Shank by Robert J. Krog

Author:Robert J. Krog [Krog, Robert J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hit World Press
Published: 2021-06-10T22:00:00+00:00

It was predawn before Fellows woke. Shaw had undressed him but laid him by the fire under a blanket. When he began to stir, Shaw pulled the blanket off. The old man cussed, but he was still groggy from the drug. Shaw pulled him over to a small tree, stood him up, and cuffed his hands behind his back around the trunk.

“Per the contract, you’re naked, in the cold, in sight of your fire.”

“Why?” Fellows asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe you can tell me why someone would think such a death was fitting for you.”

Fellows’ weathered face contorted in thought, trying to shake off the aftereffects of the tranquilizer. He shivered. “It’s so cold,” he said, more of a realization than a complaint.

“The thermometer on your hiking jacket says it’s 23 degrees Fahrenheit. It gets cold at night up here in the mountains, Mr. Fellows. I expect you’ll be dead in less than hour.” Shaw was making coffee over the fire.

“I love camping. I tell stories about it. They hate listening to my stories. They never took to camping, though I tried when they were young.”

“Yes, I see why this was chosen, then,” Shaw said.

“They hate me.”

“Apparently,” he said, observing the steam rising from Fellows’ coffee pot.

“What did I ever do to them? I taught them self-discipline and self-reliance. I taught them the value of hard work, and they hate me, but anything they have worth having came from me. They can’t change that.”

“Um hm,” Shaw murmured, filling a thermos with coffee.

“Which one, sir?” Fellows demanded. He was shivering uncontrollably already.

“The contract was anonymous,” Shaw said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Coward.” Fellows spat. “Couldn’t even give their name to an assassin. I always taught them to be proud of their name and live up to it boldly.”

“Commendable,” Shaw said, settling into the camp chair and sipping his coffee.

“Might I have a last cup of coffee, Mr. Assassin?”

“My regrets, Mr. Fellows, but that wouldn’t be in the spirit of the contract.”

“Do you enjoy this?”

“I’m a professional. I take pride in my work.”

“But does it give you pleasure to see men die in agony?”

“In your case, it’ll be the sign of a job done per the specifications of the contract, but that’s all. I don’t go in for torture. It’s not part of my personal aesthetic.”

“How can you watch me die like this without pity in your heart? Have you no compassion?”

“I have a job to do. It isn’t always pleasant, but it’s necessary, and I’m very good at, so it has its consolations.”

“I’ll pay you 10 times your fee to let me live.”

“I always honor my contracts.”

“I’ll pay you 10 times your current fee to kill the one who hired you.”

“As you wish. I’ll contact LEI and set it up. How will you pay?”

“Satellite phone, Mr. Assassin. I’ll wire the money.”

Shaw picked up the phone and checked the signal. It was good.

“You don’t have much time left before you pass out, Mr. Fellows. Use it well.”

“I shall.”

He had Brenda on the satellite phone in moments.

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