New Game
I stretched my stiff body that had been in the same position for the past hour. I had been waiting for my target at the location that was given to me, at the time that was given to me, but I still hadn't caught a glimpse of him. If this was a joke, I was going to make sure that someone was going to die either way.
Another ten minutes past and just as I was about to pack up and leave, I spotted the black van. Two of his bodyguards came out first, then the driver who opened the door for him. He was as bald as the photo I was sent. Half his face was covered by burn scars – a result from a drug deal gone wrong. He hadn't anticipated the scrawny high schooler to try to take the goods and run, setting the old warehouse on fire on the way. Perhaps that's how Todd Torin got to where he was today – one major fail in the beginning of his rise.
I leaned down, looking into the scope. He exuded the confidence of a well seasoned drug dealer, but he wasn't the one I was aiming for.
Taking out the second picture that I printed, I observed the pixelated image. This was the only photo they were able to provide me. This man hid himself well. He knew how to hide his trail. That was what made him so desirable.
While Torin had already entered the dark building, I continued to wait. I waited until he and his group came back out and that was when I finally realised what had gone wrong. They were done, but that was it. My target remained elusive.
I knew for a fact that there were no other ground exits to the building. I had scouted this place backward and forward, up and down. I had the building plans. The only other door to the outside was the roof, so he must've already been there, waiting for the others to arrive. All I had to do was wait for him to leave.
I leaned away from the sniper rifle and massaged the bridge of my nose. I was tired from both being on this roof all night and not having enough sleep.
A vibration from my pants made me take out my phone.
Diana wants to meet you.
I sighed. He knew better. He knew that I didn't want to meet her and he knew that I wasn't going to join his little organisation. The only reason why he'd even tell me was to annoy me. I wasn't even going to grace him with a reply.
Suddenly, a creak behind me made me freeze. My instincts catapulted me to the left. The pistol I kept on my body at all times was pointed at the cloaked figure who had his own gun pointed at me. Where I had been perched was a hole through my sniper rifle case.
I narrowed my eyes. That was going to be expensive to replace. "Santoro?"
He remained silent, even when I shot at his head. He moved to the side almost faster than I had ever seen anyone move – almost. Unfortunately for him, I was used to inhuman movements. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the soft thumps of his shoe. No matter how quiet he tried to be, there was still a detectable sound. That was what I honed in on as he struck.
We danced in a flurry of footwork before managing to find an opening. He was very obviously a skilled fighter and if this went on, I was sure that I would lose. It didn't help that I was running low on bullets. I never thought that I was going to get into a close combat battle, tonight. I really needed to end this quickly or leave, but my pride was getting in the way of that.
I feint to the right and bumped my shoulder into his chest. Somehow, that had been enough to catch him off guard. His leg faltered before tumbling over the edge of the roof. I let out a sigh, catching my breath before looking over the ledge.
"Fuck!" I swore when I saw no one. I looked around, but he had long since disappeared.
I quickly grabbed my case and ran my hand through my hair. What a mess...
When I returned to the hotel room, I threw my coat and case down. I needed to think this through and finish what I started. I also needed to figure out who that guy really was. Having someone hunt me down was the last thing I wanted. All the extra hassle...
"Stop staring at me," I grumbled, rubbing my tired eyes.
He stopped polishing his Silverballers. "What happened?"
I didn't want to tell him. It was so embarrassing. I knew that if he was in my place, he would've easily closed the contract. I huffed and shook the thought away. There was no real way for me to support that thought without them actually going against each other. I did well considering what happened. I was also being a very poor loser.
"It's nothing," I ended up telling him. I really didn't want him to know that it had failed.
He said nothing to pursue the topic and I was grateful for that.
As he went back to polishing his guns, I stood up. "I'll be in the bathroom. Don't bother me." I planned to be there for a long time. The bruises I had racked up from the fight were painful and it took everything I had to walk naturally out of the room, hoping that it was enough to avoid his sharp eyes.
I took off my clothes, slowly uncovering the blemishes scattered throughout my body. It was going to take days to heal.
When the bath was drawn, I slid in, sighing contently when the hot water slowly relaxed each muscle. The water was absolutely heavenly to calm my nerves, as well. Since leaving the Syndicate, I had a line of successful solo contracts that had boost up my confidence. Unfortunately, this one quickly brought it crumbling down. There was no way I was going to let him get away.
He was going to die.
After the water had long gone cold, I towelled off and went straight to bed. I was in no mood for anything else because I knew that if I opened my mouth, I was just going to end up screaming profanities.
Tucked beneath the heavy covers, I was feeling better. Tonight, I was going to regroup and use it to clear my mind. Tomorrow, I was going to have to hunt him down.
The phone on the bedside table vibrated. That was unusual. The Agent was the only one who ever contacted me. He was also the only person who knew my number after I changed my phone. If he gave it to Diana, Santoro was going to find himself a companion in his grave.
"You failed me," was all it read.
I left out a growl of frustration and tossed it back on the table. That was not good. I didn't know who was on the other side. Anonymity was crucial in my line of work. I had made sure everything was encrypted. Every line was secured, so how did this person get my number?
This was getting messier than I anticipated and I contemplated telling the Agent. He had the right to know if they were going to find me here. I couldn't let my pride get in the way of what was important.
I rolled around for a few more minutes before throwing the cover off me. My bare feet shuffled through the plush carpet. What was I going to tell him?
When I flung open the door, all thoughts flew away. He was standing in front of me as if he had read my mind. I wouldn't have been surprised if that was exactly the case. Instead of yelling at him like I wanted to do for surprising me like this, I stepped aside for him to walk in.
"Listen… I haven't exactly been honest with you." I waited for him to interject, but he remained silent and that made me feel even worse. "Tonight hadn't gone as planned. I waited out there in the cold for hours and wasn't even able to catch a glimpse of him." I sighed. "Well… I did end up seeing him, but he took me by surprise."
Not once did his expression change. It was unnerving how calm he was.
"Seeing nor fighting him were the worst of it…" I went over to my phone and tossed it to him.
He gracefully caught the device, looking at the simple message that had shaken the last of my nerves. Nothing passed through his face, but I was ready to throw something at it. "Say something, Agent!"
"It's 47."
I took in a deep breath, kept the sound from bursting out of me, but not from my hand grabbing the clock and finally hurling it at him. As expected, he barely moved to dodge the flying object. "Is that really all you have to say?"
He set the phone gently on the bed. "It is late. Get some rest. We'll be moving, tomorrow."
"How can I rest at a time like this?" I hissed. "At any second, we can have bullets raining down on us and all you want me to do is rest?"
His eyes shifted downward and I followed his sight to where my fingers were tapping incessantly on the table. I quickly stopped. "Look… Can you just tell me what you're thinking, right now? I need something more than just my own thoughts in my head."
Despite nearly begging him to ease my frantic mind, he did nothing and I finally gave up. What did it matter? "Never mind. Just leave. I'm going to sleep. Good night." I turned off the lights and when I tossed the cover over myself, I felt him get off and the sound of the door closing behind him.
What did I even think was going to happen - that he was going to just have all the answers and hold me, while assuring that everything was going to be alright? To be honest, that wasn't even what I wanted. If he had done that, I was sure I was going to pack my bags and leave.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps walking towards me. My heart rate shot up. Did they send someone for me already? How long had they been there? I reached my hand beneath the pillow and felt the old steel almost pulse with the beat of my heart.
I kept my eyes closed until I realised the person had gone to the other side of the bed. Not liking the fact that my back was completely vulnerable, I immediately turned around, pointing my fun at the trespasser. Cold blue eyes stared unwaveringly back at me and I let out a sigh of relief. My gun hand fell heavily back on the mattress. "I thought you left."
"It's safer to stay together," he replied, taking off his suit and draping it on the chair. I couldn't see his guns, but I knew they were somewhere on him. Instead of staying there like I thought he would, he slipped into bed. He didn't rest his head on the pillow. He sat there with his back against the wall and his eyes closed. One hand was on the cover, the other was beneath where I assumed he had the Silverballer.
I turned my back towards him. I hated how knowing he was in the same room made me feel safer, especially with the warmth of his body heating up beneath the covers.
