by David Nees
This man was different than others she had known. She had experienced the climbers, the manipulators who worked the system. They seemed to her to not be of much use except to move up in position. They would figure out what was needed and perform, not for success as much as for recognition. Thankfully the two would combine often enough.
Then there were the adventurers, in it for the adrenalin rush. They were the risk takers. She found herself attracted to them, but quickly learned they were not stable partners. She found herself just another challenge for them on their endless journey of thrills. Jane learned to keep them at bay.
And there were the mercenaries, the killers. They seemed to enjoy the thrills of a dangerous life, but were driven by other things; their demons, or money, or both. She avoided entanglements with such men. It was dangerous and generally sabotaged a mission.
Dan was different from them all. He had taken on the mob, single-handedly. Not for gain, although he admitted to her he had found it lucrative, but for revenge—payback. When that was accomplished he had ended his mission. From what she could discern, the killing (and he was good at it) had not destroyed his soul. He retained his own sense of morality through it all. She liked that.
Jane smiled. He did have a boyish charm. She could see it in his eyes, just as she had seen the darkness in his eyes before he set out on his killing spree. He was a mixture of youthful charm and deadly killer. She found herself drawn to him. Careful, girl. She could not afford to risk the larger mission by falling for her hired assassin. Remember, that’s what he will be. Still she could not put aside those feelings.
Dan’s energy returned. He began to grow restless as the week came to a close. “Maybe it’s time to get on with this new mission,” he said one night.
“You rested? Ready?”
He nodded. “Don’t think I’m going to get more ready. I’ll only start thinking about the past months if I sit around too much longer. Time to get on with it.”
Jane studied him closely. “How do you feel now that it’s over? Any demons haunting you?”
Dan gazed away, into the distance of the room. “No. I think I’ve got a certain ability to compartmentalize. It’s over so I shut that off. I know that’s probably not healthy, but that’s a habit I developed in Iraq.”
“But will that come back to haunt you? Most people can’t do what you did. And if they did, they would be emotionally scarred.”
Dan shook his head. “I don’t feel it.” He turned to her. “You think I’m a freak?”
“No.” She looked into his face, now youthful, filled with his question. “You’re very special. I haven’t figured it all out, but you’re different from others I’ve worked with.”
Dan leaned forward, towards her. “Look, you’ve given me a new lease on life, a life after death, so to speak. I know what I’m setting out on is not normal, but it’s a chance for me to have a life, to do something beyond what I just completed. I’ll never let go of Rita…or the loss the fire brought…family, normalcy, or as much of it as we could create. But now I can have purpose in my life, even if it’s not a normal one.” He smiled. “I’ll take that.”
They left the next morning. Jane fought off urges to go into Dan’s bedroom on that last night. Can’t jeopardize the mission. Little did she know Dan had spent much of the night wrestling with his own urges to join her. In the morning, after a quick coffee and something to eat, the two of them loaded the car and drove down the gravel drive.
The cabin sat alone again, tucked into the mountains. The two who left it were off on a new adventure. Where it would end up neither of them knew.
The End
Payback is the first of a new thriller series I am writing. Look for subsequent novels with Dan Stone, Jane Tanner and some of the other characters you’ve met here. After his training Dan heads to Mexico on his first assignment. Things don’t go as well as planned as you will read.
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Other novels published by David Nees:
After the Fall: Jason’s Tale
After the Fall: Catherine’s Tale, Part 1
After the Fall: Catherine’s Tale, Part 2
For information about upcoming novels, please visit my website at http://www.davidnees.com. You can sign up for my reader list to get new information. I never sell my list and you can opt out at any time. Thank you for all your support. Your reading is why I write my stories.