, and leaking so much blood that it was running down inside his shirt.

  Jessica grabbed the arm holding the gun with both hands and tried to divert it away from her.

  It was useless, as even wounded as he was, Styles was too strong for her, and he shoved Jessica with his bloody left hand and sent her falling backwards to the floor, where she landed on her rear in front of a table.

  With his eyes burning with hatred, Styles brought the gun around, took aim, but then jerked his head to the left as the door to the suite flew open.

  It was Tanner.

  He shot Styles four times while advancing into the room and the younger hit man crumpled to the floor in front of the drapes, where he wheezed once, shuddered, and died.

  ***

  Jessica was certain that she was about to be shot when the door burst open and a man entered while firing his weapon at the assassin she believed to be Tanner.

  When the threat was over, she looked up into the stranger’s face and was shocked by what she saw.

  “Your eyes,” she muttered. “You have my husband’s eyes.”

  Tanner pointed to the blood on her blouse.

  “Are you hurt?”

  Jessica shook her head as she stood on legs that felt wobbly. She then pointed down at Styles.