“No.”
As a matter of fact, Sydney stuck by his side.She cuddled him.She made his exit that much easier without a single complaint.
“Did your gun jam?”AJ asked, obviously searching for a logical excuse.
There wasn’t one.
Fink huffed.Guns were the weapon of choice for people in his profession, and he had used them from time to time, but he preferred things to be a bit more personal.These people earned their deaths.They shouldn’t be awarded such quick ones.
There was something immensely satisfying in watching them suffer for their transgressions.So, if he could avoid it, he didn’t put a bullet in them.There were far better ways to dispatch someone from existence.
“Fink.”AJ’s voice took on a warning tone.
“She helped me,” Fink admitted.
“Helped?”AJ repeated.“I wasn’t aware you required assistance.”
“She stabbed him in the neck.”
“So, she did your job for you?”His handler chuckled on the other end.“Someone finally beat you to it?”
Fink furrowed his brows.That hadn’t even occurred to him.Had a rival taken up his contract?It’d happened before, but Fink had always been the first to make the kill.He’d never been bested.
Was Sydney like him?
That would explain a whole hell of a lot.
Then again, she didn’t give off professional vibes.She reminded him of an overactive puppy, wagging her tail and peeing on the carpet.Though he supposed her performance could’ve been an act.
He needed to learn more about this woman.
“Were we competing with anyone else?”he asked.
“Not that I’m aware of,” AJ said as he clicked away on his keyboard on the other end of the call.“But I can look into it.”
Fink nodded even though his handler wouldn’t be able to see him.“For now, I think I should lie low, stick with her.”
“Why?”
“If she wasn’t hired,” Fink began, “and she was merely a pissed-off employee, I want to make sure that when the police come around to question her…”
“Just shoot her and get it over with.”
Easier said than done.He’d fucked her.What a rookie move.So unless he scrubbed her inside and out, he’d left evidence on her.He couldn’t risk the cops connecting him to anything related to Grant.
“I can’t.”The words left Fink’s mouth before he could contemplate their impact.
He had to come up with a valid reason for that.Think fast.
Lying to AJ wasn’t something he did.Starting now wasn’t a good idea.
“Not until the cops come and interview her,” he said and nodded to himself.“That way they can cross her off their suspect list, and I’ll be in the clear.Besides, she could have connections.I think we should investigate her a little more.”
Killing a rival wasn’t unheard of, but it was considered bad form.Especially in times of peace.He didn’t want to be the cause of a war.
AJ knew that.“Fine, get me her details.I’ll see what I can find.”
Relief swirled in Fink’s chest.In this snapshot in time, Sydney got to breathe another day.
