Promised Box Set

by James Kipling

  The Hitman: A Secret Past

  Chapter 1

  “No siblings, huh. That must have been nice.”

  Samantha shook her head. “Not really. It used to get lonely real fast.”

  They were both stretched out on her couch following their third encounter that week, which was a record for Samantha. For once she did not complain about the lack of work since it gave her the opportunity to spend time with Damien. They spent less time talking and more time agreeing with each other in various places and various positions. It could not be helped. Whenever they set eyes on each other, spontaneous flames erupted around them, taking their clothes with it if they had any on.

  “What about you?” He was probably the eldest child, Samantha thought observing him. He had the airs of someone who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Eldest children tended to be that way, usually.

  Damien buried his face in her long hair and inhaled deeply, the flowery smell of her shampoo filling his nostrils. “I had some and then I didn’t,” he said cryptically.

  Frowning, Samantha turned to look at him. His expression was carefully blank but then he sighed and explained.

  “I am an orphan. My parents died in an accident when I was eleven. Then I moved from foster home to foster home. No one really wanted me for long. So the only sibling connection I had lasted a few weeks at the most.”

  Her assumption had kind of been right. She felt a pang for him. At least she had had a father and a mother, however messed up their relationship had been. Damien had grown up all alone in the world. She had been on the job long enough to have seen the situations in some of the foster homes.

  “Why didn’t they want you?” She felt angry with the foster families on his behalf. It was unfair turning away a little boy. Repeatedly so, too.

  He shrugged. His fingers started playing with her strands, his callused fingertips a contrast of the silky locks against them. “The families preferred taking in much younger kids. And I was a bit of a troublesome kid. They liked taking in the ones they could mold their way. The ones they couldn’t…well, they got kicked out.”

  “That’s…”

  “The way life works, most of the time,” Damien said in a matter of fact manner.

  Samantha reached across and placed her hand over his. “I was going to say that’s cruel on their part but maybe you dodged a bullet with them.”

  “Maybe.”

  Damien cupped the back of her neck and tilted her face towards him. Warm breath washed over her skin, raising all the tiny hairs in attention as an involuntary shiver passed through her. His eyes hooded as they zeroed on her lips. Just as they started to lean into each other Samantha’s phone rang.

  “Shouldn’t you get that?” Damien asked, still leaning into her.

  Samantha let out a mournful sigh, “It could be a wrong number.”

  Damien smiled. “It could.”

  The phone continued to blare in the background.

  She made a face and pulled away to grab the phone. “We are getting back to this,” she whispered, before she pressed answer. “Hello.” Her face crunched up as she listened to the voice at the other end and nodded. “Okay. I will be right in.”

  “You have to go, I take it.” Damien got up from the couch and stared at her as she dashed around the apartment.

  “I’m so sorry.” She bend over and grabbed her keys from the under the coffee table. They, among other things, had gotten knocked around during a moment of passion in the dark. She straightened up and looked regretfully at him. “It was work. Something came up and they need me.”

  “It’s okay,” Damien said shrugging on his coat and pulling her in for a quick kiss. “Do you want me to drop you off?”

  “Oh no. That’s alright,” Samantha said hastily. Her car was still in the shop for repairs but she had to go to a scene and she did not feel comfortable having Damien drive her there.

  “It’s no trouble, you know.”

  “I know.” Wanting to distract him from asking any questions, she curled her fingers around his collar and pulled him down for a deep, slow kiss. By the time they separated, they both felt shaky and had wide grins on their face. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Yes, you will,” Damien breathed out. It sounded a lot like a promise to Samantha and she could not help the pleasant shiver that shook her frame. She watched the tall figure climb into his car and peel away from her street, before hailing a cab.

  The cab driver accepted the fare as they reached the spot, gave it a curious look and then asked her, “Are you sure this is the place, ma’am?”

  “Yes. This is it. Thanks.” Samantha stepped out from the cab and stared at the abandoned warehouse. Her partner Finn had called to say another body had dropped and there was graffiti at the scene that almost matched the ones found before.

  “You made it.” Finn approached her from behind. He had been standing in the shade waiting for her. It was barely ten in the morning but the sun was harsh like the afternoon sun. “I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”

  “You didn’t,” Samantha lied with a straight face and then gestured towards the place. “What did you find?”

  “Call came in last night about a body. Some kids looking to party found this warehouse but they sobered up immediately when they spotted the body. Ran away, leaving behind their liquor stash. Fortunately, someone in the group was sensible enough to place a 911 call before running. The local police scanned the area, saw the graffiti, and put two and two together. And then here we are.”

  “Who is the guy?”

  Flicking on her flashlight, Samantha followed Finn inside as he led her towards the actual taped off scene. The body lay in the dead center of the empty room and at its head was a huge work of art. Had they not seen the other work of art from the warehouse they had been staking out a while back, they would not have connected the cases.

  “There was no ID on him and his prints are not in the system. Haley is on it, though.”

  “How long has he been dead?” Samantha asked the medical examiner who was chatting with one of the CSUs.

  “Approximately fourteen or fifteen hours.”

  “When was the body found?”

  “Call came in at about eleven,” Finn replied.

  “So he died two hours prior to the discovery. Do you have the cause of death?”

  “It’s not conclusive without a full autopsy, Agent Gideon. We’ll let you know as soon as we get to it.”

  “Thank you, Phillip.”

  “What are you thinking?” Finn asked as Samantha stared intently towards the body.

  “They posed this one. Like a work of art.” She started to walk around, staring at the scene from different angles. “They didn’t do that at the bank.”

  “We assumed that the body at the bank had been collateral damage. Not part of the plan.”

  “Yeah and what if we were wrong?”

  Finn frowned and pulled out his phone. “Haley, have you found out who the dead guy is? Are you sure? Okay, thanks. Keep digging.” He turned towards Samantha and shrugged. “She’s got nothing yet. It’s like the guy didn’t exist. But Haley’s good. She’ll find something.”

  “Didn’t exist, huh. Could he have been in hiding or something?”

  “It’s possible. You only go into hiding if you did something bad and the police are after you or if someone worse is after you.”

  Samantha agreed. “If that’s the case, whatever he was hiding from sought him out and got to him. Permanently.” Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she took a quick look. Grumbling, she hit reject and turned her attention towards the work. Someone was definitely sending a message. However, what the message exactly was and towards whom it was directed seemed unclear. They had to figure that out quickly, she thought, before more bodies dropped.

  “No siblings, huh. That must have been nice.”

  Samantha shook her head. “Not really. It used to get lon
ely real fast.”

  They were both stretched out on her couch following their third encounter that week, which was a record for Samantha. For once she did not complain about the lack of work since it gave her the opportunity to spend time with Damien. They spent less time talking and more time agreeing with each other in various places and various positions. It could not be helped. Whenever they set eyes on each other, spontaneous flames erupted around them, taking their clothes with it if they had any on.

  “What about you?” He was probably the eldest child, Samantha thought observing him. He had the airs of someone who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Eldest children tended to be that way, usually.

  Damien buried his face in her long hair and inhaled deeply, the flowery smell of her shampoo filling his nostrils. “I had some and then I didn’t,” he said cryptically.

  Frowning, Samantha turned to look at him. His expression was carefully blank but then he sighed and explained.

  “I am an orphan. My parents died in an accident when I was eleven. Then I moved from foster home to foster home. No one really wanted me for long. So the only sibling connection I had lasted a few weeks at the most.”

  Her assumption had kind of been right. She felt a pang for him. At least she had had a father and a mother, however messed up their relationship had been. Damien had grown up all alone in the world. She had been on the job long enough to have seen the situations in some of the foster homes.

  “Why didn’t they want you?” She felt angry with the foster families on his behalf. It was unfair turning away a little boy. Repeatedly so, too.

  He shrugged. His fingers started playing with her strands, his callused fingertips a contrast of the silky locks against them. “The families preferred taking in much younger kids. And I was a bit of a troublesome kid. They liked taking in the ones they could mold their way. The ones they couldn’t…well, they got kicked out.”

  “That’s…”

  “The way life works, most of the time,” Damien said in a matter of fact manner.

  Samantha reached across and placed her hand over his. “I was going to say that’s cruel on their part but maybe you dodged a bullet with them.”

  “Maybe.”

  Damien cupped the back of her neck and tilted her face towards him. Warm breath washed over her skin, raising all the tiny hairs in attention as an involuntary shiver passed through her. His eyes hooded as they zeroed on her lips. Just as they started to lean into each other Samantha’s phone rang.

  “Shouldn’t you get that?” Damien asked, still leaning into her.

  Samantha let out a mournful sigh, “It could be a wrong number.”

  Damien smiled. “It could.”

  The phone continued to blare in the background.

  She made a face and pulled away to grab the phone. “We are getting back to this,” she whispered, before she pressed answer. “Hello.” Her face crunched up as she listened to the voice at the other end and nodded. “Okay. I will be right in.”

  “You have to go, I take it.” Damien got up from the couch and stared at her as she dashed around the apartment.

  “I’m so sorry.” She bend over and grabbed her keys from the under the coffee table. They, among other things, had gotten knocked around during a moment of passion in the dark. She straightened up and looked regretfully at him. “It was work. Something came up and they need me.”

  “It’s okay,” Damien said shrugging on his coat and pulling her in for a quick kiss. “Do you want me to drop you off?”

  “Oh no. That’s alright,” Samantha said hastily. Her car was still in the shop for repairs but she had to go to a scene and she did not feel comfortable having Damien drive her there.

  “It’s no trouble, you know.”

  “I know.” Wanting to distract him from asking any questions, she curled her fingers around his collar and pulled him down for a deep, slow kiss. By the time they separated, they both felt shaky and had wide grins on their face. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Yes, you will,” Damien breathed out. It sounded a lot like a promise to Samantha and she could not help the pleasant shiver that shook her frame. She watched the tall figure climb into his car and peel away from her street, before hailing a cab.

  The cab driver accepted the fare as they reached the spot, gave it a curious look and then asked her, “Are you sure this is the place, ma’am?”

  “Yes. This is it. Thanks.” Samantha stepped out from the cab and stared at the abandoned warehouse. Her partner Finn had called to say another body had dropped and there was graffiti at the scene that almost matched the ones found before.

  “You made it.” Finn approached her from behind. He had been standing in the shade waiting for her. It was barely ten in the morning but the sun was harsh like the afternoon sun. “I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”

  “You didn’t,” Samantha lied with a straight face and then gestured towards the place. “What did you find?”

  “Call came in last night about a body. Some kids looking to party found this warehouse but they sobered up immediately when they spotted the body. Ran away, leaving behind their liquor stash. Fortunately, someone in the group was sensible enough to place a 911 call before running. The local police scanned the area, saw the graffiti, and put two and two together. And then here we are.”

  “Who is the guy?”

  Flicking on her flashlight, Samantha followed Finn inside as he led her towards the actual taped off scene. The body lay in the dead center of the empty room and at its head was a huge work of art. Had they not seen the other work of art from the warehouse they had been staking out a while back, they would not have connected the cases.

  “There was no ID on him and his prints are not in the system. Haley is on it, though.”

  “How long has he been dead?” Samantha asked the medical examiner who was chatting with one of the CSUs.

  “Approximately fourteen or fifteen hours.”

  “When was the body found?”

  “Call came in at about eleven,” Finn replied.

  “So he died two hours prior to the discovery. Do you have the cause of death?”

  “It’s not conclusive without a full autopsy, Agent Gideon. We’ll let you know as soon as we get to it.”

  “Thank you, Phillip.”

  “What are you thinking?” Finn asked as Samantha stared intently towards the body.

  “They posed this one. Like a work of art.” She started to walk around, staring at the scene from different angles. “They didn’t do that at the bank.”

  “We assumed that the body at the bank had been collateral damage. Not part of the plan.”

  “Yeah and what if we were wrong?”

  Finn frowned and pulled out his phone. “Haley, have you found out who the dead guy is? Are you sure? Okay, thanks. Keep digging.” He turned towards Samantha and shrugged. “She’s got nothing yet. It’s like the guy didn’t exist. But Haley’s good. She’ll find something.”

  “Didn’t exist, huh. Could he have been in hiding or something?”

  “It’s possible. You only go into hiding if you did something bad and the police are after you or if someone worse is after you.”

  Samantha agreed. “If that’s the case, whatever he was hiding from sought him out and got to him. Permanently.” Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she took a quick look. Grumbling, she hit reject and turned her attention towards the work. Someone was definitely sending a message. However, what the message exactly was and towards whom it was directed seemed unclear. They had to figure that out quickly, she thought, before more bodies dropped.

  “No siblings, huh. That must have been nice.”

  Samantha shook her head. “Not really. It used to get lonely real fast.”

  They were both stretched out on her couch following their third encounter that week, which was a record for Samantha. For once she did not complain about the lack of work since it gave
her the opportunity to spend time with Damien. They spent less time talking and more time agreeing with each other in various places and various positions. It could not be helped. Whenever they set eyes on each other, spontaneous flames erupted around them, taking their clothes with it if they had any on.

  “What about you?” He was probably the eldest child, Samantha thought observing him. He had the airs of someone who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Eldest children tended to be that way, usually.

  Damien buried his face in her long hair and inhaled deeply, the flowery smell of her shampoo filling his nostrils. “I had some and then I didn’t,” he said cryptically.

  Frowning, Samantha turned to look at him. His expression was carefully blank but then he sighed and explained.

  “I am an orphan. My parents died in an accident when I was eleven. Then I moved from foster home to foster home. No one really wanted me for long. So the only sibling connection I had lasted a few weeks at the most.”

  Her assumption had kind of been right. She felt a pang for him. At least she had had a father and a mother, however messed up their relationship had been. Damien had grown up all alone in the world. She had been on the job long enough to have seen the situations in some of the foster homes.

  “Why didn’t they want you?” She felt angry with the foster families on his behalf. It was unfair turning away a little boy. Repeatedly so, too.

  He shrugged. His fingers started playing with her strands, his callused fingertips a contrast of the silky locks against them. “The families preferred taking in much younger kids. And I was a bit of a troublesome kid. They liked taking in the ones they could mold their way. The ones they couldn’t…well, they got kicked out.”

  “That’s…”

  “The way life works, most of the time,” Damien said in a matter of fact manner.

  Samantha reached across and placed her hand over his. “I was going to say that’s cruel on their part but maybe you dodged a bullet with them.”

  “Maybe.”

  Damien cupped the back of her neck and tilted her face towards him. Warm breath washed over her skin, raising all the tiny hairs in attention as an involuntary shiver passed through her. His eyes hooded as they zeroed on her lips. Just as they started to lean into each other Samantha’s phone rang.