Chapter one

The beginning of a Death Master

I never knew who my mother or father was. I was raised by several men with only one goal. That was to make me a Death Master. I was a fifteen when I earned my Hachidan which was unheard of in aikido… well, they called it black aikido. I was an expert with any weapon you could think of.

I was also ranked as a Godan in Kendo. As for other studies… I could speak nine different languages fluently. I could make any type of explosive and I also knew how to make every type of poison there was.

Between the age of fifteen and twenty, I had over seventy confirmed kills. For every kill I was paid one million US dollars. I got to keep half, the other half went to the men who had trained me and into my retirement fund.

I received a new target in my e-mail and sat back to think. I had a rule I followed, no politicians, no public figures, no famous people. The new target was famous… well, infamous and a public figure.

A new e-mail registered and I opened it to see that it was from the same source. It only had a number which was ten times my normal fee. Money was never a motivator for me but the more I looked at the target the more I leaned towards taking the job. I finally nodded to myself and sent a return e-mail telling them to send the fee.

When there was no return e-mail countering the full payment I knew something was wrong. From the flight out I recognized an attempt from a young woman to find out about people on the plane. There was another guy that was trying to keep an eye on everyone that I knew was the air marshal. In the airport were even more people watching and customs was under closer scrutiny.

I took a taxi to my hotel and used a netbook to check the account while on the way. When I saw the ten million I knew the target was a set up. A contract is a contract though and I began to plan. I made a tiny tank to hold compressed air. It was small enough to fit in one half of a ball point pin. I used an empty ink cartridge to make the barrel. The bullet was a talc fine powder.

Basically it was a contact poison that was absorbed through the skin. It was more than enough to kill a man twice the size as the target. The way it worked was simple. The weapon looked like an ordinary pen. When I pushed the end of the clip it released the compressed air. The compressed air forced the talc like powder out of the pen and onto the target. He would die within an hour of the poison entering the blood stream.

I moved through the crowd in front of the courthouse and picked out eight separate people that I knew were watching. I was watching as the limo pulled up. As the target started making his way through the crowd, I turned as if bumped from behind. His bodyguard bumped me as he passed and my hand swung back almost making contact with my target’s hand. He did not even pause as he continued up the steps as if nothing was wrong.

As I broke out of the crowd, two of the watchers were following. Just by the way they were following me, I knew they were both professional and not law enforcement. I took the subway a couple of blocks later and got off after three stops. I moved with the crowd and as soon as I was on the street I walked into a shop. I came out the back a few seconds later wearing a different coat. A couple of blocks later I unlocked a car I had waiting and drove off.

I pulled into a small hotel six hundred miles later and checked in. I had changed the license plate twice and removed the skin mask I had been wearing. After I checked in, I started up my netbook and went to a news page. My target was reported to have collapsed in court and died after arriving at the hospital.

I used a remote access to check my e-mail and was not surprised when someone started a back trace of my false IP. I shut everything down and sat back thinking. It took a few days to work my way to the Canadian border and slip across. After that it was another two days before I was back home in Europe.

Chapter two

Killing a Terrorist

It was a week later that I answered an e-mail. I smiled at the header and clicked on the link. The new E-mail gave me a new target. I read the information and responded by accepting.

This time I did research. The target was a little known terrorist. I used a round about means to enter Jordan. Even though the government wanted this man, they seemed to ignore the fact that he was there. This time I was not going to use poison or make it look like an accident. The person that was paying the contract wanted revenge, which meant visible and violent.

It did not really take that much to find my target. He was being protected by over two dozen men in an isolated villa. I did some research on the cameras they were using for security. I slipped into a few places late at night to get what I needed. Like most terrorists they do not stay in one place long. After a day spent making suppressors for weapons I had acquired, I was ready.

I slipped the pack on and silently left the stolen car. I turned the wireless jammer on for the cameras and moved to the low wall around the villa. I waited and then brought up the short barreled rifle with the long suppressor. The two guards death were almost quiet, the sound of two shots was like quiet coughs. I went over the wall quickly and moved to check the men.

The next two men were coming around the corner by the garage. I shot both and pulled them behind a bush. I moved to each car and reached around a tire placing a remote charge on the axle. I killed four more men by the side door. I stepped into the kitchen and three men looked up from a small table. The suppressed pistol coughed three times and I moved across the room leaving the three dead men behind me.

Two men were heading towards the kitchen when I stopped in the doorway. I killed both and moved to the far door. I entered the hallway and moved to the first door. I went through silently and killed the four men sleeping. The next three rooms were the same, four sleeping men in each, the last room was at the end of the hall. Unlike the others this one was locked.

It took me ten seconds to pick the lock and then I stepped into the room with a taser ready. The target was sitting up with a pistol in his hand. He jerked and spasmed violently as the wires struck him. I walked to the bed and moved the weapon away as I rolled him onto his stomach and tied his hands, gagged and blindfolded him. I dropped an incendiary device in each room as I led the man out.

As the estate burst into flames behind me, I led the terrorist away. At the car I used a syringe to put him out and dumped him in the trunk. The next part was tricky, I drove through the night until I reached the airport and used stimulants to wake my prisoner. It was not that hard to sneak onto the tarmac.

I tied him to a cargo trailer and pulled off the blind fold before wrapping a piece of det cord around his neck a couple of times. We were in front of the terminal but since it was dark no one could see us. I walked away to the position I had picked out and waited. As the sun came up, they saw him and reacted.
I waited and then turned away as I pressed the button on the car remote I held. I started walking as the small explosion killed the terrorist and started a panic. I found the car I had left in the airport parking area and drove away. It was simple to slip across the border, I used several names and different methods to get back to Europe.

When I got home I sat back and relaxed before checking my mail.

Chapter three

Retribution

It was two weeks later that I received an e-mail. It was not through one of my regular contacts. When I responded, they replied with a name. I spent a couple of hours doing research and sent my price. They responded with, “after.”

I had this happen a few times and sent a reply, “full payment up front.”

The answer was faster, “after.”

I shook my head and sent, “look for someone else.”

I almost logged off before the response came back, “send the account information.”

I looked at the computer and finally sent the bank account. I logged off and used another IP to watch my account. I was surprised when the money was deposited. I logged off and started planning. The target was in Mexico at a resort. My way into the country was through Belize. When I arrived in the city it was a pleasant place with plenty of tourists.

I found my target easily, as well his watchers. I sipped a cold drink and relaxed as I watched. I realized the target knew about the others and seemed to taunt them. It was easy to slip into his room while he was out. I decided to check out the watchers and found out after some research that their bills were paid by the target’s father.

My client wanted it public so I watched his schedule and the one constant was his afternoons by the pool. It took me a few hours to find what I needed. I mixed everything and slipped into his room while he was out at a club that night. This was normal and I knew he would not come back until it was late.

I added my mixture to his sun block and made sure it was mixed in good before leaving. I was relaxing in the shade when he came out in the late morning. I stood, looked at my watch and picked everything up before turning to leave. My target put the lotion all over his body and rubbed it in before swaggering to the pool and diving in.

I glanced back from the gate as he surfaced screaming and thrashing around. His skin was red and as his watchers suddenly became his bodyguards, his flesh began to melt. I continued walking towards the parking lot knowing they might stop the reaction but not the poison.

I opened the trunk of the stolen car and dropped everything in. I glanced back at a young woman walking towards me. I was suddenly alert, the way she held herself told me everything I needed to know. I turned as she approached pulling a small dart from my waistband. When she reached into her bag casually I moved. My hand flicked the dart as I started for her.

Her hand came out of the bag with a small gun and she jerked and released the gun as the dart hit her hand. I took three quick steps and grabbed her by the throat before spinning and shoving her towards the back of the car. I yanked her bag away and shoved her into the trunk before closing it and walking around to the driver’s door.

Whoever she was, she had been very good to spot me without me knowing. I drove away slowly as if nothing was wrong and headed out of the city. Outside the city I pulled down a side road and shut the car off. I got out and moved around to the back. I stood to the side and reached over to unlock the trunk. I waited and finally the woman pushed the trunk lid open.

She looked around and saw me. She bit her lip and then climbed out of the trunk. I nodded to her, “Who paid?”

She looked around and I pulled the small pistol. She looked into my eyes, “your client. He did not want anyone pointing fingers back to him.”

I smiled, “you are very good.”

She blushed and I waved the pistol for her to turn around. When she was facing away I moved closer and checked her for other weapons. I caressed her neck and smiled before pushing her towards the jungle, “What is your name?”

She shrugged, “Does it matter?”

I laughed and stopped her. I pulled her cell from the bag she had been carrying. I checked the number and dropped it back in the bag, “Keep the cell, I will call you once. You come and your dept is paid.”

She turned to look at me in surprise, “You are not going to kill me?”

I smiled and dropped the bag, “I was not paid for you.”

I turned and started back to the car and she cleared her throat, “My name is Cynthia.”

I nodded but did not stop and when I drove away she was standing in the road watching me.

Chapter four

Death of a gun runner

It was three weeks later that I got the e-mail. I looked at the picture and name before starting to check things out. I sat back to think and finally sent my new account number. I checked a few hours later and all the money was deposited. I closed up my small villa and left.

My target was in Alexandria so I entered Egypt by sea. I took my time getting to the city and found the equipment I had sent ahead waiting. I use a small apartment not to far from the ocean as a base and set up the surveillance with secure wireless cameras. My target was a gun runner that had pissed off someone, probable an intelligence division of some country.

The gun runner had friends though so this time is would look like he died of natural causes. I spent almost two weeks watching or following a GPS tracker I managed to slip onto his car. He spent most of his time at the airport, the seaport or a small isolated warehouse just outside of town. He had a large sized townhouse with major security too.

I finally saw my chance and walking into the restaurant. I waited to be seated and moved closer to the kitchen door. When the waiter came out with the tray of drinks I absently turned away but stepped back. He stopped suddenly and shifted the tray before excusing himself. I turned and bowed slightly, “My apologies.”

He smiled and turned to go into the dinner area and my left hand drifted over the tray. He did not see the squirt of clear liquid as it went into the glass of vodka. I waited for another few minutes and was finally taken into the dinning room by a pretty waitress. It was almost ten minutes before Samson had a seizure and his two… associates rushed him out of the restaurant.

I finished my meal and left. The GPS tracker told me Samson was in a local hospital. When I slipped into the hospital the two bodyguards were outside the trauma room door. I was wearing a hospital gown and went into the room next door. I glanced around before looking through the open doorway into the trauma room.

Doctors and nurses were moving around as I stepped to the side of the doorway and pulled the gown off to reveal an interns shirt and pants. I bent and unrolled the pant legs before walking into the room. I headed to the side of Samson’s bed and checked the oxygen tube. A bit of slight of hand hid the tiny needle that I slipped into the tube. A second later a clear mist flooded down the tube.

I left and went to check the four other patients oxygen before going back through the other door. I bent to roll the pant legs up and then pulled the gown back on. I walked out and turned to head into the hospital. I slipped into an unused office and crossed to open the window before climbing out. In the apartment I started cleaning up and packing equipment away.

I checked a remote camera in the trauma two hours later to watch Samson die. It took me two days to retrieve all the cameras and listening devices I had used and by than Samson was in a casket underground. My exit out of Egypt was harder and took another three days. I took a land route that took me through Israel, Lebanon as well as a few other countries that were not known for being peaceful.

When I was back in my villa I checked into inquires into my account, I was not surprised to see one.

Chapter five

Making a Tyrant Disappear

There are many sides to what I do. Seldom does it involve removing the body to make it disappear. The e-mail made me sit back and think, both because of the location of the target and the special request to make sure the body was never found. I finally sent my account number and three hours later the money was in my account. I began to plan my moves before I even left the villa.

When I walked into Somali my skin was darker and my hair was black. The contacts in my eyes made them look brown. It had taken me two weeks to get here. It took me another three weeks to get the target’s routine down. It was a Friday night and everyone was celebrating especially my target. Almost all my movements were at night so they were used to seeing me then.

The large estate was crawling with armed men. The few women were inside the main house. It was an hour before pre dawn when I went over the wall. Almost every man on the estate was asleep. It was easy for me to enter the main house and move into the back. The man I was after was the warlord so I was careful until I saw his guards passed out in the hall.

The woman in bed with my target stirred briefly as I used gas to keep my target asleep. I finally lifted him over my shoulder and slipped out. At the wall I tied him and then used a strong cord to lift him to the top. I lowered him to the ground on the other side and dropped down beside him. I placed him in the hand cart before covering him with manure and straw.

Lifting the handles I started off heading away from the city. It was several hours before I came to the small mud hut. The thatched roof was missing and it was long abandoned. In a corner, covered by a moldy scrap of tarp were two large brown jugs and a red one. I carried the two brown jugs out and around behind the hut where a large metal tub sat. I went back for my target and carried him around to the edge of the tank.

I shoved a thin bladed knife in under his ear and rolled the convulsing body into the tank after slicing his stomach open. A few minutes later I dumped the two jugs of beetles in with the body. I watched as the beetles began eating the warlord and unrolled a screen over the tub. I went around to the front of the hut to the cart. I pulled it around back and broke it apart.

I spent the next three days watching as the body was reduced to just bones. I was careful when I pulled the bones out and put them in a sack. I dumped the red jug into the tank and tossed in a match. It exploded in flame and I grabbed the sack before walking away. A week later I slipped into the abandoned building to find the small furnace.

I hooked up the tank of gas and started it. I pulled the pack off and then removed the sack of bones. I opened the furnace and carefully placed the sack of bones inside. I closed the furnace door and left to check the old car I had hidden. When I left the next day the ashes were in the trunk. I ended up dumping the ashes in a fast moving river.

Chapter six

A Deadly Accident

I looked at the e-mail again, not sure I wanted to take the job. Killing someone was easy but making it look like an accident was not. I finally shrugged, I could use a challenge. I accepted and waited until the money had been deposited before making plans. My target was in Germany in a small alpine town.

I slipped over the Alps and bought a rail pass. In a larger city I picked up the car I had arranged for and drove the rest of the way. I was staying in a small guesthouse and began my surveillance. My target was wealthy and had a lot of patterns but I threw them all away as fast as I thought them up. I had tiny wireless cameras watching everything he did.

Finally I decided where his accident would happen. Every morning he went to the town sportsplatz and worked out with weights. His guards had gotten into a rhythm that was lax. They checked the locker room and showers before leaving him alone. I slipped into the laundry room at the sportsplatz and ducked under the opening into the locker room.

I waited as a few people came and went and then the bodyguards came in. A little later they left and my target came in. After he had undressed and walked into the showers I moved. I slipped through the opening the towels were thrown through and moved to the side of the doorway into the showers. I was carrying several towels and dropped them beside me.

Time seemed to stretch and finally I heard the shower shut off. I waited and then spun and grabbed his face with the towel in my hand. Three steps forced him back and a foot sweep and downward pressure on the face did the rest. The base of his skull and neck crashed into the raised shower sill. There was the sickening crunch and then he was convulsing. A single drop of an untraceable liquid in his open mouth and I stood and moved to the towels I had dropped.

I used them to walk across the floor to the opening into the laundry room. I tossed them in the opening and then silently followed them. I ducked down and waited for the guards to come looking for their boss. The panic and commotion his death caused was more than enough to let me slip out unseen. The trouble started not long after I returned to my room.

The news report said there had been an accident and the man had been taken to the hospital for his injuries. I knew better and sat thinking before shaking my head. Someone wanted me to think my target was still alive. I went down to eat a nice meal and then relaxed outside watching the girls, I saw them almost immediately.

Two men sitting in a car and watching the street, a third man came out of a shop and headed towards the guest house. I ignored him as two girls stopped to flirt with me. When the man came out he did not even glance at me before heading towards another shop. I went out that afternoon and removed all the cameras I had placed to stalk my target. When I was done I disposed of them.

That night I met the girl I had talked into having dinner with me. When I walked her home I noticed the men watching the street were gone. The news that night was about the man that died after a tragic accident. I was gone before morning and slipped over the border easily.

Chapter seven

Bringing in a Helper

I shook my head as I looked at the e-mail. It seemed simple at first but it was far from simple. The man they wanted dead could only be gotten at in one place. The problem was the location. He was always moving but always spent one week every three month at a private resort. The resort was not some place a rich man normally went.

It was a nudist resort, even the servants went without clothes. There was only two ways in, as a guest or as a servant. The problem was guests were constantly being watched so they could be serviced. As for servants, they had to be couples. I sat back and turned to pick up the mic and head set.

I set up the call I wanted to make and it was finally answered but she did not say anything. I was quiet, “Do you want a job Cynthia?”

She was quiet and then, “Amount?”

I smiled, “five hundred.”

I could hear her shift around, “Vienna, Hotel Imperial. Two days.”

I hung up and started planning. When Cynthia walked into the hotel I almost did not recognize her. I grinned and stood to move up behind her at the desk, “Hi honey, what took so long?”

Cynthia started to turn and then stopped, “I was doing some shopping.”

I nodded to the desk clerk and bent to take the suitcase. I nudged her back and Cynthia started for the elevator. I pushed the button while watching her and then directed her out on the floor my room was on. I closed the door behind her and set the suitcase down and nodded to the couch, “Sit.”

She licked her lips, “I thought this was for a job.”

I smiled, “If it were not you would not be here.”

I waited for her to sit and sat across from her and started describing the target and my plans. At first she was tense and than she seemed interested, “So how are you going to terminate the target?”

I shook my head, “Up close and personal. Now, are you in or not?”

Cynthia grinned, “Sure, I am in.”

I nodded, “Undress.”

She looked at me but I did not show anything until she stood and slowly undressed. I swirled my finger and she turned slowly. I nodded, “Okay. The guests can look but not touch. You are going in as my wife and a bar girl. Your name is Cindy Charles.”

She nodded and grinned at me, “Your turn.”

I stood and undressed before turning around. She grinned, “Nice.”

I reached for my clothes, “We leave tomorrow.”

I was awake early and rolled off the couch before heading into the bathroom. The long drive was done mostly in silence. When we checked in, the manager showed us to our room and explained the rules. For two days we worked like the other employees. My target arrived the third day and Cynthia gave me a warning since I was working as an exotic massage therapist.

I expected the two bodyguards but knew ways in and out of rooms by then so they would not be a problem. I was able to watch him during the evening and he was a pig. Even if the employees were not supposed to engage in sex with the guests he forced more than one to do it. I had grinned at Cynthia when she told him no and grabbed the bodyguard by the balls when he went to stop her.

We watched and planned for another three days and I knew I had to move. The problem was the bodyguards, one was always with him. I finally moved early the morning of the fourth day. The bodyguard was actually asleep in the room when I slipped the hair thin poison needle into him. The bastard never even woke up as I slipped away and returned to my room.

Our target died in his sleep. Cynthia had looked at me but did not say anything as we continued to work for another week. I kissed her cheek before I let her out in Vienna, “I will call if I need you again.”

Chapter eight

Teaching a lesson

This one was different, the client wanted to teach a lesson. I normally avoid messy mutilation types of killing. I slipped into the states through Mexico and took a week to get to the target city. Next came the location and it took a couple of days to ensure I would not be interrupted. I spent a little time each day watching my target as he went about campus.

My target was in a sorority that had almost constant parties. I managed to get several cameras into the house and knew immediately why they wanted a lesson. The men drugged women almost every night and brought them in to gang rape them. They got away with it because the campus police were being paid off.

It was a week before I got a chance to snatch my target. I took my target using a taser as he went to use a bathroom in a crowded bar. I used a sedative to put him out and keep him out. I slipped him out the back as if he was a friend that had drunk to much. When he came to it was in the empty building I had prepared. His death was very, very slow and every part was filmed.

First he was castrated and his privates cut off. Next it was fingers and toes. Then it was hands and feet. It took him six days to die. The really hard part was next, while I waited for the right time, I edited the video. It was early morning when I slipped into the frat house. I used their kitchen table to lay out the remains, piece by piece.

The video went into their player and I took a few moments to rig a tripwire. I slipped away after removing the cameras I had planted. The screams that echoed around the campus made an impression as did the message at the end of the video. If another girl was raped, another frat boy would be next…

Just to drive my point home, I went after the campus police that were taking bribes. All of them died in one night with money stuffed in their mouths. I slipped away and a week later received a second million in my account.

Chapter nine

Having a heart attack

I was bored, I had just had my twenty first birthday. I reread the e-mail and sat back to think about the target, it was a Russian mobster. I finally smiled, they had not said how I was to do it and I sent my account number. When I checked that night the money was in the account and I started planning. Slipping into Russia was easier than it once was.

It took a day to reach Moscow and then I started setting up cameras. I watched as Milowvich went from his large penthouse to the club he owned. It was also where he did his business. He only left there to eat at a restaurant he owned and go home. The penthouse had constant security with every way in covered by cameras.

The club was always busy and bodyguards were always near and around him, even in his office, it was also covered with cameras. Luckily for me I was able to tap into its server to use them. That left the restaurant, there were still guards but only when he was there.

Slowly a plan formed and I began watching the restaurant. I could not get near while he was there and could not slip anything into the wine or food since it always changed. What I came up with was the wine glass. I acquired one and coated it on the inside with a certain type of poison. I let it dry and the next day made my move. I slipped into the restaurant a half hour before Milowvich.

On my way to the bathroom I was able to move close enough to the table to switch the wine glass for the one in front of his seat. I came back to my table and ordered. I had my back to his table when he came in and ignored him and the guards. As he started sipping from his wine, I paid and left. I watched from down the street as an ambulance came to a stop, it was several minutes before his covered body was brought out.

I am always prepared and the sudden flood of men asking questions everywhere made me stay. The club closed and men seemed to pour in off the streets. At first I thought Milowvich might have survived but several remarks let me know he did not. Then one of the under bosses started bragging and I knew he had been the one to hire me.

Only now he wanted to make sure I died with Milowvich. I shut everything down and packed up. I slipped out of the city on a train headed to Petersburg. My way out of the country was south, down the coast and then out to sea before coming back to land on Japan. From there I decided on a vacation and relaxed on the southern coast with a lovely geisha.

When the news of the man’s death that hired me came, I was not surprised.

Chapter ten

Poisoning a Priest

The moment I read the e-mail I frowned. Killing a priest was not something you did lightly. The more I read the more I was inclined to take the job. I used a source to do some hacking and what I learned was almost sickening. I accepted the contract and waited for the money to be put in the account.

I was always careful when I had to work in the United States and this time I took extra precautions against the church. My entry was through Canada and then down to Chicago before heading east to Washington. The priest that was my target was a bishop which meant it was going to be harder.

Slipping in at night was easy and so was planting the tiny cameras I used. I placed them everywhere, the only place I could not put them was in the priest’s bedroom. I managed that during the day while they were praying. I watched for two weeks and knew in days why someone wanted him dead.

He was molesting young boys. The bishop also made a habit of drinking a cup of wine with his meals. The problem was he always ate with others and I could not be sure he would use one particular glass. I solved the problem by slipping into his room and placing a poison in the head band of his miter cap.

I watched as day after day he wore the cap and a week later he was walking in the rectory garden when it affected him. He dropped to the ground convulsing and foaming at the mouth. A couple of nuns and another priest tried to help him but he did not respond. An ambulance was called as he stopped breathing and they started CPR.

They revived him twice before the ambulance arrived. He died twice more on the way to the hospital and then one last time in the emergency room. I do not think they tried very hard that time. They did not even bother to do an autopsy. I slipped back into the church one last time and took the miter.

I burned it beside a river and poured the ash into the river before leaving. A week later I was sitting on my patio watching the sun set.

Chapter eleven

Vacation in Paradise

I looked out the window at the rain and thought about my birthday. I was feeling depressed and finally turned to look at my desk. I crossed to sit down and read the e-mail from Cynthia again. I shook my head, “she is asking a lot.”

I looked at the window again and made up my mind. I really did not need to pack but I had learned everything in a hard school. My flight from Europe was direct if under another name and I stepped out of the airport to warm air and sunshine. I glanced at the car key and started for the rental car. When I walked into the resort lobby a slim tanned woman stood up.

I pretended to ignore Cynthia as I walked to the desk to check in. I changed the room they had me scheduled to use and went upstairs. I was not surprised when I went out to the pool to see Cynthia. She was lounging in a chair as if waiting. I set my towel down and dove in to swim a few laps. When I got out of the water she was sitting in the lounger beside mine.

I dried off and lay back, “Talk to me.”

She smiled, “It is nice to see you again.”

I smiled slightly, “Talk.”

Cynthia sighed, “My target was supposed to be an international merchant. Everything said he was and every check I made came back the same.”

She shook her head, “That should have warned me. Anyway, I took him in a spa and made it look like a drowning. Ever since then I have had someone following me.”

I glanced at the two men in baggy swim suits at the end of the pool, “Those two?”

She nodded, “I loose them and they always find me.”

I snorted, “They probably painted you and use a satellite to track you.”

Cynthia looked at me, “Paint me?”

I shrugged, “A radioactive invisible spray.”

She turned to look at them, “How do I get rid of it?”

I smiled, “Give me a day.”

Cynthia nodded, “Are you okay getting out?”

I laughed as I stood, “Yeah.”

I walked straight to the two men and stopped beside them, “This is the only warning I will give you and your agency. Go home.”

I walked away and went to change. I carried my suitcase out to the rental and drove off. I knew they would track it and left it in the middle of the city before taking a bus. The men that tried to follow me were both very visible and not very skilled.

In an out of the way alley I waited in the shadows and stepped out to strike one in the throat. As he fell I moved into the other one. I grabbed his hand with the gun and twisted as I slid past him and then I twisted and yanked. There was a pop from his neck and I walked away as he fell.

It was a couple of hours before I stepped into the tiny shop and smiled at the old man. We talked quietly and he led me into the back where he handed me a large jug, I paid him and left. When I knocked on Cynthia’s door it was silent. It opened and from the way Cynthia stood I knew she was not alone.

I slammed the door open and moved in quickly. I kicked out and into the groin of the second man and spun as he folded over. I stomped down on the first man’s wrist, breaking bones and knelt to pick up the silenced pistol. I turned and shot the second man through the head and then the first man.

I nodded to Cynthia against the wall, “Downstairs in the pool showers is a white jug. Use it to wash your body as many times as you can and then leave without these clowns following.”

She grinned, “Thanks.”

I smiled, “Next time make it a real vacation.”

She nodded and I walked out.

An Assignment from Home

The ski sloops had been almost empty which was how I liked it. I was relaxing in the small cottage in front of a stone fireplace. I opened my laptop and checked my e-mail. I blinked as I saw the second one appear. I sat forward and opened it and started reading. I shook my head and sent a short request that was answered within a minute.

I thought about it for a few minutes and then accepted the deal. I packed quietly as the fire slowly burned out. First was the trip out of New Zealand and a complete change in Australia. It took two days before I finally walk up to the table outside the small café in Milan. I had watched it since before the sun had even risen.

I sat across from the old man and smiled, “You are looking the same.”

He smiled and glanced around, “There were a few close calls.”

I sighed, “You said you had a rogue?”

He gestured and stood, “Walk with me.”

I stood and walked beside him, he finally nodded, “His name is Albert Santiago. He came to us as a favor from a former associate. He was older than we thought we should accept and there were a couple of things during his training that rang alarms. His favorite method to kill was the knife, he likes the blood…”

I waited as he seemed to think about things. He shook his head as we turned a corner, “We were going to keep him a couple of extra years until he was ready but he tried to kill Jacob one night.”

I looked at him sharply, Jacob was the only one not a teacher, “Did he kill him?”

He shook his head, “David and I came in and caught him.”

He took a breath, “He left that night before we could stop him or take any action. Currently he has killed six times in Italy, all helpless women or old men. He is in Rome, we want you to find him and kill him.”

I looked at him, “You have the information I need?”

He smiled, “It will be sent to you within an hour.”

I nodded and turned to walk down another street. Thirty minute later I was sitting in a train pulling out of the station. By the time I was pulling into the station in Rome I had finished reading the information that had been sent to me.

I rented a small set of rooms across from an expensive club. The women Santiago had killed had all been well off and from the clothes, they had been partying. The few old men reminded me of teachers but better dressed.

I knew within an hour that Santiago was near, just as I was sure he knew I was here and what I was. I stayed away from the window but spotted two tiny cameras watching the club. As soon as it got dark I left and walked the street. I ate dinner in a bistro and walked through a city park. He came for me as I relaxed on a park bench.

They were right, he was not ready. It was like he had forgotten all the training he had received. As one of his arms came around my head with a knife I was already leaning forward and twisting. One hand grabbed his as I slid forward onto my feet and turned drawing the small pistol. His arm was locked and extended with him bent slightly.

His eyes had that surprised look as his other hand fumbled in his jacket. I fired and released him as his head snapped back. I walked around the bench and stared down at the failed Death Master and shot him in the temple twice more.

Chapter twelve

Losing a contact

I stared at the e-mail and my eyes narrowed. It was an automated message that would have normally gone into the spam folder, the problem was its header. I started a search and found the obituary quickly. One look made me turn to the seldom used desktop computer. After I finished canceling a few local appointments, I switched its IP and shut it down.

I made a couple of arraignments on my laptop and stood. I crossed to the large bookcase and pressed on one of the thick wooden supports. There was no sound but I pulled and part of the case came away from the wall. Imbedded in the wall was an array of knives, guns, darts and small vials. I removed what looked like an Auto Mag.

It was chambered for 45 APC and around the entire barrel and several inched beyond the barrel was an integrated silencer. The whole thing was custom made from carbon fiber with the exception of the barrel which was a composite. I pulled out a dozen magazines and closed the bookcase.

I went into my bedroom and placed the gun and magazines on the bed before carefully dressing. The suit I wore was made from expensive silk. Several more went into the suit bag. Moving through Europe is easy but entering the United States was always hard. First I went through the Bahamas and then a fast chartered boat took me to Miami.

I used another charter service to fly me to New York. Along the way I had made a few inquires and the answers gave me a name or rather several names. The skin mask disguise made me look much older. After getting a room at a bed and breakfast outside the city I went hunting. I knew the men I was looking for would have government agents watching them.

After a week of carefully surveillance I moved. I went through the back door of an insurance office and pushed the pile of boxes aside. It was late so know one was there as I used a jimmy to open a long unused door. The cook that looked at me as I stepped through opened his mouth and suddenly closed it before walking towards a walk in freezer.

I walked through the kitchen and pulled the silenced pistol as I walked into the restaurant. I shot three men at the back table and looked at the last man cowering in the seat, “Albert Christofferson was protected. You were told to leave him alone.”

The man slowly sat up and looked at his dead men, “You do not kno…”

I shot him through the head and turned to leave the way I had come. I moved away quickly but did not run. I drove across town and pulled into a small parking lot. I followed the fence to the back corner and then went up and over. The large warehouse I walked towards was old and had an old fire door with the alarm turned off.

I crossed the rows of crates to the far wall where a ladder led up to a catwalk. I walked down the catwalk and vaulted over the end to land beside two men. They both died quickly with a single jab from a narrow blade shoved into their brain from just under the ear. I opened the door and drew my pistol to shoot the two men lounging on a couch.

I crossed the room and walked into the other office. I shot the man leaning against the wall and looked at the man behind the desk before shooting him between the eyes. I left using the stairs and the fire door before going back over the fence. This time I only drove a few miles before pulling into a parking space at a gentlemen’s club.

I walked to the backdoor and tapped, a moment later a large man open the door and sneered, “Use the…”

I lifted the pistol from beside my leg and shot him through the mouth before pushing the door open and shooting past his falling body. The other man’s head beside the door jerked back and he started falling. I walked to the door and opened it, as I walked in I shot the four men scrambling to pull weapons before crossing to the other door.

I opened it to see the man I wanted on top of a young girl that was maybe ten. He scrambled away from her and I waited until he was clear before shooting him in the groin and then between the eyes. I walked away as the girl screamed and was out the back door before anyone came to find out what was wrong.

My way home was through Canada and then I took a cruise back to Spain. By the time I was sitting down in my villa the mob fully understood what had happened, “Leave my contacts alone.”

Chapter thirteen

Sending a message

I walked down the cobble stone street and turned in at the small café. I glanced around before crossing to an empty table. The young waitress crossed and smiled, “Coffee?”

I smiled back and nodded, “Black.”

I had only been here one time and that was two years before. I checked each of the other customers before opening my small netbook. This part of France was new to me, I had only spent a few days here last time. I plugged in the small device that would allow me to bounce and switch my IP around the world.

The first message was from a new contact in Asia. The second though… I looked around and read the e-mail before deleting it and then using a scrubber program. First was a trip to Paris and then a small shop very few knew of. After that it was a waiting game before my mark was alone. He was an unassuming man few would suspect was a spy, let alone the section chief.

I slipped up behind him as he stood in front of a urinal and touch him in the small of the back, “Do not turn. Contact control on your cell, tell them the man they enquired about is with you and wants details.”

He shifted but moved slowly to do as I wanted. When he finished there was a pause and he held the phone over his shoulder, “They want to tell you in person.”

I smiled and used my other hand to take the phone. I put it to my ear, “Go.”

I listened as a computer enhanced voice began briefing me on the target. When the phone went quiet I handed the phone back and backed away before slipping out. I left the building through a basement that connected to another building. My exit from France and Europe went unnoticed as did my entrance into the small Arabian country.

My dress and manner were those of just another Muslim. The palace I slowly checked had very good security but not perfect. The man I wanted was a younger brother of the ruler and a very nasty character. It took two weeks to find the way in and out I wanted. It was just past midnight when I climbed the side wall.

I waited just below the top until both the guard and the camera swept past. I went over quickly and started down the inside wall. I moved sideways into the shadow of a large tree and waited as another camera swept the top of the wall. Once it had passed me I moved to the corner before starting down.

This corner was always covered with lights which warmed the bricks so they had to shut the thermal alarm off at this point. When I reached the ground I dropped to my stomach and opened a sealed pouch. It was not long before I heard the dog and tossed the large chunk of meat in its direction. It did not even bark as it went straight for the meat.

I crawled quickly across to the building and then down to a small grate. It took five seconds to snap the small lock and then I was slipping inside. I crawled almost twenty feet before removing two pins and bypassing the lock on another grate. I climbed out of the small air vent and looked around the laundry room before moving to the large drop shoot.

I used a cart to stand on and began slowly worming my way up the shaft. I ignored the first two openings and checked the third with a tiny fiber camera with a one inch screen on my wrist. I quietly moved out of the shaft and crossed to a door that I knew was alarmed. I slipped two magnetic connectors into place before picking the lock.

I opened the door and slipped into the dark room beyond. I crossed to another door and hesitated to check it with the small thermal monocular. I opened the door slowly and silently entered the room. On the large bed were the king and two naked women. I moved to the side of the bed and took his fancy jeweled dagger and left.

I retraced my steps to close the door and turned left to cross to another door. This one was actually open a crack. The man inside was sleeping with a woman who was tied to the bed and blindfolded. I quietly walked to the bed and cut his throat with his brother’s dagger before stabbing him through the heart.

My way out was back down the laundry shoot and then down into the ancient sewage system. It was barred of course but the locking mechanism was on the inside. I slipped out of the country and made my discrete way back to Europe.

Chapter fourteen

Finding a Sniper

An assassin rarely accepts a target in a war zone. The risks always out weigh the profits. This time I was considering it, the offer did not come from the military or a government agency. It came from an angry, grieving father. I sat back to think and finally leaned forward and accepted. While I waited for the money to be sent to my account I began planning.

Snipers that were trained were always hard to find. The particular sniper my client wanted was not in a military. He had been trained in Syria and seemed to be working independently. The first thing I did was change my appearance. I used an overland route to enter the country and the city where the sniper was operating in.

The rifle I had brought in was an older model single shot Barrett, fifty caliber. I found a cheap set of rooms on the edge of the city and started discreet checks. Everyday there were shots and sometimes explosions. It was a week after I arrived that the sniper struck again. I had placed sensitive microphones around the city and within thirty seconds I had the location of the sniper.

I thought of the Barrett but left it as I went out. It took me almost twenty minutes to get close to the sniper’s firing position. During that time he had fired once more and I knew he would be leaving. I was walking towards an intersection when he stepped out. I almost stopped but continued on.

He was carrying a long, slim bundle as he glanced around. His eyes swept passed me and then came back. Somehow I knew he was not looking at me and glanced back. I dove forward to the ground as the two Arabs behind me fired. The sniper had slipped around the corner and I rolled before rushing towards the corner.

As I swung around the corner bullets sprayed the whole area. The sniper was in front of me pointing a pistol which I ignored and headed past him. He hesitated and then spun to run. He dodged into an alley ahead of me as the men chasing us came around the corner. I ducked in behind him and ran into him and knocked him flat.

He scrambled for his dropped pistol as I spun to look for another way out, “Shit!”

I spoke in Arabic and he glanced at me as I headed towards the corner. He picked his dropped pistol up but did not point it at me as I flattened against the wall. I moved as the barrel of the first man moved into sight. I grabbed the barrel as I moved forward around the corner and ignored the heat as he fired.

I swept the barrel up as I moved into him and shoved him straight back into his partner. As I moved forward to finish them the sniper jumped out and shot into both men on the ground. I stopped moving as he grinned and looked at me, “Now the infidels are dead.”

He did not even see the knife that swept out and cut his throat. I knocked his pistol to the ground and walked back into the alley where he had dropped his rifle. I returned to look at him as he struggled with blood fountaining from his neck. I shrugged, “You killed a man’s son.”

I bent and picked up his pistol and shot him between the eyes before walking away. I had to avoid three local patrols on my way back to my set of rooms. I slipped out later and waited in the mouth of an alley. It was getting dark when the US Army patrol walked into sight. I stepped out and stopped moving as almost every weapon was pointed at me.

I waited and one man came forward to speak to me. I held out one of the two rifles I held and he looked back. A corporal came forward and reached out to take one of the rifles. I smiled, “This is virgin and never used here.”

He looked into my face, “Who…”

I slowly held the other rifle out, “This belonged to the sniper that has been killing your men.”

He stopped as he was reaching, “The sniper?”

I shrugged, “I killed him for a father that lost a son.”

He glanced back, “we will need you…”

I smiled as I looked past him, “You owe me.”

The sergeant finally nodded and I stepped back into the alley and started walking.

Chapter fifteen

The kiss of a snake

I was sitting at a beach side cabaña sipping a glass of cold water as I read the e-mail. The client wanted something specific done to kill the target. What they wanted done would be very dangerous and risky. They wanted the target to be bitten and killed by the top five deadliest snakes in Australia, all at the same time.

I thought about it for awhile before deciding to accept. I made a few calls which was dangerous. After the money was in my account, I ended my short vacation. I slipped into Australia through Asia and it took me a couple of days to make my way to Sidney. The man I used to get the snakes was a curious man so I used an intermediary. I went way out into the outback and dug an eight foot deep pit.

I spent a few days following the target around and the only time he was without bodyguards was when he picked up a woman each night. He always took her to the same hostel and used the same room and the guards always waited in the lobby. I stole a panel truck a week later and waited. Two days later he picked up a stunning brunette and I headed to the hostel. I went in the back way wearing a skin mask and up a couple of floors to wait.

When the elevator began to move I watched it. As the doors began to open I stepped into the middle as if I were going to enter. I smiled and stepped back as if to let them pass and struck when they did. I sprayed her in the face with an inhalant and stuck him in the neck with a hypodermic needle. I grabbed my target and brought him straight across the hall and slammed him into the wall before handcuffing his hands behind his back.

The woman had started to scream but the inhalant was preventing her from doing it. I pulled the man to room across from the elevator and used a special key card to open it. I dumped the man on the bed as he went limp and turned to close the door. I opened the window and came back to pick him up. I pushed him out the window and onto the narrow fire escape.

I slipped out and closed the window before moving down and then dragging the man over my shoulder and climbing to the ground. I opened the side door of the van and dumped him in before driving away. It was a long drive out to where I had dug the pit and my target was out the whole way. I parked and carefully pulled out the five boxes stacked in the van.

One by one I dumped the snakes in the pit and they were pissed. I used a stimulate and woke the man before moving him to the edge of the pit. I dumped him in and started cleaning up as he screamed. It took him a long agonizing time to die. When it was over I took a picture and killed the snakes. I buried the man in the pit and drove the van back to the city.

I cleaned the van and left it where I had stolen it from. I sent the picture to the e-mail address I was given before heading for the airport. I was wearing another skin mask when I flew out and a day later I was in my new chalet in the Alps.

Chapter sixteen

Exploding Cars

I glanced at the e-mail and the header. I knew it was from a government agency. I checked to see if they had tried to trace the e-mail but it was clean. The target would be easy and I already had an idea how to do it. I finally accepted and waited for the money to be put in my account. When it was put in without question I knew they really wanted this man dead or it was a trap.

I slipped through the bordering countries, bypassing the custom checkpoints. This area of the Middle East was not involved with any fighting but had seen a lot of car bombing lately. It was a little harder to find my target than I had expected and then I saw that he was a careful man. I followed and watched everything he did for over two weeks.

From watching I knew he was connected to the ruling government and was running a terrorist recruitment camp. I also knew he was being watched by at least two teams of agents. I knew I had only one shot to plant a bomb. It could not be attached to the car itself because he always checked the car. What he did not check was the back seat.

He always picked one or two people up at the airport and drove them to different places. I stole a uniform and pass that let me slip into the airport. I waited until his car showed up and he came out with another man. I took their bags and placed them on a cart and followed them to his waiting car and driver.

They climbed into the car and I started helping the driver load the bags into the trunk. I managed to reach in and attach the small fabric covered shape charge to the back of the seat as the driver walked around towards his door. I closed the trunk and walked away and they drove off. I left, changed clothes and followed the tiny GPS in the package I had planted.

I stopped a couple of blocks away and carefully checked the area. The agents were still watching, the house was one of his safe houses. I drove away and parked several blocks from his home. It was a few hours before his car pulled in. I was watching through a camera to make sure it was my target.

As the vehicle stopped I touched the transmitter and the car exploded. The driver stumbled out and the car began to smoke. Seconds later it was in flames and the gas tank exploded. I drove away and did not look back. I left the country on foot and a few days later saw an e-mail from the same agency that had contracted me.

All it said was, “Thanks.”

Chapter seventeen

Hanging a Murderer

I shook my head as I read the e-mail. Most of what they wanted would be easy but not all. I finally agreed and waited for the money to be deposited. I began making preparations and hours later the money was deposited. First was a train ride through Europe and then a flight to Canada. Crossing the border into the US was fairly simple.

I used a couple of stolen cars to make my way down to Austin, Texas. After that it was a matter of searching for the right man. It took me almost three weeks and when I found my target I knew why they wanted him dead. He was a drug dealer and a cruel vicious thief. He was also extremely paranoid and surrounded himself with men that were just as bad.

I followed and watched him for over two weeks before taking matters into my own hands. I slipped in the side door of the chop shop and shot a man a few feet away with a silenced pistol. I moved into the shop carefully and killed those I found. My target was playing poker in a back office with three other men.

When I killed the last man on the floor I threw a heavy rope over the center beam and headed for the office. I walked into the room and shot the three other men in the head and smiled as my target dropped to his knees to beg for his life. I walked around the table and pushed him to the floor as he made offers if I did not kill him.

I tied his hands behind his back and pulled him to his feet. I pushed him out in front of me as I went back to the shop. I pushed him right to the end of the rope and lifted the hangman’s noose to put it around his neck. He was twisting and crying and pleading not to kill him as I tightened the noose.

I looked into his face, “Remember the infant you killed when you stole the Jaguar?”

His eyes went wide and he opened his mouth as I yanked the rope tight and began lifting him up. I pulled him all the way to just below the beam before tying the rope off and leaving. Ten blocks away I called the police and then walked away removing the tight gloves from my hands. I destroyed everything before walking across the border into Mexico.

Chapter eighteen

Falling from a building

This time it was going to be harder. My target was protected almost all the time. I was in New York and the target was a arrogant but successful broker from a rich family. I followed him constantly and set up cameras but the building he worked in was the only place I would have access. It had cameras and security card access and guards.

It took me three days to slip a small remote into a vent to listen in at his office. A week later I had a plan. The man came to work every morning and went to the roof to exercise and run around the edge. I could not use normal means to get into the building so I went to plan B. It was midnight with clouds and no moon.

I wore night goggles as I nodded to the discrete pilot and jumped from the plane. I popped the chute as soon as I was clear. After the chute opened I turned it and started for the distant building five miles away. My descent was slow as I wove back and forth and then slowly circled the roof of the building.

I had to time my landing to one small corner where there was no lights and no camera coverage. After I landed I quickly rolled up my chute and stuffed it into the pack along with the harness. I opened a large vent and secured my pack before sitting to wait. After the sun came up I stood and stretched.

I moved to the edge of the vent house and waited. The path my target ran on was covered with a thick rubber mat. I heard the far door and used a small fiber camera to confirm my target, I put it away and got ready. When he ran past the edge of the small building I moved. I stepped out and grabbed his arm at the wrist.

I twisted and turned it as I kept moving towards the low wall at the edge of the building. When he hit the wall and started going over I released his wrist. He screamed as he fell but I was already moving back to the vent. Now it was a waiting game, I slipped in and closed the vent before moving down a little.

I sipped some water and waited as the police arrived. Hours later they left but I still waited. As it got dark I pulled myself up and out. I slipped on the glide suit and switched the other pack to become a belly pack. I took a few running steps before leaping and spreading my arms and legs. I turned and headed down the street in a controlled glide.

I turned once more as I got closer to the ground and dropped lower in a dark alley. I flared before hitting the ground and dropped to my feet. I quickly stripped out of the suit and packed it away. I slung the pack over my shoulder and started walking. It was a dozen blocks before I walked into the parking garage and drove away.

Chapter nineteen

Turning a contract down

I looked at the e-mail and shook my head. When I get an e-mail with no return address I am always wary. This time they were also offering a lot more than my normal fee and it was for a man that was very public. I finally turned it down and shut the laptop off. I was in a small chalet in Switzerland. I cleaned up and decided to do some shopping in the village.

When I walked out of the small grocery store I saw the black SUVs. I walked to the edge of the village and stood with a couple of locals as they looked up the road. The three vehicles were stopped at my chalet and black suited men swarmed around and in the building. I shook my head and turned away as I thumbed a small remote in my pocket.

The chalet exploded as I walked down the cobble stone street. I got rid of the bag of groceries before buying cross country skis. The next morning I stopped in a small village sixty kilometers away. I bought a ticket on the train and sat back to nap as I headed to the coast. In a small villa on the coast I pulled out new equipment and clothes.

I left and headed to Paris and a suite in a hotel. I carefully set everything up before going on line to the old e-mail account. I waited and thirty minutes later two four man teams hit the hotel. I used a silenced pistol to kill the two men in the hall as I stepped out of the door leading to the stairs.

I walked into the suite and killed four men in the main room before walking towards the bedroom. I killed one man in the bathroom doorway and shot the leader in both shoulders. When I searched him it was to find Russian ID. He glared at me as I took his cell and moved to my laptop.

I used a special program and a moment later had the location of everyone he had talked to in the last hour. I walked back to the man and shot him between the eyes. I called a cleaning service and quietly left after moving all the bodies into the suite. Somehow I had thought it was a government but a check showed the name I was going to as a retired KGB agent.

That made a little more sense if he was with the Russian mob. I parked down the street from what looked like a row of warehouses. I saw the guards walking around with submachine guns under jackets and knew I was in the right place. I careful checked around me and left the car.

A couple of minutes later two men walked from a warehouse straight to the car and looked around. I was beside a large garbage bin and shot both in the head with the silenced pistol. I started for the warehouse they had come out of and killed two guards that stepped out the door as I approached.

I kept going into the warehouse and killed two more men sitting at a small table just inside the door. I looked around and then headed towards what looked like an office. I could see several men inside the office arguing as I walked up to the door. I opened the door and walked in with a fresh magazine in my pistol.
I shot four of the men and held the pistol on the fifth. He stopped moving with his hand in his coat and licked his lips, “You do not know who I am.”

I smiled, “You are the dead man that tried to kill me when I turned down your contract. You are a retired KGB colonel and you work for a gang of criminals.”

His eyes flicked around and I nodded, “You should have left it alone.”

I shot him between the eyes and turned to walk away.

Chapter twenty

Having a stroke

I relaxed and looked out on the ranch before turning to the laptop. I read the e-mail again and finally shrugged and accepted the contract. I used a false ID to fly to Canada and then slipped over the border in a boat. It took a day to reach Philadelphia. I rented a car and used a contact to buy equipment.

I slipped into the estate easily and set up cameras. I was able to use a side door to get into my targets office building and plant a few more cameras in and around his office. While I waited and watched, I quietly snuck into a hospital and acquired the drug I needed. The man was a pig and a bully, I watched as he slapped his wife around and molested the women at his office.

He was also an out of shape slob, he was at least a hundred pounds overweight. When he exercised it was only for a minute when he ran out of breath and quit. The one thing that kept me from moving was the two men. One always watched him from a distance and the other was a bodyguard. It was over two weeks before I found the trigger.

Everyday at lunch time he always came back to the office and went into the bathroom. He stripped and gave himself an enema that he added what looked like drugs to. After he would shower and dress before going to find one of the women in the office. It was simple for me to slip into the building again.

I did a sweep for bugs thinking of his other watcher and was not surprised to find several in the office. None were cameras though so I left after removing my cameras. I waited until the next day and slipped into the building as my target left for his huge lunch. I used his private side door to get into his office.

I stayed quiet as I went to the bathroom and the enema he had waiting. I ignored the large packet of drugs on the counter and poured the drug I had gotten into the enema bag. I left silently and walked out of the building. I watched from a coffee shop down the street. An hour later my target returned.

It was several hours before the ambulance arrived. It was not long before a police car showed up after that. The ambulance left empty and an unmarked police car arrived. When the medical examiner vehicle got there I listened to the police radio. My target had died of a heart attack as he was trying to molest a secretary on the other side of the building from his office.

I used a sailboat to leave the US.

Chapter twenty one

Drowning in the pool

I had been watching my target for weeks. I had plans to his estate, his drug factory and even his guard schedule. My client wanted it to look like an accident. I managed to slip into his estate and plant a few cameras. The only place I could almost guarantee he would be alone was when he swam laps. It was always early in the morning.

Each night the guards around the estate were doubled or tripled and were not relaxed until after he left for the warehouses or his factory. It was late afternoon when I slipped over the corner wall in back. There was thick bushes almost all the way to the house. I knew better than stand and went to my stomach to crawl. When I reached the spot I needed I waited.

The guard walked by lazily and never even glanced around. I stayed on the ground and quickly crawled across to the bushes around the edge of the house. I slowly made my way to the edge of a stone patio. I was partially behind a huge planter when the guard walked by again. I waited until he was past before coming to my feet and moving to the small side door.

It opened into a small bar and I stayed low as I moved to the other end. This was adjacent to the indoor pool. I reached up to open what looked like a cabinet before standing. I was looking into the pool room and quickly went over the bar. I dropped into the pool room and looked around before crossing to the pool. I sat and slowly slid into the water.

The pool was large and shaped like a lagoon with a rock grotto on the other side. I took a breath and sank under the water before swimming across the pool. Once in the grotto I surfaced and pulled myself onto the small ledge and sat back to relax and wait. It was a long night I spent meditating. Finally my watch beeped and I slipped into the water again.

I reached to the small of my back as I heard my target dive into the pool and pulled the thin air tube around to my mouth. I turned the small knob to start the air as I sank and began to swim. I swam along the bottom of the pool and waited. I came up as he was almost to the side and grabbed the waist band of his trunks.

I pulled down and moved around and over him as he struggled. I pushed him down and held his waist until he stopped fighting and all the air escaped. I still waited another minute before letting him go. I turned to swim back to the grotto and surfaced. I turned the small air tank off as I lifted myself out of the water.

I reached up and opened the air vent on the wall and carefully slid in before pulling it closed. It was a little while before he was found and they started shouting. It was a long time before it got quiet but I continued to wait. I finally slipped out of the vent around noon and closed it behind me.

I slipped into the water and sank to the bottom before swimming across the pool. There was not even any guards as I slipped off the estate. I checked my surveillance cameras to watch what had happened before leaving.

Chapter twenty two

Retirement

I had been thinking about retiring. Cynthia had retired almost a year ago. I made a couple of arrangements and took a train. I slipped into Italy using a new passport and opened my villa. I used my car to drive for an hour to a nice beach. I striped to a swim suit and walked down the beach before spreading a towel beside the gorgeous woman.

Cynthia turned her head when I walked up and waited until I laid down beside her. She smiled, “Work or vacation?”

I smiled, “how would you like a partner?”

She looked at me, “I retired.”

I turned my head to look at her, “I know.”

Cynthia grinned, “how long?”

I relaxed, “Permeant.”

We spent the day talking before I returned to my villa. I absently started checking my mail and some of the precautions. I sat up when I saw the intelligence notice with my description, I read it and sat back to think. Cynthia was not only under surveillance, she was marked for assassination.

I sighed and began making my own plans. It was midnight when I slipped into her window and stood still, “You have bugs.”

A moment later a tiny light came on across the room. Cynthia was holding a gun as she looked at me. I slowly pulled a sheet of paper from my shirt. I set it on the small table and moved into a corner. She crossed to the table and picked it up. She read it with flickering glances at me before cursing.

She turned and started for her bedroom and I cleared my throat, “they will have bugs and trackers in the clothes.”

I crossed the room and stripped her as she watched me. I grinned and pulled out a tiny bikini and tied it onto her. We left the way I had come in and several blocks later I pulled her into a shop. I used a special thermal device to look at her and check her before putting it away, “They did not mark you this time.”

She nodded and I turned to pull out regular clothing. She dressed while I waited and I led her down and through a set of very old tunnels. When we came out she followed me through several courtyards and then out a door. I nodded to a vehicle sitting a few steps away but waited. I had pressed the door unlock on my remote and was not surprised when it went red.

I shook my head and led her through several interconnecting doorways. Another tunnel down and across a few more blocks and then we were walking away. The small car I drove out of the garage had not been used in several months. I drove quietly and Cynthia finally cleared her throat, “Why watch me now?”

I glanced at her, “Someone marked you to be killed.”

She turned to glare through the window. She finally shook her head, “It is crazy, I have not worked in over a year, why now?”

I looked at her, “The contract was new but someone had you marked for surveillance.”

She frowned and finally sighed, “My last job.”

I looked at her and she shook her head, “I knew it was to good. Ten million to make his death look accidental.”

I shook my head, “What happened after?”

She sat back, “I thought someone was following me but they stopped… at least I thought they did.”

I looked at her again, “who hired you?”

Cynthia shrugged, “His heir.”

I nodded, “that is the case most of the time.”

She nodded, “Do we slip away?”

I smiled, “Not with someone hunting you.”

She looked at me, “we take out the threat.”

I nodded, “Where is the heir?”

Cynthia thought about it, “England.”

I used a contact to get several new identifications for her and then it was a matter of slipping across the channel and into England. We rented a small flat after Cynthia had changed her hair color and length. Her old client was using a lot more security. It took us several days to set up the surveillance. After that it was just a matter of watching and waiting.

It was almost two weeks before I saw the chance. He had a doctor’s appointment and I slipped into the office before he got there. I used the same type of contact poison I had used in New York. When Cynthia called to warn me, I stood and walked to the door. I waited until the bodyguard open the door and stepped back. He barely even looked at me as he walked in.

I sent the puff of talc fine poison onto the target’s hand as he arrogantly brushed into me. I looked after him as another bodyguard followed him. I left and crossed to climb in beside Cynthia. We watched and forty minutes later an ambulance flew in. I wanted to make sure and was going to follow the ambulance.

It did not leave though, at least not right away. Finally the men came out and the ambulance left. I glanced at Cynthia and shook my head, “he is alive and knows someone is after him.”

She turned and slipped into the back seat. A long case was on the seat and she quietly pulled the long barreled silenced rifle out and chambered a round. She covered the rifle and we waited and it was not long before several cars arrived. The target came out between two men and surrounded by even more.

As he reached the car his door was opened and Cynthia had the only clear shot. She fired and his head snapped back and then I was pulling away. Several blocks away I parked the car and we wiped it down before walking away. We took a back up car I had left and took a drive to a marina where we slipped away on a small sail boat.

I dropped the rifle into the channel when we were halfway across. Once in France I made a few checks. The contract on Cynthia was gone but something worried me. The poison I had used should have worked. I had left a remote camera in the doctor’s office. I used another contact while I was out shopping and sent him to get the video.

While Cynthia slept that night I used a new laptop and opened an e-mail from the contact. I watched the video before deleting everything and leaving. My mind spun as I thought of possibilities. The target had removed skin gloves as soon as I left the doctor’s office which meant he had known what I was going to do.

I finally slipped away and took a train. Once in Germany I began a check of myself and everything I had on me. I was not surprised when I found the tiny micro trackers. It took a couple of hours to replace everything and slip away. That was when the surveillance moved closer and I noticed men trying to follow me.

It took a little to lose them and even more to slip out of Germany. In Switzerland I changed my appearance and continued moving. I used a train and got off in Constantinople before taking a sail boat. When I stopped moving it was in Thailand, another change and I waited.

Two weeks later men in suits showed up. When I slipped away this time it was in the night and I took extra precautions. I landed on the coast of Australia and moved inland on foot. It took three weeks to reach my ranch and when I got there the first thing I did was pull out equipment I had buried in the bush and sweep all the buildings.

When I did not find anything I began to relax. I took extra precautions and set traps but everything seemed normal. It was a couple of weeks before they came for me. The crash from my front and back doors was enough to have me rolling out of bed and yanking up the trap door. Men were screaming and smoke filled the house.

I closed the trap door behind me as men crashed through the bedroom door and a shattering explosion tore the room apart. I dressed carefully but quickly in the small room below the house. I glanced at the tiny monitors that were from thermal cameras spread throughout the house above.

I flipped up a cover and pushed a button and the house was ripped apart as several directional mines imbedded in the walls went off. I flipped up another cover and pushed another button. At the end of a secret tunnel four extremely powerful mines exploded out of the ground and detonated ten meters above it.

I moved towards the end of the tunnel as random mines began to explode out of the ground around the buildings and going off. When I came out of the tunnel, devastation was everywhere. I turned and headed into the night and left over thirty dying or dead men behind me. I was pissed, no one knew where my ranch was.

There was no trail that pointed to me, not money or prior contact. I had checked myself for a radiation tag and there was not one. It took me a week to get out of the country and another to reach Europe. I slipped into Italy and set up surveillance on my Villa. It took a day to find the men that were watching it from tiny wireless cameras like I used.

I carefully set sleeping gas canisters and tubes into the villa they were using. I waited as the gas filled the house and moved in. Two hours later I sat back, I had some of my answers. It was not someone after Cynthia, it was a man that had paid me to kill. I slipped away and took my time getting to Paris. This time I spent several days underground.

I slipped out of Paris and into Canada before crossing into the US. My target was in Washington and I took precautions getting there. This time I was not going to play and slipped into the large mansion. I sat in the chair behind the desk and set the caseless 45 in front of me. I heard when my target got home and sent his protection detail out.

He froze when he stepped into the study and I pointed the pistol from him to the chair. He licked his lips before walking across and sitting down, “You will not…”

I held up my hand, “you should have let it go.”

He looked around almost disparately, “I…”

I stood and walked around the desk to stop beside him, “using the CIA to track me with satellites leaves a record.”

I pulled a small bulb from my shirt and blew a tiny bit of dust onto the back of his neck. He jerked and started to opened his mouth and I cocked the pistol. Ten minutes later he shuddered and then began to convulse. I turned and slipped out as he fell from the chair. I stayed in the subways for a couple of days before slipping out of Washington.

The large ranch in Canada was in the middle of nowhere. It was several months before I started to relax and a year before I slipped away to the spot I had picked to retire.

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