The Hit

Chapter Six

 I thought about following them but thought better of it. Not only would it have been extremely suspicious, it likely would have been useless. Even if the elevator did have a floor indicator, by the time I got to the correct floor I wouldn't have any idea which room they were in. Even if I were to figure that out what would I do then? I couldn't kill a presidential candidate. Instead I stayed at the bar and ordered another beer. It was possible an opportunity would still present itself.

 I began to ponder what I had just witnessed. I had little doubt the reason Alissa had ended up in a file was because of her affair with Thomas Cassil. It could be she is blackmailing him. That didn't make sense though, he had reached out to her. It seems more likely she would just collect her payoff. Going to a room with him for what was surely sex wouldn't be necessary. More than likely the organizations client was his campaign manager or someone else on his staff who knew about the affair. It's possible his wife had found out and wanted her dead. Hell it could be him.

 The more I thought about it the more my stomach turned. I had probably killed an innocent man just a week before. This felt much the same. I was beginning to feel worse about Alissa before I had completed the hit than I did about the German doctor after the fact. She was young, beautiful, she had the best years of her life in front of her. Other than the affair I hadn't seen any reason she deserves to end up dead. While an affair isn't good, it's no reason for someone to lose their life.

 "Another one please" I said holding up my empty bottle. The bartender retrieved another beer and sat it in front of me.

 "Are you okay?" he asked, "You look a little pale."

 I lied, "I'm fine, just a long day."

 "Business trip?"

 "No trip this time. Just a tough client."

 "Well you fit in here then, your story is the same as most of our guests."

 "Yeah" I muttered. I highly doubt that.

 It was now ten to two in the morning. I had been last called. The bartender asked me more than a handful of times if I needed something to eat. It could have been the obviously poor attitude I was in, or it could have been the seven or eight beers I had consumed. Alissa emerged from the door to the hotel. She didn't look quite as made up as she did when she went through it the first time. She walked quickly outside. She didn't say anything or make eye contact with anyone.

 "Thanks" I said dropping a hundred dollar bill on the bar top.

 "Hey, I would stay away from that one" the bartender said nodding towards the street side door, a smirk on his face.

 "Sure" I said. "I get it."

 That wasn't going to be an option. I got outside in time to see her getting into the same car that brought her there. I watched as they drove away and around a corner. I retrieved my car and drove slowly and carefully back to my apartment.

 Most of what was left of the night was filled by staring at a spinning ceiling. Sleep wasn't going to happen. I wondered what Alissa was doing. She said she had to work in the morning. Was she having trouble sleeping too. She definitely didn't look happy leaving the hotel. She acted so casual about seeing Thomas when talking to Michelle. There was nothing casual about her at the restaurant. It was almost seven in the morning now. I decided to give crush apple another shot.

"Hey again, I know you said you weren't looking for dates, I just can't find anyone of your caliber to go with me to a fancy dinner party. I can pick you up and drop you off anywhere you choose. It's only from five to eight tonight."

 It took Alissa two brutal hours to respond.

 "I can't do it right now"

 "it's just a dinner party, nothing else. I'll give you $20,000. I just can't go on my own."

 "20 grand! For 3 hours? Are you a billionaire?"

 "Not even close, but if I ever want to be I need to look good at this party."

 "Money when you pick me up. Meet me at The Mayflower. I have to be back by 9."

 "Won't be a problem. Thank you! You are doing me a huge favor."

  I felt bad about lying. She wasn't going to be back by nine. She wasn't going to be back at all.

 I had less than seven hours to get everything set up. I put my suite back on figuring risking having to come home to change wasn't worth putting me in a bind for time. I checked the pocket of my suit jacket, reassuring myself the heroine and knockout agent were still secure.

 The first stop was my storage unit. I had to grab the twenty thousand I had promised Alissa. She wouldn't ever have the opportunity to spend it, but I couldn't risk not having it with me causing an issue. There could be other ways I could use it. Next was locating a hotel that would suit my needs. I needed a place I could get in and out of unseen.

 I found myself at a small motel in the middle of nowhere. I booked a room in the furthest end of the L shaped building. I wasn't sure how long I would need so I booked it for an entire twenty four hours. The owner looked confused at the request, I assume because it was far more common for people to spend only an hour or two in a room. It would be dark at night, not ideal in the daylight but manageable. There was only one other car in the parking lot. Hopefully they wouldn't be in when I arrived with Alissa.

  I was sitting down the road from the Mayweather 30 minutes before five. I was waiting, not at all patiently for Alissa to arrive. The thought that she would back out had crossed my mind. She finally arrived at ten minutes to five. She was dressed much like she was the night before. The only real difference was her dress tonight was blue and quite a bit more modest.

 I honked as I pulled up to where Alissa was standing, she was on her phone as if she were waiting on a ride share. Smart I thought. She jumped in, recognising my car as the one I had told her to expect.

 "Nice ride!" She said

 "Thank you" making eye contact. The act sent me back to a few days before when I had let the shock of seeing her returning home get the best of me. "Here's the money" putting my foot in the throttle, eliminating her an out if she happened to recognize me.

 "Thank you!" she said opening the envelope and looking inside.

 "I hope larger bills are ok, it's just easier to carry around."

 "It's fine. I have never seen this much money at one time."

  "Have you ever smelled that much money?" I said taking the envelope and propping it between her seat and the center console. I pulled out one of the stacks and held it in front of her, fanning the edges of the paper. She smiled and wrapped her hand around the stack, brushing my hand as she did so. Her soft hands and the delicate nature of the motion sent an odd sensation through my body. She lifted the stack to her nose and took a long deep breath.

 "It does smell...." She drifted off as the knockout agent I had laced the cash with did it's job. Her head made a thud against the window that made my stomach turn a little.