Maggie Lee (Book 10): The Hitwoman's Act of Contrition

by JB Lynn

  I pushed those thoughts from my head as I moved through the familiar hallways toward my niece’s room. I had to focus on being positive when I was with her. Aunt Leslie kept spouting stuff about surrounding the child with white light. While I had no idea how to do that, or if it would work, I was doing my best not to expose Katie to any negativity.

  She was making remarkable progress, but still had a long way to go, and I certainly didn’t want to be the one to throw any roadblocks into her path.

  Dipping my chin until it touched my chest, I whispered, “Remember. You’ve got to keep quiet if there are any adults present.”

  A woman walking in the opposite direction crossed the hall to get away from me. Apparently having my head bent and talking to myself made me look rather odd.

  “Yes,” the lizard hissed with exasperation from his hiding spot, nestled between my breasts. “So you’ve said. Three times.”

  At the sound of my chest squeaking the woman sped up, eager to put distance between us.

  As I neared her room, I spotted Delveccio’s new bodyguard standing at the door.

  He wasn’t there to protect Katie; he was there for Delveccio’s grandson.

  I swallowed a groan. Not that I didn’t appreciate the extra security. I’d made enough enemies to know that an extra set of eyes looking out for the little girl I loved couldn’t be a bad thing.

  I nodded at the man. “Morning.”

  He didn’t even glance up from the newspaper crossword puzzle he held. “You know a four letter word for flair?”

  I thought for a second. “No. Sorry.”

  He shrugged. “Me neither.”

  “Elan,” God squeaked.

  The guard flicked his eyes upward.

  “Elan,” I parroted. After all, while the lizard sucked at his beloved Wheel of Fortune puzzles, he kicked butt when it came to Jeopardy.

  “What?” The guard eyed me suspiciously,

  “Four letter word. Elan.”

  He looked down at his paper, his pen hovering over the grid. “That works. Thanks.”

  I took that as permission to cross the threshold and enter the room.

  I zeroed in on the adorable little girl sitting up in the sterile hospital bed.

  “How’s my favorite niece?”

  “I’m your only niece,” Katie replied with a grin.

  “You’d still be my favorite.” Walking over to her bed, I bent to place a kiss on her forehead. The spot bandages had covered after the accident. “How are you doing today?”

  “I got an extra orange juice with breakfast.”

  “Good for you.”

  “I’m going to need it,” Katie informed me, her voice swelling with importance. “I’ve got extra PT today. Juan says I’m strong enough for it.” To demonstrate, she flexed her arm and pointed at her bicep.

  I nodded my approval. “I’m impressed. Did you eat your whole breakfast?”

  “Every last morsel,” she said cheerily.

  I smiled, even though my heart broke a little. “Every last morsel” was something Teresa, her mother, my sister, used to say.

  I felt God pulling himself up my bra strap. “Guess who I brought.”

  “Godzilla!” Katie clapped happily.

  “But remember,” I warned, holding a finger my lips to shush her. “It’s our secret that he’s here.”

  “Take me to the boy,” the lizard decreed.

  I backed up a few steps so I could see the pale little boy lying in the other bed. “Good morning, Dominic.”

  He didn’t respond, but I was hopeful he’d continue to make progress as Katie had and eventually wake up.

  I walked over to his bed, and mimicked my actions, placing a soft kiss on his forehead before I grabbed his hand and held it firmly.

  The lizard scampered down my arm, up onto Dominic, and right up to his ear. The little guy stayed there for a long moment, tail twitching, as he whispered in the child’s ear. Before long, he ran right back up my arm.

  “You are doing so well, sweetheart.” I pressed my lips to Dominic’s hand before laying it back by his side.

  “How come no one comes to visit him?” Katie asked.

  “People visit,” I assured them both hurriedly.

  “Only Mr. D.,” she countered. “Not his mommy or daddy or anybody.”

  “Maybe they’re just letting him get stronger,” I suggested.

  Considering I’d killed Dominic’s father (but only after he’d tried to smother the kid with a pillow) and that I was pretty sure his biological mother was locked up in the loony bin, I didn’t think he’d get any other visitors soon. Unless, of course, the woman who everyone thought was his mother came back, but I hadn’t seen her in weeks.

  “They need to come now,” Katie insisted. “Otherwise he won’t have anyone to play Go Fish with once I go home.”

  “We can come back to visit him,” I found myself promising, carefully placing the lizard on her bed.

  She grinned at him. “Hi, Godzilla.”

  He waved his tail in response.

  “Yay!” Katie bounced in her bed.

  “Motion sickness,” God groaned.

  But to Katie it sounded like an excited squeak, so she bounced harder.

  Scooping the lizard up, I suggested, “Let’s play Itsy Bitsy Spider.”

  She shook her head. I didn’t know whether it’s because it’s what I’d been playing with her in the back seat of the car at the moment of the crash or if it was because she couldn’t make her fingers go through the necessary motions. Her therapist had said her fine motor skills were improving, but certain things were still a challenge. Things like feeding herself with utensils and coloring were difficult, but we were all encouraged by how well she did playing cards.

  “What would you like to play?” I asked gently.

  “No time to play,” an aide in pink scrubs declared, pushing a wheelchair into the room. “It’s time to get Miss Katie to physical therapy.”

  God jumped down my shirt. He rested in the hammock formed by my bra.

  “Yay!” Katie cried, throwing off her bedclothes. “Let’s go.” She pushed herself out of bed and stood for a moment, wobbling unsteadily.

  I stood there, holding my breath, hoping she wouldn’t fall.

  Throwing out her arms like a gymnast on a balance beam, she shuffled over to where the wheelchair waited.

  Both the aide and I watched her carefully, but neither of us made a move to help her. Everyone agreed that the more she did for herself, the quicker her confidence in her abilities would grow.

  Reaching the chair, she executed her most difficult move, turning around and plopping into the seat. She spun around in slow motion, with only a minor wobble, lowering her butt halfway down, before allowing gravity to take over and falling the rest of the way.

  She grinned at me triumphantly.

  I gave her a thumb’s up. It wasn’t a performance worthy of a gold medal, but she was definitely improving. “See you later, alligator.”

  “In a while, crocodile.”

  Grabbing the wheelchair’s handles, the aide smiled at me. “One of my favorite patients to transport. She’s always so happy.”

  I nodded my thanks as they backed out of the room.

  “I’ll see you later, Dominic,” the little girl called. “Love you, Aunt Maggie.”

  “Love you, baby girl,” I shouted back.

  And then they were gone. I looked at Dominic and grabbed his hand again. “I’ll see you soon, kiddo.”

  Encouraged by Katie’s progress, I was feeling pretty good as I made my way to the hospital cafeteria despite the fact I’d been summoned there. After all, of my three bosses—Harry, my supervisor at Insuring the Future; Ms. Whitehat, the woman who gave me my instructions from a shadowy organization; and Delveccio—I definitely had the best working relationship with the mobster. He’d never blown his top when I refused an assassination job and I got the impression he genuinely cared about my well-being.

  “Rem
ember,” I began again.

  “Silence is golden,” the lizard muttered.

  I crossed into the cafeteria and was greeted with the scent of stale coffee and recycled cooking grease. I made an effort to school my face into a blank mask.

  After all, there was no telling what my next assignment might be.

  Chapter 3

  I spotted Delveccio sitting in the back corner the moment I stepped into the cafeteria. Even if Tony (or maybe it was Anthony…. They were identical twins who even law enforcement couldn’t tell the difference between, so I didn’t even try) wasn’t on the news on a weekly because of his criminal career choices, it wouldn’t be hard to pick him out in a crowded room. An overweight man with a penchant for wearing his shirts unbuttoned halfway to his belly button, he always wears a gaudy, eye-catching pinky ring.

  Meeting my gaze over the top of the newspaper he held, he inclined his head in the direction of the food line, indicating I had his permission to eat. I wasn’t hungry after Aunt Susan’s eggs and Templeton’s rye, but I did get myself a cup of coffee before meandering toward the mobster.

  “Dominic looks good today,” I said as way of greeting.

  “Docs think he’s getting stronger every day.” Folding up the paper, he indicated I should take the seat opposite him.

  I slid into the seat and blew on my coffee, waiting for him to direct the conversation.

  “Your niece is doing well?”

  I nodded. “Going home soon.”

  A dark look crossed over his face, but the words that came out of his mouth were “That’s good news.”

  I sipped my coffee, savoring its hot richness.

  “She’s gonna need a lot of specialists?”

  “Uh-huh.” I knew where this was going. I’d originally begun working for him to earn the cash to pay for Katie’s hospital bills.

  “That must be expensive.”

  “It will be,” I agreed.

  “I’m farming out a job,” Delveccio said slowly, twirling his ring. “I offered it to our mutual friend first, but he turned it down.”

  He meant Patrick, my would-be boyfriend and the man who’d taught me to kill. I wondered why he’d turned down the work.

  “So I’m your second choice,” I teased lightly.

  “You could say that.” The corner of the mob guy’s mouth lifted. “You gonna turn it down cuz it’s sloppy seconds?”

  Internally, I winced, but externally, I shrugged.

  “It meets your criteria. Bad guy. Deserves to die,” Delveccio wheedled, leaning forward.

  “Says you,” I countered quietly.

  Delveccio tapped his newspaper on the table. Twice.

  Worried I’d overstepped my bounds; I struggled to keep my expression neutral.

  Delveccio pushed the newspaper across the table at me. “Him.”

  I glanced down and saw the intended target was Wayne Krout.

  “You know who he is?” Delveccio asked.

  I nodded. Everyone knew who Wayne Krout was. Born into a moneyed family, Wayne had spent his entire life in the tabloids, and when the charges were serious enough, he graced the pages of the legitimate newspapers. He even had a nickname, “I can explain Wayne.”

  Over the years, he’d probably been charged with more crimes than the man sitting across from me, but nothing ever stuck. It was amazing what money and power could do.

  A quick skim of the article beside Krout’s smirking face informed me that he was being investigated for being part of a child pornography ring that was responsible for the death of one of its young victims.

  I couldn’t argue with Delveccio. He was a bad guy. He probably did deserve to die.

  I looked up to see Delveccio watching me closely. Swallowing hard, because I wasn’t sure I was going to like the answer, I asked, “What’s your involvement?”

  Delveccio tilted his head, his gaze narrowing.

  I gripped my coffee cup, hoping he wasn’t going to say that he was part of the ring. If he was, I might have to try to kill him, too. Somehow I figured that wouldn’t end well for me.

  “I’m a third party. Brokering the deal.”

  I frowned. The last time he’d brought me this kind of job, I’d been tasked with knocking off one of Aunt Loretta’s ex-husbands at a wedding. I hadn’t been able to do the deed, but the man had suffered death by disco ball. A kill Delveccio attributed to me. I’d never corrected his assumption and had taken the credit, and more importantly the money, for getting the job done.

  “Who?” I asked.

  Delveccio’s gaze tightened to two thin slits.

  I waited.

  Shaking his head, he leaned back. “I’ve never worked with anyone like you. Criteria, questions, giving me a hard time.”

  “I’m not giving you a hard time. I just want to know who wants him…” I glanced around, making sure there was no one within earshot. “Gone.”

  “His mother,” Delveccio admitted grudgingly. “She’s tired of him”—he made air quotes with his hands—”besmirching the family name.”

  I let out a low whistle. “Wow.”

  Delveccio shrugged. “So you gonna take it?”

  “I have to think about it.” For all I knew, Patrick could have turned down the assignment because Wayne Krout was under police surveillance.

  Delveccio nodded. I got the impression he hadn’t expected me to say yes.

  “I’m glad Dominic’s doing better,” I said, starting to stand.

  “Sit.”

  I sat.

  “I haven’t told you why I wanted to talk to you.”

  I looked down at the newspaper.

  “That’s business,” Delveccio said. “I need you for a family job.”

  I swallowed hard. The last “family job” had involved killing his son-in-law, the jerk who’d put Dominic into a coma.

  “I need you to get her this.” He reached beneath the table and pulled out a small purple teddy bear.

  I knew who “her” was. Angelina, his daughter, the woman I believed to be Dominic’s biological mother, a woman who lives in the same mental health facility as my mother.

  I stared at the toy, unsure of what to do.

  “Say yes,” God whispered. “It fits perfectly with my plan.”

  I had no idea what God’s plan was.

  Delveccio stared at my squeaking chest. “Slipped the lizard in to visit your niece?”

  I nodded sheepishly.

  He grinned his approval. “You understand the importance of doing whatever’s necessary for family. That’s why I like you.”

  I smiled weakly.

  “And it’s why I know you won’t turn down my request.”

  I studied his face, wondering whether there was a veiled threat in that last remark.

  I picked up the teddy bear.

  “Today,” Delveccio added. “She’s got to get it today.”

  I considered telling him that the deadline was too short, but thought better of it. “Today,” I agreed.

  He grinned and slowly got to his feet. “Speaking of family, make sure your uncle skips the poker game tonight.”

  With that ominous warning, he lumbered away.

  I guessed he meant Templeton since I’d seen Loretta’s fiancé leaving a game frequented by unsavory, criminal types… one of whom, a while back, I’d been sent to kill. The company Templeton kept, plus his predilection for visiting the local pawn shop, were some of the reasons I couldn’t trust Loretta’s latest beau.

  Once the mobster was gone, I asked aloud, “What plan?”

  The one you agreed to,” the lizard replied immediately, having anticipated my question.

  “I didn’t agree to any plan.”

  “You owe me an act of contrition,” God countered. “It’s time to pay up.”

  Chapter 4

  Instead of answering him, I opened the newspaper Delveccio had left behind and flipped to the article I’d spotted during breakfast.

  The man’s death was front page news. A car
accident, the article said, but I wasn’t sure I believed it.

  I stared at the familiar face, wondering what this new development meant for me.

  The man who had poisoned Patrick Mulligan was dead. The man who was the husband of the woman Patrick’s wife was having an affair with was now out of the picture.

  How would this affect the dynamics of their relationships? How would it affect mine with Patrick?

  The last time I’d seen my red-headed cop/hitman he’d said he was going to do something he should have done a long time ago. Was this it?

  “Reading the classifieds?” a familiar voice asked from behind me.

  Spinning around, I found Aunt Leslie watching me. “What are you doing here?”

  She blinked, surprised by my sharp tone. “Service.”

  I nodded, relaxing. She hadn’t been spying on me with Delveccio. She was here to push patients around in wheelchairs as some sort of weird penance for decades of addiction. “Katie has double PT today.”

  Leslie nodded, flexing her arm and pointing at her muscle just like Katie had.

  I grinned. “I’m sorry I interrupted your yoga session this morning.”

  She waved off the apology. “Don’t be. Old Agnes is a stick-in-the-mud. She’s got to learn to go with the flow.” She glanced at the newspaper again. “Deciding whether to work for Loretta?”

  I nodded. It was a lot safer than telling her I’d been wondering if my almost-lover had knocked off the guy on the front page.

  “Looking for advice?”

  “Sure.” Not that Leslie’s advice was ever worth anything.

  “See if you can combine two of the jobs.”

  “What?”

  “See if two of the jobs will let you work part-time. If they do, you’d end up with a more flexible schedule for Katie.”

  “That’s a great idea.” I felt guilty for sounding so surprised, but Leslie didn’t seem to notice.

  “Plus,” she added with a wink, “if you hate one job, at least you’ll only be there half the time.”

  “That’s great advice.” I jumped out of my seat and hugged her tightly. “Thank you.”

  “I have sensitive skin!” God bellowed, afraid he was going to be crushed.

  I tried to pull back, but Leslie clung to me, ignoring the series of squeaks of my chest.