Page 53 of The Reaper

Archer was an enigma, beauty within chaos. Another wave of silence passed and I feared that he’d finished spilling his truth, so I bit the bullet and asked, “What happened next?”

To my surprise, Archer continued.

“The day I was taken to the state penitentiary, the bus escorting me was ambushed by two vans blocking the road. Everything happened so fast, it’s all a blur. I just remember a huge explosion and then hanging upside down, dangling from my seat with my cuffs digging into my wrists.” Archer rubbed his thumb over a scar on his wrist before covering his eyes with his fists, his muscles flexing at the force.

“Hey, it’s okay.” I pulled his hand away from his face and forced him to look at me.

“Waking up in a bright room was the next thing I remember. My left eye was covered with gauze and I thought I’d lost it.”

“Were you in hospital?”

Archer shook his head. “I found out later it was some facility belonging to …” He paused, looking unsure. After a couple of seconds, he continued. “The Firm.”

I held my breath, hoping he would keep going. I didn’t want to say anything, fearing it would stop him from revealing more.

“That’s how I met this guy Carlos. Everyone in The Firm calls him El Jefe, because he is our leader. He was more than my leader. He was like a father.”

“What about the authorities? Are they still looking for you?”

“The Firm faked my death. They gave me a new identity. Many identities, actually.” A dry laugh escaped his lips. “John Smith, Peter Robinson, Roy Green. I can be anyone I want, as long as it isn’t the real me. They told me never to contact my grandparents because of the consequences. And I learned recently that the only consequence is death.”

“Wow.” I exhaled. “Your poor grandparents.” I had to know more about his participation with this group. “What do you do for The Firm?”

Archer cautiously appraised me but spoke anyway. “I belong to an underground society of assassins and mercenaries run by an elite group called The Firm. We are capable of wiping an entire community out in one night. We were …” He stopped talking, glancing round. He became fidgety.

“No one is here but us.” I held and squeezed his hand.

“I was told that we only kill those who commit heinous crimes. And until recently, I believed them.” Archer stared at the pond, the tall grass around it swaying with the wind.

“What changed?” I asked.

“My dad didn’t die in the war. My mom didn’t abandon me.” Archer shut his eyes, taking deep breaths. “The Firm killed my parents because they wanted out. Because this wasn’t the life they wanted for me.”

“Fuck,” I whispered in disbelief. “Your parents were assassins too?”

Another nod. “And The Firm framed me so they could groom me.”

His revelations were like tiny bombs. “Are they aware that you know?”

“Does it fucking matter?” Archer balled his fists, punching the ground. He was coiled so tightly that I feared the slightest movement could cause him to snap.

“What about this El Jefe guy? Did he have anything to do with your parents’ and friends’ deaths?”

“No,” he answered. “And that was just the beginning, Heath.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re killing innocent people. I was sent on an assignment last year. We usually don’t ask details about the targets, aside from the basics, you know, but I started to question everything after finding out shit about me and my parents.” His piercing eyes were back on me. “The target’s descriptions, the when and the where are all the details we’re given.”

“Was there something special about this hit?”

“He wasn’t like the previous targets. My instincts told me things didn’t add up. Remember that congressman from New Mexico last year? The one who had his opponent killed right before the election?”

“A little. I remember it was near my parish and all over the news. But I was dealing with some family issues at the time and don’t remember all the details.”

“Well, someone leaked emails and text messages to the press, proving the congressman was involved in his opponent’s murder, but he never went to trial—”

“Because he was found dead in his cell.” I completed his statement. “I remember that. They claimed it was suicide.” The news outlet broke the news and it gathered national attention. According to the reports, the congressman had hung himself using a bedsheet.

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