Page 83 of Ace

"Have you seen him do this before?" I ask Jericho, not pulling my eyes from the two men in the other room.

"Nope," he says. "But I've been hoping to get the chance."

"I think we're ready to begin," Hemlock says, the first words he has spoken since entering the room.

Jericho rubs his hands together like a psycho. I'm all for putting a bullet in some bad guy's head, but this is something I'd never be capable of doing.

I know at this moment it's being done because we need information, but I can't help but wonder if this is something Hemlock would do just for fun. The idea of that makes my stomach turn.

I know it's not too close of a comparison, but is Hemlock any better or worse than Wren? This isn't even close to legal, and neither is how Wren obtained the information that led us here. What would their worlds look like if they weren't on our side of the law? Hell, they aren't on the right side of the law right now, and I guess since I'm just standing here watching this play out, neither am I.

But that's sort of why this organization was created in the first place. There are things that ICE or other governmental agencies can't do because of oversight, and as much as this particular situation would make most Americanssick to their stomachs, I feel like it's a necessary evil. Honestly, how many people would be upset that someone was essentially torturing a serial killer for hire? Not many I imagine if they knew the details of his crimes, but what if it turns out this old man isn't such a heinous villain? The finger-pointing should definitely point toward those who hire him, but in the end, he's the one who pulls the trigger for cash.

"Sadie Preston," Hemlock says, wiping his bloodied hands on a rag he pulls from his kit.

The old man lifts his head, his smile coated with red.

That's when I know for certain that he is exactly who Wren said he is.

"Motherfucker," I mutter.

"Yeah," Jericho agrees. "He's good."

"You want me to confess my sins?" Elliot whispers, his voice so weak the words are barely audible.

"I want to know who is responsible for the hired hit on Sadie Preston," Hemlock says, and I'm shocked at his tone.

He's calm and completely unaffected as if he hadn't spent the last half hour carving this man to pieces. It's the strangest thing to witness on both sides.

"You'll let me go if I tell you?"

Hemlock stares at the man as if he can't believe the other guy would ask such a thing, making it very clear what the answer is.

"Hmm," the old man huffs. "You could've lied to me."

"That's one thing I'll never do," Hemlock says. "You won't walk out of here tonight."

I have pulled the trigger on a lot of jobs. I have watched the light fade from dying men's eyes. I have arranged the meeting between really bad guys and their maker, but this feels like murder, and as a man who fights day and night to keep others from breaking the law, I struggle with what I'm witnessing right now, fighting against the urge to either let it happen or step in and try to prevent it.

I don't stand still out of fear, and it's as if I can feel the moment there's a shift inside of me.

Hemlock is protecting Cora. This man has to be here in Columbia for her, and letting him walk out of here isn't an option. She’d never be safe if he's allowed to live, and that's not a chance I'm willing to take with her safety, no matter the cost to my soul.

"If I'm going to die, then why should I speak?"

It's sound reasoning, honestly.

"You'll speak for Trisha."

The man narrows his eyes as Hemlock drops the bloody hand towel down to the table before picking up a long thin blade. He used it earlier to slice the webbing between the man's fingers.

"You'll speak for Laurie, Clinton, and Jack."

He's listing the names of the man's wife and kids, and before he can start listing the numerous grandkids, the man dips his head.

He's willing to die to protect his family, and there was a time when I never understood that. Well, I understood, because it's what makes people weak. Love gets you killed. It's dangerous, a weakness, but I stand a little taller knowing I'd do the same fucking thing for Cora. I'd die to protect her.

I'd like to think that Hemlock wouldn't honestly go after the man's family, but thankfully Elliot Hockley doesn't know where Hemlock's uncrossable line is.

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