Finally getting up, Loki strolled over to the building, his eyes moving continuously, making sure no one was paying attention to him. Pulling the door open, he entered, pausing as his eyes swept the inside, noting the location of each customer, before settling on the man sitting alone at the bar. Striding over to him, he claimed the stool next to him. Catching the bar tender’s eye, he tapped the counter in front of him while saying, “Beer.” Moving on from the bartender’s face, Loki’s eyes landed on the mirror, finally connecting with the man’s eyes sitting next to him. Nodding briefly, he waited.
Noting the man’s action, Glenn lifted his beer, taking another swallow, before setting back on the counter. “You Loki?” he asked.
“Who’s asking?”
“Me. Are you interested or not?” asked Glenn.
“Depends on what you want,” murmured Loki, inhaling but smelling only human. Relaxing, he grinned inwardly, knowing he was about to have a really big payday.
“Cut the crap. A mutual acquaintance said you were the man for the job, but I guess he was wrong.” Rising, Glenn threw down money on the countertop before adding, “Have a nice day, fucker.” But before he could leave, the man grabbed his forearm, keeping Glenn in place.
“He wasn’t wrong,” Loki growled. “Just wanted to make sure you were the dude wanting to hire me.”
Remaining still for several moments, Glenn finally relented, reclaiming his stool. “I am but I’m not sure you’re up for the job anymore.”
“Now who’s playing games. Why don’t you tell me how you got my name.”
Glenn grunted. “Fair enough. Jengo and I go way back so I first asked him but he said he didn’t do that shit anymore and recommended you.”
“Jengo’s a good man,” Loki said. “So what’s the job?”
“I need someone taken out. You won’t be able to get close to him.”
“Not a problem. I can take someone out a mile away,” Loki bragged.
“Yeah, Jengo mentioned that. Spent time in the military?” asked Glenn.
“Sort of…something more like Jengo’s group.”
“Right…so are you interested?”
Nodding, Loki said, “Yeah, I require half up front and the rest when the job is done.”
“Five hundred thou, right?”
“How fast do you want it done?”
“Fast…very fast,” Glenn said.
“750…guaranteed to be done within three days of locating the target.”
“Done,” Glenn growled, then getting the attention of the barkeeper, called, “Yo, another round for my friend and me.”
“No thanks,” Loki said, handing a card to Glenn. “Deposit info. Once I confirm it, I’ll contact you for the target’s info.”
Grabbing one of the beers the bartender set down, Glenn handed it to Loki, “Hey, I’m feeling good. How about a toast to cleaning up loose ends?”
Hesitating for a moment, Loki finally gave in. “Sure, why not?” Lifting the bottle, he clinked it against Glenn’s before taking a big swallow. He deserved it after getting three times his normal rate. Wiping his mouth, he slammed the bottle down on the counter, then giving Glenn a short nod, headed towards the door.
Swiveling his bar stool around, Glenn watched as Loki walked away from him. Quickly glancing over to Ghost, Glenn gave the signal for his friend to be ready in case the knock-out pill Smokey put in Loki’s beer failed.
Spotting a man in the corner looking over at the bar, raised the hackles on Loki’s neck; something wasn’t right. Cursing, he bolted for the door, vowing to kill Jengo for the betrayal, but before he could escape, his legs gave out. Falling and unable to save himself, he tumbled to the floor. Then everything went black.
Reaching Loki first, Ghost nudged him with his foot, then said, “Holy fuck, Smokey, how much did you give him?”
“What? Snow White said to knock him out…so I did.”
Joining Ghost, Glenn bent down, checking Loki’s pulse. “He’s fine. Let’s get him out of here. Smokey, get rid of everything and make it fast. We have a two-hour drive ahead of us at least and I would prefer he sleeps through all of it.”
