Page 27 of The Cleaner

I ignore the barrage of images that hit me of the last time I had rope in my hand. I won’t ever go back to that time in my life. I won’t ever allow anyone to make me feel as lonely and useless as Tanya did. Right now, I’m in control. I’m doing this to save a boy who’s been through enough. I’m doing this to ensure that his future is bright and filled with happiness.

I wrap the rope around his neck, making sure it’s tied tightly. I need to ensure that it’s done correctly. The noose I’ve created is strong and fits perfectly around his neck. I tie the other end around the iron of the bridge. I pull it taut, making sure there’s no way it’ll come undone.

As I step back, taking a moment to catch my breath, I can't help but think about what this means. I’ll be a killer. There’s no two ways about it. I’ll be a murderer.

I take another breath, try to calm my racing heart, and remind myself of the reason I'm doing this. For Devin. For his happiness and safety.

With that thought in mind, I step forward, and with my entire weight behind me, I push the man off the edge of the bridge. He falls fast, and I know the instant he wakes up. I hear the muffled scream just as he comes to a stop, the noose tightening around his neck. I watch in horror as his body twists and turns, fighting for his life.

I close my eyes, unable to watch any longer. My heart feels heavy, but I don’t feel remorse. I know that what I’ve done isn’tright, but what that monster did to Devin wasn’t right either. He would have continued to come for him. He wouldn’t have stopped until he got him back, and that’s not something I could live with.

Glancing down, I see that he’s stopped fighting. His body is swinging in the wind, and there’s no fight left in him. He’s dead.

I’m a murderer. I thought I’d feel something. Instead, I feel relief. Justified and glad.

Suddenly, I hear a rustling in the bushes behind me. My heart jumps into my throat as I spin on my heel and see a man walking from the bushes.

Crap. Fuck. What have I done?

“I’m not here to cause trouble,” the man tells me, and I frown at hearing the English accent. From what I can tell, he’s from London.

“You know?” I ask, unable to keep the fear from my voice.

He nods. “I do. You did a good job. I watched, ready to step in if needed. You’re Lisa Turner, right?”

I step backward. What the fuck? “How do you know my name?” I ask, my body trembling.

“Shit, let me introduce myself,” he says with a warm smile. “Travis James. I’m sure you have no idea who I am and I can’t blame you. I don’t live in this country, but what I do for a living is what brought me here. You see, someone had a problem with the asshole you killed. Seems the man makes enemies wherever he goes.”

I cross my arms over my chest, wondering where he’s going with this.

“I co-own The Agency.It's a site where you can go and order hits, and you'll be told when and where so you'll know to have an alibi. It's a website for the elite. Not just anyone can stumble upon it. You have to be given a card, and that card has a code, one that's only good for you. I also take some of those jobs andkill whoever the intended target is. Today’s lucky guy was Shane Larkin.”

Oh, so that’s what his name is. I hadn’t known. This all sounds so confusing and fanatical.

“I didn’t realise things like The Agency existed in real life.”

He chuckles. “Oh, darling, there are so many things that would scare the fucking life out of people if they found out they were real.”

“So I killed him. What happens now? Am I going to get into trouble?”

Travis shakes his head and steps closer to me. “No. In fact, the opposite. No one is going to know that you were here, that you were the one to kill this fucker. Darling, I doubt anyone would think this was anything other than a suicide, especially as this asshole’s van is parked on the other side of those trees,” he says, pointing his thumb in the direction from which he just came.

I stare at him in disbelief. "You... you mean I'm safe? No one's going to come after me?"

Travis gives me a small smile. "Not if I can help it, darling. You did what you had to do, and in the end, you saved Devin, right?"

I stare at him in shock. “You know about Devin?”

He nods. “I know everything there is to know about Devin, Shane, and even you. By the way, your father is a fucking prick.”

I’m freaked out that he knows about me, but I’m not surprised. “Yeah, I learned that a while ago.”

He nods. “I bet. Fucker needs to be castrated.”

I smile at the thought. “Thank you, Travis, for this." I thought for sure I was going to have to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life, wondering, waiting for someone to uncover what I've done.

He shakes his head. “No need to thank me. I should be thanking you. I don’t need to get my hands dirty. You’ve done my job for me.”

---