Page 16 of The Handyman

“If you were raped and it had nothing to do with Black Cat, would your mom be upset? Or would she somehow connect it to your kink, and blame you for it? What if you were murdered? Can you say in good faith that your mom wouldnotsay ‘well, she was asking for it because she likes sex a particular way’? If some random stranger beat you to within an inch of your life, would your momnottell you it’s your fault? Would she even go to the hospital?”

My mouth dried at the gravity roughening Reece’s tone, and the silence rang in my ears. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out and a disgusting taste slathered on my tongue. Reece was quiet, not even his breaths reaching through the line as I stared, unfocused, at the grout between the tiles. “No, I don’t think she would.” Which question was I answering? Slowly lowering my phone, I gasped a shuddering breath as the blood drained from my face.It doesn’t matter. The answer for all the questions are the same.

12

Reece

“I’m doing it right now, damnit. What got stuck up your ass today, huh?” Growling into my Bluetooth, I reached to adjust my sight. “I don’t snipe every day, you know. This is complicated shit.”

Vanessa sighed sharply in my ear. “You knew this was a snipe job, Reece— don’t complain. If you didn’treallywant me to call you when I got news about your girlfriend, why’d you demand it?”

I tensed, pausing with my finger on the trigger to blink hard. My target was coming out of this fucking hotel any second and I grunted before fixing my gaze through the scope.

When the request stated ‘long-distance’, I didn’t think it meant over 500 yards. Vanessa breathing down my fucking neck didn’t help at all, either. “Call me back in a minute or two.” Reaching to end the call, I inhaled deeply and focused with as much brain capacity as I could manage. I couldn’t let Riley get between me and my target. This was a huge job with a huge paycheck, and I knew I was a little underqualified. “Shit.”

The rich kid, barely 18, that’d killed several strippers, got drunk and beat up a few homeless people, and had Daddy Dearest pay his bail, so he could flee to Mexico…I hated kids like this. Inhaling deeply through my nose, I watched the side door of the courthouse through slits. Once this dick got into the car waiting for him, it’d be over. There wouldn’t be another chance.

I was just glad the kid was a legal adult, or I wouldn’t have taken this job even if it was the day before his birthday.Eh, maybe not. He’s got a history. That’s why Daddy wants him gone.

How fucked up. Honestly, it was a great reversal metaphor somehow. Riley and my conversation about her mom still rang in my ears, and here I was— about to shoot someone’s son dead at his own father’s request. Why? Because Daddy failed as a parent.

Through the scope, down the long barrel of my rifle, I watched the metal side door swing open. All thought drained from my head as I hooked my finger around the trigger but didn’t touch it. This kid wasangry, red, heaving and throwing his arms around. He wore sagging jeans and a Tapp-Out shirt two sizes too large, and a fucking bejeweled hat.

Inhaling in preparation when he paused to scream at who I assumed was his attorney, I pursed my lips and touched the trigger. Thebangthat rumbled from the suppressor was lost under all the noise floating up from the city, and it didn’t die before the kid dropped.

Dead.

I hadn’t shot him in the head but judging by the amount of blood gushing from his neck, I was sure I’d hit one, if not both, arteries. The panic was too far away, but I took my eye off the scope to exhale slowly.

Just in that moment, my Bluetooth rang and I reached to tap it before pulling my rifle off the edge of the building. “So, what did Jerry find?” I sat back on my ass to start taking apart my rifle. “Did the request come up anywhere else, or did we get a reply?”

Vanessa hummed softly as the line rustled loudly. “We got a reply. I replied back that you’d take the job and am waiting on a response. You know how this goes, Reece. Unless they’re familiar with this, it takes a long time. The fee’s pretty low, too. I mean, I certainly wouldn’t kill someone forjustten-thousand dollars. If this is that Brandon guy that beat up your girlfriend, why don’t you just find him yourself?”

Vanessa’s was a valid question, but my concern wasn’t that Brandon would escape me.

No, it was that Riley would somehow be implemented if I did kill him, and then realizeIwas the one who did it. Stepping from beating him up to deliberately searching him out to put a bullet in his brain—who in their right mind was cool with that?

“Riley was attacked two weeks ago. If Brandon turns up dead now, they’ll think it was her. I do have experience with this shit, Vanessa.” Flipping the sniper case closed, I locked the locks and stood up to stretch my arms over my head with a groan. “Frankly, all evidence points to Brandon, but I’ve wondered if he has the balls to do anything more than bitch about it. From what Riley said, he would hold a grudge, but he wouldn’t act on it unless he was in a fit of rage or something, and she was right there in front of him.”

“I looked into him like you asked. You want the details now, or…?”

I left the roof of the abandoned building with quick steps, but I wasn’t in a rush. What was the point? If the cops did eventually come here, they wouldn’t find anything. There were no cameras for two blocks, and my equipment would be removed within the next half hour.Man, it really pays to have an assistant.

“No. Just email them to me. Since we’re on the subject of Riley, do you have anything open in marketing?”

Vanessa spoke up instantly, “Uh— no, but I have plenty of ammunition to fire someone to make room for her if she needs a job.”

I nodded to myself; she’d been raped and had a huge soft spot for other women that’d been through such terrible experiences. Rumor had it that Vanessa also tortured Carlyle’s wife’s rapist to death before being transferred to New York City. I couldn’t imagine that scene, but I sure as shit believed it.

“I’ll get on that, then,” she said.

“Thanks. Let me know if any more information comes up.” I ended the call then ducked out onto the sidewalk to take off my gloves. Glancing around, relief slumped my shoulders when I saw a few homeless people hanging around a burning, metal drum.

Reaching into my pockets, I fished for some money on my way over. Winter was rough for these people and often times, it was just damn bad luck for a good many of them. “How are you guys doin’?” There was a time when I was homeless right after moving here. I was a kid, didn’t know anyone— was relying on the kindness of the scumbag that hired me to run packages for him. I always had a sofa to sleep on but having nothing but the clothes on my back, hit somewhere special.

Wary eyes glanced over me as I tossed my gloves and burner phone into the fire, then handed one a $50 bill with an encouraging nod. There was an unspoken rule, doing this, that if anyone came snooping, to keep their mouths shut.

Weathered, dreary faces didn’t shift at all as the three of them each took a bill one by one.