Page 26 of Wraith

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Again!”We all stand back into strike position, ready to take down our sparring partner. “Go!” My foot steps forward as does my opponent’s. Then my fist collides with his face. No contest, just as before. Only this time, I don’t stop when the instructor calls out for me to halt. My opponent’s face grows wet under my fist as my knuckles turn bright red with his blood. “Esteban!” My name breaks through all thoughts of killing the boy under my fist. Immediately, I jump to my feet hands behind my back atattention.

“How many is that?” Roman asks referring to the bloodied body on theground.

“Six. The boy is out of control,” the instructorspits.

“Out of control? He seemed to stop when I told him as much. Maybe I need to find a better teacher,” Roman threatens on a growl, making the instructor cower and plead for his understanding but Roman doesn’t give it to him, he only walks away stopping mid stride to call me along to follow. Which I dutifully do, falling into step with hisstride.

“I think you are ready, boy,” he tells me on the walk toward his office, or that is at least where I think we are going. I’m proven wrong as we bypass the building where his office is located and continue on toward the barracks where his men live. “I have a job for you. You pull it off, and I’ll see to it you get this,” he stops at a door on the outside upper deck of the two-story building and opens it up, “and so much more,” he tells me offering his hand for me to go inside. Its more than what I call my room now. It actually has a room inside theroom.

“What is the job, sir? I won’t fail,” I declare causing a chuckle to bubble up from histhroat.

“So eager, I like it.” The smile grows on his face as he relays the details. “Someone who tried to steal from me. Thought he got away with it, too. I found the fucker though.” He reaches into his pressed pinstripe suit coat and pulls out an envelope. “All the information you need is in here.” He turns to leave but stops last second. “And, Esteban, if for any reason you decide not to come back, your little pet in the basement will becomemylittle pet.” His words, meant to bring me to heel, roll throughme.

“Understood, sir. It will get done.” He nods and walks from the apartment, leaving me alone to look around the room, but I can’t bring myself to see it. His words echo in my head.Your little pet will become my littlepet.

Weeks passed before I decided I couldn’t just forget about her. She was sitting down there in the basement alone, so I had her moved. Let her take a much-needed bath and gave her some clothes. When I saw Trenton dragging her by her hair to her new room, I decided right then and there I would shave her head so he could never handle her in such a way again. I made myself known after that. Going into her room just to sit with her. I didn’t say anything though. I didn’t know what to say to her. She wouldn’t talk either, just seemed content on having me around as I was her. Time passed like this. I would go through my day of training and taking care of Roman’s dirty books. Then when the day was done I would bring her food and wait until she was done eating before going back to myroom.

Now the reason he gave her to me suddenly becomes clear. Leverage. He knew if I got attached I wouldn’t stray from my tasks. Now he is able to test me, see how big of task he can giveme.

Opening the envelope, I pull out a plane ticket, passport, and a picture. A middle-aged man stares back at me, pudgy in the face with dark beady eyes. Flipping it over, I find his name and location scrawled on the back in someone, other than Roman’s, handwriting. Likely the person who tracked this stupid son of a bitch down. The ticket informs me the plane takes off in five hours and I have no clue where to go to get to said plane. I have been out of the walls of this compound but not to an airport and certainly not to— “Belize? Where the fuck isthat?”

“Esteban. Boss said you are doing a job.” Trenton’s voice comes booming into the apartment. “Get your ass dressed, we leave in an hour.” He barks out his order and stomps from the room.Anhour.

* * *

The plane ride is uneventful.A new experience for sure. As was the woman that checked over the passport that claimed my name was Frank Grant. “You can’t trust a man with two first names,” she told me with a bright smile. Maybe if the situation was different I might have found her attractive, only when she smiled I found myself wondering what the girl in the basement would look like with a smile. That made me start to wonder what her name may me. Who she was before Roman had taken her. Why he had takenher.

“Landing, boy.” Trenton breaks into the thoughts I shouldn’t be having. The rough hit of the tires meeting the tarmac jolt me to the side and I grip hold of the arms rests as if they will help me. “Better not shit your pants over a landing. You got bigger things than a little plane landing coming at you tonight.” A voice starts talking overhead but I don’t hear through the pounding in my ears. This will be the first person that I’m supposed to, how was I supposed to kill him? I hadn’t even asked, and I doubt that while we are exiting the plane is the right time toask.

It takes us nearly an hour of driving to reach our destination. I don’t see much due to the dark but when we reach the resort the target is in, the lights throughout the place illuminate the landscape. Making what will happen tonight very real. “You will get this one shot boy, don’t fuck it up. Boss is counting on you. If I have to step in, it won’t look good for your little pet in the basement.” The words nearly make me flinch but I hold itback.

“Got it,” I gritout.

“We’ll see,” he says before dropping me at the lobby and driving away, telling me he is giving me exactly thirtyminutes.

The moonlight shines in from the sliding doors as I let myself in through. The sounds of grunting and slapping flesh assault my ears as I step further inside. Movement catches my eye on the bed and I find a woman bouncing up and down while she rides my mark’s cock like a pogo stick. Its turning out to be her unlucky night as well as his. Quick with my movements I pull my blade from its sheeth in my belt and waste no time. The blade slides through the side of her neck like butter, the sudden spray of blood stunning the fat man beneath her enough for me to toss her body away and bring the tip of the same blade to his throat. “Roman sends his regards,” I hiss through my teeth and plunge the knife upward, causing him to choke on his own blood when I pull it back. His hands fly to the hole in his neck, trying to keep the blood inside but it will never stopflowing.

Kennedy Fitzgerald. The name will always be something I remember. My first target. The second I will never forget is Yolanda Adams. The woman he was fucking when I found my way into the honeymoonsuite.

Thirty fucking minutes. That is how fast I went from being just some accountant grunt to being the most sought-after killer under Roman’semploy.

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