Page 37 of Javier

Not a lie.

Remember, the good ones always bite the dust way before the bad guys.

Phoenix Astor’s death had taught me that.

The tangos moved forward, advancing in a tight cluster. It was as if they could sense the predator stalking them in the thunderstorm. The early morning darkness combined with the deluge to thwart my attempts at a quick takedown. From where I stood, I didn’t have clear shots. I went around them. The fuckers separated and scattered among the trees.

I caught sight of two, advancing in different directions, but I didn’t see the third merc. I peered into the rainy shadows.Where the fuck did the third turd go?

There you are.

The leader had arrived to our camp. After shouldering my carbine, I slid out my Glock and screwed on the sound suppressor. Creeping up, I studied my next target. He crouched by the lean-to, inspecting my ruck, having already discovered my ruse. He held his gun in his hand. He was alone.

Smelling a trap, I surveyed the stormy landscape, to make sure he was truly on his own. Shame about the thermal function on my binos being out of commission. I could use it right now. The other two mercs were nowhere to be seen. Neither was the tracking device I’d spotted before. A shot of adrenaline burned through my veins. Had the other mercs gone after Missy?

No time to waste. Move, Marine.

I came at the leader from behind.

“Hello, asshole.” I pressed my handgun to the back of his head. “Turn around, slowly, if you wanna keep breathing.”

The man gave up without a fight. He simply lifted his hands in the air and straightened on his knees. I snatched the handgun from his fingers and tucked it into the back of my pants. A glance showed me he didn’t have any visible weapons on him other than the Zoaf I’d requisitioned. A quick pat down confirmed my visual. This asshole relied on his thugs to do the heavy lifting.

He was about my height, built lean and sinewy, with narrow shoulders and a long neck. The rain washed over his features and plastered his shorn, canary-yellow hair to his skull. A large cow ring pierced his septum and hung beneath his bony nose. Perhaps most striking, a host of colorful tattoos were inked upon his features.

A pair of red and yellow coral snakes appeared to slide out of his tear ducts and slithered over his lean cheeks. A duo of boa constrictors in shades of green crawled around his neck. Anotherset of diamondback rattlers coiled at the top of each of his hands. The hooded cobra rearing upon his forehead flashed its deadly fangs, but it was the poison gleaming in his small, reptilian eyes that put me on notice.

“I was hoping we could talk.” The man had the gall to smile at me, an open mouth grin that didn’t reach his eyes but showcased his canines, filed into points that mimicked fangs.

The fucker had customized his appearance to intimidate others. He was quite the character. He could cut out his tongue, pierce his dick, and attach dumbbells to his balls for all I care. He wasn’t gonna intimidate me.

“Your name,” I bit out. “I want your fucking name, right now.”

“They call me Snake,” he said in a slightly nasally voice.

I snorted. “How fucking original.”

“Were you expecting name, rank, and serial number?” He pursed his thin lips into a mocking smile. “Not in the cards, Javier Gusssssman.”

I wasn’t sure if he was fucking with me, deliberately imitating a snake’s hiss, or if his slight accent influenced his pronunciation. I gave zero fucks about any of that. What I really wanted to know was, “How the fuck do you know my name?”

“We know things.” The man lifted a sharp shoulder. “Lots of things.”

“Why are you here?” I demanded, pressing my gun to his forehead.

“You know why.” He lifted his brow, a gesture that would’ve raised his eyebrows, if he had any. “I’m here for the same reason you are. I don’t mind fair negotiations. How much?”

I frowned. “How much for what?”

He curved up his lips. “For staying out of our way so we can do the job.”

“Yeah, no.” Was this guy on drugs?

“Don’t be so quick,” he counseled smoothly. “Think about it. Your life hasn’t been easy in the last three years. Your reputation precedes you. In our line of work, one must never dismiss an opportunity for profitable employment and upward mobility.”

He knew a lot about me. Whereas I knew shit about him.

“I can assure you that you and I are not in the same line of work.” I knew what the asshole was doing, using my past against me, rubbing my nose in the shit as if I were a mongrel he could retrain for his purposes. “Murder for pay? Not my thing.”

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