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“I’m not lying,” he insisted, more quietly this time, like I’d believe him if he just insisted it was true.
“Those men set you up. You’re not getting out of this room alive. Now, go stand in front of the window.”
“What the—? Dude, you’re nuts.”
But he did as I said. Poor dumb bastard. I took my suitcase and opened the door just a sliver.
“Wait? Are you leaving?”
“Yes, I am. One of two things will happen: your friends will arrive and find you here alone and they’ll kill you or they’ll kill you where you stand without even bothering to find you.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. You’re leaving, I could just walk right out the door after you.”
“Oh. Yeah. Thanks for pointing that out.”
I pointed my gun at him and shot at his shin. He screamed as the bullet shattered bone and he crumpled to the floor, clutching his bloody leg.
“Oh, man. What the hell man!” Strangled groans and cries mixed together. “You fucking shot me!”
“You’ll live. Sorry, I take that back. You’re going to die, but it won’t be because I shot you.”
The red laser dot appeared, first on the wall, then bouncing around the room while it looked for its target.
“Looks like your friends are here.”
“Friends? Ha!” he cried out. “Fucking Delacroix isn’t a friend of mine. He said this would be easy. That I’d be set for months with the money I earned, I just had to keep you busy. He didn’t say I’d get shot!”
I closed the door behind me. Things always seem to take forever, when really, our conversation lasted less than five minutes. No one had called the police until the first gunshot. It would take them a few minutes to get to this part of town.
I quickly walked down the hall and took the back flight of stairs to the ground floor. I pushed open the back door just as I heard the sirens approaching. Calmly, I put my suitcase in the trunk of my car.
I’d wasted a throwaway gun and my newest fake ID on that kid who’d gotten mixed up in something that was over his head.
But he gave up the man who hired him.
As soon as I drove out of New Orleans, I switched vehicles, ditching the one I’d stolen the day before behind the grove of trees where I had parked the rental. I pulled out my phone. It was three am, but he’d answer.
“Dante?” he said clearly.
“Your friend is dead.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Someone shot him through the window as I was leaving.”
“I don’t understand.”
“What did you think would happen? Never mind. It doesn’t matter. Someone put a bullet in his head. I hope you weren’t close to him. I don’t think you’ll recognize him after tonight.”
Delacroix was silent as my words sunk in.
“I didn’t hire him, Dante. I don’t know who did.”
“I don’t know what the fuck I did to you, but you should know, you’re at the top of my list now.”
“I didn’t take that contract out on you, and I did not send that kid to kill you. Is he really dead?” His voice was oddly quiet, laced with more compassion than I’d ever heard from Delacroix.
“I didn’t stick around to check the body.”
