“No, Luciano,” Teddy said. “With your heart.”
“I don’t have a heart. That’s why I’m an assassin.”
“It’s a job, like any other.”
“Is that how you see it?” Luciano drove down his long driveway, pausing to wait for the gates to open.
“Someone has to thin the herd. We’re like lions chasing gazelle.”
“They hunt to eat.”
“We do it to protect the innocent,” Teddy replied. “We do it so that good people can live their lives. We do it to stop these monsters because law enforcement can’t.”
“Well said, Theodore.” In the darkened car, he glanced over at his brother. “Are you ready to take out two serial rapists?”
“Every damn time.” Teddy gave him the address and Luciano sped toward DC.
At three-thirty in the morning, Luciano stopped a block away from the DC apartment building. Teddy got busy on his phone and the entire block went black.
“That’s gonna cause a shit-ton of problems,” Luciano bit out.
“I can’t take out just the one building. They’re all on the same grid.”
They exited the car. “Silence your ringer,” Luciano instructed.
“Yeah, yeah, I do that nowwithouthaving to be told.”
They pulled on their night goggles, exited the SUV. Luciano opened the hatch, handed Teddy a silencer from the duffle bag. He took one for himself, attached it to his Glock. With stealth, they strode toward the back of the DC apartment building. The door was locked. Teddy aimed his weapon, but Luciano pulled out the lock pick set.
He couldn’t get the bar to release, and Teddy kept grumbling under his breath. Over a minute later, the bar gave way and Luciano opened the door. They bolted up the back stairs to the third floor.
To his relief, the hallway was dead quiet. With his weapon at the ready, Teddy led him to the apartment, located in the middle of the hall. This had to be the worst location. They weren’t near an exit and they were surrounded by tenants.
Teddy tried the door handle. It turned, and they slipped inside the apartment. They had to be swift and they had to be exact.
“Please, no,” a woman whimpered from one of the bedrooms. “You’re hurting me. I’m begging you to stop.”
Bile rose in Luciano’s throat while hatred filled his soul. He swept the living room. No one was there. The kitchenette was also empty.
“STOP!” screamed the woman.
Luciano pointed to the second bedroom and Teddy took off past the first. Luciano strode to the doorway. A woman was shackled to the bed, her bruised, bloodied body the evidence Luciano needed to take down the monster.
One of the brothers stood nearby. He whipped his head toward Luciano, but the room was pitch black.
“You have too much power.” Luciano raised his weapon, fired a single shot.
POP!
The bullet pierced him between the eyes, the man dropped to the floor.
The woman screamed.
Ah, fuck.
“Shh,” he said to her. “Police are on their way.”
“Please don’t hurt me,” she murmured.
