THE NINTH TARGET: A thrilling crime mystery full of twists by Joshua Brown

Author:Joshua Brown [Brown, Joshua]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-06-16T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Richie

I never considered myself much of an actor. Playing with people’s emotions never really suited my agenda. I preferred being straight, letting a man know what the situation was and how we could resolve it.

But as I found myself standing in front of Philip Dobro’s front door, trying to summon some false emotion, I understood it. I’d been screwed near all across the board by men and women that faked some tears and made me feel for them.

If I had the time to tell it, hell, I might be here all day sharing stories of the broads that sucked me dry. But even back then, even when I knew what was happening, I couldn’t resist. I like to think of it as a learning experience—one that built up to this point. Where, in a past life, I suffered so that I could get my job done.

So, I put on a worried face, pressed the doorbell, and paced up and down on the concrete step. I wasn’t really fidgety, and the grumbles and stumbles were all by design. My frantic pressing of the doorbell included.

“Jesus wept, I’m coming, goddamn it,” I heard Philip Dobro’s voice blast through the house.

I tucked my hand into a pocket, making sure I had all I’d need for the main event. I drew a cigarette and slotted it between my lips. I huffed in a deep breath, and suddenly, as the door swung open, I saw him there. Unlike Lou Barlowe, Philip hadn’t changed much since I saw him twenty years before.

Sure, he was wrinkled, and his hair was thin, but he held the same shape and looked like the man I once knew. I didn’t speak, not yet, just sussing him out. I saw his face turn red, waiting for me to speak.

“Hello? I’m here? You goddamn rushed me, and now you’re just standing at my door? Who the hell are you, and what the hell do you want?” His tone grew increasingly louder.

“Philip,” he was taken aback by my knowing his name. “It’s Richie. Remember me?”

He’d never forget my name. Just because I wasn’t a part of the crew that took on Irish Wilkes, it didn’t mean the boys Alberto hired didn’t hear about me. He’d have made his threats and scares, letting them know I was around to keep them in check.

“Richie? Richie Marlowe?” he repeated. Any anger he might’ve had was quickly replaced by a nervous chuckle and deep fear.

“That’s it, my man. That’s it,” I brought a lighter to my cigarette, looking over my shoulder as if I was being followed. All tactics to scare Philip, and they were working. Before he closed the door, he took a step out and eyed up and down the street before slamming it shut and locking it up.

“Wh-what brings you around, Richie?” he didn’t say much about the smoking.

“Well, I’m a little scared, Phil. Well, maybe more than just a little anyway. Maybe I’m real scared,” I sighed. I stopped in the entry hall beside a table with a mirror awaiting me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.