A Necessary Kill

by James P. Sumner

  And yes, I just air quoted then. Got a problem?

  “Oh, those?” She smiles. “Just before I got myself committed, I had a makeup artist friend of mine put them on for me. I figured they’d help with the charade.” She moves over to the chair in the opposite corner by the window and sits down, crossing her legs with unnecessary exaggeration. “It’s just a body wrap, essentially. Like those fake tattoo sleeves you can get.”

  I sit back down on the bed facing her. I’m impressed with her commitment to the role, if nothing else. She still has a glimmer of insanity behind her eyes, but as I look at her now, she’s a far cry from the woman I rescued this morning. She looks normal… feminine—not a hint of the feral, twisted, killer I first saw.

  “So, talk me through the whole criminally insane thing. What was your reasoning behind it?”

  She shrugs. “I slipped up on a job and got caught.” She leans back in her chair as she speaks. “If I had been tried, I’d have been given the death penalty without question. I knew I needed to get out of it, and, if I could, I knew I needed to lay low. For a long time. I didn’t have a lawyer, but I’d watched enough TV to know that pleading insanity was probably my only option. I ran through the routine in my head over and over again. Then on my last court appearance before sentencing I got in character, and within minutes they sent me to Stonebanks in Baltimore.”

  I smile. “Well, I’ve seen you play the part, so I can understand their reaction…”

  “Once I was inside, I actually thought it could work quite well… I figured I could sneak out whenever I had a contract and hide out there between jobs. No one would ever think to look for me in an asylum, right?”

  I nod, understanding the logic. “Kinda like a Winter Soldier thing? Nice idea.”

  She frowns. “Who?”

  I really need to lay off the comic-slash-movie references when Josh isn’t here—it just confuses people…

  I shake my head. “Never mind. So what went wrong?”

  “It turns out I kinda played my part a little too well. They put me in solitary on a priority watch, which made it impossible for me to get out. Luckily, the last visit before my ass was hauled off to the funny farm was from my friend who managed to put the body wrap on me for the scars, so at least I could keep up the act once I was inside and be left alone. Not sure what I would’ve done long-term if you hadn’t come for me, though.”

  I shrug. “It’s been a stroke of luck for the both of us there, I think. But, ah… I gotta ask, seeing as we’ll be working together. The hit you got caught on… a guard in the asylum said you torched a retirement home full of old people. That’s a bit much, isn’t it? Even for someone in our line of work…”

  She smiles, like she’s forgiving my ignorance. “Yeah, I did torch a building full of old people. And that’s all anyone knows, officially.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “And unofficially?”

  “The care home I destroyed was a front for a pedophile ring, and it was full of child molesters. Every single one of those twisted fucks had spent their lives ruining other people’s and had gotten away with it. The father of a kid who killed himself after years of abuse spent thousands of dollars investigating it, and it led him to that retirement home. The job came to me, and I did it for free. And I hope each and every one of the sick bastards is still burning.”

  I clench my jaw muscles, empathetically angry at the thought of people being allowed to live after committing such atrocities. I also feel a swell of pride for Ruby, in a purely professional capacity. I’m pleased for her that she was able to use her abilities to take on what I would consider a noble cause and provide that grieving father with the closure he needed. It’s good for us to sometimes use our skills and our job to do something honorable and just. It’s a shame there aren’t more of us around who think the same way.

  I feel myself glaze over, lost in a moment of rage and understanding.

  “Are you… okay?”

  “Huh?” I snap back into the moment. “Yeah, I’m good—sorry. And I’m glad you’ve got my back on this. Don’t get me wrong, as I’m sure you can appreciate I tend not to trust people all that much. But professionally speaking, I’m glad you’re on the team.”

  She smiles. “No one could pass up this payday, whoever the target. Speaking of which, have you got any ideas on how we’re going to do this?”

  I shake my head. “Nothing concrete, no. We’ve got another couple of stops to make yet—two more people on the list I want to try to recruit.”

  “Yeah, I was gonna ask… where did you get my name from, anyway?”

  “I went to see Ashton Case. Figured he’d know some people crazy enough to wanna help me out. You’ll be pleased to know your reputation for being certifiable is strong in the community. He said to use you as a last resort… said you were off the reservation.”

  I smile and she laughs. “Yeah, I’m almost as bad as you!”

  “Hey, my reputation was given to me… I just work to maintain it. It’s good for business.”

  “Smart strategy. Guess that’s why you’re a legend…” She smiles at me, her eyes twinkling.

  “Well, I can’t take all the credit, but I won’t argue.”

  “So, who else has signed up so far?”

  “Just the guy I went to see before you. Jonas Briggs…”

  She claps her hands like an excited teenager. “Oooo, I’ve heard of him! He likes his poisons, if I remember right?”

  I think back to the needle he held to my neck when he first confronted me. “Yeah, that’s the guy.”

  “Bit of a loner, but he’s got a solid reputation.”

  “Well, I thought he was a bit of a prick to be honest, but he seems useful enough, and he’s on board. We’re meeting him in Atlantic City three days from now.”

  She nods. “So where’s our next stop?”

  “North Carolina… Greensboro.”

  I see the change in her expression. Her smile drops instantly and her body tenses. She uncrosses her legs and shifts in her seat.

  “North Carolina? Please don’t tell me you mean—”

  “The European… Yeah, is that a problem?”

  She sighs heavily. “Not sure… Fernando and I go way back.”

  Fernando?

  She smiles regretfully. “He’s, ah… he’s my ex.”

  I close my eyes as a wave of disbelief and a sense of impending dread wash over me. I let out a sigh of my own. “Great…”

  “We’ve not seen each other for a long time—eighteen months, easily. He took a contract in Greensboro doing some exclusive work for a gangster down there who opened up a chain of companion clubs. They were new to the game but had a lot of cash—and a lot of enemies. Fernando took the guaranteed payday and started working for him, taking out the competition. But he got a little too friendly with some of the girls working there, and we broke up.”

  I massage the bridge of my nose between my thumb and index finger, quickly running through my mind all the possible ways this could be a pain in my ass.

  “There’s no ill feelings between us, that I know of,” Ruby continues, maybe seeing my distress. “I wasn’t exactly the doting girlfriend… It’s the nature of our business, I guess. But I actually liked him, and it hurt for a while when we separated.”

  “Okay, just promise me this won’t be a thing, alright? On top of everything else, I can really do without the Jerry Springer crap… ”

  She stands quickly and salutes, which causes her towel to drop to the floor. “Promise, Chief!”

  I fall backward on the bed, staring at the ceiling again. “God help me.”

  11

  April 28, 2017

  08:42 EDT

  We left our motel at dawn, hitting the road for the seven-plus hour drive to Greensboro. As daylight chased us, another cloudy day revealed itself. Thankfully, the rain’s held off so far, but it’s thinking about it.

  I didn’t sleep much for a variety of reasons. One being I was on the floor. Ruby gr
aciously offered to share the bed with me, but given the outstanding lack of discretion she’s shown so far, I didn’t hold out much hope of surviving the night. Which is another reason I didn’t sleep well. Despite being on the floor, I still didn’t feel completely safe from any potential—what’s the word—attempts by Ruby to entertain herself, shall we say. Maybe I’m flattering myself, I don’t know, but I think I at least have grounds enough for concern.

  Consequently, it’s taken a couple of hours on the road to really get my head in the game. I’ve been driving mostly on autopilot since we left Allentown. Ruby stayed awake all of ten minutes after setting off, and she’s been sleeping ever since. The traffic’s been light, although we’ve just hit I-81 going through Harrisburg and it’s starting to get busier.

  “Are we there yet?”

  I glance across at Ruby as she stirs, opens her eyes slowly, and stretches in her seat, speaking through a yawn.

  I smile. “No, there’s a long way to go yet, I’m afraid.”

  She doesn’t respond, but after a few minutes of shuffling in her seat I can feel her staring at me.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Tell me something,” she says, sounding curious. “You’ve seen me naked more than once. And I’m pretty sure you had an eyeful in the sewers… Why haven’t you tried to get it on with me yet? Most men would’ve by now…”

  I shake my head. I hate this type of conversation.

  I don’t take my eyes off the road. “I’m not most men. I’ve got someone waiting for me who I love very much. I’m not interested.” I turn to look at her, smiling weakly. “No offense.”

  She regards me for a moment and then smiles, finally looking away. “That’s nice. I’m happy for you.”

  “Thanks. Although, I’ll admit it’s not the best thing right now.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I can’t see her. I’m toxic at the moment, and anyone near me is literally putting their life in danger. To protect her, I have to distance myself from her. And… and it’s hard, y’know.”

  She’s silent for a minute. “Jesus… you are a pussy, aren’t you?”

  I look over and see she’s smiling playfully. I frown. “Be aware that I am yet to develop any reservations about shooting you.”

  She pouts. “What about the whole ‘no women, no kids’ rule?”

  I laugh. “That’s not a rule! This isn’t a movie—if you’ve done something awful enough to warrant someone sending me after you, then you’re going to die, simple as that. Yeah, I won’t shoot a kid, but that’s my own choice. I know plenty of people who probably would. Besides, you’re not a woman—you’re a killer.”

  She shakes her head. “I’m not a woman? Do you want me to prove you wrong? Because you know I will…”

  “No, I’m good thanks. Not that you’re not lovely and everything, but I’m driving and, y’know, too much of a good thing, et cetera…”

  We share a laugh, and the lighter mood helps me relax more. Makes me think back to the good ol’ days when I was talking to Josh on the phone, traveling solo around the country. Despite working hard over the last few years to ensure my days of doing that were over, right now I’d give anything to trade this in and go back to those simpler times. Just for a little while.

  We shoot past a sign for Chambersburg.

  Hang on a minute…

  We’re heading straight for…

  “Shit.”

  Ruby looks over. “What is it?”

  I’m the first to admit geography has never really been my strong point. Further proof of how reliant I was on Josh—he would always tell me where to be and how to get there, so I never paid much attention. But I’ve just realized something…

  “We’re gonna drive straight through Virginia…”

  Ruby shrugs. “That a problem?”

  I nod. “The CIA wants me dead. Langley’s its home. Plus, we’ll be within spitting distance of the White House before that…”

  “So we’ll just keep a low profile… it’ll be fine. You worry too much—you’ll get an ulcer or something.” She settles back in her seat, closing her eyes.

  I sigh. “I think you’re missing the point. The CIA, and presumably the president, knows I have evidence to bury them—that’s why they want me dead. They also know I’m a pretty good assassin. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that at some point I might try killing someone. It’s kind of my go-to solution to most problems. So the closer we are to them—”

  “…The more security there’ll be,” she nods as she finishes my sentence, finally seeing where I was going with it. “So what do you want to do?”

  “Not much we can do, I guess. Whether you like it or not, we need someone of The European’s caliber on our side, and we don’t really have the time to detour a couple hundred miles west just to avoid the more direct route on the slight chance we might—” Lights flash in my rearview, and the sound of sirens follows a moment later, distracting me. It’s a squad car with two officers in it. “—be seen… Fuck!”

  Ruby sits up straight in her seat and looks over her shoulder. “Are they signaling to us?”

  “Yup.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  I shrug. “Try my best not to shoot them and hope they don’t look in the back.”

  The big bag of goodies we got from Oscar is in the back under some tarpaulin, in case you’re wondering.

  I pull over to the side of the road and roll my window down. I see the cops in the mirror fall in behind us. They both step out of their car, look around, and adjust their belts to look casual but threatening. They exchange a glance and then approach the truck.

  I look at Ruby. “Let me do the talking, okay?”

  Let me do the talking… Jesus, we’re screwed!

  They draw level with us, and the guy on my side leans down. He looks older than me—gray hair and a weathered face… maybe mid-fifties. “License and registration please.”

  “Is there a problem, officer?” I try to sound as normal and innocent as possible while pretending to search for things I obviously don’t have with me.

  “I hope not, son.”

  I look over at Ruby. She’s doing her best to flirt silently with the younger officer at her side, but so far he seems to be resisting her charms.

  “I don’t have them with me, sorry—must be in my other jacket… What’s this about?”

  The cop stands up straight and takes a step away from the truck, reaching forward and opening my door as he does. “Can you step out of the vehicle please, sir?”

  I sigh. “You’re not gonna tell me what this is about? This could be viewed as harassment, you know that, right?”

  He doesn’t bite, remaining calm and stubborn. “Sir, would you please step out of the vehicle?”

  I do, albeit reluctantly.

  “Is this your truck?”

  Oh.

  I shrug. “I’m driving it.”

  “Answer the goddamn question, and don’t get cute with me.”

  “Yes, it’s my truck.”

  “This vehicle was reported stolen from a parking lot in Baltimore yesterday afternoon.”

  I glance back at the old, brown rust bucket that has served me well these past thirty hours or so. I catch the eye of the other officer standing by Ruby’s door. His face is expressionless. I can’t tell if that’s disinterest or genuine ignorance. Either way, whether this is me springing a trap or just running out of luck, I can’t afford to get delayed by the police. And I definitely can’t let these assholes put me in the system—all hell would break loose.

  I need to do something, and in these types of situations, I only really have one approach…

  I turn back to the cop in front of me. “Doesn’t look stolen to me… It’s right there.”

  He looks away for a second with frustration, letting out a heavy sigh. “Alright, smartass, move to the front of the vehicle, turn around, and put your hands on the hood.”

  I shrug again. “Make me.”
<
br />   He moves his hand to his holster, unclipping the piece of material securing his firearm in place. “Don’t test me. Move around the vehicle… and put your hands on the goddamn hood!”

  I pace slowly to the front of the truck, lean forward on the hood, and spread my legs. I look up and glance through the windshield at Ruby, who’s staring at me, silently asking what I intend to do.

  Good question…

  If I let these pricks arrest me, it’s game over. If I knock him out and run, it’s game over. These are my only options, and either way I’m screwed.

  But knocking him out is more fun…

  I flick my gaze to her door and wink at her.

  The cop moves behind me. I look over my shoulder at him. “Put your hands on me, and I’ll break them.”

  The younger one by Ruby’s door looks over; his hand disappearing to his side hovering over his firearm.

  “Threatening a police officer with violence?” says the one behind me. “That’s it. I’m placing you under arrest. You have the right to remain silent—”

  “You first!” I spin around clockwise and bring my elbow up, slamming it into his face. He staggers back, losing his footing and falling to the ground.

  Behind me, I hear Ruby’s door open. I look back in time to see her ram it into the other cop’s body. He stumbles backward and she steps out, moves toward him, and kneels down out of sight behind the truck.

  I turn back to my cop, who’s reeling on the ground. I take a step and crouch beside him to pick up his weapon. “Look, I’m sorry about this, I really am. This isn’t personal. But there’s some shit going on right now that’s so far above your pay grade that you can’t see it for the sun, you understand? You’re just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  I hit him again in the face, which knocks him out cold. I stand, tuck the gun in the waistband of my jeans, and turn around. Ruby’s walking toward me holding the other cop’s gun.

  “You good?”

  She nods. “He’s out. Figured you wouldn’t want him too injured…”

  “Thanks. After all, it’s not their fault. Come on.”