Clay
CLAY
In full view of the motel room’s mirror, ’s back was a checkerboard of black and blue across the background of pale skin. The previous night had been filled with surprises, and that included being thrown into a damned table, a very solid, hard table at that.
“Only the best for the rich and corrupt,” muttered, looking over his bruises.
People were most predictable if you caught them before they realized they were establishing a pattern. had watched Anthony’s house for a week, evaluating every choice made for his target’s protection. had figured Elliot to be a capable man but equally predictable. The assassin had watched the pattern of days of direct protection followed by lesser guardianship and chose to make his attempt before the habit was established. Get in early, and no one, not even Elliot, would attempt to cover up the holes in the plan.
But Elliot had been there. Not only that, but he’d been in the same room and bed Anthony should have been in. thought he had his target right where he wanted him as he entered the room and began to stalk closer. Only as he’d approached the bed did he feel doubt, unsure if the figure he was seeing was the right one.
“Clever man,” said, finally walking away from the mirror.
His phone rang, stopping him as he passed the bed. Sighing, he grabbed the device from the blanket. Frowning at the caller ID, he swiped to answer, pressing the phone to his ear.
“Fate,” he said.
“.”
He frowned. “What can I do for you?”
“Calling for a status update. Do you have one?”
What the hell? Since when did he need to give a status update? First, the odd comment from Fate about this latest target being ‘up his alley’ and now checking in with him? His freedom to do what he pleased in the way he wanted was one of the few perks of his job. Was the Agency becoming suspicious of him, or were they considering recycling him? He wouldn’t be the first operative the Agency decided to get rid of. In truth, he expected it to happen eventually.
It wasn’t like there was a retirement plan.
“Since when do you ask for a status update?” asked.
There was a pause before Fate’s clipped tone returned. “For something as simple as bringing down a target who lives a good chunk of his life openly, I had expected you would have finished it by now.”
“And the Agency is wondering what’s up,” finished for her.
“No. That would be me wondering.”
“Is there a difference?”
“The difference is in what they do and don’t know.”
hesitated. “So, what don’t they know?”
“A great many things. You’re not the only one allowed a great deal of latitude in their work. The Agency cares only about results and as little mess as possible. As your handler, I’m to ensure you’re getting the contracts fitting for your skillset, aiding you should you need it, and reporting the success back to the Agency. Anything else is...extraneous to them.”
“Including my...proclivity for certain targets,” guessed.
“Indeed.”
stared at the wall across from him as the silence stretched between them. For years, he had always taken it for granted that Fate reported every little thing to the Agency. There was, of course, always the possibility that she was lying to him. He had lived far too long in a world of lies, manipulation, and subtlety to take what she said at face value.
“Interesting,” he finally said.
“And that includes having noticed...signs,” Fate replied.
raised a brow. “Signs?”
Fate gave a soft chuff. “Yes, signs. Every operative, both field and handler, find themselves in a position where they have either outlived their usefulness or have...mentally reached the point where they can no longer fulfill their function.”
Either the woman was a mind reader, or he wasn’t being as subtle as he thought.
laughed derisively. “I’m not considering retirement. A bit early for me to take a bullet to the brain anyway.”
“There are...other ways,” Fate told him softly.
’s heart picked up its pace at those words. The idea of getting out of the life had always teased the back of his mind when he allowed it. It wasn’t as if he needed the money. What he had saved in various accounts worldwide could sustain him for a few lifetimes. Truth be told, sometimes the idea of spending the next two decades killing people for money, constantly living on the edge of humanity, was not the most appealing. Unlike some of his peers, he took no pleasure in what he did. There was no thrill in the chase, only the occasional sense of accomplishment when he brought down a challenging target.
“Didn’t you call for a status update?” asked her calmly.
“I am admittedly curious why the man isn’t dead yet, yes,” she said, her brisk tone returning.
“There was an unforeseen set of factors that came into play. They’ve complicated matters considerably, and I need to reevaluate my method of approach,” he told her.
“Complications? Unusual for you.”
“Not really. But this is the first time I’ve had to talk to you about them. Just as it’s the first time you’ve ever asked.”
Elliot was the problem. Without him around, his target would have been left wide open. It didn’t help that the threat and a clumsy attempt on the man’s life had brought Elliot into the mix.
The man was too smart for his own good or would be if there was someone else trying to kill Anthony. No doubt, Elliot would have been dead if he’d put himself in the path of any other operative under the Agency’s employ. Problem was it was too messy for ’s taste, and he preferred a kill to be as clean as humanly possible. Well, it wasn’t like Elliot had done anything wrong. The man was just doing his job and doing it so well it was complicating ’s job.
“And I don’t think I should have to remind you that I asked for a time limit, and you stated there was none,” reminded her.
“And so I did. Will you require any assistance in getting over these new...factors?”
“No, I can handle them just fine.”
His aversion to killing Elliot didn’t change the fact that the man had to be removed from the equation. Elliot was too capable, too good at what he did, to be allowed to remain in play. had developed several methods for removing problems, all bloodless. If he involved the Agency, even the slightest, he would risk more blood being shed than was necessary.
“Very well. Then we will speak again when you have completed the contract,” Fate said before ending the call.
set the phone down on the bed again, staring at it. Even if Fate’s call hadn’t been Agency prompted, it was strange she would contact him at all. The talk about retiring or getting out of the game was even stranger, and it gnawed at the back of his mind.
Was she trying to help him or trick him?
Closing his eyes, he pushed the thought away, storing it in the back of his mind to deal with later. He still had a contract to finish, and he couldn’t allow himself to get distracted by outside thoughts while he was working. could deal with the mystery that was Fate and her call later.
Instead, he opened his bag and began rooting through. From its depths, he drew out the small, latched jewelry box. Opening it, the contents of a few silver rings, one with a small ruby at its center, another lined with tiny diamonds, shifted around as he set the box down. He pushed the chain of silver to the side, along with the thin necklaces adorned with pendants. Pressing down on precisely the right spot, the felt bottom of the small box popped up, allowing him to slip a nail under its edge and lift it.
Three small vials and a plastic cylinder sat in the bottom. Extracting them, he took the cylinder apart carefully, revealing the plastic components and long spring the autoinjector needed to function. The vials were filled with various levels of amber fluid, which he considered as he mentally calculated Elliot’s size.
A slight smirk curled at the corner of his mouth as he flashed back to Elliot’s bulk in the light of the setting sun as they’d sat at the bar. His mind played over the brief scuffle in what should have been Anthony’s bedroom. Elliot had been every bit as big and solid as he’d looked, and in other circumstances, would have enjoyed it pressing down on him.
Then again, he could enjoy the memory anyway.
Dismissing the trailing thought while reminding himself that he probably should blow off some steam soon, he chose the vial with the most in it. Elliot was built like a human tank, and would need the strongest dose to ensure it stuck. With practiced movements, he slipped the vial into place and began rebuilding the autoinjector. Once done, he held it up, ignoring the twinge in his back as he ensured it was rebuilt perfectly.
All that was left was to find Elliot when he was alone, which was admittedly the easy part. During his surveillance, kept a light but wary eye on Elliot’s movements when he wasn’t guarding Anthony personally. He knew where he lived and knew he lived alone.
The tricky part would be striking at the right time.
* * *
It took another two days of watching before was sure Elliot was in his apartment. It meant Anthony was left without his best survival option, but had no doubts Elliot had taken extra precautions after ’s last attempt. Things would be much easier on if he could open up a twenty-four-hour period for him to strike.
The real problem was making sure Elliot was well and truly asleep before slipped into his apartment. had spent the two days watching and checking Elliot’s place and its entry points. The simplest would have been from the balcony that hung out from the living room. He also knew there was a security system, but considering the toys kept to hand, he didn’t think that would be a problem.
Once he was as sure as he was going to get that Elliot was asleep, made his move. Getting into the neighbor’s apartment was as easy as he’d expected. Apparently, Elliot’s neighbors didn’t believe in security. They hadn’t even bothered engaging the door bolt, only the knob lock. There was no security system either, and without a dog to alert the owners, it was a miracle the people hadn’t dealt with a break-in yet.
Making his way through the dark hallway into the living room, he stopped to listen carefully. Snoring could be heard from the bedroom behind him, and the soft, restless movement of someone turning in their sleep. Content that he would be fine, he went to the double doors and onto the stranger’s balcony. Closing the door, he looked at the street below over the balcony's edge.
Sure enough, there was a ledge jutting out from the edge of the building that started at the base of the balcony. It wasn’t a large ledge, only a six-inch lip to shuffle along and keep himself from plummeting the five stories to the concrete and asphalt below.
“And not a breeze in sight,” muttered as he stepped over the edge.
Testing the ledge, he drew his other leg over and stood with his back against the building. Taking his time, he slowly scooted across the narrow space, inching closer to Elliot’s balcony. It was only about ten feet, but his dislike of heights made it seem like it took much longer. There were times when he had to suck it up and deal with heights with very little keeping him safe. always pondered the irony that a man who had faced bullets and near-certain death could still feel queasy being a few stories up.
However, it didn’t stop him from letting out a soft breath of relief when he reached Elliot’s balcony. He was careful not to scramble over the wall too quickly and was glad he did when he spotted a few potted plants in the corner where he’d planned to hop down. Pushing away from the wall, he landed in front of the plants instead.
He peered through the glass doors leading into Elliot’s apartment without leaning on them. He wasn’t surprised to see the dim light of a device on the hallway’s wall. From the small bag on his back, he drew out a cell phone or, more accurately, a modified phone. wasn’t precisely sure how it worked, but the device was incredibly good at finding and modifying the signals most modern security systems gave off. Thankfully, it didn’t require him to understand but merely to turn it on and allow it to do its job.
Once he had the all-clear from the device, he placed it back into the bag and pulled out his toolset. He picked the right tool and eased it into the small gap between the doors. A little bit of expert maneuvering later, and the latch slipped up with a soft noise. Testing the handle, he gently opened one of the doors, smiling as it opened smoothly and without the slightest creak.
Tucking everything away, he drew the autoinjector from the bag. entered the living room, silently closing the balcony door behind him. From his surveillance, he was familiar with the layout of the room. Even in the dim light, he moved carefully but quickly around the furniture.
A cell phone left on charge sat on the table by the hallway door. A small smile flashed across ’s face as he picked it up, sliding the back off. While he didn’t anticipate any further problems from Elliot by the time he was done, wasn’t a man to put all his eggs in one basket. He drew a small device from his bag, slipped it into a space in the phone, and replaced the back. That way, he could track Elliot’s movements so long as he had the phone on him, just in case.
Stepping into the hallway, he paced down its dark length to where he knew the bedroom lay, smiling when he saw the door ajar through the light filtering out of the bathroom.
Adjusting his grip on the injector, he stepped into the shadowy bedroom. A large bed was prominent at the center of the back wall. A large shape lay curled beneath the comforter, and listened to the sounds of heavy, even breathing.
Quietly taking a deep breath and holding it, he slipped closer to the bed. Without the curtains of a four-poster bed in the way, wondered how he never realized that the shape of Elliot should have given him away. Even asleep and unmoving, Elliot’s body took up a great deal of space. But without anything in the way, could see every little movement the man made. He hoped the injection would be quick and unnoticed. Elliot had slept lightly at Anthony’s, but hoped he was a deeper sleeper at home.
As he reached the side of the bed, hesitated. The figure was still unmoving, and his breathing hadn’t altered. In fact, there hadn’t been the slightest alteration to Elliot’s breath as he slept or the faintest twitch of his body beneath the sheet.
“Damn it,” muttered. “Again?”
Movement from behind caught his eye, and pain burst along the right side of his head. He had enough time to curse before he felt himself pitch forward, and darkness took over his vision.