Page 94 of The Enforcer

I stood quietly for a full minute while his eyes finally registered recognition.

“Wait. You were in the wedding party. Right?” At least I heard a slight tremor of fear in his voice.

“Very good. You were the photographer hired for the event.” He wasn’t the one who usually handled taking photographs of the family celebrations. Gerald had been our photographer for years, going as far back as handling our college graduation photo sessions. I hadn’t been told a different photographer had been used. Our father had handled making the arrangements. I wondered if he knew.

“Yes. I was a last-minute replacement. It was beautiful right up until…” He scrutinized me to the point where I almost felt self-conscious. “I’m fucking sorry what happened, man. I felt lucky to get out of there alive.”

“And without a scratch too. Very lucky indeed. Your work is excellent, I might add.”

“Thank you.” He had a smile on his face as if I was truly complimenting him.

Elias placed a duffle bag on the floor near me. When Kane looked down, his concern caused sudden surge in how many times he swallowed, I chuckled in such a way most men would be frightened from the tone alone. I followed his trail to the bag. “You’re curious what’s inside? Just some tools I’ve collected over the years. They’re very helpful in extracting information.”

Kane swallowed hard again, backing away a single step. When he ran into some boxes containing cleaning supplies, even toppling a bottle of bleach, he was startled enough to yelp. He shuddered when he noticed my unrelenting and usually off-putting stare. I’d been told more than once my glare could make a man confess even when he had nothing of interest to confess to.

“And I’ll add, you really don’t want me retrieving even a single sharp instrument inside that bag.”

“What do you want from me?” he was brave enough to ask.

“A truthful answer to a simple question. Who hired you?”

He appeared completely confused. “Someone from the agency called to see if I had any extra time.”

“What about Gerald?” I asked.

“Who?”

That was the man’s first mistake. Perhaps I should say agreeing to the gig was the very first one. However, this particular trip-up would be his last. Gerald was the owner of the company. Kane would know his name at minimum.

“I’m curious, Kane. How much money were you paid to snap the photographs while informing the soldiers waiting on the beach when their attack would be most effective?”

After many years of learning the secret to when someone was lying or telling the truth, I noticed a very astute, quick flash in his eyes that would have gone unnoticed by almost everyone else.

“The typical going rate. One thousand dollars. What are you talking about? What soldiers?”

“The ones who initiated the attack, but they had help on the inside.”

“I… I don’t know what you mean.”

Of course he didn’t.

The bleach continued dripping on the floor, the original gush now turning to a trickle. However, the sound was more unnerving, the stench in the small space already overpowering.

Kane coughed, holding his arm across his mouth. That allowed me to notice his hand was shaking. Perhaps he hadn’t been told what would happen if he was caught. Did the bastard who hired him not think we’d go after the photographer?

This dumb fuck hadn’t planned the attack. That much I knew cold.

Elias took the brief opportunity by crouching down, unzipping the bag slowly. All the while, Kane was watching closely. I could tell he was doing everything he’d been trained to do not to draw attention to himself. I also gathered he was nothing more than a low-level operative. What I found more interesting than the fact he’d taken the place of the regular photographer was that he was supposedly American.

Supposedly because once again the coincidence of using someone carrying identification at all let alone from the United States was an amateur move. Or merely a plant to draw us away from the real subject. However, anyone who knew about our reputation was well aware how many decades the family business had been in operation.

Meaning we knew how to handle our enemies and could sense their moves generally before they made them. I wouldn’t say this was baffling as much as irritating as fuck.

“Yes, your payment was typical, I suppose.” Only it wasn’t even close to the figure paid to Gerald. As Elias selected a hammer, I nodded to my lieutenant. “I don’t think I need to explain the rest to a man of your obvious intelligence. Sadly, you make a fatal mistake accepting the job in the first place. I wish I could say I’ll be lenient, but that would be a lie. I vowed to stop lying.”

Kane was becoming even more nervous, already sweating like a pig.

I pulled out the weapon. “Nice piece.”

---