Page 53 of The Hitman's Secret Love Child

Chapter 21

Constantine

Dammit! Two hours waiting outside of the club and no Gabriel. His movements usually were like clockwork and rarely without a small entourage. The fact that many nights he had a new hot woman wasn’t lost on me. Yep, he was truly broken-hearted over losing Robyn and the child.

Change in plans. Either I could go in and take him out point-blank and hope to get out before being caught or I could try his house, which was the equivalent of a guarded fortress. Or, I could simply try another night. Nope, it wouldn’t happen another night, tonight was the night. We needed to get on with our lives.

Gathering up my rifle, disassembling it and putting it back into its case, I snapped the case closed and made my way from the rooftop of the adjacent building to my car. Popping the trunk open from my key panel, I shoved the case into the trunk and placed a smaller case on top. Inside the smaller case was a pistol with silencer and an additional clip.

Did I really need an additional clip? Was I planning on shooting my way through the crowd? Placing the pistol into the inside pocket of my jacket, I slid the extra cartridge into the other pocket. Making my way to the club, I found myself faced with another problem. The club had metal detectors and bouncers doing random searches. There was no way I was getting in the front door.

There was always the back. It would take some patience to wait for someone to come out so I could slip in, but it was the only way. Walking past the line of people waiting to get in, I rounded the corner of the building when my phone began to vibrate in my jacket pocket, signalling I had an incoming text message.

My first instinct was to ignore the text, but Robyn was home alone. Maybe she needed something? Pulling my phone from my pocket, I looked down at the screen and froze in the spot. Robyn had called three times and there was a text message. Clicking the open message button I found a short, yet frightening message, which chilled me to the bone:

SOS!!!! COME HOME! HURRY!

~*~TT~*~

Constantine

I’d never been so grateful to not come across a cop in my life as I pushed my Mercedes to the limit heading home. Traffic was horrible. Did people not have a sense of urgency? Fuck! When I finally reached my neighbourhood, I slowed the car to a creep, parking around the corner and killing the engine.

The numerous attempts I had made to contact Robyn were futile; she wasn’t answering. Anything could have happened while I was gone, from Austin falling into the pool and drowning to Gabriel and his men showing up and taking them both – or worse. How he managed to track me down was beyond me. The only person who knew where I lived was my father. My house was technically in his name. He’d have to find out who I really was and then get the information from Vince before being able to locate me.

I wouldn’t and couldn’t allow my thoughts to linger on the worst-case scenarios. But at the same time I wasn’t foolish enough not to prepare myself for any scenario going in.

Leaving the sniper rifle in the trunk, I walked the remaining distance, my pistol at the ready. The house appeared quiet as I crept in through the back. I’d seen the driveway and no cars filled it. But I wasn’t going to let myself feel secure in the fact everything appeared safe.

Keeping to the shadows, I avoided the cameras I had planted in case someone was watching from my control room in the attic of the house. The sliding doors were locked – just as I left them – unlocking them, I soundlessly slid it open big enough to fit through and closed it behind me.

As I walked deeper into the house, I began to hear the soft sounds of crying coming from the living room, just past the kitchen. The crying was soft, either from a child or woman.

Oh Jesus! Austin!

My need to find out what was going on overrode my caution and I began to run, but the sprint was short-lived as I skidded to a stop at the kitchen. My mouth fell open as I stared at the body lying in the middle of the kitchen floor, in a pool of blood.

“Robyn!” I called out, running past the kitchen and to the living room.

“In here.”

I released a sigh of relief; she was okay. As I entered the living room, I found her cradling Austin in her arms, her face streaked in tears and Austin sobbing uncontrollably. They were both fine. I silently thanked a deity that I didn’t even believe in that they were safe.

“What happened? How did Gabriel…?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“Mommy killed him. Mommy killed Daddy!” Austin wailed, attempting to free himself from his mother’s arms.

Oh fuck. I groaned inwardly, switching the safety on the gun and shoving it back into its holster. This wasn’t the worst-case scenario, but it was certainly a shit show. I’d be lucky if the kid didn’t need a lifetime of therapy after this.

I wanted to ask a million questions, but couldn’t, not in front of Austin.

“I want to see Daddy!” the boy cried out again, once more attempting to escape Robyn’s grip.

“You can’t honey. Daddy’s gone.” She looked up at me with anguish in her expression.

I nodded. I knew what I had to do. The story of how this all came about would have to wait – I had a body to dispose of. Heading down to the basement, I grabbed a blue plastic tarp and duct tape then retreated upstairs and to the kitchen. I’d have to stage a crime scene. It would have to look like some rival drug dealer took him out. Robyn needed her nightmare to be over with and it certainly wouldn’t hurt to make sure she was free and clear of all suspicion.

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