Page 20 of Justified
″Please help me,” the woman begged through her tears.
″I’m not here for you,” I told her.“I’m here for him.”
″Who sent you?Was it Dadetech?I can double what they are paying you to take me out.Triple it!”Mr.Henley bargained.
″I’m listening.”
″Okay, good.Just let me get to my computer—”
″I want cash,” I said.It was untraceable.Plus, I didn’t know my joint account number with Jordan by heart.
″Fine.Cash, I can do that.How much are they paying you?”
I thought quickly about a number.“Fifty grand.”
″I’ll double that.”
″You said you’d triple it.That’s what’s going to save you tonight.”I kept my gun aimed at his head with the flashlight in the Graham technique.“I’m a merc, I go with whoever shines the prettiest coin in my direction.So make me a nice offer.”
″Deal.One hundred and fifty grand, tonight, cash.But I want something else in return,” he said.He squinted a little in the light as I kept both that and my gun aimed at him.He also made sure to keep his head partially hidden behind the woman who was now reduced to just whimpering.
I scoffed.“Your life isn’t enough?”
″I want the life of the son of a bitch who sent you to take me out.”
″That’s an extra fifty grand.”
″Done.”
″Cash first, and then I’ll leave.”
″Follow me,” he said as he dragged the woman, who had started crying and begging again, down the hall towards what looked like a room with double doors.I followed behind him closely, making sure he wasn’t going to get away.The limp I gave him was keeping him at a slow pace and that was good enough.I didn’t have super speed, but I could still move damn fast.
Eventually, we ended up in what looked like his office and he shoved the woman to the floor.She landed with a hard grunt.“Stay, bitch,” he said with a little more confidence.Like he was no longer afraid for his life.Sure, he’d lost his entire security team, unless that one guy wasn’t still knocked out.But he’d managed to wrangle a deal for himself.
″Don’t try anything,” I warned.
″I won’t, trust me.I want the head, literally, of the man who tried to kill me.You definitely have the skills to make that happen.Can you shine the light over there?”He pointed toward the wall lined with what looked like books.“Also, I’d feel a lot better about our new partnership if you’d put your gun away.”
I did what he requested, it wasn’t like I needed my gun to kill him anyway.“Better?”
Mr.Henley nodded.“Much.”He walked over to the wall, removing a book slightly, and looked to be punching in a code.I heard a lock release and I followed Mr.Henley towards his safe.He opened the door that was hidden behind a painting and started removing stacks of neatly wrapped bills.Each stack looked to be about ten grand.
″There,” he said, putting the last stack on the pile.“That’s two-hundred grand.”
I’d guessed right, each stack was ten grand based on the amount of stacks on the table.
″Excellent,” I said, then grabbed him by his throat before he could close the safe, and lifted him up with one hand.His feet were dangling and kicking as he struggled in vain in my hold.He choked and strained to breathe as my fingers tightened around his throat.His eyes bugged out as he stared at me in shock and fear.He grabbed my hand in a feeble attempt to break my grip, but I had his ass right where I wanted him.“I’m afraid I cannot fulfill your request, you see.The man you want killed…” I shrugged.“Is me.I wanted you dead and came here all on my own to make sure you didn’t see another sunrise.”
″We…had…a…de…eal,” he sputtered.
″So?”I said, then snapped his neck with a simple twist of my wrist.
His limbs went limp at his sides and he ceased his kicking and struggling.I let go and his corpse fell to the ground in a heap like a broken manikin.I snorted, because I had no intentions of honoring that deal.He was a piece of shit and the world was better off without him in it.I returned my attention back to more significant matters.With the safe open, I removed the rest of the money I saw… only the money.I looked around the room for something to carry it in.Then I looked at the woman cowering in the corner.I shined the light on her and she looked like a complete mess.She was bleeding from her nose and lip.Her mascara was running and one of her bra straps was torn.She was only wearing her underwear and her legs were covered with Mr.Henley’s blood… I was guessing.I knew I hadn’t shot her.
″Pl—please don’t kill me,” she begged.“I’ll do whatever you want.”
″Did you bring a purse with you?”I asked.
