An Eye For An Eye (The Club)

“So fucking what? She asked for it coming with my stupid little twat.” He spits in my direction and I decide death might be too good a punishment for him.

Pissed I grabbed his face with my gloved hand taking him off guard as I picked him up bodily and slammed him into the building.

“You don’t get to speak about her. You will never touch her, utter a word to her, or look at her again. This is about what your father did years ago at the Karim Academy.” His eyes lit up like wildfire and recognition bloomed.

“I don’t–”

“Yeah, don’t. We both know you knew what he was doing, the sex trafficking, telling lies that those poor girls dropped out to take nanny jobs or transferred to another school. All of it lies.”

“I had nothing to do with that.”

“But you’re tainted just the same with his sick DNA and preying on young women vulnerable to get your rocks off.”

“Like you don’t?”

“Any woman I take to my bed consents, not like I need to explain the difference to shit like you.”

“Who sent you? Someone who knows all about my father surely knows he wasn’t alone.”

“Funny, that’s how I was directed to find you and lucky you, you gave me even more reason to take this job and destroy you piece by piece. You’re the third and final piece of this puzzle. I’m gonna take an extended vacation after this. ”

“Three? You really think it’s just three?” He laughs choking on some joke I don’t seem to be aware of hearing. “There were more than three including my father involved.”

I shook him until I felt he was rattled enough. “What did you say to me?” I held him squirming against the bricks, dust shifting and he clawing at my arm to let go. I could snuff the life out of him this way squeezing until he stopped moving, but I needed names. Four? Five? How many were responsible? Sorenson gave me three names. Three men investigated and found guilty by our sources. We didn’t do messy, we cleaned up loose ends. Who else was on the list of suspects beside this man’s father and two others?

My burner phone rang a generic ring tone with some hip hop beat that’s not really my speed. I only had two numbers on this particular phone and I wondered if these things came with something besides annoying bells and whistles.

“Fuck.” I let Ken go pissed because I needed to do more reconnaissance before I finished him. “Hello?” I answered the phone and Ken falls to the ground crouched over and backing away slowly. I kicked my foot out at him hitting his leg to remind him I’m not finished with him and the bastard cowered.

“Hi.” That shy sexy voice filtered through the alley like a balm to my chapped senses.

“Jude.” I’d give anything to be with her right now instead of this shitty alley, doing shitty work I had no business doing anymore. How is it that one ill-fated accident made my world shift? She had power over me that made me vulnerable and yet a stronger man at the same time.

“Hey, I wanted to hear your voice.” My paranoid instincts were rearing their ugly heads.

“Jude, where are you?” I hoped she’d tell me the truth.

“I went to lu

nch with my uncle, he’s in the restroom. We just sat down at the Tumbleweed Café. Have you been before?” All the small talk was making my head hurt. She had no idea the danger she was in.

Fisting my hand tightly around the gun, I punch my leg as I grit out my words to her. “Are you alright?”

“Of course I am, Lorand. Are you coming back after lunch?” Jude teases me through the phone and my mission to end this shit for brains guy ceases. Her voice calms the violent torrent within me and I almost for a moment forget why I’m here between dirty buildings with my silencer about to pop the scum of the earth.

“Please, be careful.” I tell her. What more could I say?

She giggles and I want to hurry this up and rush back to her, punish her for making me worry. “I promise to not get accosted between here and the house.” She tells me and a huff escaped my chest because she doesn’t have a clue how possible that scenario is right now. I’m not exactly what you would call a by the books kind of guy.

“Cute. You’re trouble later.”

“Am, I?” Coyness doesn’t suit her and I’m mad she didn’t listen to me in the first place.

“I’m going to spank that ass for leaving the house when I get back. I told you to stay put and stay naked.”

“Seriously?” She whispered into the phone and I can hear Sorenson returning in the background asking her who she’s on the phone with.

“I gotta go.” I say more sharply than I intended.