Page 110 of Rules

The office was quiet, just the way I liked it. Mouse and Keyboard had left hours ago to go have a girls night with my mom. Last I heard it involved movies, facials and loads of food. I'm contemplating sleeping in my office. Ferris was still here, in his office gathering intel for a bounty hunter friend of ours on some state level bail jumper in Reno. And I was enjoying the rare silence. Tobias and Ruth's wedding had been a welcome break from the constant chase, but it was a new week and we needed to be back at it. Michael was still out there, and every day he remained free was another day he could rebuild his operation. Another day he could and would hurt someone. Another day I was reminded that one of my bounties was free. One of my bounties escaped custody. I wasn't going to let that happen again. Even though it wasn't my fault Michael got away, it still bothered me. Ate away at my mental record.

My mentor used to tell me he didn't think the job was done until the bonded one was in front of a judge or dead. Then he would put that particular bond out of his head. I guess I adopted his philosophy. Because damn if it doesn't piss me off that Michael's out in the free world. Next time I'll make sure he doesn't escape.

I poured myself two fingers of bourbon and settled into my chair. The clock on the wall showed nearly midnight. Time to call it a day. That's when my secure line rang. Few people had this number. Even fewer would call it at this hour.

I pressed the button to accept the call. "Summers."

"Are you Wallace Summers, a bounty hunter for the US Government who goes by the name, Law?" The male voice that was electronically altered, asked.

I straightened in my chair. "Who's calling?"

"We represent a group who finds themselves in need of your services." A different voice, also disguised, but distinct from the first.

"And what services are those?" I kept my tone neutral, professional.

"Finding people."

I'd heard this routine before. Usually from desperate family members or corporate headhunters trying to track down someone who didn't want to be found. "I have a job, thank you."

"Yes, we know. You're searching for the Emperor, so are we."

My blood ran cold. Only a handful of people knew that Michael called himself Emperor Maikeru in certain circles. Even fewer knew I was hunting him specifically. I grabbed my other phone and sent a quick text to Mouse and Keyboard.

Quick - track the call on my secure phone!

"Go on. I didn't catch your names."

"We didn't give them. Plain and simple Mr. Summers. We want, no we need him found, his personal server destroyed along with any paperwork that would pertain to a certain business the Emperor was running. I think you know which one I'm referring to."

Understanding dawned. These were his clients. The watchers. The buyers of pain. "I do. And by all rights you all should be locked up too."

"We're willing to pay very handsomely."

I swirled the bourbon in my glass. "The US government has issued a hefty bond for his capture."

"Yes, we know. As we understand, you can claim that bond by returning him to custody or presenting a body. Is that correct, Mr. Law?"

"Yes, that's how it reads." A cold calculation formed in my mind. These people were desperate.

"We would very much prefer the latter of those options."

I let the silence stretch, forcing them to say it outright.

"You want me to kill him?"

"Precisely."

"That's illegal. You can't hire me to kill someone."

"We're not. We're hiring you to perform your duties as stated in the bond."

I leaned back in my chair, considering. "And what makes you think I'd be interested in such an arrangement?"

"Ten million dollars." A third voice, deeper than the others. "One now, the remaining nine when the job is complete."

I whistled low. "That's a substantial offer."

"We know you don't get paid until the suspect is caught. Consider it a bonus for expediency and discretion. As we mentioned, part of the job would be ensuring all servers, files, backups, and hard copies are destroyed. That's our offer."

---