Page 22 of The Cleaner

Stephen picks up after the second ring. "You good?" he asks.

“We’ll be with you soon,” I assure him. “We’ve found the perfect target.”

“Good,” he says thickly. “Whoever it is, they’ll be regretting ever getting tangled up with Tommy.”

He has no idea just how true his words are. Paddy’s going to be in for a world of hurt. He’ll be left with scars and lifelongpain when we’re finished with him, and he’ll only have his dad to blame for his bullshit.

“See you soon,” I tell him and end the call.

We tail Paddy through the winding streets of Dublin. It’s late, almost midnight, and there’s still people milling about. Emmanuel follows at a safe distance behind. Paddy has no idea that he’s being tailed—fucking moron. He’s going to be surprised when we finally get him.

We keep tailing Paddy. It doesn’t take long for Paddy to stop along a dark street. I watch, shaking my head, as the fucker unzips his pants to take a piss.

Emmanuel cuts the engine and we sit in tense silence for a moment. I nod at Emmanuel. “Let’s get this shit done,” I tell him. The sooner we have this fucker, the sooner we get to play.

As Paddy continues to relieve himself, we cautiously exit the car, careful not to make a noise and alert him that we’re here. I quickly position myself behind Paddy while Emmanuel stays hidden nearby in the shadows, keeping an eye out for anyone else. When Paddy is done, he zips up his pants and turns to walk away—not noticing our presence. Without hesitation, I lunge at him from behind, grabbing him in a bear hug and holding him tight. Paddy struggles and tries to break free, but it's no use—he's trapped.

"What the fuck?" he yells, his voice muffled by my grip.

Emmanuel emerges from the shadows, a sinister grin on his face. “We’ve a message for Tommy and you’re going to be the one to deliver it.”

Paddy's eyes widen in terror as he realises that he’s fucked in this situation. “What do you want?” he manages to stammer, his voice shaking with fear.

I release him just enough so he can turn around and face us. “We want you to bring a message back to your old man,” I say, my voice dangerously calm. “Tell him that we’re coming for himnext, and we won’t stop until we’ve taken everything he holds dear.”

Paddy's face contorts in pain and frustration. “I don’t know anything about this! Why are you doing this?” he practically yells at me.

Emmanuel steps forward, his expression cold and merciless. “Do you really think we’re stupid enough to believe that you have no idea what criminal activities your dad’s involved in?” he asks, sneering. “You’re his son, his second in command. We know everything about you, Paddy, and we’re going to make sure that we send this message correctly.”

I rear my arm back and let fly. Paddy's head snaps back violently as my fist connects with his nose, the sound of breaking bones echoing through the night. A sickening gurgle rises from his throat as blood spills from his lips. He lurches forward, trying to steady himself.

"Alright, message received," he groans, spitting out the blood that's now coating his lips.

A chilling smile curls on my lips as I let out a low, menacing laugh. "Oh no, Paddy. We've barely scratched the surface." Paddy's eyes widen in terror as he stares at me, his body trembling with fear. I nod to Emmanuel, and he steps forward, rolling his shoulders as he does. Mimicking my actions, he delivers a swift punch to Paddy's face, sending him crashing to the ground. I chuckle when I realise it took Emmanuel one punch to knock the fucker out.

We quickly load him into the boot of the car, careful to ensure that we’re not seen. We have a forty minute drive to get to the farmhouse that Stephen owns, a place where he does the majority of his killings. When Tommy realises that we were the ones who hurt his son, he’s going to lose his mind. He’ll be beyond pissed. He came for me, but he should have knownbetter. He started this war, and I can guarantee we’ll be the ones to end it.

When we finally arrive at the farmhouse, Stephen is waiting for us, his expression focused and cold. He’s been doing this shit longer than most of us. He’s the one who helped me hone my skill. While we’ve never been as close as he and Callie are, he’s my friend, one of my closest, and I know if shit goes south, I can rely on him to help and vice versa.

“Everything’s ready,” he says. “Are you ready for this?”

My smile is wide. “I’m always ready.” I never expected to enjoy the thrill of the kill but I do. It’s a shame that we’re not killing Paddy, just maiming him today. But either way, we’ll all unleash some pent-up frustration on the fucker.

“What are we thinking?” Emmanuel asks. “Who’s going to have fun?”

I laugh as he glances between both Stephen and I. It’s a good question. Will Stephen want to use his wood chipper?

“How about we both have fun?” Stephen grins. “We’ll take the fucker’s arm and leg. It’ll show that motherfucker that we’re not to be messed with.”

“I see you have the tarp waiting for us. You’ve got a chainsaw set up too?” I note, as I look at the set up on the grass area. It’s seen a hell of a lot of deaths over the past few years. Many of which have been violent and loud.

“Two,” he replies with a grin. “I’m not letting you have all the fucking fun.”

We move to the car and we drag Paddy's unconscious body to the grass. His weight is almost unbearable, and I can't help but think that perhaps he needs to lose a few pounds. Of course, that won't be an issue once we start cutting off his limbs.

"We should probably gag him," Emmanuel suggests as we reach the grassy patch near Stephen's shed. "I don't want him screaming when he wakes up and realises what's happening."

"Good idea," I reply, nodding in agreement. "Get some tape from the shed."

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