Short stories

Price to pay

She lit a cigarette, letting the silence overwhelmed. He watched her without breaking the atmosphere that had developed between them. What could he do? To make a deal, he knew to be very patient. Since she would take time before explaining all the terms of their agreement, he could wait very well. She finally dropped her cigarette in the ashtray and looked him straight in the eyes.

“You must kill my husband,” she said, unmoved. “Simple, Mr. Crane.”

He nodded without a word. As a hitman, he knew how to adapt to all situations. It wasn’t the first time someone was using his services for this kind of thing. A bit curious, he liked to know the motivation behind this deadly act. Usually, if he were to kill someone, the reason was always the same: punishment for infidelity or money. He looked up at the woman.

“Can I know the reason for your decision?” he asked.

She took a deep breath.

“He’s been cheating on me for the past nine months,” the young woman replied.

A common and classic case. He now has to discuss about money. Of course, his services were not free. A job well done, it has to be paid! He asked how far she was willing to pay for the murder of her husband. She raised her eyebrows in surprise to get there so quickly. Finally, she told him that his price would be hers. He weakly smiled. She knows what she wants. She wants him dead, no matter the price. He admired her for it. She must have thought about it a long time, thinking about all the alternatives before arriving there. Let’s see if she’s really desperate to see him dead.

“The amount requested is forty thousand dollars payable in two payments.”

She gave a little recoil. He suppressed a smile. It was always the same: when it came time to check out, nobody wanted to pay the bill.

“Is something wrong?”

“Well… I didn’t know that the amount will be so high.”

“I can give you the number of a colleague a bit cheaper, if you prefer.”

“No! It’s not worth it… I’m only surprised, but I need your help.”

He shook his head again. She now seemed desperate to end this story. He could not blame her. She explained the situation in which she found herself. Her husband was very wealthy, but he watched very closely all their expenses. He didn’t trust people easily, being a little paranoid. Where does she want to go with that? He let her talk. She hesitated before saying:

“Well… I must say that the amount requested may be a bit difficult to…”

The assassin frowned. She gave him a shy smile without finishing her sentence. She hoped he understood the situation in which she was. She asked him a sort of credit in some way. It wasn’t his habit to give credit to his customers even before the agreement is concluded. He risked a lot in his profession. Despite the many identities he endorsed most of the time, the police were still looking for him. He didn’t like what he had heard. He licked his lips.

“So it is impossible to do business together.”

“Please… You must understand that I can’t carry around such a sum without arousing suspicion… But he still has to pay for what he did.”

“I understand, but…”

“He has a big insurance, you know. Of course, I have nothing before his death.”

“How much are we talking about?”

“I don’t know the exact amount, but if you help me, it will be much more than the money you originally requested.”