Page 13 of Witness Protection

“Who paid you? Why are you doing this?” Vladimir had to be pushing sixty, with a heavy accent. One of Vasily’s old school goons.

Cayden ran a hand through his hair. The top was getting too long, falling in his eyes. “This isn’t twenty questions. Unless you want to join your boss in the great beyond, I suggest you get your ass up and start walking.”

He did as told, zipping up his pants and heading out of the office. Cayden came up behind him, his gun constantly trained on his head.

No more mistakes.

“What will you get out of killing me? I’m nothing to you.”

“If you shut the fuck up, maybe you’ll get out of this alive. Right now, we’re going to my car, nice and quiet like.”

They exited out the back doors and walked across the parking lot to where he’d left his car. He opened his trunk and pulled out a set of cuffs, securing Vladimir’s hands behind him. Once he had him in the passenger seat, they hit the road.

“Where are we going?” asked Vladimir.

“You know where we’re going.”

The car was eerily quiet. The glow of the streetlights flashed across the dashboard every few seconds as he drove toward the highway.

“She’s innocent.”

Cayden grit his teeth. He didn’t want to hear this now. Killing the witness was a necessity, not a pleasure, even if she was Vasily’s bitch daughter.

“You don’t have to kill her.”

“We both know how this game works. Your girl watched me pull the trigger. That has to be remedied,” said Cayden.

“You’ll never get to her. Hawk is expecting you.”

“No, he’s hoping I’ve move on, but he doesn’t know me very well. From my experience, every man is ready to give up his soul to save his own ass.”

“Not Hawk. He’ll die protecting Sophia.”

Cayden cringed. He didn’t want to hear her name or anything else about her. He liked his hits to be as impersonal as possible, and he chose to block out the details.

When they reached the city, he parked on a quiet side street near the hotel. “Now, you’re going to call Hawk and tell him you have some important information for him. Tell him you want to meet at the coffee shop right over there.”

“I won’t do it.”

Cayden twisted a silencer to the end of his handgun, taking his time as the other man watched. He pressed it to the side of Vladimir’s thigh and immediately pulled the trigger. No second chances. The man screamed and arched, his hands still locked behind his back. “You’ll bleed out, so I suggest you get to a doctor ASAP. Of course, you’re not getting out of my car until you do exactly as I told you. No games. No fucking this up. Listen, Vlad, I know where your parents live. I won’t think twice about paying them a visit. Your mother just finished crocheting your Christmas gift. Not a fan of the navy blue, personally.”

“Bastard.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that. We good to go?”

“I’ll do it,” he said.

Everyone had a weakness. He unfastened the cuffs and waited for Vladimir to make the call. When it was done, Cayden took the man’s phone and smashed it on the dashboard. “I’m dropping you off at the clinic on the corner. Best of luck, old man.”

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