The Hit

Chapter Fifteen

 Our fourth breakfast was interrupted by a phone call from Reginald.

 "Ol' chap, I'll be calling on you shortly. My people have discovered some information you may desire to hear."

 Reginald was there in under an hour. The stack of files I had left him now neatly located in a box. His suit today was a baby blue, accented by a white shirt and white shoes. He was sporting some thin framed round glasses I was certain he didn't need.

 "You look good today" Alissa quipped.

 "You look magnificent yourself love" he reciprocated. His statement was true of course, he looked ridiculous as always. "Would you mind giving us the room?"

 "She can stay" I said.

 "Very well, the table then?" he replied.

 We all sat at the table. Reginald began thumbing through the files, selecting a few I assumed he had information on. I was almost holding my breath, hoping the information would be what I wanted. I feared I was wrong. The only way Alissa made any sense was if I was mislead about who my targets had been. Still I hoped she was just a mistake.

 "This fella" he said pushing a file in front of me. I opened it, my first hit. "This gentleman made the unfortunate mistake of accepting wagers from not one, but two politicians." Sliding another file in front of me. "This poor dame had intentions of coming forward with sexual assault claims on a powerful businessman." My heart was beginning to pound. The German doctors file slid in front of me. "The good doctor here was treating a German politician for syphilis, contracted while fornicating with prostitutes."

 Six more were put in front of me. All tied to politicians and the corporate elite. A woman vying for power of a company she had stolen from her by a corporation. An exotic dancer who was engaged in an affair with a businessman. A politicians aid who had overheard the wrong conversation. A woman who planned to blow the whistle on voter fraud.

 I put my hand up before Reginald could place another file in front of me. I looked at Alissa. Her eyes were wet, barely holding the tears in. Something told me she was hoping for the same answers I was. Instead we got the worst possible outcome.

 "So I have spent the last four plus years of my life as a fixer for the world's elite?"

"It would appear as if you have" Reginald replied.

 The shock settled into my face. The confirmation I had hoped I wouldn't receive surprised me. I knew, but I had held out hope. I looked at Reginald, a look of sympathy in his eyes.

 "I know it isn't the answers you wanted, but these are the facts." he said.

 "I... I really thought they were all bad guys. I thought I was doing good."

 "Oh some were villains Ryan. It's not all bad."

 "Did any of them deserve to die?"

 "A few I'd say." He replied. "Likely not most however. Now you know there chap. It's time you move on. It won't be long before I have you out of the country. Keep your head up."

 He got up and left. Alissa didn't say anything. I watched a tear roll down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly, getting up and walking towards the bedroom. She grabbed a bottle of liquor on her way and slammed the door shut. I sat there for a long time before cleaning up the files.

 As I headed for the door I heard music coming from the bedroom. I cracked the door open. Alissa was sitting on the edge of the bed, her back to the door, a handheld radio laying on the bed next to her. She didn't turn around, instead just taking a long pull off the the bottle of brown liquid. I closed the door and walked away.

 I stood with my own bottle of liquor now. Watching the files being consumed by fire. The fire pit doubling as an ashtray for the cigarettes I was consuming at a prodigious rate. The bourbon was far too expensive to be binge drinking the way I was. The guilt over this was far outweighed by the guilt I felt about the last few years of my life. I wondered what Alissa was thinking about. Probably the fact she was currently living with a murderer. I wouldn't have blamed her if she decided I needed to die. I deserved it far more than any one of my targets. The fact that I was likely the only reason she was still alive couldn't possibly make up for all I had done. Part of me wondered if I should have just gone through with it. She would have died happy, at least I believed she was happy before I ruined her life.

 I turned back to the cabin. The cat was sitting expectantly in the chair Alissa had occupied the nights previous. As I approached the door it hopped down as if to invite itself in. Why not? I thought, opening the door and letting the cat walk ahead of. The cat headed to the bedroom door, using the back of the couch and one of the recliners as bridge to get there. I cracked the door open just enough to let the cat in and closed it again.

 "High Emma" I heard Alissa say over the sound of the pop music playing from the radio. I hadn't known she had named the cat.

 I decided on the couch for the night, assuming it would be best to give Alissa space. I was sitting there, staring blankly at the wall, when she opened the bedroom door. She walked over and sat down, the cat in her lap almost before she had completed the action. She put her hand on my arm.

 "You're not a bad person Ryan" She said. "You didn't know."

 "I should have" I said. "I should have been paying closer attention. I should have thought about it more. Thought about it before you."

 She was tracing the outline of the tattoos adorning my forearm. "We're going to make up for it."

 "We?" I inquired.

 "You didn't kill me. I owe you." She wrapped her arm into mine and leaned her head on my shoulder. "We will fix this."