Page 88 of Nanny for the Mercenaries

Off to the side, Harrison nodded. That was his requirement. Even with those precautions, he didn’t look happy about everything.

Then we were saying our goodbyes to Kaylee. I hugged her tightly and told her I would meet her at the airport with a special surprise. Harrison picked her up and swung her around the room, her blonde braid flowing behind her while she yelped. Archer kissed her and told her to take good care of Trish.

“She’s the nanny!” Kaylee replied. “She’s supposed to take care ofme.”

“Oh, right,” Archer said, smacking his forehead. “Terribly sorry. I forget these things sometimes.”

I kissed Trish goodbye and gave her a long hug. I could hear the rattling of the dog tags just above her breasts. Archer did the same, cupping her cheek for a few tender moments before pulling away.

“You didn’t kiss Trish goodbye,” Kaylee told Harrison.

The big man scowled at all of us, then shook his head. “Enough games. It’s time to go.”

We followed him out into the hallway. “You didn’t have to be rude,” I said.

He didn’t slow down. “Fuck tact. Let’s get this job done and go home.”

We didn’t speak as we took the elevator downstairs. I knew it was pointless to argue with Harrison. If I was being completely honest, I knew we were lucky that he was agreeing to go on with the original plan at all.

As we walked through the lobby, I noticed some looks from the hotel staff. We were used to that; as three lumbering, muscular Americans, I knew we stuck out compared to the normal hotel guests. But there was one specific man, a bellhop behind the concierge desk, who stared just a little too long. When I turned to him, he immediately plastered a smile onto his face—but it disappeared as soon as he thought I wasn’t looking.

Alarm bells went off in my head.Am I being paranoid, or is there something weird with that guy?

“This is where we part ways,” Archer said to Harrison outside. “See you at the extraction point.”

He clasped our hands. “Good luck.” And then we split off in different directions.

Archer and I were silent as we drove to the helicopter tour office. Before we had arrived, it was a failing business. There were a lot of places in the world where helicopter tours were sought after, but Baku wasn’t high on the list. The Mathos Company, who we contracted through, purchased it as a shell company to funnel money through. It would be useful for this mission, the crash would happen, and then they would collect on the insurance policy. It would be a win for everyone.

As soon as we got there, I got the dirty work out of the way. I went to the industrial-sized freezer to retrieve the dead body. It was wrapped in plastic, which would melt in the crash, but I still felt sick to my stomach as I placed the body on a gurney and wheeled him out to the helicopter inside the single-aircraft garage.

“I can’t believe I did this every single day,” I muttered. “Totally pointless since we had advanced warning after all.”

“Quit complaining,” Archer said while running through his pre-flight checklist. “This is the most ideal scenario. We’re more prepared.”

“I’m not complaining. Just commenting.”

“Comment to yourself. I’m trying to concentrate.”

I returned to the office and took care of all the little things that needed to be done at a fake helicopter touring company as if it were any normal day. But it wasn’t. I couldn’t stop thinking about how today wasnothinglike a normal day.

Today, we would be killing a man.

I’d killed before. That wasn’t new. But in every situation, I was shooting at someone who was shooting back at me. It felt like a fair fight. Or at the very least, self-preservation.

But this?

“It’ll be all right,” Archer said. He must have sensed my mood.

“I know he deserves it,” I replied. “But it’s still difficult for me to wrap my head around.”

“Think of it like putting down a rabid dog,” Archer said.

I gawked at him. “Dude, that doesn’t make me feelanybetter. That makes me feel worse! Rabid dogs can’t help it!”

He sighed and put a hand on my shoulder. “It will be quick. You won’t even be there. Think of all the lives we’re saving by eliminating him. Or better yet, don’t think about it at all.”

That was impossible. As I sat behind the desk and stared at the computer calendar with the list of tours that day, all I could think about was what we were about to do.

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