Page 2 of Midnight Racers

I almost tripped over my feet. “Do you have any idea what the bounty was?” I asked incredulously.

“Nah, he’d pissed off someone I care about. You can collect it if you want. I took a photo as proof of death.” He shrugged. “I’m having a shitty time and this was therapy for me.”

He had a boat moored at the pier and that was pretty ballsy. The guy had pulled up, parked at the front door, and sauntered in to commit murder. He was either incredibly confident or a psychopath.

Or both.

He settled me in the seats at the back of the boat and released the knot attached to the pier. He took off slowly and began to wander around the boat, handing me a bottle of water and a sandwich from a cool box.

“I always bring a snack since you never know how long a job will take,” he said and settled himself in to navigate the boat.

“Are you going to slit my throat and throw me in the sea?” I queried in between bites of the best sandwich I had ever tasted.

“Don’t be vulgar. I never kill people who haven’t offended me.” He spun around in his seat to stare at me. “I rely on my gut instinct and it told me that you and I are going to be good friends.”

He gave me a megawatt smile that must make women flock to him.

“I don’t do friends,” I replied, taking another bite of the sandwich.

“We’ll see. I’m never wrong, and men in our line of business always need someone to watch their back.”

“I don’t see anyone with you watching your back now,” I pointed out.

He laughed, throwing his head back. “For a job like that? Zee and Ash are busy men and Anton was an easy target. The guy brings himself here to commit his crimes against humanity and plot his evil deeds. The biggest risk to my safety was that dog of his.”

I had forgotten about that dog. Who needed a pet that big? “What happened to the dog?” I queried since he had nearly bitten me on the ass, only I climbed up a bookcase.

“A perfectly good sirloin steak with a few pills in it. He’ll wake up with a headache and vague memories of partying with the female poodle from the next island.”

“How the fuck did you know about the dog?” None of the rest of us had been prepared for the beast.

A slow grin widened his lips. “I know everything, and what I don’t know isn’t worth shit. My world is filled with death and information. Both are worth a lot of money.”

Something told me this guy’s gut was right. He was weird and crazy, but he’d saved my life when he could have left me there to die. That sort of shit just didn’t happen to a guy like me. Life tended to kick me in the ass and then leave me lying there to be driven over by another problem.

“Where did you stash your stuff?” Jordan asked.

I sat and stared at him, pretending to be stupid.

“No one would walk onto that island with their passport and real phone. We can stop off on the way and grab it for you.”

He was starting to irritate me in a good way. Normally men with his accent and looks tended to be assholes. Jordan was an enigma.

“They’re in a locker at the bus station,” I finally conceded.

“Fair enough. Mine is with my jet, so only one stop required.” He pursed his lips for a moment. “No offence, but you stink. There’s a shower down below and a few spare tracksuits and trainers that we tend to use when we need to get rid of our clothes after a mission.”

My laugh was genuine. “Are you telling me to get rid of my clothes?”

He shrugged. “You were sitting in a cell filled with cockroaches. Best to burn anything in contact with them.” He shivered and grimaced at the thought of it. Yeah, countless days sitting with them walking over you tended to leave you immune.

I turned the water in the shower up so it nearly lifted a layer of skin from me, scrubbing myself until I finally felt clean. The injuries on my wrists and ankles I treated with the first aid kit hanging on the wall. The amount in it suggested they tended to need it a lot.

The horizon started to lighten in the east when I emerged back on deck again. Food and a wash had created a human being again, when I had been trying to die a few hours ago.

“I tied my clothes up in a black bag,” I said.

“My people will deal with it when we reach our destination. They’re used to catering to my needs, although I really need to put permanent people into place that I can trust.”

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