Red Reaper - Soldiers of Fortune [book one]

Chapter TWENTY TWO

Konstantin Ivanov

During the height of The Black Swan pas de deux, I excuse myself from Lucky's company, leaving her enthralled by the performance and slipping unseen out into the staircase.. Climbing up to the fire exit that leads out onto the theatre roof, I use a switchblade to cut the wire of the door alarm before I push my way out into the brisk night air..

Moving quickly I pull a pair of black leather gloves from my pocket and fit them carefully on each hand, before I begin to unpack the concealed rifle I had placed behind an AC vent two days ago.. From the case I draw components and a small bottle of lighter fluid, then I prepare the weapon and fix the imported silencing nozzle to the tip of the barrel..

Setting up on the ledge that runs alongside the eastern facing wall I kneel down and peer through the scope to the view of the strip of restaurants below..

Sure enough, there paces the man called 'Wren Andrews'.. The pervert who dared to place his unwelcomed hands upon my Solnyshko..

This is not a crime that can go unpunished.. And I am not a forgiving man..

Wren taps at his phone screen and glances around, no doubt growing angry with his 'date' for her absence.. I pull out my burner phone and open the app with which I had catfished him into believing he had found a hot fuck for the night.. There on my screen I see he has sent several messages to the blue eyed, blonde beauty, 'Kimmy', with whom he believed he was meeting uptown tonight..

Kimmy, of course does not exist, though from her picture she is the kind of woman that an arrogant asshole like Andrews would love to believe is just dying to suck his dick..

Blyat mudak!

He had not made this task difficult..

I would pity his stupidity if he weren't such a disgusting excuse of a man..

Touching girls while they work, intimidating them with his cock.. Wanking to the thought of taking them against their will..

Nyet..

I have known this kind of man all my life, from monsters like Oska to savages like Nika.. Wren is the same breed of subhuman predator and I will rest easy in the knowledge that he deserves what I will give him..

Lucky will be safe when he is gone..

I tap out a quick message on 'Kimmy's' behalf, apologising for being late and explaining that she is 'lost'..

Seconds later the phone buzzes in my hand with his reply.. 'Where are you beautiful?'

My thumbs skip across the keys to name the adjacent street and immediately Wren Andrews begins walking west towards the alleyway that is a shortcut between the two blocks..

My phone buzzes again with his hasty reply.. 'Stay there. I'll come find you.'

I tap out two more letters and hit send.. 'OK'..

Setting down the cell phone on the ledge beside the rifle, I take hold of the stock and position myself to wait.. Slowing my breath to a calm circular state before reaching an almost non-existent halt.. Watching through the crosshairs I don't blink as he turns the corner and enters the alleyway..

As he moves out of view from the quiet street and into position, my shoulders relax at the bottom of an exhale and my finger draws tight against the trigger..

-BANG-

The muzzle swallows the brunt of the discharge decibels and the recoil of the stock jerks sharply through my shoulder..

Easy target.. Nobody even noticed the eradication of the rodent and I doubt anybody will miss him now that he is gone.. It will be at least a few hours until he is found where he lays by the restaurant dumpsters..

Still, I keep my eye on the mark a minute longer to ensure he doesn't move again..

Of course he doesn't, the high calibre round through the back of his skull has stopped him forever..

Rising to my feet I take the precaution to clean up.. I drop the cell on the ground and crush it beneath the heel of my shoe before I tip the steel weapons case onto its side and drop the broken phone into the bottom..

Next, I disassemble the components of the Chinese manufactured ghost gun, breaking down the untraceable parts made of ceramics and plastic before I drop them onto the case along with the cell.. Then I take the lighter fluid and cover the contents of the case entirely, tossing the empty bottle in with the broken down weapon before I reach into my jacket pocket to produce a book of matches..

Striking one of the sticks I let it fall from my fingers to burn away all trace of the murder weapon, erasing all evidence of my kill..

I leave the burning case behind and make my way back inside, peeling off my gloves and stuffing them into my jacket pocket to descend the staircase and slip back into the loge with a glance at my watch..

Five minutes, that's all it had taken to extinguish his meaningless life.. Just enough time to piss and wash my hands..

Not a suspicious amount at all..

She will never know..

Lucky glances across at me as I sit back down beside her, the sweetest and most mystified smile of joy alight on her beautiful face when she sees that I have returned..

"Are you okay, Big Bear?" She leans closer so that I catch the aroma of her fragrant floral perfume as she whispers in my ear..

"Ya nikogda ne byl luchshe, lyubImaya moya.." I nod, plucking a ripe cherry from the icy bowl between us and tossing it into my mouth with a convincing grin.. "Never better, My Sweetheart.."