Page 9 of The Silencer

I walk aimlessly through the neighborhood, my mind racing.This isn't right.He doesn't deserve a trial, doesn't deserve the chance to weasel his way out of this.He should be rotting in the ground, not sitting in a cell.

Before I know it, I find myself outside Jer's place.I hesitate for a moment, then knock.Jer answers, takes one look at my face, and ushers me inside.

"You've heard, then," he says, not really a question.

I nod, clenching my fists."It's not right, Jer.He should pay for what he's done.Really pay."

Jer studies me for a long moment."And what, exactly, did you have in mind, lad?"

I meet his gaze, my voice steady."I want to finish what I started.I want to kill him."

Jer sighs, running a hand through his hair."Emmanuel, I understand how you're feeling.But this...this is different.He's in custody now.Going after him would be suicide."

"I don't care," I spit out."He deserves to die for what he's done.”

Jer nods.“I agree, but there’s a time and a place for it, and taking him out before that girl can get her justice isn’t the answer, son.She’s lost her entire family, son.She needs to get that justice.”

I sigh, running my hand through my hair.He’s right, but fuck, my father hurt too many people.He doesn’t deserve to be living.“So, I just leave him be?”

Jer smirks.“I never said that.The best thing about having connections, Emmanuel, is that I have many friends in many different places, including in the majority of prisons in Ireland.Your father is going to be in for a world of hurt while he’s serving time.When he’s released, you’ll be able to do whatever you want to him.”

He’ll be getting a hefty sentence, but the trial will take months, if not years to finish.I clench my fists, frustration and anger still coursing through me.But Jer's words sink in, and I know he's right.As much as I want to end this now, to make my father pay immediately for what he's done, it's not the right move.

"Fine," I say through gritted teeth."But promise me, Jer.Promise me that when the time comes, when he's served his sentence and he's out...promise me I'll get my shot."

Jer looks at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable.Then he nods slowly."You have my word, Emmanuel.When the time is right, he's yours to deal with as you see fit."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding."Thank you."

"In the meantime," Jer continues, "we focus on the job at hand.Do you still want to work with The Agency?"

I nod without hesitation."More than ever."

"Good," he says, "because Cole called.He’s got your first assignment lined up.You’re flying to Berlin with me.I’ll be by your side the entire time."

As Jer briefs me on the details, I feel a shift inside me.My father may have escaped my justice for now, but this is just the beginning.I'm stepping into a new world, one where I can make a difference.One where I can ensure that monsters like my father get what's coming to them.

"I'm ready," I tell Jer when he finishes explaining the job.And I mean it.I'm ready to leave Emmanuel Dellinger behind and become whoever I need to be to do this work.

As I head home later that night, my mind is clearer than it's been in days.I have a purpose now, a path forward.And someday, when my father thinks he's safe, when he's served his time and thinks he's free...I'll be waiting.

Because some debts can only be paid in blood.

* * *

The cold Berlin air bites at my face as I lie prone on the rooftop, peering through the scope of my rifle.Three days we've been here, tracking our target.A man named Klaus Bauer—wealthy businessman on the surface, but underneath, a monster who preys on children.

"Target's approaching," Cole's voice crackles in my earpiece.He's on street level, blending in with the crowd.

"Copy that," I murmur, adjusting my aim slightly.

Through the scope, I watch as a sleek black car pulls up to the curb.A portly man in an expensive suit steps out, laughing as he talks on his phone.Klaus Bauer.The monster himself.

My finger tenses on the trigger.This is it.My first real kill.

"Steady, lad," Jer's voice comes from beside me.He's here as my spotter, but I know it's more than that.He's here to make sure I can go through with it.

I take a deep breath, remembering Cole's training.In through the nose, out through the mouth.

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