“So he killed them and sent you a video of it?” Aaron asked.
“He didn’t just kill them, he tortured them for days. The man’s a monster,” Locke snapped. Once again his control disappeared momentarily, but he struggled to regain his composure.
“How long ago did this happen?” Susan asked.
Locke blinked in surprise. “What? It happened years ago? Why?”
“Why are you just now taking steps to address it?” Susan asked. “Does Morgan know what you’re trying to do?”
Locke nodded, although he looked uncomfortable. “Yes, he’s aware. Although, I am on my own. If things go bad, then he won’t be able to help me.”
Susan looked less than convinced, but she changed her line of questioning. “So why did you wait so long?”
“Several reasons,” Locke answered. “For one thing, I didn’t want to be a suspect, and after twenty-three years, nobody in his organization will remember me.”
“You mentioned several reasons,” Susan prompted.
Aaron was glad to let her do the talking. Her unique gift made her the perfect person to interrogate someone.
“I wanted to do something years ago, but Morgan has always forbidden it. He probably wishes that I would forget about the whole thing, but I just can’t.”
“If he’s not backing you, then how are you funding this operation?” Susan asked.
Locke tilted his head, studying Susan as if he had never seen her before. “I’ve managed to save up some money of my own.”
The words even sounded wrong to Aaron and he didn’t have Susan’s telepathic gifts. He and Susan just stared at Locke in silence for several moments. The silence was finally broken by Aaron. “Even if we were assassins, we wouldn’t work for you when you are so obviously lying to us.”
Locke seemed to swell in anger. “How dare you? You came to me, remember? You said you wanted work.”
“I remember,” Aaron said. “I wouldn’t have done it if I thought you would lie to me.”
Locke bounded to his feet, his chair falling over behind him. “Get out! And don’t call me for help anymore.”
Aaron tensed, preparing to stand and follow Susan from the room; the problem was, she didn’t move.
“Who’s listening in?” Susan asked. She pointed to the side wall. “Who’s in the next room?”
Aaron nearly turned his head to look where Susan pointed, but he just managed to restrain himself. “What the fuck is going on?” he demanded. His tone was quiet, but there was no mistaking the danger in his words.
Locke didn’t look angry anymore; he looked wary. He glanced from Aaron to Susan and appeared to be on the verge of opening his mouth to deny the accusations. He closed his mouth without a word as a panel in the side wall opened to reveal a man standing there.
Russell and Eric went in to Eric’s quarters together, leaving Grady in the corridor with Thomas. They had stopped at Thomas’s room first and it had only taken a moment to pack up his few pieces of extra clothing. He now stood in the corridor holding a small knapsack that held everything he owned in the universe.
Both men seemed a bit surprised that their pay had been turned over to them. Undoubtedly, they must have assumed their pay would be confiscated.
Russell stood just inside the door while Eric quickly stuffed several shirts, two pair of pants, and a second pair of boots into a duffel bag; most of the clothing he had picked up off the floor. Russell wore one of the Logan C-14 handguns on his hip, but he was pretty confident that he wouldn’t need it.
Eric shoved another shirt into his duffel and then stopped, looking around the room.
“Anything else?” Russell asked.
Eric shook his head. “I don’t think so.” He grinned at Russell. “I’m actually going to miss this place.”
Russell nearly told him it was his own damn fault but thought better of it. He didn’t want to piss them off on the way out. Don’t go away mad, just go away! Instead, he jerked his head toward the door. “You ready? Let’s go.”
“Wait a moment,” Eric said, and he sounded worried about something.
Russell tensed a bit, assuming he wasn’t going to like what Eric had to say. “What?” he demanded.
“You can’t just kick us out without some way of defending ourselves,” Eric said quietly. It seemed he didn’t want Grady to hear what he had to say.
“Defending yourselves?” Russell repeated doubtfully.
“Yeah, we need a gun, each,” Eric said. “We won’t last long without one.”
Russell smiled. “True, but you have a lot of credits with which you can buy whatever gun you want.”
The smile slipped from Eric’s face. Perhaps he had forgotten about the money, but more likely he just wanted to spend it on alcohol and women. “Listen,” he said earnestly, “let us just have a handgun. Consider it a going-away present.”
“And why would I do that?” Russell asked.
“You don’t want any trouble and we don’t want trouble. Just give us a gun and let us go.”
Russell paused. Aaron had said to not let either man take any ship property, but he did want them gone and without any trouble. “What do you want?” Russell asked, “two of the Logans?”
Eric smiled at his victory. “I’m sure Thomas will, but I’d prefer that Patterson.”
Aaron tensed momentarily at the sudden appearance of a man standing in a secret doorway. He relaxed almost immediately, realizing the stranger was not a threat.
The man standing in the doorway was old and shrunken. His white hair was thinning and he was slightly bent over. His eyes scanned the room for a moment, and then he stepped through the small, concealed doorway. He stood to the side of the door and held it open.
For a moment, Aaron was confused as to what he was doing, but then a second man stepped through the opening.
The second man was much younger, only in his fifties. He was white with dark black hair that was just starting to go gray. He was of average height and a bit overweight. His belly was round, and there was a softness to him that said he hadn’t worked very hard in his life.
Aaron studied the man and realized that for all the physical weakness, there was a toughness to the man’s eyes.
The pot-bellied man walked out of the concealed doorway and took a seat next to Locke’s overturned chair.
The old man in the background closed the concealed doorway and remained standing against the wall.
The pot-bellied man looked Aaron and Susan over, and then he spoke to Susan. “How did you know I was in there?”
Susan leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, smiling. “Who are you?” she asked simply.
If the man was offended by her rudeness, he didn’t show it. Instead, he too leaned back in his chair and smiled. “My name is Reginald Bailey.”
The pieces began to fall into place for Aaron. Once again, the computer portion of his brain supplied the necessary information. “Reginald Bailey,” he said slowly. Every eye in the room turned toward him. “It begins to make a bit of sense. Locke wants us to kill Darren Woodson, who just so happens to lead the largest criminal organization in the TF Federation. And now we have Reginald Bailey sitting at the table with us, who happens to be one of Woodson’s competitors. Did I miss anything?”
Bailey smiled. “No, you’re quite right.”
Aaron turned to Locke, who had remained standing. He seemed to be frozen to the spot. “So you want us to kill one criminal at the behest of another?”
The old man against the wall stirred, and Aaron began to suspect that he might be more dangerous than he had originally thought.
Bailey did not seem to be offended. He actually smiled at Aaron. “It’s true. I am a criminal, and I have killed many times before. But let me say one thing, I do not even begin to compare to Woodson.”
Aaron nodded. “I see. You’re the moralist criminal. Is that it?”
Bailey leaned back in his chair. “I, like you, break the law, but I have my limits. T
here are certain boundaries that I will not cross.”
“Really?” Aaron asked. “Like what?”
Bailey breathed deeply. “Woodson is a sadist. A cop gets too close and Woodson doesn’t just kill him—he also takes out the man’s family. His group kidnaps children for blackmail, engages in sentient slavery, and a host of other crimes that I won’t even consider doing. Consider who I am and you’ll see why that’s such a harsh statement.”
“So? Why don’t you kill him? Why do you need us?” Aaron asked.
“Unfortunately, every assassin I have access to can be tracked back to me and I need complete insulation from this crime. I cannot be implicated,” Bailey said.
“And why is that?” Aaron asked.
“Over the past five years, the infighting in our groups nearly destroyed us. On the point of being destroyed, we agreed to a cease fire. Woodson’s group is the largest of us and they’re sort of in control. If anyone suspects me, or my organization, then we’ll be wiped out.”
“So what happens if Woodson dies?” Susan asked.
Aaron was a bit surprised at the question; it sounded like she was open to the idea and he found that confusing.
Bailey’s eyes dropped to the table. “Well, Woodson’s son, Lou, will take over. He, like his father, is a monster. But unlike his father, Lou’s a complete idiot. I fully expect that within a month he will have angered the other four organizations.”
“You’re expecting him to start a war,” Aaron burst out. “You think he’ll piss everyone off, then you and your competitors can band together and take him out.”
Bailey smirked. “Exactly, and then we can go back to our civilized activities.”
“What is it you’re not telling us?” Susan asked. The question was directed not at Bailey but at Locke.
Locke was still standing, having remained near the end of the table. He looked befuddled. Aaron had never seen him look that way before.
Locke took a deep breath. “I don’t know what you mean,” he said simply.
“Lie,” Aaron said immediately. “Do it again and you can kill him yourself.”
Susan turned and looked at him, and Aaron realized that he had just left open the possibility of taking the job.
“All right,” Locke said after a brief pause, “there is more. My younger brother was on the smuggling ship I sent here.” Locke took a deep breath and moved closer to the table. He straightened the overturned chair and collapsed in it. “It was the ninth shipment we had run into the federation and we didn’t expect any issues. Besides, my brother was just the pilot. Even if the ship had been caught, he shouldn’t have gotten more than a year or two in prison.” He paused and the silence hung in the air.
“But the authorities turned him over to Woodson,” Aaron said, finally beginning to understand why this was so important to Locke.
Locke nodded but didn’t say anything. He kept his eyes on the table.
“I believe you,” Susan said.
Aaron knew her statement meant more than Locke or Bailey knew; it was her way of saying he was telling the truth as far as she could tell.
Locke looked up and studied Aaron. “When you first came to me, I gave you a job and I kept from looking too closely into your past. The shit you were pulling at the casinos could have easily gotten you into trouble. I warned you away and I brought you into my organization. You owe me.”
Aaron considered in silence. It was true that he owed Locke. Fresh out of the war, he had sent Susan and Russell into the casinos. With their special abilities, they could have taken the casinos for a fortune. Locke had noticed it first and warned them off. But it was also true that Locke had tried to hire them under false pretenses and that made trusting him difficult. Trusting Bailey was out of the question. This mission was fraught with danger.
Susan’s hands were out of sight under the table. She casually reached over and tapped him once on the leg.
Surprised, Aaron just did manage to keep his emotion hidden. Of all people, Susan would be the last person he would expect to condone killing a stranger. He made a mental note to ask her about it later—now was not the time.
“If I do this,” Aaron said slowly, “what’s in it for me? I mean besides the danger and a horribly slow death if I get caught.”
Bailey exhaled slowly. It would seem he had been holding his breath in anticipation. “One hundred thousand credits,” he answered. His smile was back in place. “And I want him killed in eight days.” Bailey caught the look of confusion that must have been apparent on Aaron’s face. “Woodson’s daughter is getting married in eight days in Oldtown. I want you to kill him at the wedding.”
“At the wedding?” Aaron repeated a bit appalled.
“Yes,” Bailey said. “I know it’s a bit distasteful, but it’s the perfect time. I will be at that wedding and it should keep me from being a suspect. But once this is done, you’ll have to agree to leave the federation and never come back.”
Aaron nodded. He couldn’t care less about coming back, but there was something else on his mind. “I’ll need something else.”
Bailey’s smile slipped a bit. “Such as?”
“I’ll need you to hire my ship. I want my crew as far from this as possible.”
“Hire them?” Bailey repeated as if he had never heard the words before. “For what?”
“To move a cargo,” Aaron said, fighting to keep his tone calm. It wouldn’t do to mock a crime boss. “Legal or illegal, I don’t care. I want them to take off within the day and be back in eight days. After this is done, I’ll take off with my ship, but I don’t want the ship to simply sit here for a week. Whoever investigates Woodson’s murder will pull a list of ship arrivals and departures.”
“Won’t they notice your ship coming in and leaving the same day?” Locke asked. He was beginning to look a bit better.
“Yes,” Aaron agreed, “which is why Bailey is going to give the ship a cargo. I want it to be something that my crew goes to pick up and then returns here to deliver it. Anyone looking at the ship’s arrival and departure will see that it delivered a cargo and then took off.”
Bailey and Locke both nodded their heads. “Makes sense,” Bailey said. He turned and looked over his shoulder at the old man against the wall. “Richard, find something suitable and forward the info to his ship.” Bailey pushed himself to his feet. “I need to be going. Locke has the rest of the details for you.” He paused and looked at Aaron. “Don’t get caught, or at least don’t get caught alive. Neither you nor I would enjoy that.”
They sat in silence for the several moments it took for Bailey and Richard to leave the room.
“Are they gone?” Aaron demanded several moments after the door had closed.
“Of course,” Locke answered, confused.
Aaron’s question hadn’t really been intended for Locke; it was meant for Susan. Out of the corner of his eye, Aaron could just see her slight nod. He turned his attention back to Locke. “Does Bailey know about your employer?”
“No. Well, not exactly. He knows I work for someone, but he doesn’t have any idea to Morgan’s identity.”
“I used Morgan’s name,” Aaron said, “before Bailey emerged from his hiding place.” He causally waved his hand in the direction of the wall as he spoke.
Locke shrugged. “But you only called him Morgan. Not much to go on and no reason for concern.”
Something about the comment bothered Aaron. It seemed a bit cavalier. He had always been under the impression that Charles Morgan’s identity was one of the most closely guarded secrets. Perhaps the possibility of revenge was causing Locke to play things a bit too fast and loose.
Locke removed a small crystal from his pocket and set it on the table. “Here’s everything you need to know about where Woodson’s daughter is getting married.” Some of his jovial attitude seemed to slip a bit. “This won’t be easy. I don’t even know how you’ll manage. Do you think you can really make this happen?”
“Don’t know,
” Aaron answered honestly.
The reply was not what Locke wanted to hear and he looked even more worried. “This will be tough, like the prison ship was.”
Aaron blinked in surprise. Locke shouldn’t have mentioned that, regardless of whether he thought the area was safe or not.
“I have another demand,” Aaron said after a moment.
Locke’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Demand? What is it?”
“I want you to leave the federation and stay gone.”
“What?” Locke asked, looking totally lost. “Why?”
“I don’t think you’re thinking straight. This business with your brother is causing you to take too many risks. You mentioned Morgan’s name when Bailey was listening in, and you’ve mentioned other things as well.” Aaron shook his head. “No, I want you gone.”
Locke’s confusion was gone and it was replaced with anger. “Now wait just a minute. I fully intend to see this bastard dead and I don’t mean on some news vid. If you think I’m leaving, then you are sadly mistaken.”
“No, I’m not,” Aaron said quietly. “You won’t like it, but you’ll leave.”
“Oh really? And why is that?”
“Because you want me to do this for you. If you don’t leave then I’m out.”
Oh, if looks could kill. Locke sat there staring daggers at Aaron. His jaw clenched and unclenched several times and then he nodded once.
“I mean it, Locke,” Aaron warned. “Don’t try and pull anything.”
There wasn’t much else to say, and Locke didn’t seem much interested in talking anyway. Aaron scooped up the small crystal off the table and put it in his pocket.
Locke stood up and moved toward the main exit. Aaron quickly pushed himself to his feet and intercepted him. Locke’s eyes widened in surprise, then Aaron punched him hard in the face. Locke collapsed to the ground in a heap.
Aaron stood over him, glaring down. “Don’t ever try to hire me or my crew under false pretenses again.”
Locke had his hand over his mouth, but little tendrils of blood seeped out from around his hand. “What?” he managed to croak out.
Aaron leaned in closer. “You lied to us throughout this little meeting, tried to hire us to kill a crime boss while withholding information, and then you only came clean when it was obvious we knew you were lying. You ever try shit like that again and I’ll kill you myself.”
Kill Shot: A Remnant of the Commonwealth, Book Two Page 10