Page 55 of Lure

“Look,” the man said, scrambling to his feet and tripping over the debris of wood. “I can pay you…”

“We don’t want your money.” I cracked my knuckles. The man blanched so hard, I was surprised he didn’t just pass out. He did piss again.

I didn’t sigh. This wouldn’t take long and I somehow doubted I’d even have to hit him.

“What do you want? I can totally give it to you. Anything. Name it.” His babble came out on a wave of spittle as he backed all the way up against the wall.

“Roger,” I said. “I want a list of who else you sold our schedule to and whether you hired us because someone wanted to kill us or you arranged for us to take the job then sold the information to someone else.”

“That’s it?” The man stammered.

Yeah. This wasn’t going to even be that interesting. Fuck.

“That’s a start…”

“Then I can go?” He looked from me to Vienna then back again. I didn’t turn around to see their expressions, I just kept mine dead neutral. Beating this guy wouldn’t offer much in the way of satisfaction.

I also didn’t answer his question. “I’m waiting.”

“Look, Bones—you’re the one they call Bones right?” His wobbling voice seemed to find some balance. “Of course, you’re Bones. That’s who agrees or doesn’t agree to a job.”

“Still not an answer.”

The man scrubbed at his face, then seemed to swing his gaze around like some answer was going to just magically dance out of the air for him. Or maybe he thought he had backup that would save him.

“I—” He licked his lips then glanced down. Yeah, no answers down there. “I’m so dead.”

“Probably,” I said. “How you die is still up for grabs though.”

“I didn’t mean to sell you out.” He didn’t look at me. He didn’t look at any of us. “I’m a broker. I connect clients and contractors. Once I have my fee, I’m out.”

He cut a glance up. Fuck me, was hecrying?

“I was good at it. Then one day, I had a job come across that was like the exact opposite of a job I’d just contracted and so… I didn’t think about it, I just gave them the information. Made twice the fee. I told myself, one-time thing, Roger. Just one time.”

“But it wasn’t just one time…” I prompted when he fell silent.

His long, almost mournful sigh did make me want to punch him in pudgy fucking gut.

“No. There were more… It worked out, only one party ever came out the other side so no one knew.”

“I can see how that worked out for you.” I shook my head.

“It did and… you guys are good, you know. I didn’t think it would hurt you. I got paid. You got paid. The other guys? They’d be dead. So no harm?” Pathetic was written all over him.

“No, Roger,” I told him. “Not no harm.”

He deflated once again. “You were hired to take out the Rojas first. Then another client reached out because they wanted the operation and heard that their competitor had hired someone…”

Through a series of fits and starts, Roger spilled his guts. Not literally, I wasn’t going to bother getting my knife dirty for that. It was all a financial transaction for him. We’d been hired to eliminate the Rojas by one organization. Another organization wanted information to take it over themselves.

It was inelegant, stupidly basic and simple and he’d made a hefty profit over the last several years. He also put my men in danger.

That, I wouldn’t forgive.

When he was done, swearing up and down he didn’t know anything else, I broke his neck. Pathetic or not, he’d put a knife in our backs.

No way did he get to live to do it again.

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