Page 29 of Justified
“Why do I have to do the shopping?”I whined.
“Because you will be available during the day and I do all of the cooking.Don’t be a bum.”
I chuckled and walked towards the table where my mask and gauntlets were.“Fair enough.All right, stay safe,” I said as I slipped on the rest of my gear and grabbed my provisions bag before climbing in behind the wheel of my car.Using the remote control, I opened the garage door and pulled out.Crystalane was a very rich suburb just outside of the city.It would take me at least an hour to get out that way.Good news was that it was now past rush hour and traffic wasn’t so terrible.
I drove out to the address Jordan gave me.It took an hour and fifteen minutes to get there.That was with me driving at least thirty miles an hour over the speed limit.I’d love to be able to fly.That was an ability I really wished I had.I parked in an alley two blocks away from the location after I drove past it.Walter’s home was awfully grand.At least two-thousand acres of land covered with trees.Of course, that was all I could see as I drove by.I was pretty sure there was a pool, tennis court, guest home, and a huge, sprawling mansion.That was typical of these types of estates.Sometimes life just wasn’t fucking fair.
I traveled back to his property on foot.From what I could tell, there wasn’t much security.I did spot some cameras, and I managed to avoid them thanks to the binoculars I carried in my utility belt, which had both infrared and night-vision capabilities.I continued to make my way through his property, passing his tennis court, private pond, and the swimming pool.The guest house was on the other side of the mansion.The closer I got to the house, the more cameras there were.
He also had a few security guards monitoring the area.So far, I’d only counted four.I was sure there were more inside monitoring the camera feeds.Another little device I had with me to avoid this mess was an EMP generator that carries enough power to knock out all things electrical within five-hundred yards.That was good enough to knock out the power in this mansion.Perhaps, I would talk to Jordan to see if it would be possible to piggyback on some asshole’s satellite so I could get some extra eyes inside these locations I was always scouting.
I found myself a comfortable spot with a good vantage point.I was going to be there for a while.I looked into my bag of provisions and pulled out a bottle of water and a stick of beef jerky.I watched the grounds for hours, memorizing the routines of the security guards.As the sun started rising, I found another hiding position, one that would give me cover during the day.Sitting there surveying the house was boring as fuck, but also something I was well trained at.
At around seven a.m., a limousine pulled up to the front and one Mr.Walter Darring walked out of the front door of his mansion with what I assumed was his assistant.He was an older gent, at least sixty years of age.Mr.Darring wore an impeccable suit of ashen gray.A businessman by day and a monster by night.I guess many of us had dual roles.He climbed in the car with two more security guards dressed in black suits.Well, now I knew how the man traveled and how many people he had under his employ for protection on the road.I needed to figure out which would be the best way to take him out.At his home or on the street?
Taking him down on the street might be too public.I wanted to do this with stealth.I decided to go home for now and come back tonight.I was going to need my tranquilizer rifle for this one.
“I have another name for you,” Jordan said when I returned.
“I need to take a shit and get a few hours of sleep.Then I want a real meal when I wake up,” I said, snatching off my mask as I made my way towards the bathroom.
“Umm, okay,” Jordan said.“Do you want to know about the new target?”
“Not right at this moment.Tell me about him when I wake up and can focus better,” I said, then closed the bathroom door.I handled my business, then washed my hands before stepping out.“You don’t want to go in there for a minute.Might want to put a biohazard sign up, just saying.”
Jordan chuckled and rolled his eyes.“Get some sleep.You’ll be busy enough later on, I’m sure.”
I nodded as I took off my jacket and shirt, revealing all of my rippling muscles Jordan was checking out.“Tonight, I will deal with Mr.Jingles, aka Walter Darring.”I took off my leather pants and climbed in under the covers naked.It didn’t take me long at all before I was fast asleep.
“Eric, it’s time to get up now,” Jordan was saying as he shook me awake.
I opened my eyes and rolled over, looking at him.“What time is it?”
“Six p.m., dinner’s ready.”
He walked away and I climbed out of the bed.I took another quick shower and got dressed.When I came out of the bedroom, Jordan was setting up the table for dinner.I took a seat in one of the chairs as he was bringing in the last bowl of food.He set it down on the table and then took his seat.
I looked at the spread of food he’d sat on the table.String beans, mashed potatoes, and meat loaf.“This looks and smells delicious.”I started piling food on my plate, I couldn’t wait to taste it.I was fucking starving.
We ate in silence for a while at first, then Jordan spoke.“Did the surveillance go well?”
I swallowed the juicy meatloaf and nodded.“He probably has less than ten guards.Once I take out the electrical devices, no one will be able to call out for help or radio for back up.I’ll try not to kill the guards, but if they leave me no choice, I will.What I want is to grab Mr.Jingles and take him someplace nice and quiet to have my way with him.”
“Where are you going to take him?”Jordan asked, scooping mashed potatoes into his mouth.
“Someplace dark and dirty, like where his victim was.Anyway, that’s what’s going to happen tonight.”
“Do you want to know about the new target?”
I nodded.“Yeah, sure.Who are they?”
“A local politician.”
I cocked an eyebrow.“Are you shitting me?Who?”
“Mayor Cecily Danvers.”
“Jesus.Are you sure about this, J?”
