Hitman vs Hitman - L.A. Witt Page 0,31

certain the hitman didn’t know who they were, they went through a liaison, and that was one of the only times when a job could be safely refused. The hitman didn’t know who the client was, the client didn’t know who the hitman was, and hopefully the liaison was smart enough to keep themselves hidden as well. Since Ricardo hadn’t had any damning information about the person issuing the hit, going to the police would have been about as smart as someone reporting that their heroin had been stolen. He’d just be admitting to the cops that he was a gun for hire, and he’d be the one whose day was ruined, not whoever was behind the hit.

But apparently no one was taking chances with the Rawlins hit. The judge was dead, and now someone was cleaning house. Which made sense. If August and Ricardo were right about last night’s endgame, the idea was for them to either kill each other or get killed by the ample armed security who’d be at the party. One way or the other, he and August were both supposed to be dead by now, and they’d no longer be a liability to whoever had wanted Judge Rawlins killed. Lance Baldwin was probably meant to be collateral damage. He had enough enemies in high places that someone trying to kill him wouldn’t really shock anyone. Hell, it was probably only a matter of time before someone else came along to finish that job.

Ricardo had to assume, though, that he and August had been the real intended targets yesterday, and whoever had called in that hit was going to be none too happy when he or she found out they were alive. Last night’s attempts to hit them both had probably been just the beginning. The moment a hitman realized his mark had survived was usually the same moment he had to break out the big guns and/or go on the run, and he really didn’t need the mafia going Wile E. Coyote on his ass. Unless they kept slamming into walls while Ricardo and August took off like the Road Runner.

I think I need more coffee.

He got up and took his cup to the kitchen with him. As he refilled his coffee, he said, “I think we should get in touch with our liaisons. Find out what they know about the Rawlins job. And the Baldwin job, for that matter.”

August sat back against his chair and rubbed his neck with both hands. “Good idea. And we should probably do it before they get killed.”

He had a point. When the mob cleaned house, they cleaned house.

“All right.” He sipped his refreshed coffee. “Let’s reach out to them and go from there.”

Chapter 8

August had to admit, Ricardo’s safehouse might be a monument to Middle America in its cookie-cutter sameness with the houses around it, but he had incredible internet. August had his phone on him, of course, but he’d done the smart thing and taken out the battery as soon as he had a moment to himself. The people coming after him already knew too much about him, had successfully pushed too many buttons—he wasn’t going to run the odds on them hacking his phone.

Ricardo, however, had an entire drawer of burner phones in his kitchen. In his kitchen. Some people had junk drawers—he had a burner phone drawer. Seeing him rummage through it for a cheap smartphone and throw it to August with a “This should be charged” was enlightening.

First off, August had his own burner phone in his bag. He hadn’t even asked for this one, yet Ricardo offered it up without even a single snarky comment. Bizarre. Second, how did Ricardo know which of his random burners was charged? In point of fact, why were any of them charged? Hadn’t they been sitting in that drawer, unneeded and untouched, for a while now?

Conclusion: this place might be Ricardo’s safehouse, but it might be more than that too, and also, he was a secret Daddy. August smiled to himself as he put a familiar number into the phone. What did you get for the man who had everything? Apparently, secondhand clothes, coffee, and a burner phone, thank you very much.

The phone rang once before it was answered. “If this is a ransom request, understand right now that while I will not be paying you, I will be coming after your family, your friends, and everything you once held dear after my brother is through with