A tattoo of a serpent.
29
M“I haven’t heard about that tattoo in a while.”
It’s been a grueling day, but I need to tell my father how the hit played out. I’m standing behind his office door, waiting to knock. But something keeps me standing here.
“We need to hire him.” My father’s voice. Unmistakably.
“I have seen him. He is dangerous.” That’s the voice of a man I loathe—his right hand.
“What else do we know about him?” my father asks him.
“He has a daughter whom he hides, and nobody ever sees her leave the house.”
“What else?”
“He is only one of, if not the best, hired assassin out there.”
“That’s our guy for the job.” What fucking job? My father continues with his barrage of questions. “What’s his call-off sign?” A call-off sign is how any of us leaves a scene. My call-off sign is either severed limbs or a simple gunshot wound tothe forehead. I like to keep it simple or bloody. But to make a statement, I carve the letter M right above their heart.
“He removes the skin of their fingertips, cuts off their hands, and pins them to a wall in a praying motion. And he does something bizarre once he starts.”
“What?”
“He says ‘hum for me.’ This bastard tortures his hits psychologically as well.”
“How do you know about this?”
“One of our guys has been following him for months and got on his tail. He put a recording device in his jacket, that’s how he heard what he said, and he followed him to a hit. He walked into the house afterward and saw the carnage.” I hear my father scribbling on a piece of paper.
“Hire him. Anything else?”
“He has a tattoo of a serpent on his right ring finger.”
I recall the moment to my team, and they are speechless, which says a lot.
“Why haven’t you told us about this?” Adam asks me.
“It seemed meaningless at the time. Fuck, could this be the work of a man who used to work for my dad?”
“It’s a reach, but a good one, I’ll admit,” Josh says.
“I don’t know any killers that we know of who has a tattoo of a serpent on their right ring finger. This could be him.” He turns his attention toward me. “Do you remember anything else?” I shake my head. This has blown out of proportion, and I don’t see a solution.
Is another hired assassin taking on the same job?
“I think we all need to go home because it’s getting late,” Sara says, putting her hand on my shoulder. “M, we’ll get Marco, and we’ll find out who the serpent guy is. Once Hana’s exams are over, we’ll bring her in.”
“That’s a good idea. So, what are you all doing for New Year’s Eve tomorrow?”
“Josh and I are going to a high-end gentleman’s club.” I should have seen that one coming. When I look over at Adam, he is pointing to Sara.
“I’m doing her.” I blow a raspberry. My team is just a bunch of freaks. After they clear out and head home, I go to my bedroom and check the cameras in Lana’s apartment. She is sound asleep. From her schedule, she is working the morning and night shifts tomorrow. What the fuck? She only had to work the morning shift tomorrow the last time I checked.
That settles it. Tomorrow is her last day on the job, and it is in her best interest to quit.
I prepare myself to go to bed, and before I close my eyes, her beautiful face flashes in my mind.
