Page 5 of F*ck Steal Kill

“A woman?” Max asked, spinning toward me, a goofy grin on his face. “Someone caught your eye, Grady?”

“It’s nothing.” I straightened my posture, re-crossing my arms. “We’re here on a job. Work first; that’s the motto.”

My eyes seared into each of theirs, making sure they got the memo. I wouldn’t mention it again until we found the person we’d been sent to retrieve. Max focused back on the computer, typing something before looking up.

“What did you make of the man?” he asked.

I sighed in relief that the briefing had been refocused. Tapping my fingers on my knee, I leaned back as I formulated my response.

“He fits the profile, but something's off about him. List the facts again. I’m missing… something.”

“Mid to late twenties, knowledge of the area, and has the ability to go unnoticed. More than likely, he’s strong, tall, and smart. Very smart. This person has managed to go unnoticed for at least two years, with over six kills. They’re either very patient or are only getting started.”

“Why do you think they’re tall again?” I asked, rubbing my chin as I rolled the facts over in my head. That was one piece that felt wrong.

“Based on some of the victims, our target would need strength and height to carry out their kill. It’s just not physically possible for someone short to be able to manage victim #3 or victim #5 on their own. As there’s no intel that they work with a partner, we’re looking for a man who can handle the heavy lifting independently.”

“Sound reasoning, but let’s not rule anything out until we have solid facts. Our first mark fits the profile, but didn’t make my gut tick.”

“What about the girl… did that make your dick tick?” Quentin lobbied, lifting his eyebrow in a challenge.

Rolling my eyes, I ignored him. Quentin might be one of my oldest friends, but he was still an asshole. Sometimes, I just had to ignore him and let him get his grumblings out.

“Don’t mark Keith off the list, but I want us to focus on the others until we gather more intel. Who’s our next potential lead?” I asked Max.

“David Johns. He’s the town handyman. He’s known to visit the local watering hole and the bowling alley when he’s not at home.”

Perfect.

“Quentin, stake out the bar. Max, set up surveillance for the house, and I’ll take the bowling alley. Remember, this is intel gathering only. Do not approach until we have more to go off of. Our employer wants to remain hidden as long as possible to not warn them of our arrival.”

Quentin grunted, still upset with me for ignoring him and not sharing about the woman. Max, ever the peacekeeper between us, nodded, focusing back on his computer screen. His fingers moved faster than I could keep up with. The kid was talented, and I was glad he was on our side.

“We have a few hours until we’re needed. Take a nap, shower, eat some food, whatever you need to do to prepare. We’ll touch base after.”

Rising, I didn’t wait to see if they had any questions. Our team was efficient, and we each knew our roles at this point. There was no need to waste words or time by sitting around.

The three of us worked well together, partly because we knew when to give each other space. When you spent ninety percent of your time with the same two people, you learned to appreciate the alone time when you could.

Thankfully, as the pseudo-leader, I got my own room. It helped in situations like this one when we needed to keep a low profile of our association with one another.

Closing the adjoining door, I left it unlocked but trusted they wouldn’t come through unless it was an emergency. If there was one thing we respected, it was privacy.

Removing my suit coat, I tossed it onto the dresser that was made to resemble a block of ice. Even though it wasn’t real or freezing in this room, the decor and ambiance convinced your brain it was. My body shuddered at the fake temperature change, and I reconsidered putting my coat back on.

But what I really wanted was a shower.

Stripping the rest of the way, I grabbed my shower kit and headed toward the en suite. Our last case hadn’t ended well, and we’d quickly jumped into this one. Partially because we wanted to forget our failure to subdue our last subject, allowing him to kill three more kids before he took his own life.

Despite knowing he couldn’t kill any more innocent children, it felt wrong he’d gotten off so easily by offing himself. The man deserved to be beaten and raped over and over in prison.

And the other reason we accepted this one was the same reason we accepted them all—we needed revenge.

Turning on the water, I almost twisted the knob completely off with my ire as I recalled our incompetence. We couldn’t afford to fail again. My pride wouldn’t stand for it.

The water sprayed out, heating my skin as it warmed. I dropped my shoulders and closed my eyes as the water ran over my body.

I trusted my team, but I still carried the weight of our failures on my shoulders. I never wanted them to worry about anything; they were my family, after all.