GRAY. 

I know dangerous men. 

I’ve killed so many dangerous men, so many that  I can’t count how many. When I am there to take their lives, it’s already too late to do anything to stop me. If they try to fight back, it’s always futile attempts. There’s no way they would be able to win against me. I know how to fight so I always end up taking their lives anyway. Typically, with their weapon of choice, to get killed with their own weapon is the way I like it.

But you know what I can’t dodge? Live footage of me killing Lennox Cambridge. 

Law enforcement will be on me by the time I blink. My previous kills are typically smart people; these weren’t the first cameras I’ve faced. But I get rid of the evidence collected on their internal systems right after. How on Earth could I get rid of evidence that isn’t even there? I didn’t see any cameras in that room, but Lennox wasn’t bluffing. I could see myself on the live feed on his phone and so I had to give it to him. He’s a smart guy. Maybe the last of his kind. It’s too bad that he would be dead soon enough.

Entering my apartment, Holly lounges on my sofa scrolling through her phone. I know that she hears me but doesn’t acknowledge me yet. I head to the kitchen to fix myself some coffee and get out of this damn suit. It’s my signature suit. Professional and cold. I have no personal style and have no interest, so I just stick the suit. Anyway, it’s easier than having to clean my clothes every day from the blood. Holly follows to the kitchen after a moment. 

“So, how was it?” She asks me as she gives me a cup to fill up for her, “Is he as handsome as they say he is? If he was my type, I would have scooped him up.”

Handsome, he’s handsome alright.

And very naïve… I will give him credit; he does have balls.

I remember his brown eyes taking me in for the first time. I couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking when he finally saw me. I could see the fear for a few seconds, something that I am used to, but after a few seconds, it was gone. It didn’t return until I told him that there would be more to come. It seems to me like he was confused as to why anyone would want to kill him, but that makes me even more curious. I don’t know why someone would want to kill him in the first place, he’s not a dangerous person.

Or maybe because we think that, he is the most dangerous of them all.

“Did he beg?” Holly continues, a teasing look in her eyes because she likes to know what happens. Sadistic lady, “Try and fight? I wonder if he even tried to seduce you because I heard that he likes men. Did that happen?”

I just glare at her. These are not very appropriate questions. As much as I enjoy getting rid of the bad guys, I just didn’t feel like Lennox is one of them.

“You should have let me go with you.” She grumbles, pouting slightly, “I wanted to see him.”

“Why?” I ask her, confused, “That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, he’s not anything important.”

I went there to kill the man, not collect his autograph. She shrugs and takes her mug from me without so much as a thank you. I follow her into the living room, shrugging off my suit jacket before settling into the chair next to Holly. I don’t know how to explain to her everything that happened, feeling a bit constricted because I don’t know what to do. I have never failed before.

“Should I call to confirm the kill?” Holly suddenly asks, becoming more professional like that she tends to be.

I take a slow sip on my coffee. How do I tell her this? I clear my throat, “I didn’t kill him.” I admit to her, wincing at even admitting it, “Refund the payment.”

“I’m sorry, what?” She sits up, leaning closer now, probably thinking that she had heard me wrong, “What did you just say?”

“I didn’t kill the guy.” I repeat myself, avoiding her knowing gaze, “So, no confirmation. Refund the money and move on.”

“Okay, I will do that.” She assures me, frowning because she knows that something out of this world has happened, “But you must tell me. You’re not hurt, you look the same as you did before you went out.”

She scans my face, trying to read between the lines. I hate how all knowing she is, it’s like she sees right through me sometimes. I think it is precisely this that is the reason we have remained friends for so long.

“I said what happened?” She wonders, raising an eyebrow slightly, “This isn’t like you.”

“Nothing happened,” I act like I don’t have any idea what she’s talking about, “don’t worry about it.”

“Don’t act coy with me, Silas.” She now has turned into her  annoyed best friend role, which is always a bit  funny considering our sizes and skill sets, “What happened? And don’t even try to avoid me again.”

She’s one of the few people who get to call me by my actual name. If she would have been anyone else, they would have been shot where they stood. Either way, I give in and tell her everything. I know that she isn’t going to judge me the way that others would, it’s clear that nothing more would come from it. In retelling, my emotions are conflicted. I don’t know how I feel about this, especially knowing how odd this may seem to her.

“Wow,” She whispers, shocked, “he really had some balls to stick up to you, Silas, everyone knows what an asshole you can be, and you NEVER stop a kill.”

Yeah, I’m surprised, too. I have never done this before. I’ve never broken my code. I receive, and I execute. I guess Lennox will be the first and last. 

“Who ordered the hit?” I finally ask, the question having been on my mind, “Did you trace the money like I told you to? It doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

I need to know what is going on.

In our attempt to trace the text we got absolutely nothing. Only led us to a kid’s computer in Lagos, Nigeria. I know mafia men are everywhere, but they don’t go that far from home. They love the comfort America provides way too much. It seems  they have made sure to wipe their tracks in a way they would never be found. None of it makes sense.

“I got nothing.” Holly admits, looking a little frustrated because she is normally great at tracking, “The coders who can pull this type of thing off are usually freelancers. They do the job, they get paid, and then they vanish. So that’s also a dead end.”

That makes sense. Only a crazy man would want Lennox dead, and he would be an even crazier man if he thought it would be easy. Like I said, no one dared to want the pretty boy dead. He’s made sure there’s iron clad security for him and his family, but it seems all of that is about to change. I put my now cold coffee away. I don’t know why he has remained in my mind. It’s uncomfortable.

“Got it. Next job.” I murmur, wanting to get Lennox out of my mind for good, “Who is next on my list?”

Holly nods and opens her mouth to say something but thinks better of it, clamping it shut instead. She was probably going to tell me to slow down but knows that I won’t no matter what she says. Working has always gotten my mind off things that I want to forget entirely. It’s just how I work,  how I carry this sin. She places her phone in front of me, and I see a picture of an older man.

Massimo. What an odd name. He’ll be much like Fergie. I scroll down.

My assumption was correct. He could be a twin of Fergie, the only difference being that he’s unmarried. I suspect it has something to do with him not wanting to pay alimony or share half of his assets with anyone rather than being a hopeless romantic. Another cheap bastard. I wonder what I’ll do to him soon enough.

“Massimo Diaz,” Holly murmurs, going through all the details now, “he is currently in Abu Dhabi for vacation. He just made a huge win, which is why his competitor put a hit on him. I sense that he has had enough of the competition and wants Massimo out of the picture. He’s a bad man, we will save a lot of women by getting rid of him.”

I know that. 

I know every one of them. I know the lengths that they would go to win.  I’m making them all kill each other like I knew they would, and they are none the wiser. If the police do not catch on, I won’t stop until each and every one of them are dead. I bet they roll in their graves when they realise, I am the one they paid to eradicate them all.

“He will be dead soon enough.” I murmur in agreement.

“Great, I’ll book our tickets. We leave tomorrow afternoon.” She replies as she gets up and stretches, “I haven’t had a vacation in a long time. I’ll throw in my bikinis to snag some hot men; I’m desperate right now to have someone big and hulky. Don’t you think I’d look good with someone like that on my arm?”

Of course, typical Holly.

“We’re not going on vacation.” I remind her sternly, “We do the job and then we leave. Don’t forget to book the flight under the alias.”

She rolls her eyes at me before a smug grin comes across her face, “Wouldn’t you enjoy it if you could get your hands on Lennox? I know you're interested in him, it’s clear by the look on your face when I mention him.”

I just don’t give her a response, knowing that is what she wants. She has made up her mind and as usual, I’m going to let her think what she wants. Turning away from her, I go about my business, knowing that I’m going to need a shower and good nap. My body is acting so weird right now, my mind racing. Why can’t I get his brown eyes out of my mind? How he looks at me so innocently, yet with fear too. What is so special about him that makes me think this way, feel this way?

I furl my eyebrow. I don’t think I want to find out either. I know he is going to die and there’s just nothing that can be done about it. I mean of course I know that he could be protected, but he is not worth my time. Why should I drop everything to protect a man I don’t know? Closing my eyes, I let out a loud groan  because there’s nothing more to do. 

Lennox Cambridge is destined to die.

Maybe not by my hand, but his time will come. It is only a matter of when and where. He better hope that his cheerful attitude can get him out of this again. I don’t think he would be so lucky a second time.

So why are his warm brown eyes still so memorable? I don’t like it.

Just hurry up and die…