 
## KILLING SCHMIDT HONORABLY

Vincent Muambi

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2014 Vincent Muambi

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

### Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

About the Author

### Chapter 1

*Sonia Kills Casey*

Sonia Lopez stood across the brick townhouse during a cold Sunday evening. She wrapped her scarf underneath her chin. She held her right hand out and stared at her Smith & Wesson handgun. She put it back inside her black leather long coat.

Sonia had shoulder-length brown hair and her brown eyes displayed an apathetic stare.

She was bored and she wanted some action. It had been three days since she started following her target. She started to walk across the road and felt a buzz in her left side pocket of her straight-cut blue jeans. She quickly retrieved her Motorola flip phone, said rashly, "Who is it?"

The voice on the other end of the line didn't sound too pleased by the response.

"Is this how you answer calls?" the voice said.

Sonia rolled her eyes. She spoke to the man last week when she was offered the contract to kill her target. Now the bastard was bothering her with another of her calls.

The voice said, "What's the situation with your target?"

Sonia thought about an answer. She realized she was still standing in the middle of the road. She quickly moved forward.

She was now on the edge of the front lawn.

"There's nothing to report," she said.

There was a loud sigh. Sonia hated this.

She said to the voice, "Fuck you."

She snapped her flip phone shut. She was tired of dealing with the bastard already. Two shots to the chest were all that was required for the job.

Sonia knew her target wasn't home. The target was supposed to arrive at the townhouse anytime now. Sonia started to get itchy.

She checked her watch.

7:43.

Fucking great, she thought. I'm standing in this fucking cold but I can't leave because of the job and money I'll be leaving on the line. Fuck this shit!

She started to move towards the front door. She decided she was going to kill the lone target anyway and just move on.

To her surprise the front door was unlocked. Sonia wanted to surprise the target by shoving the handgun right into the fucker's face.

***

Sonia was in the front room. She had her handgun raised when Casey Novara entered the home about a half hour later. Casey froze. She immediately felt numb.

Sonia slowly rose from a red sofa she had occupied. She aimed her handgun at Casey.

"Hello my dear," she sneered.

Casey blared, "What's going on?"

Sonia flashed a grim smile at her. She hardened her grip on the handgun. Her eyes were intensively focused on Casey.

"This is a 500 Smith & Wesson my dear Casey," she said. "Do you know what it feels to have a gun pointed at your head?"

The smile was still perched on her face. Casey muttered something but she quickly shut herself up as soon as she opened.

"Who are you?" Casey said nervously.

"I am Sonia. That is my answer."

"No, I want to know what are you doing holding that gun at me?"

"I'm holding this gun at you because I'm going to blast you!"

Sonia stood and took a couple of steps forward. Casey stepped back a bit, her eyes squarely focused on the gun.

"Please, I don't know who you are or why you're here. Please, just leave," Casey pleaded.

Sonia displayed an angry expression.

"I'm the girl who's going to make you suffer you piece of shit!" she snarled.

Casey kept calm while fighting the urge to swear back at the woman.

She didn't want to provoke this lunatic. There was something oddly familiar about the woman's voice. Casey couldn't put it. Her life was in immediate danger.

"Do you have what I'm looking for?" Sonia said with cold sarcasm.

Casey didn't respond. Her thoughts were quickly fixated to the man she had met at a French restaurant called La Pavilion only a couple of hours ago.

A part of her was wishing she'd gone with the man to his place instead of her home.

Sonia stuck out her tongue and glided it seductively around the edges of her mouth to the disgust of Casey.

Casey felt a cold tremor rise up her spine.

Sonia was still rubbing her tongue at her. She lowered her handgun a bit and aimed at Casey's stomach.

"What do you want from me?" Casey said, tears streaming down her face and a strangling fear and coldness gripping her.

She wondered what the lunatic would do next.

"I'm going to shoot you in the face," Sonia said.

Casey's eyes lit up.

"Please, don't shoot me!" she pleaded.

Sonia now aimed her handgun at Casey's chest. Casey started to move her right foot back. She was going to make a run.

Sonia sensed it. She quickly warned, "I wouldn't even think of it I were you."

Casey exclaimed, "Please, I don't know you who you are or what you're doing here. I don't want anything from you. Please....please....!"

Sonia chuckled. She was getting a sort of laugh out of it.

"Alright, I've already counted to two so I guess this is three."

Casey spun around. Sonia pulled the trigger. She fired four shots at Casey.

Casey's body lunged forward. Her blood spattered onto the wall. Sonia quickly reloaded and fired another four shots through Casey's back. Silence ensued.

She calmly sat on the sofa and stared at the riddled body.

She smiled at herself while placing the gun down a few feet from where she stood.

She moved towards the body and knelt down and carefully placed her hands on Casey's shoulders.

After some inspection, Sonia turned the riddled body over and looked into Casey's lifeless eyes. The bitch was good as fucking dead.

Sonia stood up. She turned and walked down the hall to the kitchen where she opened the steel fridge and grabbed a can of Pepsi. She went back to the front room and opened the can of Pepsi and drank.

Sonia continued to stare at the riddled body. She wondered if she'd wait a little longer to see if someone else was coming or if she should go.

She glanced at her digital watch. It was five after eight.

Sonia wanted to take the rest of the day off, but she had matters to attend to. She was looking forward to meeting her next target.

She glanced around the front room. It was nicely furnished with pine wood, both flooring and boards. The walls of the entire house were painted a light cream color and pictures of relatives lined up the wall alongside the stairs.

Sonia went back to the kitchen. She opened the steel fridge and grabbed a second can of Pepsi. She sat down at the kitchen table and drank.

After, she stood and walked up the stairs to the bathroom. There was a built-in shower, so Sonia decided to wash herself.

Undressed from head to toe Sonia stepped into the shower. She took a hot wash for about five minutes. After finishing her shower she grabbed a white towel that had been hung on the hanger and dried herself.

After putting on her clothing she went downstairs to the front room. She placed her handgun in her long leather coat and made one last look at the body.

She exited through the front door a few minutes later.

A young man passed by with a golden Labrador retriever. He noticed Sonia walking down the steps but didn't say anything.

The man and his dog carried on as Sonia crossed the street and entered a gray sedan that was parked.

Sonia sat inside her car. After putting on her seat belt she turned the ignition and made a slight reverse. She drove forward. A quick glance by her caught the young man's attention.

The young man glanced back at Sonia and smiled. Sonia quickly smiled back and drove on.

Until next time, she thought.

She reached into her coat on the left side and held her flip phone. She dialed a number and hoped she'd finally reach the person she was calling.

There was no response..

### Chapter 2

*Butchered Woman*

Sonia was sitting at a bar of an all-women's dance club later that night. She had an orange martini with lemon and a slice of pineapple.

She looked around at the dancing women and bright flashing colours emanating from the ceiling. There was loud dance music.

Sonia sat alone.

She avoided contact with anyone.

During the past few hours Sonia spent the better of that time driving around downtown. She had been in Toronto for about a week. She was just crashing through the scene.

She was already feeling bored and lonely. She wasn't with anyone. She had only her 500 Smith & Wesson handgun and a raging lust to kill accompanying her. She was a cold-blooded killer. She didn't fear anyone.

She hadn't gone back to her hotel to change into something more appropriate for the nightclub scene so she was still dressed in her black leather coat.

She just happened to find the place and so she decided to check it out. That was probably an hour ago.

Now she was getting tired of the damn place, not to mention the girls and women who were making out with each other at every turn Sonia made.

She hated it but what gives. She might as well enjoy the night. She took another sip of her drink.

She was about to leave when a younger woman approached her. The woman was wearing white low-rise jeans with a blue tank top.

Her breasts were bouncing off while she approached Sonia. She had on orange lipstick and shoulder-length auburn hair. She smelled of strong perfume. Sonia was already put off by her.

"How's it going!" the woman exclaimed as she sat next to Sonia.

Sonia pretended to be happy seeing her. In truth she was annoyed.

"Going well I guess," she said.

"Your accent tells me you're from...Russia, am I right?" the young woman said.

Sonia playfully rolled her eyes. She was playing her act.

"Yeah," she said. She added something in Russian.

"Oh, wow!" the younger woman said. She extended her right hand. Sonia shook her hand gently.

"My name is Tatiana," she lied to the younger woman.

"You can call me Ashley Rose," Ashley said cheerfully.

She seemed very excited to meet Sonia.

"So, you're from Russia, I suppose?"

Sonia made a slight nod and responded, "No, my father was Venezuelan and my mother was Russian. I leaned both their languages when I was young."

"Wow, that's cool," Ashley said.

She was already into the conversation.

Sonia smiled at her. It was a fake smile, a kind of false re-assurance that she was a friendly stranger for whom Ashley could hook up with.

"What are you up to later tonight?" Ashley said.

She started to rub her left thumb on Sonia's hand.

"I go home to sleep," Sonia responded.

She removed her hand from under Ashley's thumb.

"You can come with me if you like," she said.

Ashley's expression lit up.

"Really?" she said excitingly.

"Of course," Sonia said.

She winked at Ashley. Ashley's face brightened.

"We can spend the night together at my old house off Bloor, not far from Spadina. We can go there and have some intimate fun," Ashley suggested.

They left the bar and the dance club soon after. They drove in Sonia's car, a grey Toyota Prius. When they arrived at the house, Sonia was already thinking of what to do with Ashley.

"I can give you something, a drink maybe?" Ashley said. She was salivating at the thought of fucking this woman.

Sonia sat in the living room once the two women were inside. The weather outside was mild, which explained the loose clothing Ashley had worn.

Sonia still had her black leather long coat on. Her Smith & Wesson handgun was in her right pocket.

"Let me get us some drinks," Ashley said as she went into the kitchen.

"That would be great!" Sonia said a little excitingly.

Ashley came back with the drinks a few minutes later. She had taken off her tank top and her large breasts were fully exposed. Sonia couldn't help but stare at them as she was handed her drink.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Ashley said.

She took a sip of her drink.

"I do this all the time," she said.

Sonia began to remove her long coat. She had on a red muscle t-shirt with dark blue boot-cut jeans. She wasn't going to take her clothes off.

She could tell Ashley was expecting her to. She said, "Allow me to go upstairs and take a piss. I'll be quick about it."

Ashley pointed to Sonia the direction. Sonia quickly went upstairs. There was a small bathroom to her right. Once inside she closed the door behind her. She looked into the bottom under the sink.

To her surprise she found a large thick white clothesline. She grabbed the clothesline and exited the bathroom. The perfect crime was mentally coming into place

Sonia noticed that Ashley wasn't in the living room. She made a quick glance and saw Ashley looking through the fridge. She quickly placed the clothesline behind the sofa.

She turned to face Ashley.

"I thought you were taking your clothes off," Ashley said.

"I have a better idea," said Sonia. "Let's make out."

She grabbed Ashley by her waist and kissed her. Ashley sunk in and the two went at it passionately. It was all just part of the act.

Sonia stopped kissing. She took a couple of deep breaths and said, "Please, turn around. I want to try something."

"Yeah!" Ashley exclaimed, her face showing a wild expression.

She turned around. Her back was facing Sonia. Sonia whispered in a low sexy voice, "Close your eyes. You're going to feel something and I swear you'll like it."

She quietly and quickly picked up the clothesline. She straightened the clothesline until she was sure enough it was solid.

She gently wrapped the clothesline around Ashley's neck from behind. Ashley was about to say something when she felt a sudden jolt.

The next thing she felt was her windpipe being cut off. She opened her eyes in panic.

Sonia pulled back with all her strength. Ashley's arms were flopping wildly. She tried to say something but her throat was closed off. She couldn't breathe.

Colours began to form in her pupils. Oh no, she thought. She knew was dying.

Sonia jerked the clothesline sideways. She pulled back again, this time with more force than the first pull.

Ashley sunk down on her knees. Her hands were desperately clinging onto the clothesline. She was losing air.

The colours were brighter now. Blackness ensued. It was game over. Death was quickly coming.

Sonia let go. It lasted less than a couple of minutes. Ashley fell back on the floor her face looking up. Sonia looked down and grinned. Ashley's lifeless eyes stared right into Sonia's.

She lay still.

Sonia sunk on her knees and started to take deep breaths. She laughed hysterically. Another bitch was dead and Sonia loved this.

A couple of hours had passed since Sonia killed the woman. She was in her white lingerie. She had a large glass of red wine in her right hand and a small electric chainsaw in her left.

In the last several minutes she managed to drag the body upstairs to the bathroom. The body was wrapped in thin blue plastic and placed in the bathtub.

Sonia placed the chainsaw on the black tile floor beside the bathtub and went into Ashley's bedroom closet. She found a pair of white running shoes. She put them on and after tying them up she went back to the bathroom.

She said to herself in French, "La mort est seulement une partie de processus."

Now, for cutting the body apart, that was going to be an issue. The chainsaw Sonia was holding was a late model.

She had retrieved it from the trunk of her Prius earlier. She bought the chainsaw at a local Home Depot store on the first day she drove into Toronto.

She hoped the blade was sharpened enough for her to be able to cut through the flesh and bone. Luckily the younger woman had a thin frame in spite of her large cleavage.

Sonia took a deep breath. She turned the chainsaw on and held it slightly. She stood over the bathtub. She gently pressed the blade onto the mid-section.

She watched as the blade smoothly sliced through the flesh. The sound of the blade cutting through the wrapped body was enticing to her. She stopped the blade for a second. She placed the chainsaw down.

Sonia didn't have any blood on her. She went downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed herself a can of Coke. After drinking it down she found a pack of Marlboro cigarettes.

She took one out and lit it up. She had a few large puffs of smoke. She sat down at the kitchen table. She relaxed into her chair knowing she had all night to deal with the body.

There was a large white freezer in the garage. She'd put the severed body parts there. For now, she would focus on cutting.

Just the head, the legs, arms, and feet were all that had to be cut. It was a messy job she was undertaking. Sonia liked messy jobs.

Sonia was back upstairs in the bathroom. It was half past two in the morning. She was tired but she wanted to finish what she started. She removed the plastic from the severed body.

After, she began by applying the blade to the right leg.

The blade was precisely on the knee. She turned the blade on again. It sliced through the knee evenly.

It took a bit of effort on Sonia's part since she was cutting through the kneecap and muscle and tendon. She was slow and delicate in the process.

She stopped the blade again. She removed the blade from the severed right leg and applied to the left one. The blade was aimed at the kneecap as well. She turned the blade on again and cut.

Again, she was slow and delicate while cutting through the left knee. Once she was finished she stopped the blade again. She took several deep breaths. She rubbed her left arm against her brow.

Sonia said to herself again in French, "Mon ami, maintenant Il est temps de terminer ce que vous avez commencé."

She smiled at herself. She was pleased with her effort so far. This was totally sick and dehumanizing. Sonia didn't give a fuck.

It was a bloody mess. The blade was already covered in blood and flesh particles.

She turned the blade on again. This time she applied the blade to the arms. Each of two arms were severed from the shoulder blade and after severed in half from the elbow.

Sonia stopped the cutting. She was dead tired. She wanted to do this. She wanted to finish this job.

Ashley was just an innocent partygoer. She didn't do anything to deserve this horrible end but that wasn't the point. Sonia saw an opportunity and she took advantage. Now she was cutting up the poor woman's body.

Sonia turned the blade on again. She applied it carefully to Ashley's neck. The blade sliced through the neck quickly to Sonia's surprise. She decided she wasn't going to cut the feet.

Sonia finally turned off the blade and put it down. She took a couple of deep breaths. The bathtub was covered in blood. It was a messy job but Sonia did it.

She placed her right hand on the head. She grabbed the hair and held the head up and looked at it. The lifeless eyes were still open. Sonia held the head up from the hair and dangled it. She gave it a smirk.

She stood up. She put the severed head back down and washed her hands and after she went downstairs again. She took out five large white garbage bags from the bottom drawer next to the stove.

Sonia went back upstairs. She stared to put the severed body parts into the large white garbage bags.

She tied each of the bags tightly. She held one bag each in both of her hands as she placed the bags into the freezer in the garage.

It was a gruesome kind of work. Blood was dripping all over the place as Sonia carried the bags with the severed body parts each time.

She didn't care. She just wanted the whole fucking thing over with. After putting the last of the five bags into the freezer Sonia closed the garage door and went back inside the house.

She wasn't bothered by the bitter cold despite being literally naked.

Her body was partially covered in blood. She went back upstairs again to the bathroom. She turned on the hot water and rinsed the blood off for about half an hour.

After, she took off her underwear. She went into the closet and found a new pair of black lingerie. She put those on. She found blue Levis jeans and a white long sleeve muscle shirt. She put those on too.

They weren't her clothes but Ashley was dead so Sonia decides she might as well take something too.

Sonia glanced at the blotches of blood that were visible on the tile floor. She went back downstairs. She sat and leaned against the couch.

She closed her eyes.

### Chapter 3

*Returning from Flight*

Charlie Schmidt glanced at the Toronto skyline through his side window. He was arriving on a flight from Paris. He was looking forward to settling down a bit after having spent the last few weeks in France.

He sat alone, choosing to go in Business Class onboard Flight 878 of Air France.

A stewardess named Josephine approached Charlie and said, "I hope everything is going comfortable for you."

Charlie turned to look at the cute brunette and smiled. He was impressed by her warmth and he found her to be quite attractive.

"Everything is good, Merci," he said.

He placed a National Geographic magazine he was reading on his lap. Josephine asked Charlie if he'd like any refreshments.

"No, I'm fine. I'm just looking forward to finishing this flight," Charlie said.

"Ah, it would be a shame not to fly back with you on board Monsieur Charlie," Josephine said.

"Perhaps, but we can always meet each other some other time," Charlie said.

Josephine's smile brightened.

"Monsieur, you are too kind. I leave back for Paris tomorrow evening," she said. "Enjoy the rest of the flight." She moved on.

Charlie lifted the National Geographic. He was reading an article about the killing of young elephants for ivory. Charlie felt disgusted by the story.

He put the National Geographic down and glanced out the side window again. He noticed the sky was light grey and overcast. There were no turbulences, and pilot had announced that the plane was gearing up for a smooth landing.

Charlie decided to relax for the time being. He was looking forward to finally being home with Casey.

He thought of her as the plane began its descent onto the runway. Casey most likely would be waiting for Charlie at the terminal.

Charlie wasn't carrying anything with him except for a small duffle bag and a wrapped bouquet of roses he bought for Casey.

He was used to not travelling with hardly any luggage on him. He liked to travel light, as to avoid anything that could be traced back to him somehow.

Just as he was about the get off the plane through the tarmac Charlie said to Josephine the stewardess, "I hope you enjoy your trip back."

Josephine responded jubilantly, "I hope she misses you more than you'd expect."

To that Charlie smiled brightly at her.

***

Casey wasn't at the terminal.

There was a man however, holding a sign with Charlie's name on it. Charlie paused as he tried to get read of him.

The man was wearing a black slim suit with a dark blue tie and black shades. He saw Charlie approaching him and smiled. He laid the sign down and said loudly, "I hope your flight has carried you well Monsieur Schmidt."

Charlie stopped. He was no more than ten or twelve feet away from the man. He glanced over his right and left shoulder. He didn't notice anyone appear out of sight or stare at him.

He turned back to face the man in the black suit.

The man slowly came up to Charlie before he abruptly came to a stop. He was now just a foot and a half in front of Charlie. Charlie could smell the strong cologne off the fella.

"Who the hell are you?" Charlie said.

The man replied, "My name is Arnaud Bellanger. I am your fence."

Charlie raised an eyebrow.

His fence?

Charlie wasn't sure what to make of what Arnaud had just said. He was carrying his duffle bag over his left shoulder and the bouquet of roses in his right.

He wasn't sure if this man was sent as a hit man or some lookout. He didn't like the way Arnaud approached him.

Arnaud raised his right finger to his mouth and cleared his throat.

"I was sent here by a Mr. Henry Shaw," he said.

Charlie calmed down. Henry Shaw was Charlie's superior. Charlie had not seen or heard from Henry Shaw in a long while.

"Why does he need to send a fence over to see me?" Charlie said as he handed the duffle bag to Arnaud. Arnaud placed the duffle bag over his left shoulder.

"I don't know," he said. He inspected the duffle bag.

"What are inside are a few items I bought at the airport," Charlie said as he and Arnaud began to walk out of the terminal.

A black Mercedes Benz was parked by the curb. Arnaud quickly placed the duffle bag in the back seat and instructed Charlie to sit in the front with him.

"I'm taking you to a place I own on St. Claire Avenue," Arnaud said.

Charlie was surprised.

"I thought you were taking me to see Henry first," he said.

He put on his seatbelt.

Arnaud inserted the keys and turned the ignition.

"Henry will not be in town until later tonight. I've been instructed to take you to my place for the meantime until further notice," Arnaud said.

He spoke with a thick French accent. Charlie's guess was that he was originally from the Mediterranean coast.

"Are you from Marseille?" Charlie said.

Arnaud shot him a quick glance and then a smile. He said, "Yes."

They drove all the way to Toronto in silence. Charlie decided to sit back in his passenger seat and doze off for a bit. It was a long flight and he was looking forward to catching some shut eye.

***

When they arrived at the place Charlie immediately sat down in a large white sofa and Arnaud went into the kitchen.

"Don't rest on me yet," he said as Charlie straightened up.

Arnaud came to the open-space living room with a large empty glass and a large bottle of vodka.

"I understand you like to drink," he said as he placed the contents down on a glass table in front of Charlie.

Charlie nodded. He was in need of drink every now and then. He poured himself a half glass of the vodka, made a slight toast to Arnaud who stood watching and drank.

"Ah, merci," he said cheerfully.

Arnaud gave a mild shrug and smiled at Charlie. He turned and went back to the kitchen.

"I've prepared a meal for you: roasted quarter chicken with veal, roasted peppers, baked potatoes, and a bowl of salad," Arnaud said. "I hope you'll indulge while I head back to sort out a few things."

Charlie stood up and turned to see Arnaud placing the food on a small round kitchen table. Charlie was impressed.

"Looks delicious," he said as he sat at the kitchen table.

Arnaud said, "I should go now. Bon-a-petit!"

To that Charlie delved into the food. As expected the food was mouth-watering.

Charlie was alone now but he didn't care. His thoughts turned to Casey. She was probably expecting Charlie to arrive home by now.

Charlie wasn't worried. He could always see her tomorrow morning. Truth was Charlie wasn't expecting to see Casey until tomorrow evening at the latest.

Charlie took his time to finish the rest of his food.

He remembered he had his mobile phone in his black leather jacket. He stopped his eating and quickly searched his side pockets. He got out his phone and dialled Casey's number.

No response. He dialled the number again. No response. He dialled the number a third time and after he left a message for Casey.

"Casey, sweetie, this is Charles. I'll be home soon. Love ya!" he said into the mobile. He closed his mobile and inserted it back in his side pocket.

He resumed his eating. Soon he was done and he was courteous enough to take his plate and glass and wash the dishes and then place them in the dishwasher machine.

Arnaud returned a few minutes later. He was carrying a large metallic briefcase. He said, "Okay, I've just been informed that Henry is in fact here in town and he is waiting for you."

Charlie nodded.

"So, we go see Henry now?" he said.

"Yes," Arnaud responded. "Let's go."

They left the place and were back outside. A streetcar rolled by in the opposite direction as they entered the Benz.

"What's inside the briefcase?" Charlie asked.

Arnaud didn't respond. He was too busy listening to his thoughts about something and driving on the road. He managed to squeak past a streetcar that was in front of him and Charlie.

Finally, after what seemed like more than ever, Arnaud said something.

"I'm sorry if you are put off by my non response," he said.

He seemed amused. He made a sharp right. They were on University now and they were heading south.

"We'll arrive hopefully in no more than twenty minutes," Arnaud said. "Henry owns two condo apartments. The one were going to is directly across from the GO station."

"Not the one by the arena?" Charlie said. He immediately felt it was a stupid question.

"That one he's leaving it to his second-in-command," Arnaud said.

Charlie did an eye roll and said nothing after that.

They drove in silence.

### Chapter 4

*The Shaw Man*

Henry Belmonte Shaw was a tall and imposing man. He had a silver ponytail and a stern narrow face. His blue eyes gave off an intensive stare. He wore only a black long sleeve turtleneck and dark blue jeans.

Somehow he reminded Charlie of Steve Jobs, the late founder of Apple.

"Sit down," Henry said in his long and booming voice as he pointed to both Charlie and Arnaud two black chairs.

Both men sat down. Henry remained standing. He said to Arnaud, "Has he been updated on the latest developments?"

Arnaud nodded his head no. Henry looked annoyed. He quickly changed his expression as he looked at Charlie. He smiled.

"Pleased to see you again Charles," Henry said. He sat down across from Charlie and Arnaud.

"Arnaud was supposed to have told you about a situation we are currently dealing with," Henry said.

He grabbed a small brown manila envelope and tossed it across to Charlie.

Charlie picked up the envelope. He looked inside and saw there were two black and white photographs of a cute dark hair woman. He looked up at Henry.

"I don't understand," he said.

He placed the envelope and photographs down.

"Let me explain this to you," Henry said.

He cleared his throat.

"Charles, we have a fucking problem. I'm currently employing two people, both their names Sonia and Taylor. Sonia has become a major havoc," he said to Charlie.

Charlie didn't say a word. He just sat there and listened.

"I need you to find Sonia and take her down when possible," Henry said. He looked at Arnaud. Arnaud nodded then said to Charlie,

"I was sent over from France by a contact who's a friend of Henry. He said to watch things over here and help you out. I will supply you information and tactics and so forth."

Charlie was gradually taking this all in. So basically Henry wanted Charlie to take out one of his assassins.

There was a problem with that request.

Charlie was retired from killing. He first entered the trade when he was in his mid twenties, now at forty-five, he wanted to return to normalcy.

He had spent the last few weeks actually in a secret location in the Basque region training new E.T.A recruits.

He was only coming back for just a few days in the city, mostly to regroup and see his girlfriend Casey.

Charlie was living a quite life here and he had hoped he could finally keep his violent past behind him. But he knew Henry Shaw and he knew that he was indebted to the man.

He felt uncomfortable. He wasn't sure to what to say at first. He looked at Arnaud first and then he turned his focus on Henry.

"What does this have to do with me, Henry?" he said.

Henry pursed his lips. He wasn't thrilled with the question. Maybe it was because Charlie was no longer working for him.

"Charlie, I still need you," Henry started to say. "I still need you because you're my best bet now."

Charlie countered, "What about Taylor?"

"Taylor is a lost cause," Arnaud chimed in.

Charlie and Henry stared at him.

Arnaud continued on.

"Charlie, I was brought here from France mostly to assist you in finding this girl," he said as he turned aside to face Charlie.

Charlie was quiet.

"I believe what Henry is asking of you is a small favor, right Henry?"

Henry didn't say anything. Not even a nod was noticeable.

"We can discuss this later tomorrow evening while you're at it Charlie," Henry finally said.

He stood up. Charlie and Arnaud stood from their seats afterward. Both men shook hands with Henry and left the condo apartment.

While waiting for the elevator Arnaud said, "He's not happy with you."

Charlie gave him the 'so what's that supposed to fucking mean?' look. He said, "Oh, so you're suggesting I owe him something?"

Arnaud made a slight chuckle.

"Just...oh, it's nothing," he said.

The two men rode the elevator down in silence. Outside the foyer they entered the Benz. It was late afternoon now and the skies were almost dark.

"I need to see Casey," Charlie said.

"We can drive there right away if you like," Arnaud said. "Where does she live?"

"Up in North York, just a little ways west of the subway," Charlie responded.

Arnaud said, "Okay, good, we can go there then."

"One more thing," Charlie said.

"Yes?"

"Since when was it decided you became my fence?" Charlie said.

Arnaud grinned. He said, "I agreed to Henry's request."

"So you two knew each other?" Charlie said.

"Yes, I've done some work for him back in London and Paris. This was years ago. I went off the grid for some time after that."

"Why?" said Charlie.

Arnaud responded, "I had things to attend to that were of utter importance."

Charlie took a moment. After, he said, "I'm not going to ask you what those 'things of utter importance' were."

"Good, I suggest you keep it that way."

Now it was Charlie was grinning at Arnaud. "You know, you're not too shabby for a Frenchman," he said.

Arnaud exited the side entrance onto Front Street. "I grew up in Montreal as a youth after my parents and I immigrated there when I was six," he said.

"Montreal, is that so?" Charlie said, his tone displaying a hint of surprise.

"Yes it is. It is so Monsieur Charlie."

"Did your folks have a lovely time in that city?" Charlie asked. He was more intrigued by the answers that Arnaud was giving him. He had only met the Frenchman just under a couple of hours ago.

Arnaud responded, "No. They moved back to Marseille after I turned eighteen."

"You stayed back in Montreal?" Charlie said.

"I was in school, university undergrad," Arnaud said.

"What was your major?" asked Charlie. He figured since Arnaud was open with him he might as well press the Frenchman on some details about his life. Arnaud didn't seem to mind.

"It was Mechanical Engineering," Arnaud said.

Charlie was impressed. "Hmm, sounds nice," he said.

"You want to know where?" Arnaud said.

"Let me guess...McGill?" Charlie guessed.

"Yes sir," Arnaud said happily.

"Did you like it?" Charlie asked.

Arnaud took a moment before responding, "No, I hated it. I dropped out after second year."

"I never went to college. I had no use for it," Charlie said.

"That's a shame; you sound like a smart guy."

"You have both a soft and a smooth accent, Arnaud."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"So, you are taking me to see Casey, right?"

"That's where were going."

"Good."

"There won't be any surprises."

"Arnaud, I hope for your own sake."

They drove without saying another word to each other.

### Chapter 5

*Sonia Does it Again!*

Sonia awoke abruptly. It took a few minutes to get herself together before she recognized where she was.

After a couple of big yawns and arms and legs outward stretching, Sonia stood up and slowly went upstairs.

She remembered she had been in the house for a couple of days and nights and placed the severed body parts into the freezer in the garage.

She was fortunate to have discovered the big white freezer while she was searching for a place to hide the bloody evidence.

Her long leather coat was on the couch she had leaned against while sleeping. She heard a buzz from her flip phone. Sonia decided she wasn't going to take the call. She had other stuff to think about.

She was at the kitchen when her flip phoned buzzed again. She was surprised at how loud the buzzing was. She looked into the fridge and found a half-empty bottle of no-name cola.

Sonia took the bottle and found a small glass cup. She drank the rest of the half-empty bottle while standing in the kitchen. She was smiling at herself.

Her thoughts went to Ashley, the woman she killed and dismembered the previous night. Sonia remembered that she had left the chainsaw in the bedroom.

After finishing her cola, she went up the stairs. The large blade of the chainsaw still had traces of human blood and flesh particles on it.

Sonia grinned.

"What a wonderful night," she said out loud to nobody.

She picked up the chainsaw and she entered the bathroom with it. She quickly rinsed the dried blood and flesh particles off the blade. She exited the bathroom and went downstairs with the chainsaw in her hand.

She put back on her shirt and pants and her leather jacket. She was free now that Ashley was out of the picture. She wasn't concerned about anyone finding out the severed remains later on.

Once outside, Sonia quickly placed the chainsaw in the trunk of her Prius. It was cold and overcast. Spring was uncharacteristically cold and brisk so far. People everywhere complained about it.

Sonia wasn't moved by it. She entered her Prius and after inserting the keys she started the ignition.

She glanced at her digital watch.

7:31 P.M.

She remembered she had an Adele CD inside the music player. She turned on the music player and switched to the track 'Rumors'.

Sonia nodded her hand to the drums and beats of the song as she drove on. She was a big Adele fan.

She was done with her second victim and she was already thinking about her third potential target to kill.

Charlie Schmidt.

The name was constantly drumming in her mind ever since she arrived.

Charlie Schmidt was the reason she came to Toronto. He was the prized the catch, the biggest fish of them all. He was the best in the business, well, according to the man on the phone who offered Sonia the contract.

Sonia had been reluctant at first. She knew Charlie's reputation and she also knew that Charlie would be her most formidable foe. But that was a thing of the past.

Charlie didn't mean shit to Sonia. He was just another worthless human being waiting to be extinct. And it would be done in the hands of the Dragon.

Sonia liked to call herself the Dragon sometimes. She was fascinated by it. She had gone as far as to having a dragon's head tattooed on her back.

She drove casually. The blurring street lights and neon signs had come into contact with the windshield. At times Sonia would have to shield one eye with her left hand while keeping her right hand on the steering wheel.

Sonia finally managed to get out of sight of the lights once she turned left on Young.

She didn't bother pay much attention to the hurrying passer byes and cars that passed on both sides of her lane. She was squarely focused on Charlie.

She finally landed at the spot she wanted to be at. It was on a street adjacent to the University of Toronto St. George campus. She parked and turned off the ignition.

Sonia got out of her Prius and started walking. The air was cold and brisk and the dark blue skies hovered calmly. It was a beautiful evening. Not so beautiful was the woman walking under it.

Sonia stopped. She turned to face the Varsity Stadium. She moved on. She reached St. George and turned right. She was walking slowly now, observing the oncoming chorus of students who were walking about in both directions.

She held her handgun firmly with her right hand in her right pocket. She had a target in mind. A young professor she had a one night stand with a few nights ago.

She made another right and was now heading towards Museum subway station.

She stopped again and turned to enter the St. George school building. The building was in fact a cathedral type of structure.

She found the professor, a Dr. Hayley, who was standing with a young female student. Sonia made a slight whistle.

Dr. Hayley didn't seem to notice at first until he saw the handgun aimed him. Sonia pulled the trigger. Three shots were fired at Dr. Hayley, two of them squarely at the chest.

Sonia scrammed out of the cathedral as soon as the third shot was fired. Screams and pandemonium could be heard echoing from inside the building.

Sonia ran as fast as she could, pushing over several startled passer byes that were in her way.

She managed to get to her car and after inserting her keys she made a u-turn again and drove off.

That would be the last of it for today. Sonia was going rogue. She drove back home carefully.

### Chapter 6

*Charlie Discovers Death at Casey's Door*

Charlie was the first to exit the Benz. Arnaud stood aside as he watched Charlie walk up the steps to the front porch of the townhouse. It was dark outside and Arnaud felt a bit cold.

"I will stand here by the car and wait for you," Arnaud said as Charlie prepared to insert the keys in the lock.

"Sure," Charlie said. "You might want to make yourself comfortable inside the car while you're at it."

Charlie smiled at him as he opened the door. He had noticed that the door was unlocked and that there was no need to insert the key.

The first that caught him were the bullet holes. A cold sweat suddenly crept up Charlie's back. Something terrible had happened and he didn't want to ponder the possibility.

"Casey?" he shouted. "Casey baby, are you home?"

There was no response from Casey.

Charlie quickly stepped outside. He saw Arnaud talk on his cell phone. Arnaud had noticed Charlie and quickly cut off his conversation with whoever he was calling.

"Charles, what's wrong?" Arnaud said, concern echoing in his voice.

He came up the steps. Charlie's face was displaying a look of worry.

"I think something's happened," Charlie said.

Arnaud went inside. He saw the bullet holes on the wall.

"Have you seen her yet?" he said to Charlie.

Charlie didn't respond. Arnaud could hear Charlie's heavy breathing.

"I'll go check upstairs; you have a gun with you?" Arnaud said.

Charlie looked at him. He said, "They don't allow guns on the airplane."

Arnaud gave a quick smile before handing Charlie a gun. It was a Chrome Finish .38 caliber revolver.

"Take it, I have another one in my pocket," Arnaud said.

He reached into his breast pocket and took out another revolver, this one being the same model.

"I'll go check upstairs, maybe you should check the basement," Arnaud said.

Charlie nodded his head. He quickly went to the kitchen as Arnaud slowly climbed the stairs, his handgun drawn.

Charlie looked around the kitchen but he didn't see Casey. Suddenly he turned around and saw a female body in the sitting room. It was her.

Casey had been shot multiple times. Charlie ran over to her body. He cried, "Casey!"

Arnaud heard the cry and ran down the stairs. He saw Charlie kneel next to the riddled body. He could only watch as Charlie had sunk over.

"Charlie..." Arnaud started to say, his words trailing off.

Charlie placed a hand down and gently rubbed Casey's hair.

"Oh shit," Charlie moaned.

He was enraged. Someone had got to Casey, and would have gotten to Charlie too.

Charlie looked up at Arnaud.

Casey was dead and there was nothing Charlie could do about it. He said, "Did you do this?"

Arnaud shoot his head. "No, I did not," he responded.

He knelt down next to Charlie. Charlie was gently rubbing Casey's hair.

"She's dead Charles," Arnaud said.

Charlie stopped. He looked at Arnaud. He wasn't sure if he wanted to shoot the guy or kick him in the teeth.

Instead, he stood up.

"Let's go," he said as he handed the handgun back to Arnaud.

"What about the house, the body?" Arnaud said.

Charlie didn't say anything. Casey was dead and there was nothing Charlie could do about it. Now, he had the option of finding out who killed her and why.

Charlie and Casey had lived with each other for just over a year. Charlie met his girlfriend at a book store on Bloor Street. It was during the month of February of the previous year and Charlie was already retired from Honorable, the group of assassins he and Henry Shaw founded. Charlie was starting out in his new life outside of killing.

He was gazing through the mystery section when he noticed a young woman wearing a bright yellow winter jacket and fitted blue jeans. She was wearing black-trimmed glasses and had large blue eyes.

She was pretty, in a rugged way, but also attractive. She caught Charlie's attention and Charlie smiled at her when she noticed him staring at her. She was uncomfortable at first. Charlie calmly approached her and said politely, "Hello."

Casey, not knowing who Charlie was and why he was staring at her, said, "Um, do I know you...sir?"

Charlie was mystified by the 'sir' analogy. He smiled at the young woman, this time with a wider grin, and said, "My name is Charlie. I've seen you a couple of times here but I wasn't sure if approaching you was the right call."

Casey, still uncomfortable, said, "Could you please leave me alone?" Charlie backed away from her slightly. He still had his eyes on her. He turned so slightly and finally returned to his original spot. He was going to see the woman again, no doubt.

He saw the young woman again several weeks later. It was early April and Charlie was on the second floor. Casey was standing right next to him. The two were engaged in conversation.

"So, you came here once or twice a week hoping to find me?" Casey said as she and Charlie looked at a magazine stand.

"Yeah," Charlie responded. "I was hoping you'd show up at some point. I guess you did after all." The young woman, who introduced himself as Casey, said, "Charlie, I'm not in the mood for anything at the moment."

Charlie said, "I'm cool with that. I was just hoping we could get acquainted with each other; maybe have a cup of coffee or something like that." The two went to a nearby Starbucks where they sat together for some chit-chat.

"I was in a bad relationship to begin with," Casey said. She ordered a large Café Grande and Charlie went for a large banana-mango smoothie.

"How bad was it?" Charlie said.

"I don't want to get into the specifics," Casey said as she gently sipped her café. Charlie was immediately struck by her sturdiness. He wondered if Casey was in fact as young as she appeared to be. There was a certain maturity about her, perhaps in the way she reacted to Charlie the second time she met him.

"How come you always go to the Bloor Books Rotunda?" Casey said. Charlie thought for answer for a moment. Casey could tell he was thinking of something. She smiled. She was positive, and that suited Charlie just fine.

"I have a passion for books," Charlie said. He didn't like that he'd come up with such a crappy answer.

"So, you have a passion for books, that's your reasoning?" Casey said. She was smiling at Charlie. Charlie was getting a kick out of her smile.

"I'm sorry, but I only went there for the chance to see you," Charlie said. He was halfway done with his banana-mango smoothie.

"Do you want us to meet again sometime, Charlie?" Casey said. Charlie finished his smoothie and looked at Casey for a moment.

"Sure," he said. They left together soon. It would be the first of many encounters Casey and Charlie had together.

Arnaud was staring at an anguished Charlie who held Casey's head in his arms. Tears were streaming down his eyes. Charlie wanted Casey back. He didn't want the feeling of losing her.

"Charlie," Arnaud said. "What happened?"

Charlie, with tears drenched in his eyes, looked up at Arnaud.

"What the fuck do you think happened!" he snapped.

Arnaud didn't respond. His dug his hands in his pockets and watched as Charlie balled over in anguish. It was a tragic thing for Arnaud to see. He had seen his fair share during the days.

"Charlie," Arnaud started to say calmly. "We need to get out of here."

Charlie stopped crying. He gently rubbed his right thumb on Casey's forehead. Her lifeless blue eyes stared up into the ceiling. For Charlie, seeing Casey dead was the worst think that could happen. He had hoped his violent past wouldn't catch up with him.

"I want to bury her," Charlie said. "There's a spot out in the backyard. I'll take the shovel from the garage. We'll wrap the body in a blanket and bury it there."

"Is this a good idea Charles?" Arnaud said, not wanting to sound stupid.

Charlie replied softly, "It doesn't matter. She's dead, Arnaud. Let's get on with it."

He quickly wiped the tears off his face with his left hand.

"Okay, I will find a blanket upstairs and you can go get the shovel," Arnaud said. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Fuck off, alright Arnaud?" Charlie chided. He was angry now despite being overwhelmed by the grief. Arnaud went upstairs and came back a few minutes later with a large white blanket.

Charlie retrieved a large shovel from the garage. He came out through the back and saw Arnaud place the body that was wrapped in the blanket on the ground. There were no witnesses. No one heard the shooting and no one suspected that a body was being buried on a property.

"I did, you bury," Arnaud said. He quickly removed his blazer. He rolled up his sleeps halfway and passed the blazer to Charlie, who gave Arnaud the shovel.

Arnaud started digging and Charlie stood and watched. His thoughts went to the first night he and Casey had spent together.

"You're cooking omelettes?" a cheerful Casey said. She watched Charlie batter eggnog and scrambled eggs on a frying pan.

"I make eggs my own way," Charlie teased. He smiled at Casey who smiled back at him. Casey wrapped her arms around Charlie's waist. The two had just finished having sex and the feeling afterwards was beatific.

"We've seen each other for a few weeks now," Casey started to say. She placed the right side of her head against Charlie's back. "You and I have slept at each other's place. Can we just live together?"

Charlie was surprised by the question. In truth Charlie loved Casey. Everything about her was in his mind heavenly. Casey was thirteen years Charlie's junior but the two loved each other immensely. Yes, to describe the short time the two spent together would be considered rash or quick in some circles, but Casey was just as much as in love with Charlie as he felt about her.

Charlie had left Honorable, a cover group of assassins he worked for, and he was looking forward to starting a new life outside of killing and violence. He wanted to stay away from Honorable as far and as much as possible.

Luckily, the group was internationally based and faceless. Only three assassins were part of the group, Charlie being one of them, and Henry Belmonte Shaw, the co-founder of Honorable, was a mentor to Charlie.

Henry wasn't thrilled about Charlie's rash decision to leave Honorable, but he never the less respected Charlie's decision.

Charlie spun around, placed his hands on Casey's back and kissed her. Soon they went at it again lasting about an hour. Charlie hadn't been tired and neither was Casey. The eggs were never eaten but it didn't matter.

Earlier on in the relationship Charlie leaned that Casey came from a single parent home with one younger sibling. Her father died when she was a toddler and during her mother's second pregnancy.

Casey bounced around homes when she was a teenager. Her younger sister Yolanda died of an overdose when she was seventeen. Casey dropped out of college soon after and went to live with her then boyfriend, a third year grad student named Max.

Max came from a wealthy family but he didn't love Casey they way Casey suspected he would. He'd often use her for mostly sexual needs and only on occasion did he take Casey out places and spend lavish amounts on her.

Casey ended the relationship on a summer night when she found three women and Max sleeping together on his king-size bed. Casey packed her things without making a whimper and left.

Max had been generous enough to leave her with some money to support herself and after boarding a coach, she moved across the border from Detroit and settled in Toronto.

She lived with a cousin for the time being before finding a small place uptown. She worked a few jobs, mostly in call centers and front desks, and she currently was working as a masseuse at a sophisticated spa known as Queen Elizabeth's Parlour, or 'the Clip' as it was called.

She liked her job and she liked the girls who worked the same shift with her. Casey was also into books, especially romance and history. She would go to book stores every now and then to scan and purchase a book or two. She was a book nerd.

"Okay," Charlie found himself saying after the pair stopped kissing. "We can move in to your place since it's nicer than mine."

Casey chuckled. "No offense, but your place is a shithole," she said half laughingly. Charlie raised an eyebrow. Casey stuck out her tongue and slowly rubbed it around her lips. She kissed Charlie afterward.

"Imagine all that fucking you and I would be doing once we settle in," she said. She continued kissing him. Charlie stood there, fully aware that he was hard and that he wanted some more.

"I love you," Charlie whispered. "I'm happy you're here in my life Casey, so happy."

Charlie kissed her on the forehead. After, the two went back upstairs to Casey's bedroom.

Arnaud spent an hour and a half digging through the earth. He had managed to dig a hole that was a reasonable size. Charlie helped out with the digging at times.

"We can bury the body now," Arnaud said. "I think the hole is deep enough."

"Okay," said Charlie.

The two men carefully picked up the wrapped body. Charlie was holding the body by the feet while Arnaud was holding by the shoulders. They managed to insert the wrapped body into the hole. After some careful adjusting, both men quickly placed the dirt back in the ground.

When they were finished Charlie took out his mobile and glanced at the time. It was fifteen minutes to ten. Charlie sighed.

"We should consider other living alternatives for you for the time being," Arnaud said.

The two men were now standing at the front of the townhouse. Charlie displayed a sour look on his face as he watched Arnaud straighten his blazer.

"What does that mean?" Charlie said.

"It's your place, isn't it?" Arnaud said as the two men entered the Benz.

Charlie sat in the passenger seat silently. It wasn't until they passed a few street lights that he started talking again.

"I didn't have any title on it, whatsoever," Charlie said glumly.

"No title?"

"Yes."

"How so?"

"It was hers," Charlie said. "We had lived there for only a year or so."

"I don't understand," Arnaud said.

He made a right turn on Young.

"There is nothing to understand," Charlie said.

"So, how come you're not going to do anything about Casey? She was your, um, girlfriend, right?" Arnaud said.

He continued onwards on Young.

"Henry went out of his way to make sure that Casey didn't know the truth of my existence," Charlie said.

"What does that mean?" said Arnaud.

"I went by an alternative yet similar name; the one you're calling met at the moment."

"You mean...Charles?" Arnaud said.

"Yes, of course," Charlie replied.

"Why, may I ask?" Arnaud asked.

"It was for cover."

"Yes, I know you're not supposed to reveal your true identity, but..." Arnaud slipped as he tried to say the words.

Charlie said, "It makes no difference. It was her name solely on the property. She owned it."

"So, you happened to be someone who she brought into her life? Well, that's splendid."

"I don't see how this is funny," Charlie said coldly.

Arnaud said defensively, "I'm not laughing, I'm just saying."

"You don't have to tell me," Charlie said.

"You were not being honest with her, and now she's dead because of that."

Charlie snapped, "Go fuck yourself!"

"You are only saying this because I'm right," Arnaud said.

Charlie snapped once more, "Fuck you and fuck the French."

"I will tell my mother," Arnaud teased.

They arrived at a Jack Asters bar and grill on Dundas Street. It was late evening and several parking spots were available. Arnaud parked his Benz.

Both men exited the vehicle and went inside the bar and grill. Charlie found a table at the back-end of the place.

Arnaud went to the men's room first.

He found Charlie at the table afterward. A cute blonde wearing a white apron and a black shirt came to the table a few minutes later.

"Good evening, what can I get you gentlemen?" she said.

Arnaud looked at Charlie, who simply stared down at the table.

"We'll have the same drinks, a Grey Goose if you have that," Arnaud said to the blonde.

"Anything else besides your drinks?" the blonde said.

Arnaud quickly said,

"No, that's it for now, thank you."

The blonde wrote down the order and left the table.

Arnaud gave Charlie a small nudge on his left arm. Charlie looked up at him.

"Why are you so glum?" he said.

Charlie wanted to thrash him.

He wanted to spend more time with her as his killing past was finally being put behind him.

Casey was the first and only light of normalcy for Charlie. Now she was gone and Charlie had no normalcy left. There was, however, his teenage daughter from a previous relationship.

The blonde came back with the drinks a minute later. She placed down the two glasses and a large bottle of Grey Goose vodka served with a tray.

"Thank you," Arnaud said approvingly.

"You're welcome," the blonde said.

She gave a quick glance of Charlie. She looked back at Arnaud, who simply shrugged his shoulders while smiling at the blonde.

She left the table again and it was just Arnaud and Charlie.

"You need to get over it," Arnaud said.

Charlie gritted his teeth. He had only been with Arnaud for at least a couple of hours and already the guy was getting on Charlie's nerves.

Arnaud sensed it and decided not to talk anymore for the evening. He picked up an empty glass, poured himself some vodka, and drank.

Charlie wasn't in the mood for drinks or Arnaud's bantering. He was thinking about Casey. Charlie didn't disclose his true identity to Casey. He was a "retired" assassin and Casey's safety was of upmost importance.

Charlie wasn't sure what to make of the situation. He straightened up a bit and Arnaud served him his glass of vodka. Charlie took the glass and stared at it.

He finally began to drink. He would go on to have three more glasses of Grey Goose vodka.

Just a few hours ago Charlie got himself out of a plane despite a grueling twelve-hour flight. Now, he was just filtering in the details, still trying to get back in the zone.

### Chapter 7

*Taylor Makes a Hit*

Taylor was parked outside a building the previous day. He was wearing a black 2-button slim suit with a dark grey tie and white slim-fit shirt.

His auburn hair was combed to a Robert Redford style and his blue eyes continued to gaze at the attractive woman he had been following.

He was seated inside a 2014 Mercedes Benz Cla250. His gun, a .50 caliber Polished Chrome Desert Eagle Mark XIX pistol, was sitting on the passenger seat.

One look at Taylor would make anyone think he was a millionaire. He loved expensive cars and guns, and craved expensive imagery. He was the 'rich boy' or 'Mr. Posh' as he'd sometimes refer himself as.

Taylor, who's actual name was Francis Taylor Eagleton, was originally from north-east London. It was Henry Shaw, another Londoner, who brought Taylor over to Toronto.

Taylor exited out of his Benz.

He glanced at both sides of the dirt road and started crossing it. His right hand was holding the pistol and his left hand was perched inside his left pocket.

He was calm and composed. This was as normal as it could get for Taylor. He played this scenario numerous times before.

He'd walk in, follow and locate his target, draw his weapon and open fire. By the end of the day a nice windfall of money would be allotted to him. That was his job and his life.

In truth Taylor wasn't always a paid killer. But he figured if it wasn't killing he'd do, then it would have to be something else. But what would it be then? He certainly wouldn't have what he's had accumulated.

Taylor stopped at the entrance. He could hear one or two distant voices.

Taylor waited for another minute. He knew nobody else who had driven up this road either than himself. He was sure of it.

It had taken him almost four days to get to Thunder Bay. He had never been here before, and to be quite honest, he wasn't a fan of it either.

He made a quick check of his pistol. He knew the target and the woman were inside.

Henry Shaw had arranged the hit. It was supposed to be a routine job but Taylor decides to follow the target instead.

What he didn't expect was the three and half day laboring drive to Thunder Bay, but not to mention the sight of the woman herself.

She didn't know the person she was talking to inside the building was going to be killed. But it didn't matter. Taylor was going to have a piece of her after he'd take care of his target.

So he went in. It was quiet at first. There wasn't much around besides a few small tables and chairs and an old dog that was sleeping. A man suddenly appeared.

He wore a traditional Native garment and a brown hat.

Taylor recognized Jean Elliot from the picture Henry had provided him. He quickly raised his pistol and aimed at Jean. Jean's eyes rose.

"My name is Taylor and Henry Shaw wanted me to send his regards," Taylor said.

He smiled at Jean. Jean pleaded,

"I don't who you are or who this 'Henry Shaw' of yours is, but please, don't shoot me."

Taylor nodded is head. He aimed the pistol at Jean's head.

"I won't shoot you Mr. Elliot," he said calmly.

Jean swallowed his throat. Something was amiss and he could sense it. If only the woman had not gone into the washroom...

"I swear, I don't know anyone by that name you've mentioned," Jean said nervously.

Taylor sported a wider grin. The bastard was lying to his face but Taylor wasn't showing any irritancy towards Jean.

Rather, he was internally harboring contempt.

"You are going to leave now?" Jean said.

Taylor stretched his neck. His right hand was firmly on the pistol. He said,

"No, I'm going to shoot you."

Two shots were fired at Jean's chest. Jean fell back on the floor, his eyes giving off an instant glare at Taylor.

Taylor watched as Jean coughed in his blood before succumbing to his wounds. He was dead a few seconds later.

The woman had heard the conversation and the gunfire.

It was the woman who fired at Taylor from behind the wall. A couple of shots were fired, one nearly grazing Taylor's left ear.

Taylor made a frantic duck towards the right side. He returned fire, firing four successive shots in the direction the woman's shots came from.

The woman did not return fire. Taylor quickly stood up, his heart racing and his grip on the pistol tightening.

"Hey bitch, come out if you're still alive!" Taylor screamed.

There was no response.

Taylor slowly started moving. He was about a foot and a half past Jean's body when he saw an arm stretch out.

He stopped for a quick moment. He raised his pistol and aimed at the wall. He wanted to fire, but he figured the woman was already hit by the first round of shots.

"Hey lady, can you talk?" Taylor said loudly.

A sound of gargled coughing could be heard. Taylor quickly passed through the space and turned to his left. The woman was leaning against the wall – with a hole the size of a golf ball in her chest.

Her eyes were starring off. Taylor knelt down to check her pulse. He laid his left finger against the side of her neck.

He didn't feel a pulse. The woman was dead.

Taylor got up and left the building. It was starting to cool down now. His mobile buzzed.

"This is Taylor," he said.

The voice on the other end was Henry Shaw.

"I need you back in town as soon as possible," Henry said. He sounded urgent.

"What's the problem boss?" Taylor said as he entered his Benz.

Henry responded,

"Charlie's back."

Click.

Taylor sat still in his car.

Charlie Schmidt, Taylor's good friend, had returned.

Taylor smiled as he turned the ignition began his long drive back to Toronto.

### Chapter 8

*Jack Astor's Bar Downtown*

Charlie and Arnaud were standing outside Jack Astor's. It was past midnight and Charlie felt a bit tired. He had been on the plane for about ten and a half hours across the Atlantic. He was looking forward to sleeping it off for the night.

"Want to go someplace for a little while?" Arnaud asked.

Charlie gave him the look. Arnaud shrugged silently and went to his Benz. Charlie entered in the passenger seat as Arnaud started the car. He wasn't in the mood for talk.

The last hour or so had been spent with Charlie having only three glasses of vodka and Arnaud exchanging glances with the blonde.

The blonde's name was...Cassie. Charlie had thought Arnaud was making up some joke. Arnaud ordered a large plate of onion rings and chicken wings as a compliment to both Cassie and Charlie.

Charlie had thought that Arnaud was simply trying to cheer him up or set him up with Cassie. There was no use for that.

"Arnaud, what was the point of the food and banter?" Charlie said as Arnaud exited University on Adelaide.

Arnaud wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"Charlie, I'm just trying to be helpful," he said.

"I don't need your help, alright?" Charlie said angrily.

Arnaud didn't reply. He was used to Charlie already even though the two men had just met each other.

He was in fact fond of Charlie. He knew about Charlie's exploits back in Europe many years back.

Charlie leaned back in his chair. He wanted to shut himself down. He was too busy thinking about Casey. Who could have killed her and why?

Arnaud noticed Charlie was still in his deep train of thought. He decided he wasn't going to say anything to Charlie unless he was spoken to first. They drove back to Arnaud's place without another word spoken.

Arnaud was the first to enter the loft. He was followed by Charlie, who did a big yawn and sat down on the couch.

"I have an extra room upstairs if you'd like to sleep here," Arnaud said.

Charlie looked at him in surprise.

"You have a second floor?" he said as Arnaud went into the kitchen.

"Yes, and it was added to this one a few years back," Arnaud responded. "The guy upstairs who used to live there inherited it from his late father and he was struggling to sell it. So I bought it off him, made some renovations, and added a small stairwell that links both floors."

Charlie was impressed. The linking of two separate floors onto of each other seemed uncommon to him. He said, "I appreciate the help, but I'm at a loss."

Arnaud smiled at him.

"You don't have to worry my friend," Arnaud said reassuringly. "I have enough room here and you'll have enough room upstairs."

"What about guns?" Charlie said.

He looked around whole place. He thought Arnaud would a stash of guns somewhere hidden.

"I'll give you a couple of guns to start with, don't worry," Arnaud said. "For now, rest a bit. I'll take care of that tomorrow afternoon."

Arnaud showed Charlie the stairwell. It was connected in renovated large walk-in closet that contained only a few suits and pants and two rows of dress shoes.

"I don't use this closet," Arnaud said as he showed Charlie the stairwell. "I have my own in my bedroom. This is strictly for someone who is upstairs."

Charlie began to walk up the stairwell. Upstairs the space was mostly spacious, with hardwood flooring, two black leather couches, a large plasma TV, a small kitchen, a small bathroom, and a small closet.

"This was originally owned by the owner of this building," Arnaud said from below.

Charlie glanced down.

"Looks dandy," he said as he inspected the place.

There wasn't anything to it except for the new hardwood flooring. Charlie wasn't a fan of hardwood floors for some reason.

"The floors, um," he started to say. "I'm not a huge fan of them."

There was a loud chuckle. Arnaud cleared his throat loud enough for Charlie to hear and said,

"That's too bad Monsieur Charles. You'll have to get used to it."

He left the walk-in closet. Charlie remained upstairs. He took off his leather jacket and sat down in one of the sofas.

He shut his eyes. He wouldn't open them until mid-day at least.

### Chapter 9

*Sonia's Reflection*

Sonia was at the Royal York Hotel, eight floors up and she was bored. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She held a large butcher knife in her right hand.

Sonia hadn't killed anyone in a few days past. She had Charlie and two others to take care off.

She stared at the pictures of the three men. The pictures were stitched on the top left corner of the mirror.

Charlie's face was the third picture down. The other two were two men Sonia had looked forward to taking down before she'd eliminate Charlie.

"You time is coming Charles," Sonia said as she placed the butcher knife down and ripped the picture of Charlie from the mirror.

She crumpled the picture and threw it in the toilet. She flushed, and after, she exited the bathroom and switched off the lights.

Sonia was in her white bathrobe and her brown shoulder-length hair was tied to a knot. She knew her time in Toronto would have to conclude pretty soon as part of the contract.

Charlie Schmidt was the contract. The other two men were personal choices of Sonia. Her contractor did not know about those men. It didn't matter.

Sonia still had another week before the contact was up. Charlie had to be killed, there was no doubt. Over half a million was on the line for this job. Sonia had made sure she was the first to get it.

She sat down on her bed. She had a glass of red wine in her left hand and the butcher knife in her right. She was dangling the blade while taking small sips of the wine.

She was thinking about the girl Ashley. By now, someone would have had to have found Ashley's severed remains. She decided to see if it was on the news.

She flicked on the television. She flipped between CTV, City News, Global Toronto, and CBC.

None of the stations it seemed mentioned anything about severed body parts located in a freezer.

Sonia flicked off the television. She got off the bed and paced back and forth for a few minutes.

Sonia wanted to kill again, but at this point restraint was the way forward.

She hated the fact that she had to go through the annoying construction that was happening at the Union Station area.

Walking or driving around there was at times a complete bitch. She decided she was going to finish her drink and sleep. Maybe a little kinky fun would do the trick.

Sonia finished her drink and muttered to herself,

"I hope you have a good night Mr. Charles."

She turned off the lamp, dug herself under the bed sheets, and closed her eyes.

### Chapter 10

*Taylor Sees His True Love*

Taylor arrived in Toronto on Saturday morning. He felt sick and he was exhausted. He drove from Thunder Bay to Toronto for four days and four nights with very few stops in-between.

He parked in the driveway and turned off the engine. He slowly exited his Benz and closed the door.

Outside it was milder than it was back up in Thunder Bay. It seemed as if spring was finally starting to come around.

April was fast approaching and Taylor was looking forward to the warmer part of the spring and of course, the summer.

He entered his home, a small two-bedroom town house, and after closing the door behind him, his partner Brett Shepherd appeared.

"Hello honey cakes!" Brett said as he and Taylor exchanged a passionate hug followed by a kiss.

Taylor's homosexually had been hidden for most of his life. Eventually he came out one morning after having met Brett at a hockey game a few years back.

Brett was in fact married at the time, with a wife and three kids. He didn't tell his now ex-wife about the gay affair until after he proposed that he and Taylor move in someplace.

Brett quickly undressed himself and Taylor followed suit. The two men went upstairs fully naked and fucked each other soon afterwards. They lasted right through the evening.

Taylor was downstairs in the kitchen preparing some tea and slicing a loaf of banana bread when Brett walked into the kitchen. Brett wrapped his arms around Taylor's waist and kissed him on the cheek. The two men were still naked.

"I have to leave for San Francisco tomorrow," Brett said as he watched Taylor pour himself a small cup of tea.

"Oh, I had no idea," Taylor said.

"I'm sorry," Brett said. "It was out of the blue and the boss was desperate to find someone."

"I understand. Go and do your thing," Taylor said.

"Thanks," Brett said. "You're so understanding compared to Lisa. She used to complain all the time about how I was always going away and leaving her with the kids."

Taylor didn't say anything to that. He didn't like it whenever Brett mentioned his ex-wife or his three daughters.

"What time are you leaving?" Taylor said as he sat down at the kitchen table with his cup of tea and a small plate of sliced banana bread.

"Two thirty the plane leaves. It's an afternoon flight," Brett responded.

He sat down too. He placed a hand on Taylor's.

"You're okay with me taking this trip, right?" Brett said.

Taylor smiled at him.

"Of course," Taylor said. "I don't have a problem at all. In fact, just see that big dick of yours makes me even hungrier."

Brett rolled his eyes. Taylor was the more feminine of the two. Brett stood up and left the kitchen. Taylor remained seated and continued to drink his tea.

There was the business of having to deal with Charlie that was suddenly creeping up in his mind. Taylor was deeply resentful of Charlie. More so since Charlie had left several months ago.

Then there was that crazed nut, Sonia Lopez. She wasn't much of a team player like the other assassins. Taylor was thrilled when he heard that Henry wanted to get rid of her.

However, he was unaware that Henry had secretly put a contract out on Charlie and that Sonia was going to be the beneficiary of the contract.

This would have destroyed Taylor and probably turn him against Sonia, Charlie, and Henry Shaw.

Taylor finished his snack a few minutes later. He went back upstairs. Brett was showering and Taylor put back on his clothes except for the blazer.

His mobile was the small glass table in the small living room. He picked up his mobile and ranged Henry.

"Taylor-boy!" Henry exclaimed.

"Yes sir, I'm back in town," Taylor said.

"So, can you come in tomorrow morning?" Henry said.

"Sure, Henry," Taylor said. "What else can you ask of me?"

"It's that bitch of ours, Sonia," Henry said, his voice displaying contempt. "I want her dealt with at the appropriate time. She's been a cancer for us, Taylor. After she finishes her latest job, I want you to take her out."

Taylor's face widened into a large grin.

"Yes, I'd be happy to dispose of her," he said gleefully.

Henry hung up the phone on the other end. Taylor closed his mobile and turned to see Brett standing.

"To dispose of whom?" he said with an eyebrow raised.

"An employee at the company," Taylor lied. "She's been unproductive for so long and the boss wants me to dispose of her quickly."

"Oh," Brett said. He turned and went to the kitchen. Taylor breathed a small sigh of relief and sat down.

Tomorrow would be when the real fun started. Taylor couldn't wait.

### Chapter 11

*Henry Tries to Figure It Out*

Henry gazed out the window of the Escalade he was being driven in. His driver, a large black man named Bishop, was at the wheel. Henry thought about the conversation he just had with Taylor. Sonia Lopez had been a fucking disaster and Henry wasn't sure how long he could deal with the crazed woman. She was a ticking time bomb and Henry was worried.

"Where do you want me to take you, boss?" Bishop asked as he turned on Young street.

Henry thought of a place he once visited. It was a small underground Thai spa a friend of his had owned. There was a woman there, her name Tammy, and Henry had fond memories of her.

"I want you to take me up to Steeles and Wilson, that area," Henry said to Bishop.

Bishop nodded his head. He drove on as Henry thought back to Tammy. It was a little past seven in the evening when his mobile buzzed.

Henry checked to see who it was. It was Sonia Lopez. Henry sighed and answered Sonia's call.

"I want double what you're paying me," she said.

Henry was pissed off. He said, "What the fuck are you saying?"

"I want double for the Schmidt job," Sonia said, her voice elevated.

"Why should I pay you more than agreed amount Sonia?" Henry said. He already irritated by Sonia's rash demand.

Sonia didn't reply. A minute or so passed by before she finally said, "I want double by tomorrow morning."

She ended her call.

Henry put his mobile down and bit his lip. Sonia was pushing it but Henry was afraid he'd agitate her more.

Sonia was a loose cannon and Henry realized that he could no longer control her. Sonia had to be stopped and Henry was hoping that Taylor would be up for it.

There was the issue of wiring half a million dollars to Sonia.

Of course, Henry could simply send Sonia someplace where Taylor would meet her and shoot her right at the spot.

It was a scenario Henry had played in his mind countless times since he offered the contract to Sonia the previous month.

He smiled at himself. Maybe this wasn't going to turn out to be as bad as it was. Maybe...

Henry replayed the meeting he had with Sonia. It was on a Wednesday the previous month. Sonia was wearing black leather from head to toe.

He was in his usual business attire: dark grey 2-button slim suit with a black tie and a gun in his breast pocket for protection.

"Pleased to see you again," Henry said as he shook hands with Sonia. Sonia studies the suit Henry was wearing. She gave a look of approval.

"Grab a seat," Henry said as Sonia sat down.

"So what brings me the honor of seeing you Henry Shaw?" Sonia said delightfully.

Henry folded his hands on the table. He responded, "I have an offer for you. It's a small job but you're the best I've got. I'll offer you a hundred thousand to start with."

"Oh?" Sonia said. "Who's the target?"

"His name is Charlie Schmidt," Henry said. "He used to work with us before you came into the picture."

"Have I heard of this 'Charlie' before, Henry?" Sonia said.

"Yes you have," Henry said. "He was in Russia for an assassination. You were involved in this operation too, I believe. I don't suppose the two of you crossed paths."

"I see," Sonia said. She held out a cigarette. Henry wanted her take offer right away. He wasn't a very patient man to begin with.

"Let me think it over for a bit," Sonia said as she stood up.

"Alright, I'll make it two-fifty," Henry said. "So, I guess you've decided to take the job?"

Sonia grinned. She said, "On the condition that you agree to take me to an expensive dinner."

"Very well, that can be arranged right away," Henry said. He shook her hand and the two left the Royal York Hotel soon afterwards.

Henry picked up his iPhone and glanced through the pictures of Sonia he had compiled. Not much had changed her appearance.

Henry said to Bishop, "Bishop, I change my mind. Take me back home, now."

Bishop did as he was told and managed to turn left onto a one-way street that was going westbound. After turning left on University he drove southbound to Henry's condo.

Henry sat in the living room once he came inside. He was seething. There was the issue regarding Charlie he had to take care of.

Having Charlie's girlfriend killed by Sonia wasn't a thoughtful plan now that Henry was thinking about it.

Sometimes the end justified the means.

### Chapter 12

*Charlie Talks to Arnaud*

Charlie awoke in the early afternoon. It took him awhile before he finally realized where he was the whole time.

He stood up from the leather sofa. He felt groggy and pissed off. Maybe it was the sofa or just the plain and simple fact that he wasn't going to see Casey again. Charlie limped downstairs into the walk-in closet.

Arnaud was sitting down at the kitchen table eating a snack. He was wearing a black long sleeve muscle shirt with dark blue jeans.

Charlie had noticed a black blazer was placed onto of the chair that Arnaud was sitting in.

"Bon-après midi!" Arnaud said jubilantly when he saw Charlie.

Charlie sat down at the kitchen table. He didn't say anything. He wiped his face with his hands. He sighed.

"You are still thinking about her," Arnaud said.

"No, I'm not," Charlie lied.

He thought by now he'd get over it but it wasn't the case.

"You were hoping to start over with her, right?" Arnaud said. He stopped eating and looked at Charlie worryingly.

Charlie didn't respond. He sat there starring off. Arnaud stood from the table and excused himself. Charlie seemed not to notice.

"I have something for you," Arnaud said.

He came back to the table with his metallic briefcase and set the briefcase on the table and opened it. He pulled out a large manila envelope and placed the envelope in front of Charlie.

Charlie looked at it.

"It's from Henry," Arnaud said.

Charlie placed his right hand on the envelope. He looked at Arnaud and nodded. He said, "I hope it isn't a late birthday present."

"No, it's small favor that Henry wanted to ask of you." Arnaud said.

Charlie groaned. He wasn't fond of 'favors', and this being from Henry was the cherry on the top.

"What the fuck does he want with me now?" Charlie said.

Arnaud gave a blank look.

"He wants you to take out someone," he said to Charlie.

Charlie opened the envelope. Inside were two black and white photographs of the same woman, only this time there was a handwritten letter inside it.

It was Henry Shaw's writing. Charlie read the letter. After, he placed the letter back inside the envelope.

"Henry says in the letter that Sonia is the one who killed Casey," Charlie said.

Arnaud didn't say a word. He kept his cool as Charlie began to develop his emotions inside.

Charlie said, "This woman, Sonia, do you know anything about her?"

Arnaud took a moment to think of an answer. He said, "She's started out as a mercenary before Henry recruited her. She was originally from Venezuela. She moved to Moscow with her Russian mother when she was twelve and came back to Venezuela in her mid twenties. She developed a reputation of being a brutal and merciless killer. She was hired by the government to work as an operative but she went rogue soon after. One of Henry's South American contacts got wind of Sonia. He and his people managed to scoop her up and bring her here to Toronto. That's the story I've been given."

Charlie stayed silent. He wasn't thinking about Sonia but rather what might have been Casey's last words before Sonia had taken her life.

"Do you suppose Henry might have had something to do with this?" Arnaud said.

Charlie mumbled something but Arnaud couldn't get the gist of what Charlie was saying.

Arnaud said, "Charlie, perhaps Henry was giving you this job as a way for you to exact some revenge against this woman."

Charlie cooled down. He wasn't convinced by what Arnaud had said.

"I want to speak to Henry tonight," he said.

"We can go right now. Henry is still in town for the time being. I can dig some more information for you through various fronts and contacts I know," Arnaud said.

"You can do that?" Charlie asked.

"Sure, it's my line of work," Arnaud said. "I'm a fence after all."

"Do you have anything to wear?" Charlie randomly said.

Arnaud displayed a grin. "You don't have anything, Charles?"

"I left that house with Casey's body behind, remember?" Charlie said.

"Okay, let's go to a friend I know who runs a place. I can place a quick call to him to see if he can fix something up," Arnaud said.

They got up from the table and left the loft.

### Chapter 13

*Charlie Gets His Do-Over*

They arrived at the barbershop forty minutes later. Arnaud luckily found a spot to park his Benz in. Street parking was almost next to impossible to find downtown.

Marco Suarez was the only person inside his shop. He and Arnaud exchanged a brotherly hug and Charlie wondered if coming here was in fact a bad idea.

"This is Charlie," Arnaud said to Marco.

Marco was rather a smallish-looking man with a large goatee and black trim glasses.

His voice was high-pitched and he swerved while he moved. He gave a quick assessment of Charlie.

"I have something fresh, two of each I would say," Marco said.

Charlie rolled his eyes.

Marco turned to Charlie and said, "It's a slim fit suit, the color is dark blue scheme for the jacket and trouser, the shirt underneath is dark grey but there's no tie involved."

Marco went to the back and about a minute later came back with a large poster that showed a young blonde model about Charlie's height wearing the same suit.

"Arnaud told me about your average height and posture," Marco said, gesturing to the poster.

"So?" Charlie said.

Marco continued on. "You'll look absolutely fit in that suit and oh, I've got you two pairs of the same shoe. Okay, once we clean you up a bit with a nice shave, haircut, and fragrance, you'll be good as new."

Marco returned to the back end with the poster.

Charlie looked at Arnaud.

"It's no big deal," Arnaud said. He patted Charlie's back.

Charlie gawked at Alexis for a moment.

"Arnaud," Charlie began to say. "I'd rather be at Henry's by now then here."

Arnaud turned to see Marco starring at him and Charlie.

"Uh-huh," Marco said gleefully.

He gestured to Charlie to take a seat in one of the chairs. Charlie happily obliged.

About an hour later Charlie assessed himself as he stared into the mirror.

He was almost completely unrecognizable. His large curly dirty-blonde hair was cut precisely to a low-cut; his face showed its new youthful polish from the clean shave.

The fragrance permeated from his body, and the suit made him look exclusive. Charlie turned to look at Arnaud.

Arnaud gave him a heads up.

Charlie couldn't help but force himself to smile as he looked up and down at the suit he was wearing.

Charlie liked the color. He felt different and he felt...good.

"Now, here comes the good part," Marco announced.

He made a look at Charlie and whispered something at Arnaud' ear.

Arnaud wrapped his right arm around Charlie's back. He gave Charlie a wink and nodded at the mirror reflection.

Charlie whispered, "This is all a bit too much at the moment, don't you think?"

Arnaud's smile radiated through his face.

"You don't have to worry about that," he assured Charlie.

Marco chimed in, "I can offer two copies of the entire same suit. A three-thousand dollar value and I'm willing to give you three for a combined seventy-percent off."

Charlie was surprised. Arnaud didn't expect such a grandiose offer from his friend.

"You've got to be kidding," Arnaud said.

Charlie relaxed a bit.

"Perhaps we can have a little lunch and a few drinks together," Marco suggested to the two men.

Charlie, now in a brighter mood, was in favor. Arnaud went by Charlie's silent response and Marco clapped his hands ecstatically.

Marco ordered Thai food and drinks. The food and drinks arrived shortly after.

"There's a place not far from here," Marco explained to Charlie.

After having finishing their food and having a few drinks, Charlie and Arnaud left the place and drove out of Dundas.

"How do you feel about seeing Henry now?" Arnaud said.

The two were now southbound again to head to Henry's.

"How do you feel about the visit?" Charlie asked.

"I'm okay with it," Arnaud responded.

"So, you're good to go?"

"I am."

"That's good."

"I won't be coming in with you. I'll sit and wait in the car."

"That's fine by me."

They drove to Henry's condo. Charlie wasn't thrilled about it, but he figured he'd be a good sport and go along with Henry's plan.

### Chapter 14

*The Proposal and Sonia's Wrath*

Sonia parked her Prius at a McDonald's at the corner of Confederation and Hurontario in Mississauga. She exited her car.

Outside the weather was pleasant and the roads weren't as busy as she would have expected.

She walked inside and sat at a table to her left. There were only a couple of people inside and a young Filipina stood at the cash register, her face showing boredom.

Sonia remembered what it was like to work at a fast-food job. It was one of those experiences that made Sonia vow never to work at an establishment like this again.

She hated it and often felt the job was beneath her. Her mobile buzzed and the screen displayed a number she knew.

She pressed the answer tab and said, "This is the Dragon."

The voice on the other end was Henry.

"Where are you exactly?" Henry said forcefully.

Sonia wasn't thrilled by the force of Henry's tone. She didn't like being talked down to.

"I'm at a restaurant, I'm eating," Sonia said.

Henry didn't respond. He was thinking about what to say next. Sonia sat silently as she waited to hear what Henry was going to say next.

Henry wanted to say something but he didn't want to tell her. His preference would have been to shove a large carrot right through Sonia's face.

"Am I getting the raise I asked for, señor Shaw?" Sonia said in a mocking tone.

Henry grumbled something under his breath. He responded, "I need you right over. I have Taylor with me at the moment. I have another target for the two of you to work on, and I'll pay you triple this time."

Sonia raised an eyebrow. She wasn't expecting Henry to call and say that she would be working with another hit man on a job.

It wouldn't be the first time Sonia would be involved in something like this, but she wasn't happy about the timing of it either.

"Who is this target?" she said.

"I'll tell you the specifics when you get here."

"Why can't I go alone?"

"It's rather sensible that I send you and Taylor to do it."

"I don't need assistance Henry."

"You may be the hottest fish in the pond Miss Fucking Lopez but it's my pond you're swimming in now. Get here as soon as you can."

The line went dead. Sonia placed her mobile on the table and bit her lip. She was infuriated. Henry had pushed it.

Sonia was not the kind of woman you can push around or talk down to. She was a woman with a short fuse if not any, and she had a hate-on for men who tried to be dominating.

That was why she chose to be a killer. She liked the idea that if any guy were to try to put the screws on her all Sonia would have to do was shoot the bastard in between the eyes.

Sonia relaxed after a while and took a deep breath. After ordering a value chicken burger she went outside to her car. She drove back to Henry's soon after.

Henry had a second condo apartment that was diagonally across from the Air Canada Centre. He'd often attend a few Raptor games every few months.

He wasn't a fan of the Raptors but he held courtside seats and would often entertain his guests by taking them to the arena for a home game.

Sonia had gone to a game once before. She sat courtside and watched the Raptors take a pounding at the hands of the Miami Heat.

She wasn't a fan at the beginning but she enjoyed the atmosphere. It was her first time ever to have attended a basketball game at any level. Sonia got hooked on the game ever since.

It was around nine-fifteen in the evening when she finally arrived at the condo apartment complex. Henry was living on the twentieth floor. His side of the apartment overlooked the Gardiner Expressway.

Taylor and another man were sitting on a black leather sofa across from Henry. Sonia walked in. She took a seat. Both sitting men nodded at her. Sonia wasn't happy but she didn't show it.

"Columbo, I'm sure you already know Taylor, and this is Steele," Henry said. Sonia nodded back at the two men then sat down.

Henry continued.

"I have a job for the three of you. It's not the job for one man in my opinion. Our target is someone who's very important to the city. You might say that he's the biggest fish in the pond."

Henry bent over to open a black briefcase. He took out a large manila envelope and tossed it onto the glass table in front of Sonia. Sonia picked up the envelope and searched inside for the contents.

She carefully held out a large black and white photograph of a man who had a large round face and receding blonde hair.

Sonia showed the picture to Steele and Taylor. She stood up and handed the envelope to Steele who looked inside and found another large black and white photo of the same man.

"Who is he?" Sonia asked Henry.

Henry responded, "His is name is Reardon, John Reardon. He's the Toronto mayor."

All eyes turned on Henry. Henry gave a mischievous smile. Taylor shot a look of surprise.

"You want us to kill him?" Taylor asked.

Henry didn't respond. He just stood there and watched as Steele and Sonia analyzed the photographs.

"So, what happens next?" Sonia said.

Henry gave her a long hard. He finally said, "You guys are free to go if you'd like. Steele if you don't mind there's a paper that has Reardon's address and also the location of his family cabin. Take that with you and discuss a plan with Sonia and Taylor."

The three assassins stood up. Sonia was the first to exit the apartment and head downstairs. She was steaming. Henry clearly didn't respect her.

Sonia sat inside her car and took several deep breaths. She did her best to hold herself in but it was becoming a losing battle.

She saw Taylor and Steele talking to each other as the two walked towards the other side of the building. None of the two men had noticed Sonia sitting in her car.

She took another deep breath. She wanted to end this now. Sooner or later Henry was going to get his balls chopped off.

It was just a matter of time.

### Chapter 15

*Charlie Can't Talk with Henry*

Charlie stepped out of the Benz. Arnaud remained in the driver's seat. Charlie entered the foyer. He arrived on the twentieth floor few minutes later.

Henry was inside his cubicle. A large black man who Charlie didn't recognize stood in front of Charlie. His large arms were folded across, his mean stare gazing into Charlie.

Charlie quickly turned and was about to leave. Bishop shrugged his shoulders. Charlie turned around and stared at Bishop again.

After several more minutes, Charlie said, "I've come to see Henry."

Bishop didn't say anything. Charlie grew suspicious. It wasn't like Henry at all to not respond to a visitor.

Charlie searched through his right pocket.

He held out a photograph. Bishop shook his head, which increased Charlie's suspicion and his surprise at Henry. Charlie had a bad feeling.

"Sir, can you tell Henry over there that it's Charlie? Tell him I've come to ask for some things," Charlie said.

Bishop continued his frown at him.

"Who are you," Bishop blurted out.

Charlie didn't respond.

Henry finally came out of his cubicle. There was a stern look on his face. He didn't seem too happy to see Henry.

"I'm sorry about your loss," he said.

It sounded like he was forcing it.

Charlie sensed that something wasn't right. He noticed Bishop and Henry make quick eye contact at each other. Bishop turned to face Charlie again and smiled at him.

"Charlie, I won't need you for the time being," Henry said.

Charlie didn't know what to make of this.

"You're sorry about Casey?" Charlie said.

Henry didn't respond.

Charlie said, "Whoever did this, I swear...I'll..."

His voice trailed off.

Charlie couldn't say the words. He was inconsolable now. He could have just taken a sawed-off and shoot anything that came in his way. Nothing he could do would bring Casey back.

Henry was studying the suit that Charlie was wearing. He said, "That's a nice outfit for a change."

Charlie turned and left the apartment.

Arnaud had dialed a number as soon as Charlie entered the foyer. He kept his focus on the front doors, not wanting to have Charlie sit in and listen to the phone conversation.

"Okay, he's seen the body of his girlfriend, now what the fuck do you want me do?" Arnaud said. The voice on the other end of the line responded,

"Keep hold of him. Make sure he doesn't get in the way."

"Why am I doing this?" Arnaud snapped.

He was upset.

He didn't want any part of this, but he didn't want Sonia to go after him either. Arnaud cleared his throat. He kept his eyes at the front door. Charlie was probably finished with Henry now.

Sonia, on the other end of the line, responded, "You don't question me. You'll take Charlie home after he sees Henry. You make sure he doesn't make a play for anyone. In fact, I would suggest you also don't make a play for the police as well."

Sonia hung up.

Arnaud placed his mobile down. He turned his gaze away from the front door and stared off for a moment. Charlie did this to Casey. He was a part of this. It was all Charlie's fault.

Charlie was hiding his relationship from Henry. Now it was Arnaud who was carrying on Henry's evil deeds. He wanted nothing to do with this. The trip to the barbershop was only a ploy.

Arnaud decided he wasn't going to tell Charlie about Sonia killing Casey. The woman had threatened Arnaud at gunpoint. She knew Arnaud's name, his address, his contacts, and Charlie's daughter. Arnaud sensed Sonia had kept watch of him and Charlie's movements.

Charlie came out of the foyer several minutes later. Arnaud adjusted himself as Charlie came around the back of the Benz and sat in the passenger seat.

"Arnaud," Charlie started to say.

His voice was trailing off again.

"Charlie, what the fuck happened?" Arnaud said calmly.

In his mind Charlie stared at the riddled body once more. This time he was calmer compared to the last couple of minutes. He thought about how anyone could want to hurt Casey.

Not like this. Not this way.

Charlie couldn't have foreseen Casey pass away like this.

Why would anyone want to kill her?

Charlie wiped away his tears with his left hand. He gestured at Arnaud. He turned the ignition and starting driving.

"So, what did Henry offer you?" Arnaud said. "I want to know what happened."

Charlie said, "Nothing happened. It's okay, let's just go."

There was silence.

Finally, Arnaud said, "I suspect Henry and Taylor had something to do with it."

"You can't say that!" Charlie snapped.

"I can say it because Henry told me he called your girlfriend a couple of times before."

"So now Henry was getting involved in my business?"

"He told Casey about your past and who you were actually working for."

"Fuck off!"

"Don't tell me to fuck off, Charlie. It's true."

Arnaud tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Charlie pressed his hands onto his face. He wanted to cry but he needed resolve. Casey was dead and no one apparently heard or saw the shooting or the shooter.

_Fuck this_ , Arnaud thought.

He faced Charlie who was leaning his head against the passenger seat window.

"What were you thinking about?" Charlie said.

Arnaud responded, "Nothing...just wondering what are we going to do about the situation."

They drove back in wretched silence and after arrived at Arnaud's loft.

"You can rest for the night while I sort this out," Arnaud told Charlie as they walked inside. Charlie went upstairs. He found a chair and sat on it. Arnaud was downstairs in his floor.

This is all too much for Arnaud. He couldn't fathom such violence being done to an innocent person. Worse, the victim was someone Charlie had been in a relationship with.

Arnaud was just a fence. He was Charlie's protector but for how long? His other specialty was in gathering information about someone and then selling that information off to the highest bidder.

He wondered how Sonia Lopez could have done this to Charlie. He didn't want to think of the possibility of Henry being responsible for this.

Charlie made sure his private life and his life as an assassin didn't intertwine with each other.

It just wasn't possible for that to happen.

It couldn't...

Charlie adjusted himself and sighed. He didn't eat or drink anything. There was bed in an unused bedroom that Charlie would sleep in.

Charlie went to the room and lay on the bed. He closed his eyes. He thought of Casey, her warm smile and her laughter.

Somebody was going to pay.

### Chapter 16

*Title of Chapter*

Sonia parked her car. She leaned back in her seat as she waited for another car to arrive.

She opened the glove compartment and grabbed two color photographs. She glanced at both of them. Her target named James Wong was the recognizable of the two.

Sonia had met James Wong before, but she couldn't quite put where to be exact.

The woman in the second photograph was nothing. Sonia couldn't care less about her except for the fact that she was seen around town with James on several occasions.

She placed the photographs back in the glove compartment and checked the time on her mobile.

It was twenty-three past seven.

She thought about the stare that Henry had given her.

Henry was a fucking cunt of man. Sonia despised him more than anything. She couldn't stand the sight of Henry. She sometimes wished she hadn't agreed to work under the bastard.

Sonia was about to exit out of her car and have a smoke when she saw a red Honda Civic appearing at the Wendy's parking lot. The car parked in front of the restaurant.

James Wong and his wife along with a small child exited the Honda Civic and entered the Wendy's. This was the Wong family's eating place.

Sonia watched with anticipation as the couple and their child lined up to wait so they could make their order. All they had to do was exit the restaurant and Sonia would greet them.

Columbo placed her cigarette back in her right pocket and sat back inside her car. She stared at the Wong family.

Sonia watched the Wongs enter their civic. The family was just ordering something at the cash register because a few minutes after entering they exited the restaurant.

Sonia immediately got out of her car with the submachine gun in her hand and headed over to the civic. No one seemed to have noticed her carrying a gun.

Sonia smiled. She loved this. She loved having to drive all the way to north end of the city just to do a random hit. She hated that Russo wasn't dead yet.

She resented the missed opportunity to kill Henry. Had Steele and Taylor not been there Henry Shaw would have found himself blown to bits.

Sonia was now two or three cars away from where the civic was parked. She drew her submachine and stood. The civic began to reverse out of its parking spot.

Sonia felt a wave of anticipation.

The car was now just in the middle of the space, its wheels turning. James's wife head turned and her eyes went wild when she saw the submachine gun aimed at their direction.

Sonia rubbed her tongue around the edges of her mouth. She opened fire. A rage of bullets riddled the Honda civic, smashing car windows and destroying everything in its path.

It lasted only a couple minutes.

Sonia stopped the firing and turned back to run. Chaos ensued. Screams could be heard from throughout the parking lot. Terrified onlookers scattered about and exited the area.

Sonia slid into her car, her submachine gun placed on the passenger seat. She pressed the brakes after turning the ignition and sped off. She knew she was spotted by several people and she didn't give a damn.

Her Prius nearly railroaded another car.

The police arrived at the scene several minutes later. When they came all they saw was a bullet-riddled car – with three bodies inside it.

As she drove past a serious of lights and intersections Sonia felt a wave of excitement at what she had done. She wasn't supposed to kill James Wong but she did so anyway.

Sonia wanted to get back at Henry. Teach that Jew bastard a lesson. James Wong was Henry's money man. He oversaw all of the financials and was in on the take as well.

Sonia stopped at a red light at Wilson Avenue and sent a text message. She quickly made a right and parked at a gas station. Her mobile buzzed and she answered the call.

It was Steele, who said, "You seemed to have made an impression with Henry."

Sonia fumed. She wanted to smash Steele's head against a brick wall. The sooner Steele and Henry would be disposed of the better.

"Hey, uh, Señorita, you still there?" Steele said.

Señorita?

"Yes," Sonia responded, anger hidden under her breath.

She heard Steele give a slight chuckle.

"Good," he said half laughingly. "So get your butt here as soon as possible because I want to see that fine piece of ass of yours."

Click.

Sonia subsided and gently placed her mobile on her lap. It was probably midnight by now and Sonia decided she was going to call it a night.

There was still Charlie Schmidt she had to deal with. Not to mention Steele, Taylor, and Henry. All four were going to get their pay.

### Chapter 17

*Honorable Meets at Royal York*

Sonia arrived back at the Royal York Hotel. Taylor and Steele were standing outside the large entrance. Steele was wearing a black suit and black shades.

Sonia resented Steele because he was controlling at times. Steele and Sonia had a fling during their early days together.

"We could've been happier to see you back!" Taylor exclaimed.

He held out his hands to Sonia but she showed him the finger. Steele chuckled.

"We can all go inside and talk about Charlie," Steele said as he and Taylor followed Sonia to a guest bar inside.

Steele spoke with a think Scottish accent. He had revealed Sonia he originally came from the northeast of Glasgow.

"We need to devise a strategy going forward," Steele advised as the three sat down at a table.

Taylor suggested, "We can simply kill Charlie and move on."

Sonia and Steele glared at him. Taylor held back and raised his hands as if to say he was sorry for uttering Charlie's name.

Sonia smiled at Taylor. She liked his persona: calm, reflective, and always willing to back himself down to avoid any confrontation.

"Did he not sense that you were in the area? Steele asked.

His face displayed a look of concern.

Taylor was neutral with his expression. He knew about Sonia and Steele's past relationship but he kept himself out of it.

"I doubt it since he wasn't there," Sonia said.

She felt a small dose of anger rise inside her. Steele crossed his arms against his chest and glanced across at Taylor.

Taylor shrugged his shoulders. Steele looked back at Sonia. Sonia held her head down and was muttering something.

"Señorita," Steele interjected, his voice slightly elevated.

Sonia raised her head up and blurted at Steele, "Fuck you."

She smiled at him. Taylor smiled too. He understood it was a way for Sonia to ease herself into the conversation. Sonia always liked using swear words.

"Alright," Steele began to say. "What about the situation with Henry?"

Sonia groaned.

"Okay, keep it that under the lid then. Not sure what you want to do with that anyways."

Steele stood up from a chair and held his hand out.

"So what we do about this Charlie fella?" he said.

The three looked around at each other. It seemed no one wanted to be the first to offer an answer.

"Steele, why the fuck should we care about Charlie?" Taylor asked.

Steele gave Taylor another glare. Taylor held himself back but deep down he wanted to tell Steele to shove it.

"I thought were going to discuss the plan regarding the mayor," Sonia chipped in.

Steele and Taylor looked at her. Steele liked that Sonia wasn't too fraught on Charlie.

"The plan is to go to Reardon's family cottage," Taylor said. "We have sources that tell us that the mayor is making a last minute ditch to avoid the press. He'll leave in the early hours of the morning."

"That's good," Sonia said.

Maybe after killing the mayor she could kill Taylor and Steele right on the spot.

"So, when do we leave for the cottage?" Sonia asked.

Steele tried to think up an answer. Taylor said, "I guess we'll go when we decides to go."

"In that case, then why are we here?" Sonia asked Steele.

Steele didn't reply. Taylor stood up and said, "We'll go soon, Sonia. Just be patient with us."

"Suppose we decide not to press ahead with Charlie?" Steele asked Taylor.

Taylor looked at Sonia who gave no indication of an answer. Steele sighed.

"Charlie is not that important to us I suppose," Steele said.

He eyed both Sonia and Taylor to see if the two were in agreement. Sonia gave a slight shrug. Taylor said, "Agree."

Steele declared, "Charlie must die after we take out John Reardon."

Sonia and Taylor nodded. The trio had drinks. Sonia had mentioned she wanted to call it a night. Soon both Taylor and Steele left the hotel.

Back in her hotel room Sonia sat down in one of the chairs in the small living room and stared off for a moment.

There were the photographs of Charlie and John Reardon she had kept on the mirror in the bathroom. She went to the bathroom to retrieve the photographs.

She sat back down again and stared at them. Each had a different face. Charlie's face was on the photograph in her left hand; John Reardon's face was on the photo in Sonia's left hand.

A red 'X' was written across each of the faces in the photograph. Sonia felt extremely tired. She went back to the bedroom and undressed herself.

She thought about the words Steele said at the meeting.

Charlie is not that important to us...

Sonia was sprawled against her bed.

"Charlie s important," she said to herself.

She closed her eyes. She wouldn't open them again for the rest of the night.

### Chapter 18

*Reardon Gets Taken Out*

John Reardon was sitting atop his jeep when he spotted three people coming towards him. He hadn't seen this oncoming group before and wasn't sure why they'd come here of all places.

Reardon grabbed his binoculars and climbed off his van by slowly gliding his feet down the van windshield.

He was firmly planted on the ground when one of the three approached him.

She was sporting long brown hair and her black tank top had a picture of a cracked skull on it. He noticed that the woman was also fairly attractive.

"Is your name Jack Reardon?" the woman asked pleasantly.

She gave a radiant smile at Reardon, who felt at ease with her. His right eye made a quick glance at the two men who came with the woman.

They seemed harmless.

"Yes, I am Reardon," Reardon responded. He couldn't help but gaze upon the woman's exposed cleavage. The woman smiled more brightly. Playfully she added,

"I just wanted to ask how a man like you can find the time to drive up to his family's cottage resort amidst all the mess back in the city," the woman said.

She tossed her fake hair aside and continued smiling.

Reardon ignored the implication of the woman's question.

He stood right in front of the woman, ignoring the two men who with her. One of the men slowly moved further to his right.

Reardon noticed the man on the right but turned his gaze to the woman. He said,

"I'm sorry; I didn't get your name..."

"Sonia Ramirez," The woman responded.

"Ah, Sonia," Reardon said. He was pacing back and forth between the man to the right of Sonia and Sonia's cleavage.

Sonia seemed not to care about Reardon's moving eye. She turned around and gestured to the man standing to her left.

The man standing to her left wore a black muscle shirt underneath the black leather jacket and was holding something in his left hand.

To Reardon the object seemed to be metallic and shiny but he couldn't exactly tell what it was.

"That guy over there with the shining object, who is he?" Reardon said to Beatrix.

Sonia glanced back at the man holding the shiny metallic object.

"Oh, his name is Steele," Sonia responded.

_His name is Steele_ , Reardon thought.

He gestured to the man on the right who gave a friendly wave of his right hand at Reardon.

Steele slowly began to place himself as he walked towards Sonia.

Sonia was quietly fidgeting the blade inside her left pocket. Reardon didn't seem to notice when Sonia began to puff up her chest to cement Reardon's attention.

Sonia was ready now. She could feel it. The tension rose in her and she was itching to stab the fucker.

She kept her cool as Reardon's eyes gazed over her breasts.

Reardon couldn't help himself. He was married to Bethany, his wife of twelve years. They had three kids; Roy, Keane, and Sandy.

He had come to the family cottage alone against the protests of his wife and to the chagrin of his children. The local news media were all over Reardon's decision to escape the ensuing scandals plaguing city hall.

Now he was standing in front of a gorgeous brunette and drooling over her exposed breasts. And he didn't care. Not one bit.

He wasn't worried about the prospect of an unsuspected photographer catching glimpses of Reardon gawking at the brunette.

Reardon had his weaknesses. One of them was young and attractive women.

His twenty-three year old secretary Ashley Banks was the mother to his unknown child.

She was living in an upscale apartment up north at midtown that Reardon was anonymously paying for.

The two had often spent one or two weekends together every now and then up alone at the cottage. They managed to keep the sexual affair low key throughout the whole time.

Reardon had suspected that his wife Bethany did not know about the sexual relationship. As things were spiraling out of control Reardon kept Ashley at bay.

Ashley starting to complain about the distance Reardon was showing her. She privately threatened to expose the affair to the press if Reardon did not agree to separate from Bethany.

Reardon was not the sort of man to threaten against. He eventually had no choice but to have Ashley taken care of.

Ashley's body was found a few days later floating in a ravine. According to the coroner, Ashley died as a result of strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head.

No one seemed to notice one of Reardon's men carefully place the covered baby at the front entrance of an orphanage the night after the murder. He had slipped out of there in the depth of the night.

So it came as no surprise when Sonia saw how Reardon was eyeballing her. Sonia felt sick of him. She wanted to shove the blade up the fucker's ass. That would have been the highlight for Sonia.

Steele was now just a few feet from where Sonia and Reardon were standing.

He held out his metallic .44 Magnum and aimed it at Reardon. Reardon noticed the gun at the corner of his left eye. He froze.

Sonia's expression changed. She turned around and signaled Taylor to come forward.

Taylor came forward and also held out the same weapon. Both Taylor and Steel were aiming at Reardon. Reardon sunk on his knees. He stared up at Sonia and said,

"Please, I don't want to die. Just take what you want. I have a family of three!"

Sonia spat at him twice. She said,

"You fucking cunt. You fucked your secretary and killed her than you auctioned off your baby to some bastard housing. You're a fucking cunt you little faggot!"

Reardon stood up in a fury and was about to slap his right hand across Sonia's mouth when Steele fired a shot into the air.

Reardon froze again, but this time he wasn't showing any symptom of fear. He was angry.

"Fuck you!" Reardon growled.

He wanted to slam Sonia's face onto the ground than kick her in-between her legs. Sonia wanted nothing more of Reardon.

"You'd better watch it pal," Steele warned as he stood just a couple of feet to Sonia's right. Taylor was right behind Steele and Sonia.

"Or else what, kill me?" Reardon taunted.

Sonia felt her hand moving. She still had the blade in her hand. Reardon was number two on her list. He had to be dealt with sooner than later.

"Taylor, shoot the bastard."

Taylor fired a shot. The bullet bounced off the ground next to Reardon who jumped. It was Sonia who grabbed Reardon by the shoulders and pounded her right knee in-between Reardon's legs.

Reardon slumped down with both of his hands hovering over his crotch. He wailed in agony as Sonia stared at Reardon with a smirk gleamed across her face.

Taylor fired another shot, this one into the air. Steele gave Taylor the look as if to say to Taylor, "Stop wasting your ammo!"

Taylor got the gist and placed his gun back in his jacket. Steele came up to Reardon and placed the tip of his gun on Reardon's forehead. Reardon was panting heavily. He wasn't scared.

Sonia looked at Steele and said,

"Let's just deal with this fucker."

Steele nodded his head no.

Of course, Steele had to know that Sonia didn't want Reardon alive. It bothered Steele at times whenever Sonia would make a rash decision. Sonia wasn't known for being patient.

Taylor also wanted to silence Reardon.

Right there, right now.

He moved up closer so he could hear Sonia. Sonia turned back and shot a look at Taylor.

Taylor realized just how attractive Sonia was. Not that it mattered anyway. Taylor was gay. A secret he and Sonia had shared.

Steele was still pressing the tip of the gun against Reardon's forehead.

"So, are you lads going to shoot me or we done with the games here?" Reardon said, still wincing from the knee to the balls.

Sonia slapped him. Reardon bit his lip. Anger was spewing was from his eyes. Reardon so badly wanted to strangle Sonia.

Sonia said,

"Another word and this blade I'm holding in my hand will go up your ass."

Reardon raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really," Reardon said.

Steele gently pressed his finger on the trigger. He didn't want to shoot Reardon but it was getting harder for Steele to resist. Sonia maybe had a point. Reardon was a bit of a cunt.

"Go ahead and shoot me!" Reardon taunted to Steele.

Sonia watched Steele. Steele wasn't pulling the trigger. Sonia grew frustrated as Steele hesitated. What was the guy pondering about now?

Sonia took out her blade jammed it into Reardon's left shoulder.

"What the fuck!" Steele shouted at Sonia.

Reardon screamed. Sonia wrestled the gun from a stunned Steele and pulled the trigger. Two shots were fired at Reardon's chest.

Reardon was down; the blade still stuck inside his left shoulder.

Steele glared at Sonia. Sonia placed the gun inside Steele's jacket, smiling at Steele. Taylor was elated.

"Fuck you!" Steele muttered as Sonia turned her back.

She walked back to their car.

### Chapter 19

*Charlie Talks to Marco*

Charlie was sitting on a chair. He tried to remember what happened in the last seventy-two hours of his life.

What happened and how did he end up in this place?

He was tired and hungry. A man who looked familiar was standing across from Charlie. That startled Charlie. The man was smallish in height and his face was clean shaven.

"Hello handsome," Marco said.

Charlie rubbed his eyes a bit and said,

"Who are you?"

Marco laughed hysterically. Charlie half smiled at Marco and stood up. He noticed that he was fully dressed. Good.

"I'm Marco, in case you might be wondering. I'm the stylist friend of Arnaud," Marco said as he sat in one of the sofas.

"Why are you here?" Charlie asked. He stood across from Marco. He was eager to avoid a conversation with him.

"You came here, remember?" Marco said.

"I don't fucking remember," Charlie mumbled.

More laughter ensued.

"Three days ago you and that cute friend of yours Arnaud came by because you needed a makeover. He told me that something had happened to you after you guys left and you got angry and drunk."

"I wasn't drunk."

"Oh, okay, right. I suppose Arnaud made that story up."

"He didn't."

"Uh-huh."

"Fuck it."

"Arnaud wasn't lying, Charlie-boy."

"So, how the fuck did I end up here?"

"My boyfriend Jorge and I dragged your fine ass over here from Arnaud's loft downstairs because he called and complained you were way out if it."

"Oh how lovely of him," Charlie said.

"So Charlie-boy, what's your story?" Marco asked.

Charlie bit his lip for a second. "You want to hear my story?" he said.

"Yes, I always like to hear people's stories," Marco said. He was holding something in his right hand.

"I'm not quite sure if that's a good idea," Charlie said.

"Is it something embarrassing or awful?"

"I'm afraid can't say."

"Oh. Please do tell."

"I was a contractor," Charlie said. He was lying of course, but he didn't know Marco and he wasn't about to open himself up to a Liberace. Marco leaned in.

"I just don't feel comfortable talking about myself sometimes," Charlie said. "I like to keep things to a minimum, you know?"

Marco said, "Oh, that's okay. You don't have to tell me everything Charlie-boy, just tell me what you want to tell me."

"Alright," Charlie began to say. "I worked for a man named Henry Shaw, a Brit in fact, and a lowly figure."

"Lowly in what way, if you mind me asking," Marco said.

"He's just lowly in general. Never mind the finer points," Charlie said. He looked around the place before focusing his gaze back at Marco.

Marco said, "Is there something we can talk about Charlie-boy?"

"I'm not in the mood for talk," Charlie said. "I just want to roll over and puke. These last few days or hours or whatsoever have been depressing for me. I seriously want to do something and I'm not sure if I'd like you to know what that is."

Marco wasn't fazed by what Charlie had said. "I'm guessing this has something to do with Arnaud?" he said.

Charlie nodded his head no. "Nothing to do with Arnaud," he said. "Arnaud and I had only met less than a week ago. Gosh, why am I even talking about the man?"

"Can I get you a drink?" Marco said.

"Sure, I appreciate that," Charlie said. He stood as he watched Marco quickly go to the small kitchen. Marco returned with a can of Pepsi One. It was the latest addition to the Pepsi line.

Charlie took a sip of it and after a few more sips of the drink he drank the whole can in one swoop.

"My, my," Marco said. "You drank that thing as if you were coming from the desert."

"I'm not a Pepsi fan," Charlie said. "I don't tolerate pop juice. It's a taste thing, that's all. I much prefer coconut water or a mango smoothie but I appreciate the offer."

"No problem," Marco said cheerfully. "I probably should include coconut water in my list of offerings."

Charlie gave the can to Marco who placed it in a blue recycle bin to his right. He sat back down on one of the sofas.

"My boyfriend is waiting for me at the moment," Marco said.

"So you're gay?" Charlie slipped before realizing what he had said.

Marco grinned at him and said, "Hey tomboy, what does it matter to you?"

Charlie apologized but Marco quickly put a hand out to him as if to say it wasn't a big deal.

"People are what they are mon ami," Marco said. "I was referring to myself of course."

Charlie stood and paced back and forth. He looked at Marco, who gave him a look of re-assurance. Suddenly his mobile rang.

It was Arnaud.

Charlie answered the call.

"Arnaud, have you heard anything from anyone lately?" Charlie said.

Marco leaned in to listen to what Arnaud was possibly saying.

"No, Charlie," Arnaud responded from the other end of the line. It didn't do Charlie any favor to hear that Arnaud had heard nothing.

"Are you sure?" Charlie said, his eyes meeting Marco's.

"Yes," Arnaud responded.

Charlie sighed. He closed his mobile and stared down at the floor. He muttered a curse word at himself then he looked back up again.

"I'm going," Marco said as he turned towards the stairwell.

He said, "Of course, go as you please but be careful. You are a guess in Arnaud's place. Please try to be tidy while you're at it."

Charlie rolled his eyes.

Marco stepped out. Charlie immediately started thinking about Casey. The townhouse was unoccupied now that Casey was gone.

The whole thing didn't make sense to him. Casey could not possibly know about Charlie's other past life. Did one of Henry or Taylor have something to do with Casey's murder? If so, why kill Casey when they could just have easily killed Charlie?

There was the question about Arnaud. The man came from out of nowhere and suddenly he was inserting himself in Charlie's life. Henry had gone out of his way to make Arnaud a fence for Charlie.

Charlie knew he didn't need the protection. He was always fine by himself. It was the big black man at Henry's condo that startled Charlie the most. Why was Henry all of suddenly so protective of himself?

Charlie didn't appreciate that Henry avoided him. He wanted to talk to Henry, but Henry simply pushed Charlie aside. Charlie was still bothered by it.

Charlie got himself back into focus. He looked at the small kitchen. There was a small metallic pot on the stove.

He opened the fridge and found only a bottle of Scotch and a half-eaten tuna sandwich. He drank the Scotch from the bottle. Not all of it of course.

He placed the bottle back in the fridge. He didn't touch the tuna sandwich. He looked inside the closet that was adjacent to the door. There was a dark grey jacket inside. Charlie took it out and tried it on.

It fit him. Charlie found a set of keys inside the right pocket of the jacket. There was a small tag on the set of keys that read '101A'.

When Charlie closed the door behind him he noticed the numbers 101A were stitched just underneath the peephole.

Charlie smiled. He placed one of the keys inside the lock and locked the door. Charlie took a deep breath as he stepped outside. He decided he wasn't going to exit through Arnaud's loft.

He looked around the street. Several shops were open, passer-byes were walking about and a small red car was sitting right in front of Charlie.

There was a red head sitting inside the passenger seat of the car. She was reading something out a magazine. Charlie glanced at the woman who met his gaze. He made a quick smile at the woman than he turned away.

He started walking. The time on the mobile was five twenty-one. It was a normal spring day in Toronto.

Charlie continued walking. The sky was partly overcast and the weather was pleasant. You didn't need to wear a jacket on this day.

Funny enough, Charlie started to wonder whether he should return the jacket back when he stopped in front of a bar called The Gilligan's. Charlie walked in. He had been sober for just a bit and the Scotch back at his new crib was his first drink.

Charlie sat at a booth. There were only two other lads and they were sitting at the far end minding their own business.

There were two high-definition flat screens up above across from where Charlie was sitting. One of them was showing the local news.

A young man with short blonde dreadlocks came around to Charlie and asked,

"What can I get you sir?" Charlie guessed the young man was originally from Newfoundland because of his accent.

"I'll have a Guinness and a mango martini," Charlie said.

He was barely looking at the young man who gave Charlie his martini first.

Charlie said, "Thank you, young lad."

The young man said to Charlie, "It's Jameson."

Charlie looked at Jameson and gave a smile. Jameson nodded and turned around to head back to his spot. He was wiping a few glasses he had finished washing.

Charlie glanced at the two men who sitting at the other end of the bar. Both men minded their own business. Their heads were down, eyes focused on their glasses.

Charlie looked around the place. The Gilligan's was like any other typical Irish pub. The pub was, however, small in comparison to some of the ones Charlie frequented in the past.

Charlie thought about the Honorable. He made it what it was. Brought along John 'Steele' Carlson and Taylor Eagleton soon after. Both were from the underbelly just like Charlie.

All three made a pack: they would only kill those who they deemed unfit for society and therefore necessary to kill.

Politicians, bankers, celebrities, lawyers, professionals of all stripes were not immune to the Honorable. You could pick your random one.

Charlie's preferred choice of a weapon was a semi-automatic handgun or a Desert Eagle pistol. He liked Katana swords too.

Charlie was thinking about the Desert Eagle he left back in his previous home when Jameson interrupted his train of thought.

"Check out the news up there," Jameson said.

His right hand was pointing up at the screen showing the local news. There was a brazen shooting at a parking lot of a Wendy's restaurant at the north end. The police discovered the bodies of a young woman, a man, and a child.

Charlie watched the screen without his eyes blinking. He couldn't believe what the reporter was saying.

Some horrible nut job shot up a Honda civic with a young family inside of it.

It was a total mess. Jameson looked at one of the two men who was also starring up at the television screen and shook his head. He couldn't believe it either.

"This world is going to the dumps I tell ya," Jameson said to Charlie.

Charlie could only look at Jameson and say, "I wish the world ended."

Jameson returned to his cleaning. The news broadcast was still talking about the horrible shooting. Charlie sighed. He was having enough of this.

He decided he'd go back to the apartment on top of Arnaud's loft and sleep there for the night in case Arnaud or somebody else would come by.

He said his goodbye to Jameson and paid the young man. He exited the bar.

### Chapter 20

*Taylor Is Done In by Sonia*

Taylor Eagleton liked Charlie at the beginning. This was back when the two assassins had started. It was Charlie and Taylor at first, the two working hand in hand on a number of targets.

Taylor remembered the first target he and Charlie had teamed on.

It was a woman by the name of Chelsea Pelletier, a spoiled blue-eyed blonde hair socialite from Montreal and a frequent visitor of the hottest night clubs in the Greater Toronto Area.

Chelsea's father, Francoise Pelletier, was a wealthy businessman who founded and ran one of the wealthiest construction companies out of La Belle Province.

However, Francoise was being implicated in numerous political scandals exposing local politicians (including the mayor of Montreal) for taking kick-backs in return for political favors.

Francoise of course denied the allegations but by the time he was called to testify in front of an inquiry his reputation as a shrewd and honest businessman was already damaged.

Chelsea, on the other hand, showed no signs of being affected by her father's political scandals nor did she care about the negative perceptions her extravagant lifestyle would create.

Taylor had a deep resentment for Chelsea; mostly that Taylor came from a lower-class background and from earlier age developed strong repulsions for the rich and sophomoric.

It was a Monday night. Charlie was riding stick and Taylor was standing outside the gates of the Pelletier estate. The estate was located at the northwest corner of Laval.

Charlie and Taylor had been parked there for about two days since they started following Chelsea from her drive east from Toronto via the 401 express lanes.

Chelsea drove alone in her grey Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster to Montreal before finally stopping over in Laval with a friend.

Charlie and Taylor made sure they made close contact with Chelsea without her noticing that she was being followed.

Charlie did not share Taylor's personal hatred of the rich and powerful. Unlike Taylor, Charlie did not consider himself as part of any sort of 'class' and neither had a beef or love-in for anyone based on his or her financial standing.

"Here she comes!" Taylor said excitingly.

He was leaning against the car while Charlie was starring through the gates with his binocular.

Chelsea was wearing a light blue tank top with white skinny jeans and brown shades.

Her blonde hair was wrapped in a ponytail and she was accompanied by two large black men wearing black clothing.

Charlie noticed that one of the black men was starring directly at John, who was grinning at him. The second black man also noticed John.

Taylor was holding his gun, a silver-colored Mark XIX Desert Eagle pistol, behind his back the whole time.

Charlie quickly stepped out of the driver's seat of the car and held out his gun as well. It was the same model that Taylor had been carrying.

The two large black men accompanying Chelsea froze. Chelsea took a split second before she turned around and saw what was about to transpire.

"Who the hell are you two starring at?" Chelsea yelled at Taylor and Charlie.

Charlie moved a couple of steps towards Chelsea and immediately drew his gun and aimed it at her.

Chelsea stood motionless after seeing the gun being drawn at her. She slowly turned her head and gestured at the black man who was to her nearest right.

Just before the black man to the nearest right pulled out his weapon Charlie fired two shots at him through the chest. Pandemonium ensued.

Chelsea immediately made a run for it as Taylor and Charlie exchanged fire with the second black man.

Charlie turned around and followed Chelsea. Taylor and the second black man continuously exchanged shots at each other.

Taylor managed to duck behind the car. Chelsea was screaming hysterically as she was running. Charlie followed suit.

He wasn't going to let the bitch get away from him. Charlie quickly reloaded his gun, his eyes focused on Chelsea.

Chelsea was screaming louder now, hoping that someone would notice and probably call for help. No avail.

Charlie stopped. He raised his pistol and pulled the trigger. Chelsea slumped onto the ground head first.

She lay on the ground stiff. Charlie turned and ran back on the left side of the road.

He noticed the second black man hiding behind a large tree that was adjacent to the gates. Charlie shouted at the man, "Hold your fire or else I'll blast you!"

The second black man didn't respond. Charlie guessed the man was out of ammo. Charlie whispered over to Taylor, "Get in the car. I'll take the passenger."

Taylor quickly got inside the driver's seat while Charlie kept watch.

He was aiming his gun at the tree the second black man hid behind.

One peck was all Charlie needed. He wasn't going to take the chance.

Charlie fired two more shots. Soon the police were going to arrive. Charlie quietly but quickly got inside the passenger seat.

"Hit the fucking brakes!" Charlie bellowed.

Taylor turned the ignition and jammed on the breaks. They sped out before the second black man could make one last shot. It never came.

Charlie quickly looked back out the back window to see if the second black man was still behind the tree. He was sprawled on the ground.

"Is he dead?" Taylor asked as he made a quick left on another road.

A speeding police cruiser sped past them. Charlie held his breath. Taylor was struggling to hold grip of the steering wheel.

Both men surely did not want to be caught. Taylor slowed his driving down a bit. Soon he became a little bit relaxed.

By now the police were already at the scene but hopefully Charlie and John eluded them.

Charlie was still feeling a bit tense. It was the first time he killed someone. He felt a rush of adrenalin and perspiration. It all happened so fast. The bitch was dead.

Charlie sunk into his seat and breathed two deep breaths.

It was over and done with and now both men could stay at their motel for the night and head back to Toronto in the morning.

When they finally arrived in Montreal about two hours later Charlie and Taylor both entered a local McDonalds.

Charlie sat in one of the red rectangular tables while Taylor went to go take a leak. Charlie was still feeling the rush from the shooting.

Taylor came back a couple of minutes later. The place wasn't busy and there were only a couple of people sitting at their tables while eating a burger.

"So man, how's the big man doing?" Taylor said.

He was sporting a wide grin on his face while Charlie was composing himself.

"Taylor that was one fucked up shit!" Charlie cracked.

Taylor chuckled and said, "Aw man, you were cool. We had what we wanted so I guess there's no complaint."

Charlie said, "What's your nickname? Do you have one?"

Taylor thought for a moment. He glanced to his right to see an attractive Latina and her little sister munching on a plate of Big Mac burgers, fries and coke.

Taylor looked back at Charlie and said, "You can call me Francis."

Charlie shrugged.

There was nothing fantastic about the name. He stood up and went to the washroom. He came back a couple of minutes later and saw Taylor at the cashier ordering something.

Taylor purchased a Big Mac and supersized fries. No drinks. Charlie resisted the urge to eat anything and he was itching to get back to his motel to catch his sleep.

"You tired Charlie?" Taylor said.

"Yeah, can we get this over with?" Charlie said. He was ready to call it a day for the time being.

Taylor felt having a bite didn't help matters.

Charlie and Taylor spent the rest of the night at the motel. Taylor laid on his bed thinking about the next score. Charlie was having trouble trying to catch his sleep.

Maybe killing wasn't his thing.

The two men left Montreal in the morning and drove back to Toronto. It would be another several weeks before they'd hit their next target.

Taylor rolled on his king-size bed. He was thinking about the meeting with Steele and Sonia. Sonia was a crazy bitch. Taylor didn't doubt that.

He was already missing Brett. Brett was gone for two weeks on some important business trip. Taylor for the time being would have to make due alone.

He wasn't bothered. Toronto had plenty of things to do and discover and Taylor was eager to get out some fun of his own.

He heard the doorbell downstairs. He quickly glanced at his iPhone. It was thirteen past nine in the morning. He wondered who could be visiting his home.

Taylor put on some clothing - a white t-shirt, white khakis, and white sandals, and slowly climbed down the stairs to the front door.

Sonia was standing idly. She was wearing all black attire: black leather jacket, black leather pants, and black high-heels.

Her shoulder-length brown hair and large brown eyes gave her a look that Taylor immediately admired.

"Wow," Taylor gasped as he allowed Sonia to walk in.

Sonia smiled brightly.

"Nice to see you Taylor," she said warmly.

The two exchanged a warm hung. Taylor led Sonia to the kitchen where they sat down at the kitchen table.

"Would you like a drink?" Taylor said.

"No," Sonia replied. "Just a small talk."

Taylor sat down and waited. Sonia said, "I want to talk about Charlie Schmidt."

Taylor kept quiet. He sensed Charlie's name would come up. He wasn't fond of the way Charlie was being mentioned about. Charlie had been his mentor when the two worked together.

"Go on," he said as Sonia straightened up.

"I want to kill Charlie," Sonia said. "And, I want your help."

Now it was Taylor's turn to say something.

"I'm not sure about that," he said.

He felt uncomfortable. Sonia had a bit of a reputation as a lunatic. She would go at you in a quick second without even blinking.

She said, "Why won't you help me kill Charlie, Mr. Taylor?"

Taylor didn't like being called "Mister". He found the term offensive. He said, "Charlie was been good to me, Sonia. I have no reason for wanting Charlie dead."

Sonia sighed. She was starting to get anxious.

"I need you Taylor," she pleaded. "Henry is on my case about it."

Sonia only wanted Taylor's involvement because she knew it would destroy Taylor. She was determined to get rid of everyone, Henry Shaw being the last one.

"Fine, I'll just find someone else then," she said as she got up from the kitchen table.

Taylor stood up as well and said, "I'm sorry Sonia."

To that, Sonia said, "So am I."

She fired two shots. It happened so fast.

Taylor looked down and placed his hands on his stomach. He looked back up at Sonia. A stunned look was showing on Taylor's face.

Taylor sunk back down on the floor. Sonia placed her gun down on the kitchen table. She knelt over to Taylor, said, "No one ever says no to me you fucking cunt!"

Sonia stood back up, grabbed her gun and aimed at Taylor's head. She fired three successive shots. Taylor's head was blown to bits.

Blood and flesh matter was visible on Sonia's leather jacket. She didn't care. She turned to leave the house.

She found a small white handkerchief and quickly wiped off the blood and flesh matter off her leather jacket. She dumped it on the floor and exited the front door.

She was relaxed now. She felt no remorse for Taylor. He was gone and now it was on to Steele.

She knew where to find Steele. There was an Irish pub called Cerrito's Bar on Dundas, no more than a block and a half east of Dundas Square.

Sonia was looking forward to wiping his grin off his ugly face.

### Chapter 21

*Henry Has A Fucking Problem*

Henry entered the Escalade and sat in his back seat comfortably. He entered the number on his satellite phone and waited for only a few seconds before he gets the response.

"This is the salt-hair," the male voice on the other line said.

"Steele, this is Henry, your boss who's speaking!"

"Oh, Henry, I'm sorry, I..."

"Don't worry about it Steele. How are things?"

"Things are good Henry and you?"

"Things are looking up. Look, Steele, I've got an issue here. It's concerning Sonia."

"Okay, what's the deal with her?"

"I've got a bad feeling about that woman. I could tell when I spoke to the three of you I wasn't feeling comfortable looking at her."

"I don't understand."

"Steele, I've been in this kind of business for a long time, and I've always had a way of reading people. Sonia is a different story. I do not like the vibes she gives off."

"So, where do I fit in all of this?"

"I need you to check her out, see what she's up to from time to time. There's a large cash incentive for you if you're interested."

"Sure thing Henry, whatever you like."

"There's something else too I'd like to add. You know a man named James Wong?"

"Who's Wong?"

"Just someone I use for paperwork. Can you stop over at his place and see what's up?

"You mean, now Henry?"

"Sure, if that's not any trouble."

"The name sounds familiar... yeah, I think I know him."

"I know you know him Steele, you've met the man before on a couple of occasions."

"Wong...you mean Jim Wong the 'Dollar-Man' right?"

"Yeah, that's him. So can you check him out?"

"I can check him out, no problem Henry."

"Thanks Steele, I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome."

"Remember, you're only checking on the guy that's all. Scoop around the area, and see where he usually hangs. Follow his movements."

"And after that what's next?" Steele asked.

"We'll see what happens. But for now, just follow Wong and Sonia. Don't get too close to her though."

"Alright, thanks Henry."

"And more thing," Henry said.

"Yes?"

"I want Sonia dealt with when the time is right. Like I said, I'm only getting bad vibes about her, but if my instincts prove me right than we'll have to cut her loose."

"I understand."

"Good."

"Take care, Henry."

"Goodbye."

Henry hung up his satellite phone and sighed. He had instructed Bishop to take him back to his condo apartment.

Sonia was somebody Henry had tried to keep a lid on. Tried and failed. He brought her only on his contact's personal recommendation.

James, like Henry, was a well placed man in the killing business. He had connections from numerous places, but Henry was careful not to engage with any of the people James did business with. Henry preferred to do his own tie-ins.

Henry made James his main man when it came to dealing with financial matters. James was the overseer of the monies.

Henry had enormous respect for James because of James' financial and mathematical acumen. He even went as far as to make James his number two man in the operation.

Steele, Taylor, and Sonia were the only killers Henry was employing at the moment. Charlie was retired, but to Henry that was beside the point.

Henry knew about Charlie's personal situation. He visited with Casey, Charlie's girlfriend, on several occasions.

Of course Henry told Casey about Charlie's previous job but he found Casey to be a fierce and charismatic woman. Not to mention a good fuck too.

He admired Casey's sensibility, quick-witted humor, and sexual appetite. That's why Henry was completely shocked to learn of Casey's tragic death.

Charlie had called Henry on the day Charlie discovered her body. Henry promised to Charlie he would find the person who killed Rosalyn.

However, Henry secretly suspected Charlie had something to do with the murder. Charlie was never the perfect boyfriend to Casey.

Henry liked Charlie at first, but after meeting Casey, he felt a disdain for Charlie.

Henry's mobile rang up the familiar tone of Jennifer Lopez's 'Waiting for Tonight'. It was one of his lookouts.

"We have a problem Mr. Shaw," the lookout said.

Henry shifted in his seat. He didn't like the mention of the word 'problem'.

"What is it?" he said.

There was a small silence on the other end of the line. Perhaps the lookout was afraid to be the bearer of bad news.

"There's been a situation regarding Mr. Wong," the look-out said.

He cleared his throat.

"Mr. Wong was murdered three days ago sir. In fact, it was Wong and his entire family who perished. Some loco shot them up while they were driving out in their car. Nobody survived. It's a fucking mess."

Henry slammed his mobile onto the seat. He was infuriated.

His lookout was a young officer from within 21 Division, the main centre of the Toronto Police Service. Henry sometimes used his lookout if such a use was warranted.

The Wong family murder however, was different. Henry's only point man was gone. His family killed by a lunatic fringe.

Henry sighed. He picked up his mobile and said, "Are you still there?"

The lookout said, "Yes sir, I'm here. What do you want me to do?"

"Keep me posted in case there are any more developments," Henry replied.

He folded his mobile and inserted it into his blazer. He picked up the satellite phone and dialed Steele's number.

"Henry, I just drove past the house where the Wong family lives. There's been police activity at the area and around the house. I'm not sure what the fuck is going on, do you?" Steele said.

Henry coldly replied, "Wong and his family were massacred, that's why."

Steele muttered something under his breath but Henry caught a gist of it.

"What is it you wanted to say Steele?" Henry said.

Steele replied, "I think that woman...Sonia had something to do with it."

Henry shifted in his seat again. Sonia was somebody Henry didn't think could pull off something like this although his instinct would have told him otherwise.

"Why would she be stupid enough to do something like that?" Henry said.

Steele thought about an answer before Henry said, "Maybe we should keep a more thorough eye on her than. I'll figure something out along the way. Be safe, alright?"

"Alright boss," Steele said.

Steele hung up and Henry put down the satellite phone. Charlie Schmidt was still alive and yet Henry was beginning to feel that the contract offer to Sonia was an error.

In his own eyes Sonia was a killing psychopath. Henry wished he hadn't brought Sonia into the fold. He wished Charlie didn't leave. He was mad at Charlie. He was mad at everyone.

The Escalade arrived at the condo. Bishop opened the side door and watched as Henry exited the van. He said to Bishop, "We need to find Charlie and soon."

Bishop closed the passenger door and followed Henry up the stairs from the underground parking.

After they arrived at the apartment, Henry went into his cubicle. He picked up his mobile again and dialed a number.

He was going to reach out to an old friend.

### Chapter 22

*Sonia Meets the Reardon Family*

Sonia parked outside the two-story Reardon family house later that evening. She glanced at her mobile screen. Thirty-eight minutes after six. Soon Bethany and Reardon's brother Phil would be home.

Sonia gently glided the front tip of a silver colored .38 with her right-hand thumb. Another ten minutes went by and Jack Reardon's wife and brother in-law still have not arrived.

However, Sonia was patient. Her willingness to absolve those minutes allowed her to think about the Wong family she murdered at the Wendy's parking lot the previous week.

Just before the top hour mark a red Nissan arrived at the residence. The driver parked the Nissan and exited the vehicle.

The driver was a tall man with dark hair dressed in a black and white suit. Sonia recognized Phil Reardon.

Sonia had suspected the Reardon family was returning from the funeral service.

The funeral had been a private ceremony with the Reardon family opting to have the procession blocked out of public viewing.

To the local media's annoyance, the Reardon family decided that no cameras were to be allowed in and around the church and funeral.

Bethany Reardon had refused the offer from the provincial Premier Kathleen Wynn to have Jack Reardon honored in a state funeral.

The press speculated that Bethany's refusal was a personal one.

It was no secret that the Reardon family had a deep distaste for Premier Wynn and the left-wing councilors in city hall that clashed with Jack Reardon's conservative policies.

Phil entered the house and closed the front door. Sonia quickly exited her Prius and hurried towards the house.

To her surprise there were no cameramen or reporters standing around the area and property. This was proving to be advantageous.

Sonia stood at the front door. She pressed the doorbell and waited. No reply. She pressed the doorbell again. No reply.

Sonia searched the left pocket of her black leather coat and located a set of keys. She untwined one of the keys and unlocked the front door.

After gently closing the door Columbo looked around to take note of any sound or movement.

Nothing moved or made a sound. It's as if no one had actually entered the house.

Sonia quietly walked up the stairs. The door at the front end of the hall was the entry of the master bedroom where the Reardon couple had slept together.

Sonia slowly held out her .38 as she moved one inch of a small step towards the master bedroom door.

She heard a faint sound of noises. As she pressed her right ear on the door she heard a woman laughing followed by male giggling. Phil Reardon was not alone. This intrigued Sonia.

She didn't expect to find another person at the house.

There was only one car at the driveway and it was Phil's. Sonia composed herself. She slowly turned back and went down to the kitchen.

The kitchen was as familiar in the way Sonia knew it. The space was neatly organized and arranged in order. Sonia smiled to herself as she grabbed a can of Coke from the fridge and sat at the kitchen table.

She decided to wait for the time being until one of the two came down. A few minutes later her wait was justified.

### Chapter 23

*Sonia Takes Out the Reardon Family*

Phil Reardon was wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of slacks. He stopped as soon he saw Sonia sitting at the kitchen table.

"Who the hell are you?" Phil said.

Sonia glared at him.

"You're a bastard, a real son of a bitch!" Sonia hissed at Phil.

Phil was about to say something back at Sonia when Bethany appeared. She was naked from head to toe. A look of surprise was shown on her face when she saw Sonia.

Sonia immediately flashed her gun at both Phil and Bethany. Bethany froze. Phil's expression turned from anger to bewilderment.

"We don't know who you are or how you got here lady...but you need to leave this property now!" Bethany shouted at Sonia.

"I came here because I left some things behind with Phil," Sonia lied.

Phil quickly looked at Bethany and shook his head. He was panting now, a sudden rash of fear gripping him.

"She's lying," Phil protested. "Bethany, I never saw this woman in my life. I swear!"

Sonia focused her gun at Phil while half staring at Bethany. Phil exchanged a quick 'I'm sorry' look at Bethany.

"How about Bethany and I talk outside, hmm?" Sonia said.

"Why?" Phil demanded.

"It's a private matter."

"What's so private about it?"

"Come on Bethany, we don't want to waste any time do we honey? Tell your boyfriend Phil to go back upstairs."

"We can talk right here where were standing."

Sonia's expression gave Phil the impression of a wounded soul but Phil wasn't buying any of it. Things were now fucked and Phil needed to find a safe way out from this lunatic.

He couldn't believe he allowed something like this to happen. Not that it mattered to Phil that he was sleeping with the wife of his dead brother.

Phil didn't expecting to find himself a captive in his brother's home let alone be caught with his pants down.

Bethany crept closer and leaned her head onto Phil's shoulder. She gave a pleading look at Sonia, who ignored her.

"I want the both of you to die!" Sonia hissed. Phil's and Bethany's eyes widened. The two just stood there motionless.

Sonia stood up from the kitchen table. She glared at Bethany for a moment, than her eyes turned back on Phil.

She yelled, "Phil if you don't take yourself upstairs right this minute I swear I'll bludgeon Bethany to bits!"

Phil was aghast and gave Sonia a look of disgust.

"You can leave, right now!" Phil said forcefully. There was a hint of alarm in his voice.

Sonia raised the .38 and aimed it in between Phil's eyes. She pulled the trigger. Phil's face became a fragmented shell and blown flesh.

Bethany, partly covered in the bloody mess, shrieked in horror. Sonia aimed her .38 at Bethany and pulled the trigger.

One shot to the lower right leg.

Bethany slumped facedown onto the bloodied floor screaming in agony. Sonia placed the pistol onto the kitchen table.

She went back out to her Prius. She opened the trunk and retrieved a Smith & Wesson Police Special shotgun.

Sonia went back inside the house and stood five feet from where Bethany laid. Bethany was still wailing in pain. Sonia drew the shotgun and aimed it at the back of Bethany's head.

She pulled the trigger. Chunks of Bethany's head exploded into scatter.

Sonia quickly withdrew her shotgun and took out a white Fujifilm instant camera. She took several pictures of Phil and Bethany and even the blood and flesh scatter. She took all of the pictures and placed them all along with the camera in her right pocket.

"Ah," Sonia said to herself. "It's the season to be jolly."

Sonia laughed at herself hysterically. She was enjoying this sort of thing now. She loved the thrill of the kill.

Originally it wasn't Sonia's intention to go kill the Reardon family. A change of heart coupled with an uncontrollable lust for blood made the idea of killing Bethany and Phil Reardon too enticing for her to pass up.

Sonia grabbed the pistol and placed it in her left pocket of her long leather coat.

She turned around and headed straight for the front door. She took a careful peek outside through the front door to see if anyone was outside.

She made a dash for it and shoved shotgun into the back seat of her Prius and drove off.

She arrived at the Cerrito's Bar to confront Steele about an hour later. She shut off the ignition of the car after parking.

Her night was just beginning.

### Chapter 24

*The Message*

Charlie woke up inexplicably. His hands were sweaty, his breathing hard, and his mind was racing. Such was the case with Charlie.

He would have this re-accruing nightmare, the kind that just jolted a person up at night and made him terrified of the surrounding darkness.

Charlie sat up on his bed for another five minutes but what seemed like eternity.

As he struggled to drag himself up Charlie heard a buzzer from his mobile. It was a text message from a person called 'Dragon'.

Charlie didn't recognize the name and wasn't sure how this person got his number.

He read the time. It was seven after one. Charlie was still racing from the nightmare.

He wasn't fully functional but he felt alert. He clicked on the Message tab and started to read the text message.

Dear Charlie,

My name is Dragon.

You may not recognize my name but I want you to know I don't take offense. Here's something you should know about me: I'm not some hired gun or professional. I'm much worse than that. I am a killer. I don't just kill my victims Charlie. I mutilate them. I do all sorts of horrible and nasty things to them. When they're alive and when they're dead. I enjoy it. I enjoy every ounce of my victims' screams and their pain. It's fun to watch a person die. It's a lot better than shooting someone than it is to stab him. You might think I'm joking Charlie but I'm not. Here's a group of names you might want to familiarize yourself with: James Wong, Cynthia Wong, Bradley Wong, Jack Reardon, Bethany Reardon, Phil Reardon, and sweet Casey. See you soon.

Sincerely yours – Dragon @@@@@@@@

Charlie placed the mobile down. Got off the bed and went to the washroom. He looked himself in the mirror.

After quickly washing his face he grabbed on a pair of Levis, a black long sleeve and his new grey jacket.

He headed down the stairwell from his new apartment. Outside it was cold, damp, and murky. Spring was not in her fullest of blooms despite the last few warm days.

He had brought his mobile with him and walked to The Gilligan's. The place wasn't closing shop until two in the morning.

Charlie had at least six hours to get a drink and clear his mind.

When he arrived at the bar, a tired-looking Jameson greeted Charlie with a smile and as he finished wiping the bar down with his towel, he asked Charlie what he was drinking.

"I need a Jameson and fast!" Charlie said as he grabbed a seat right in front of Jameson.

Charlie came to Jameson's bar every now and then, and even before he had left for Europe. The two men had a cozy, if not close type of friendship.

Charlie had learned that the owner of the bar was Jameson's father. Jameson inherited it after his father moved back to Southampton, England.

Jameson was kind enough to let Charlie sit in at for the time being until he'd finally close shop.

After closing shop extremely early, Jameson invited Charlie upstairs to his apartment.

"You live upstairs above the bar?" Charlie said he followed Jameson up the steps.

"My dad bought out the place from a previous tenant," Jameson said. "So he renovated it over time and decided to keep it in the family."

They entered the apartment and Charlie was impressed by the furnishing of the space. There was a steel kitchen, three satin sofas, a forty-inch plasma screen TV and four large pictures hung on the walls.

The place resembled a fancier setting than what Charlie was used to seeing. Jameson went to the kitchen and grabbed two glasses.

"Have a seat," Jameson said.

Charlie sat down. Jameson placed the two empty glasses on the glass table and went back to kitchen where brought a bottle of Grey Goose vodka.

Charlie opened the bottle and served himself and Jameson three quarters of a glass each.

He drank his entire glass down in one stroke. Jameson stared at him and grinned as he mentioned to Charlie he'd bring another bottle.

After bring the second bottle Jameson sat down.

"So what brings me the pleasure my new friend?" Jameson said.

Charlie relaxed a bit and said, "What in the world did your pops had the balls to name you after a drink?"

Jameson grinned once more. Charlie had the impression that Jameson was the kind of guy who wouldn't blink once if you'd shove a sledgehammer in between his eyes.

"My dad gave me the name because he was sorry that he ever brought me into this word," Jameson answered.

"Sounds nice," Charlie said.

Jameson said, "What's your issue, if you don't mind me asking?"

Charlie took a breath and said, "Some wacko sent me a letter – no, text, and I believe it's someone who's probably out to get me."

Jameson nodded. "I suppose this message was what kept you up and brought you here?" he asked.

"Yeah," Charlie said to Jameson.

"What was it, a cryptic message, a picture?" Jameson asked.

Charlie explained to Jameson the details.

After, Jameson stood up and said, "You should go then. Sounds like them bastards might be looking for you soon. If I were you I'd go straight to them and sort it out."

Charlie stood up and shook Jameson's hands. He thanked Jameson for inviting him over for a couple drinks and said goodbye.

Charlie left the place soon after and walked back to his new apartment.

When he arrived home it was already seven minutes past ten. Charlie lay in his bed after undressing himself. For the next few hours he would simply stare up at the ceiling.

### Chapter 25

* Cerrito's Tavern *

Steele sat alone in a bar called Cerrito's Tavern. It was ten or so past eleven, and he was getting ready to leave. The place was empty, except for the bartender and Steele himself. Closing time was a half hour ago but the bartender knew Steele and allowed him to stay for a bit.

The streets were busy with people, cars and noise. Steele loved the high energy and sounds of the city. He was accustomed to it.

To his surprise Sonia suddenly showed up. He noticed the black leather attire she was wearing. A smile was perched on his face.

"The fuck brings you here Sonia," Steele said as he shook hands with her.

Sonia straightened her hair, she said, "Oh, just coming to see an old friend."

She sat down next to Steele and told the barman she wanted a Coors Light in a bottle. The barman handed Sonia her beer and she thanked him.

"I have some news on Taylor," Sonia said.

Her mood suddenly darkened. Steele was concerned.

"What happened?" he said.

"Taylor's been shot. I found him in his townhouse a couple of days ago," Sonia replied.

She lowered her head. Steele said something under his breath. He didn't want Sonia to know what he was thinking. He suspected it was her.

"Do you think Charlie had something to do with this?" Steele said, trying not to sound fictitious.

Sonia looked up at him. Steele saw the cunning smile on her face. He immediately went for this gun on his left side. Sonia slammed her beer bottle on top of his head.

Steele fell back, blood gushing from his head wound. Sonia drew out her pistol and fired one shot that grazed Steele's left arm.

The barman screamed. Sonia glared at the barman and held her finger to her lips as if to tell the barman to shut up.

Steele was on the ground. His head wound hampering him. He was in pain and Sonia displayed no pity.

She aimed her pistol at Steele and said, "I won't have the satisfaction of killing you."

In her mind Sonia fired a shot at Steele's head.

She left the bar in a heap. Remarkably no one outside had either heard or noticed the commotion.

Sonia merged with the crowd and smiled at herself. She had the pistol hidden beneath her leather jacket. She straightened her hair again.

She only had two other targets in her mind. Dundas Square was as packed and busy as ever. Sonia continued onwards down Young. She was enjoying the sights and the sounds.

Too bad Steele wasn't going to accompany her. He had a head injury to sort out.

### Chapter 26

*Henry Pleads with Charlie*

Henry's black Escalade stopped in front of the apartment the following night. It was cold and raining profusely. He had on raincoat but abstained from carrying an umbrella.

Bishop opened the door and Henry stepped out.

"Bishop, wait here for now. You come up the second I reach you, okay?" Henry said to Bishop as he began to enter the building.

"Sure thing," Bishop said.

Henry entered the building.

He knew about the place where Charlie was currently staying at. Charlie wasn't that totally discrete about his current whereabouts.

Henry had hoped he could convince Charlie to rejoin the fray, get back in tandem with Steele and Taylor. Make the Honorable what it was again.

Or so he thought.

He gave a slight knock on the door. He stood silently as he waited for Charlie to respond.

Another minute passed but no one had replied. Henry knocked again. He waited a little longer but still there wasn't a reply.

Suddenly a voice shouted, "Who is it?"

Henry responded, "Charlie, it's me, Henry. I want to talk to you."

Charlie opened the door, rather slowly. The door was just open enough for Charlie to sneak an eye through the opening. Clearly it was Henry. Charlie sighed. He opened the door the rest of the way and let Henry enter.

"Charlie," Henry said as he and Charlie shook hands. "It's been over a week now since you've come over. I came to ask you a favor. I'm sorry I came here unexpectedly."

Charlie nodded.

He gestured for Henry to grab a seat. Henry sat down as Charlie went to the kitchen to grab a glass and a bottle of French vodka.

He came back with a plate and the glass and the bottle and settled it on a small glass table in front of Henry.

"Where's your new friend, if you don't mind me asking?" Henry said as he poured himself a glass.

Charlie stood. He stared on as Henry drank his first sip of the vodka.

"He left apparently," Charlie said.

He sighed. Henry felt sorry for him. Charlie finally came around and sat across from his old boss.

"He left maybe a day or two ago, I don't know. He'd sometimes be out for a couple of days or almost a week before he'd show back up," Charlie said.

"Any reasons why you'd think he didn't come back this time?" Henry asked.

He had already finished his glass of the vodka but decided not to pour another. Charlie watched him intently. Henry placed the glass down on the glass table and looked back at Charlie.

"I guess something happened and he just decides to take off," Charlie said.

"I might have a theory," Henry said.

He was waiting for Charlie to make a response. Henry continued.

"I guess he knew something about your past affiliation with us, right? He probably got spooked out, or maybe something or someone was or had got to him."

Charlie leaned forward.

"What do you, something or somebody had gotten to Arnaud?" Charlie said, his eyes narrowing at Henry.

Henry cleared his throat. He wasn't about to give Charlie the impression that he was going to try to fuck with him.

"Charlie, we've had a situation. I know about your other friend, I mean, Casey. I'm sorry for your loss. But I think her death has something to do with someone."

Charlie was considering what his old boss was telling him. Involving his late girlfriend touched a nerve in him.

"I brought in a woman who was to take your place. She's been a major thorn in my ass. She's killed several people, including your girlfriend. I'm sure of it. I suspect she was behind the murders of James Wong and his wife and kid too."

Charlie was silent. He trying to take in what Henry had told him. James Wong was a friend of Charlie's dating back to their earlier days in the partnership.

He stood up with his hands placed on his hips. He was pacing back and forth. He stopped. He looked at Henry.

"You saying this woman killed Casey?" he said.

"I'm afraid so," Henry responded.

He stood up.

"I have Taylor and Steele on her trail as we speak. If anything happens they'll be the first to inform me."

"You'll be the first to know?" Charlie said.

Henry responded, "The Wong situation is troubling. I don't like the fact that the cunt had the nerve to go as far as to shoot up a young family in the middle of the day and at a public place."

Charlie folded his arms and said, "So you want me to come in and what, save the day?"

Henry frowned and said, "No, I want you back because you're the only person I can count on. I've got Taylor and Steele but I'm not totally convinced about those two guys. Plus, James was my number two and most trusted confidant and now he's gone. I need your help Charlie."

"No, I won't do it. I left it because of what this whole thing was turning into," Charlie said.

"Charlie, Honorable was _your_ creation. I only supported you on it."

"Maybe you shouldn't have."

"Charlie, I know you're going through some tough times."

"I'm trying to lead a normal life now, Henry. I don't want any part of _Honorable_. Killing all those guys (even though they were scum) didn't change anything for me."

Henry was quiet. Charlie didn't want to say anything more. Henry sighed. He felt Charlie was his last way out. Now it seemed like it wasn't going to be the case .

"Charlie, I came here to you as a friend. Please, don't let me down, alright?" Henry said sternly. He wanted Charlie to sense the urgency in his voice.

Charlie turned away. He wanted Henry to leave. Charlie turned back around and faced Henry. He was content now. He felt in control.

"I will let you know later tonight," Charlie said.

Henry didn't respond. He shook Charlie's hand and left. Charlie watched Henry enter his Escalade from the window looking out.

### Chapter 27

*Steele Confronts Charlie*

Once the Escalade was gone Charlie quickly grabbed on his grey jacket. Jameson was probably working the bar tonight and Charlie felt he could use a friendly face.

When he arrived at the Gilligan's there was a crowd there. Only one chair was available at the booth.

Charlie quickly grabbed a seat. There was a cute red head working bar. She saw Charlie walk in and smiled as Charlie sat.

"Hello there," the woman cheered.

Charlie smiled back at the woman and said, "How would you like to serve a Sex on a Beach?"

The woman's smile widened further across her face. She quickly handed Charlie a martini. Charlie was bemused. The woman said, "My name is Samantha. You must be Charlie, right?"

Charlie gave slight nod. He noticed Samantha was extremely attractive. Samantha said, "Jameson told me about you. I started here just a few nights ago."

"Oh, that's lovely!" Charlie said.

Samantha winked at him. Charlie just stared at her.

"So you and Jameson are close friends, right?" she said.

She poured another martini down while taking the first glass away.

"Yes!" Charlie responded.

"What do you do for a living Charlie?" Samantha asked.

Charlie drank down the rest of his second martini.

"I'm sort of in the private investigation business," Charlie lied. "I haven't done much since I quit my previous line of work."

"What was your previous line of work, if you don't mind me asking?" Samantha said.

She stood directly in front of Charlie. Her eyes were focused onto his. Charlie began to feel a rush of awe about her.

Charlie didn't want Samantha to know about his dark past. Samantha seemed to have sensed Charlie's thinking and she changed course with her questioning.

"Have you ever got into personal trouble with Jameson?" she asked.

"No, not unless I've had to," Charlie responded, giving Samantha an admiring wink.

Samantha winked back at Charlie. She turned back and joined Jameson with another customer at the other end of the booth.

A few minutes later Jameson came up to Charlie and said, "You better get back home soon. I believe you have an unexpected visitor."

Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"Any idea that visitor is?" he said.

Jameson responded, "No idea mate. He said it was extremely urgent. Said something to do with a Casey or something..."

Charlie immediately got up from the chair and walked back to his apartment. Just when he was about to enter the building his mobile buzzed. Charlie grabbed the mobile and checked the screen.

It was an unknown number.

Charlie said, "Hello?"

A familiar voice responded, "I'm waiting for you Charlie."

The line went dead.

Charlie slowly placed his mobile back in his right pocket of his grey jacket and was silent.

He climbed the stairwell. The place was dark. He noticed a photograph in front of him. Charlie didn't recall leaving a photograph on the floor the last time he stepped out.

He picked up the photograph and flipped it. To his horror the picture showed what looked to be a fatal head wound.

Charlie thought someone was trying to pull a sick prank on him. Or someone had actually killed that person by blowing the top of his or her head off.

He quickly tossed the gruesome picture into the garbage disposal under the kitchen sink. He sat down in the living room. Charlie closed his eyes for a moment.

He heard a noise.

Suddenly the barrel of a shotgun was aimed in-between his eyes. The man who was aiming the shotgun at Charlie was none other than Steele.

"Mr. Charlie Schmidt," Steele said.

He was snorting but Charlie could sense a hint of rage under him. Charlie said nothing.

A large white band-aid was been stitched on the top of Steele's head. Charlie wondered how he got that injury.

"Do you remember that conversation we had about you leaving us?" Steele said.

Charlie didn't respond. He wasn't about to give Steele anything Steele could use against him.

Steele was the raging sort who was always hot and bothered, popping whenever he had the urge to.

Charlie had the displeasure of knowing and working with Steele on several occasions. The job in Sherbrook was to Charlie the exception. Steele wasn't in his crazy state back then.

Charlie figured Steele was the unexpected visitor Jameson talked about. At Steele's instructions Charlie knelt down a few feet in front of him. The shotgun was still aimed at Charlie's face.

"You and that bitch of yours had something to do with James Wong, right?" Steele said.

Charlie wasn't sure who Steele was talking about. He sensed Steele's impatience.

"Do your best to tell me where she is Charlie and I won't consider it with Henry, promise," Steele said. "Now tell me where she is."

Charlie didn't respond. Steele was getting even more impatient. Steele slowly held the shotgun down and spat at Charlie. Charlie didn't react.

"Come on Charlie, I know you and that bitch Sonia were involved. You're a part of this. You wanted out of the Honorable. I'm giving you the courtesy of telling me Sonia's whereabouts. Now, you don't want Russo to ever know...

"Who the hell is Sonia?" Charlie angrily interjected.

Steele rolled his eyes.

"You and I were on job not too long ago. I went in and you were the driver. I took out a merchant who had owed Henry but refused to pay his money. When we came back with the cash we saw a cute Latina sitting in the directory of Henry's office. Remember her?"

"I don't know who you're talking about."

"You probably just made a passing look at her."

"I fucking doubt it."

"So you're telling me you've never had anything to do with this woman?"

"Whoever it is Steele, I've never seen her but I'd like to know who killed my girlfriend?"

"You meant your 'bird'?"

"Fuck off, alright?"

"Henry has a theory that maybe Sonia had done her."

"How the fuck I'm supposed to know it was Sonia?"

"She's a member of our group. Henry suspects she's a rogue and thinks she was behind the murders of Wong, his family and your girl."

"You're kidding me Steele?"

"I wish I was, but I know the bitch has a Russian sub on her. She uses that weapon religiously."

"You mean you knew about this woman the whole time and you could've told me?"

"What the fuck was I supposed to know Charlie, huh? It's not like I knew about Sonia the whole time. Henry told me about her a few days ago. He's only asking that I keep an eye on her."

"Did you know that Henry came over and talked to me?"

"Yeah, I suspected he would. He still holds you in high regard I suppose."

Charlie stood up. He wasn't upset at Steele. A new recruit of Henry's was going around killing everything in her wake.

"How did Henry find this girl?" Charlie asked Steele.

Steele responded, "I'm not sure. I wish he didn't though. I'm sorry about the gun, I just, I don't know..."

Charlie said, "It's cool Steele. I don't appreciate the way you invited yourself in."

He turned and headed to the bathroom. When he stepped out a minute later Steele was gone.

### Chapter 28

*The Docks*

Henry, Steele, and Charlie met at the docks a few days later. The three men came separately and unannounced. Charlie was wearing his new trademark slim suit.

He had two .50 Caliber Chrome Finish Desert Eagle pistols, one inside the blazer and the other in his right pocket. Steele was holding a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun; Henry was unarmed for the moment.

All three men had one thing in mind: kill Sonia Lopez. Taylor had been found shot to death in his home up in North York by his partner.

Steele and Charlie had been surprised but Henry wasn't. Henry was the first to talk after Charlie arrived shortly.

"We need to come up with a plan to deal with Sonia," he said as he watched Steele and Charlie shake hands.

Charlie said, "Where do Steele and I fit in?"

"I'm not sure exactly how or what's going to happen," Henry said. "Sonia is out of control. I'm shutting down the operation as we speak. I'm out of this Charlie."

Steele said, "Me too, I've been in this long enough. I think it's time. We've killed scores of people, but we've also faced some close calls too. Taylor was like a brother to me."

All three men fell silent for a moment.

Charlie took out a cigarette and said, "Sonia took away the one person who mattered in my life."

Steele and Henry shot Charlie a curious look. Both men knew about the murder of Casey Novara, but none suspected it would have such affect on Charlie at this stage.

"I know, it's not like an assassin can suddenly get all touchy-feely," Charlie said, his hands raised. He smiled.

Henry looked at Steele before saying, "I'm considering moving somewhere in New York."

"Sounds nice," Steele said. "I'd like to go there one day."

"You've never been there before?" Henry said.

Steele replied, "No, I haven't."

Henry kicked at something on the ground. The weather was warm for a nice change but also unpredictable. Charlie wondered if leaving for Paris in the first place was a good idea.

"Any idea where she could be?" he said to Steele.

Steele thought for a moment. "She could be back at her hotel, the Royal York," he said.

He dug his hands in his pockets. Henry nodded at Charlie.

"I suppose we can start there," Charlie suggested to the two men. "Steele and I can go to the Royal York. We'll try not to make a mess of it."

"Just be careful then," Henry said. "I don't want any more surprises."

"There won't be surprises," Steele said. "There won't be any surprises once we serve you Sonia's fucking head on a platter."

Charlie didn't respond.

He turned and left both Steele and Henry behind. Henry looked at Steele who watched Charlie enter Arnaud's Benz. A minute later the Benz backed away and left the area.

Henry called Bishop, who arrived with the Escalade several minutes later. Both Steele and Henry sat together in the back seat.

"I have something for you," Henry said. He opened a briefcase he had hidden underneath the seat. He took out a manila envelope and handed it to Steele.

"It's okay, go ahead and open it," Henry said. He watched as Steele ripped the top end of the envelope. Steele held out a sepia photograph of a female brunette.

"I want Charlie brought to me," Henry said. "I want you to get Charlie anyway you can after we deal with that bitch. Charlie needs to tell me why I shouldn't have him killed."

Steele said, "Who's the cutie?"

To that Henry replied, "You know who that is, Steele."

Steele studied the picture again. His eyes rose. He looked at Henry who could only smile at him.

"Wait a minute...she looks almost identical to Sonia. Is there something I'm missing?" Steele said.

Henry cleared his throat. He made sure as to not sound so nonchalant for what he was about to say to Steele. "Sonia Lopez is in fact Charlie's biological daughter," he said.

Steele was stunned.

"Henry, are you fucking kidding me?" he said.

Henry replied, "No, I fucking kid you not. Charlie had a one night stand with a Russian-American woman who worked as an envoy while he was in Caracas. He was, I recall, twenty-one years old. My contacts kept track of Sonia's mother. Charlie never saw her again to this day. He and Sonia are not aware that they're related."

This information was surprising to Steele. He said, "So, about this picture, how old is it?"

"That picture was taken a decade ago," Henry said. "She was sixteen at the time of this photo being taken.

"Henry, you're a fucking bastard you know that?" Steele said. He sported a wide grin across his face. "So you decide to use that connection to spy on Sonia and now you want to turn Charlie against his daughter?"

"She's not his daughter," Henry said. "Well, at least she is biologically."

"How the fuck did you manage to get a hold of Sonia in the first place?" Steele said.

"It's simple," Henry said. "We got hold of Sonia's mother. We threatened to expose her to the Americans if she refused to cooperate with us.

"So, the Russian-American mother was a spy?"

"She was in fact selling military and technological secrets to the Russians," Henry said.

"This happened while Charlie was starting out, eh?" said Steele. "That's nice."

"What the fuck happened to your head?" Henry said, noticing the small gash at Steele's frontal lobe.

"Oh, that was all Sonia," Steele replied. Henry chuckled. He took back the photograph and placed it back in the briefcase.

"So the plan is as follows: find Charlie, bring him over to me. Kill the bitch and see to it that Charlie gets his end afterwards," Henry said.

"Okay," Steele said.

He exited the Escalade. Steele waved goodbye as the Escalade left the area. He was wagging his tongue over the revelation that Henry had provided to him.

Steele took his time before he finally entered his car. He turned the ignition and the music player. Mozart was playing. Steele relaxed for a bit before pressing the brakes.

He imagined the look on Charlie's face if such a revelation came to light. He drove on.

### Chapter 29

*Charlie Decides a Course of Action*

Arnaud was in the apartment upstairs with Charlie. Charlie was choosing between several weapons that Arnaud lain in front of him.

It was getting late but neither Arnaud nor Charlie was concerned about getting some sleep. The main issue for Charlie was finding Sonia. Arnaud had informed Charlie of Sonia's potential whereabouts.

"You're telling me she's been seen in a few social places?" Charlie said as he inspected a handgun.

Arnaud, with his arms folded across, replied,

"Yes, Charles. She's been seen around not far from where we are and not far from Henry either."

"Like where, for example?"

"She was seen leaving a club with a younger woman several days ago, I think. That's the latest confirmed sighting."

"You haven't forgotten about the Wang family, have you Arnaud?

"I'm not aware of them. I know there was a shooting outside a family restaurant. Three people were machine gunned."

"So, what other information have you gathered?"

"My sources have told me that she was originally brought over from Venezuela to work on a contract that Henry had offered her."

"So, she was a contractor? Sounds interesting I might say."

"You don't even know half of it."

"What do you mean?"

"Henry had contracted Sonia to kill both you and Taylor."

Charlie stopped for a moment. His face revealed a look of astonishment.

"Arnaud, don't fuck with me," Charlie said sharply.

"I'm not joking," Arnaud said. "My sources have told me Henry had secretly put the word out that he was getting out of the business and that you and Taylor were to be the last targets on the job. I suspect that is why he gave you the chance to find Sonia. He believes Sonia would eventually kill you."

Charlie didn't know how to respond.

Rage or,

...anger or,

...surprise or,

...Contempt?

Charlie resumed his activity. He picked up a Smith & Wesson handgun. He studied it. To his right were three small grenades. He glanced at them.

"I would be careful with those," Arnaud cautioned.

Charlie stood and picked up one of them. He carefully placed the grenade in Arnaud's right hand.

Charlie growled, "I'll blast the bastard to bits!"

Arnaud gave a chuckle. It seemed Charlie was gradually coming to his old self again.

"So, why did you disappear these last few days mon ami?" Charlie said. He wondered if Arnaud was involved in the plot to kill him as well.

Arnaud replied, "I had some things to take care of. Don't worry, it's just personal stuff."

"Uh-huh?" Charlie said.

"Is there a problem, Monsieur Schmidt?" Arnaud said.

He gave Charlie an eyebrow. Charlie winked at him and said, "Nah, it's nothing." He turned back to choosing his guns.

"Steele and I will meet someplace uptown in the morning," Arnaud said. "I'll spill him the news regarding Henry's plan to kill you. He might not like it but we'll see."

"Don't bother," Charlie said. "Steele is probably involved."

"He isn't," Arnaud said.

"Is that so?" Charlie said.

"Henry was also planning to take Steele with him. My guess is Steele was Henry's original choice for taking over his operation."

"I thought Henry was shutting it down. Anyways, Steele goes and that's that."

"Be as it may why would Henry want to kill you?"

"I don't know, what's your take on it?"

"No one on my end knows or understands Henry's motivation."

Arnaud went downstairs and Charlie sat in one of the sofas and rested. He didn't want to sleep but the news that Arnaud had just given him galvanized Charlie.

Henry Belmonte Shaw was a dead man walking. All of them were dead in Charlie's eyes. It was just a matter of putting a bullet through their heads.

Charlie would have the opportunity to do so. He was looking forward to it.

### Chapter 30

*Sonia Kills Samantha*

Samantha was working bar Friday night. A woman walked in. Samantha stopped to see the woman smile at her. She felt something off about the woman but she couldn't quite tell what it was.

"I came to see Charlie," the woman said. She spoke with a Russian accent and Samantha wondered if the Charlie the woman referred to was Jameson's new customer.

"I'm sorry, he's not here at the moment," she said to the woman.

The woman brushed her long brown hair aside. She was wearing a long leather coat with blue jeans and black high-heels. She seemed perfect with the way she looked.

She smiled at Samantha. Samantha said, "Can I get you drink by any chance?"

The woman said, "Yes, a martini would be nice. My name is Sonia Lopez by the way."

Samantha instructed Sonia to sit down as she placed a martini on the booth in front of Sonia. Sonia took the martini and sampled it.

"Very good," she exclaimed. "It's the best so far."

Sonia glanced around the place. It was her first time stepping into The Gilligan's. It reminded her of some of the pubs she used to frequent back in European cities and towns such as Cork, Dublin, and Prague.

"Is it your first time coming here?" Samantha asked Sonia.

"Yes, of course," Sonia responded.

"Well, thanks for coming in," Samantha said cheerfully.

"I appreciate it," Sonia said. She held out a small picture with the face of a man. It was Charlie and Samantha figured that was who Sonia was looking for.

"What's your relation to him?" Samantha said.

"He owes me in child support. My private eye tracked him down here," Sonia lied. Samantha was intrigued.

"Are you serious?" she said, both of her hands joined to her hips.

"I'm dead serious," Sonia said. "He's been AWOL since last year. I've had a hard time keeping up with him. I know he comes here sometimes so that's why I came here today."

Samantha offered her another martini.

"It's on the house," she said as she passed Sonia a second one.

"Thanks," Sonia said. "You can relate, huh?"

"I had a son with a guy in college," Samantha said. "My son, he's seven now and he's constantly asking me about his dad. I have to go through the sorry state of telling Michael his dad went to go fight a war someplace."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Sonia said. "I noticed that you're the only one who's in this bar. Is the place even open?"

"No," Samantha said, her mood suddenly changing. "I'm only here just to keep the whole thing moving until Jameson comes back from a mini break."

"Who's Jameson?" Sonia asked.

"He's the owner," Samantha said. "He's a nice cool guy and he has blonde dreadlocks if you see him."

"Oh, cool," Sonia said, her right hand gently rubbing her 500 Smith & Wesson handgun in her right pocket.

"Any plans for the weekend?" Sonia said, keeping her voice and gaze at Samantha casual. Samantha was getting comfortable with the woman by the moment.

"No, just working bar as usual," she said. "How about you, any plans?"

Sonia immediately withdrew her handgun and aimed it squarely in between Samantha's eyes. Samantha didn't have time to react before Sonia said, "I wish I knew you better Sammy."

"What the fuck!" Samantha shouted. Sonia grinned as she carefully pressed her handgun against Samantha's forehead. Samantha froze. Fear was gripping her.

"I came here to see Charlie," said Sonia.

"You've come to the wrong place you bitch," a terrified Samantha said.

"Is that so?" Sonia said.

"Please, I have a son," Samantha pleaded.

"Well, you should have thought of that," Sonia sneered.

Samantha could only stare at the front end of the gun as Sonia grinned at her.

She was terrified of what could happen. She didn't want to die like this; she didn't want to leave her only child behind without his mother to take care of him.

She cried, "What is it you want from me?"

Sonia pulled the trigger. Samantha slumped back, her body crashing into the arranged glasses and bottles.

Sonia quickly inserted her handgun back in her leather coat and looked around. There was no one else inside the bar.

She sat at the booth again. Samantha was dead, and now Sonia wanted Charlie.

Perhaps the bar owner would come to find a bloody surprise. Either way, it was going to be a fun night with the Dragon.

### Chapter 31

*Sonia Slashes the Cords*

Jameson returned a few days early. It was evening time and he'd make a quick stop at his bar to check on things with Samantha. He wasn't expecting a visitor, let alone a crazed woman with a gun.

When he came inside he froze. The woman turned around and pointed a handgun at him.

Jameson didn't see Samantha but he suspected something happened. He didn't know what to make of the woman and her gun.

Sonia grinned at the man with the blonde dreadlocks while aiming her handgun at him. She tightened her grip on the weapon while she focused her eyes on him.

"You did this?" Jameson said.

"Did what?" Sonia shouted back.

Jameson didn't respond.

Sonia didn't say a word either.

Both were silent for a moment before Jameson broke the silence.

"I came here to see Samantha," he said.

"You've come to the wrong place," Sonia said in a mocking tone.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, that's so goldilocks."

"Can you tell me what you did to my friend over there?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Hey, I'm not asking for an explanation," Jameson said.

"So what are you asking me?" Sonia said.

"Take a fucking guess lady."

"You want to shag me, is that it?"

Jameson felt disgusted. Whoever this woman was she had no business of being here. It was either she'd go or Jameson would risk his life to save his bar.

Jameson remarked, "You're not my type to say the least."

"Like I'm supposed to fucking care," Sonia shot back.

"I'm sure your mother felt the same way when she noticed she couldn't make you wet."

"What the fuck did you just say?" Sonia snapped.

She raised her handgun. James continued on.

"I'm pretty sure your mother couldn't get herself wet from you either!"

"You want me to blast you, Mister?" Sonia said.

She was seething. Jameson smiled at her. He folded his arms across his chest. It was as if the sight of the handgun didn't faze him. Sonia was annoyed.

"I want a proper answer from you bitch, you understand?" James said.

Sonia's grew wild. She said, "Don't you ever talk to me like that!"

"I can talk to you however I like," Jameson said.

"I'll kill you on the spot," Sonia said.

"I'm not afraid of a cunt like you!"

"What did you just say to me?"

"I said I'm not afraid of a white trash whore like you."

"That's it, you'll have it then," Sonia said as she readied the trigger.

"Go ahead, shoot me!" Jameson taunted. Sonia pulled the trigger. Jameson yelled in agony as he stumbled onto his left knee while his right hand grabbed onto his upper right leg.

Jameson was down on the floor in pain. Sonia quickly grabbed an empty glass bottle. She broke the glass bottle in half and slowly knelt down beside Jameson.

"I want to send a message to Charlie, and I think slashing your cords would be a perfect sending off, wouldn't it?" Sonia said.

In one sickening motion Sonia pierced the broken edges of the shattered glass bottle across Jameson's throat. Blood abruptly sprayed from the wound. Jameson convulsed, his eyes falling back and hands trembling.

It lasted no more than a minute. After Jameson passed, Sonia threw the shattered glass bottle and left the bar.

Outside the world was in its usual form: cold, damp, and dark. Sonia began to walk back to Charlie's apartment. She whistled to herself a familiar tune.

She glanced at her digital watch.

9:47pm.

Good, she thought. Not too early and not too late.

St. Clair was mostly quiet except for a few people walking on both sides of the street and passing streetcars.

Sonia will arrive at Charlie's residence. She'll slowly walk up the stairs up to the second floor.

Each step would be taken with a great ounce of anticipation. Sonia will relish the feeling of the rush that grows within as she edges closer and closer to the target. Exhilaration will ensue.

It's the kind of feeling you'd get when you go down in one of those scariest rides at the amusement park. You would go so high to the top that when you look down the entire earth looks impossibly small. Just when you least suspect down you go!

Sonia would walk into the apartment unnoticed. Charlie would most likely by lying on his bed, his back facing upwards to the ceiling. He would not be aware of Sonia's presence. Sonia would carefully aim the tip of her gun at the back of Charlie's head.

She'd close her eyes for one second and soak up all of the rush and adrenaline. She'd pull the trigger.

Of course, one could only dream of scenario she'd want to see. For Sonia Lopez, such a foreseen outcome would turn out to be a disappointment.

Sonia entered Arnaud's apartment. She looked around the whole place before deciding to find Charlie. When she arrived at the closet, she found the stairwell leading to another floor upstairs. That's when her mobile buzzed.

Shit!

"I have your money ready," Henry said from the other end. "I have confirmation that Charlie's back at the townhouse."

Sonia was elated. The townhouse was where Sonia's first encounter in Charlie's soon-to-be shortened life had started. It would be the last time she'd show up at that address. She couldn't wait to deliver the good news to Henry.

Sonia quickly exited the apartment and walked back to her car. She felt for the handgun that was tucked inside her long leather coat. She sported a large smile across her face again.

Charlie's end was in sight. Not to mention a cool half a million dollars waiting in the bank.

She turned on Adele in her car audio as she pressed the brakes.

Adele's popular song 'Rumors' reverberated while Sonia drove.

### Chapter 32

*Steele Confronts Arnaud*

Steele parked his car in the driveway. He figured Charlie and Sonia would end up here, along with the body of Casey Novara.

When he came inside he froze. Arnaud was standing in the doorway with a pistol aimed at Steele. Steele gave Arnaud a cold look and a shrug. He wasn't thrilled to see the Frenchman.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Steele said coldly.

Arnaud didn't take too kindly to the tone. He said, "I'm here because I have to protect what's precious."

Steele was taken back.

"Protect what's what?" he said as shook his head.

"Protect my friend Charlie," Arnaud said. He slightly elevated his pistol. He was ready to shoot.

"I don't know what your deal is Anny but I came here solely for Sonia," Steele said as he quietly dug his right hand inside his jacket. He felt the lightness of his gun. His eyes were squarely focused on Arnaud's.

"I know Henry sent you here," Arnaud said. "I know he wants both Charlie and Sonia dead. I know about Taylor too. So I guess that just leaves you."

"Very good Monsieur," Steele said with fake sarcasm. "Looks like you've figured this out. Too bad, because I was starting to warm up to the idea of..."

"I want you to leave," Arnaud chimed in.

He pressed his pistol. At any moment a shot would ring out and Steele would be on the floor.

"If I don't leave right this minute you're going to shoot me?" Steele said.

"Yes I am," Arnaud responded.

He was calm and collected. There was no fluster, no sign of letting up. Arnaud was cool as ice.

"Okay, let's talk about this," Steele said with both his hands raised. "I don't want the both of us to die, alright?"

"Suit yourself," Arnaud said.

"You and I are after the same thing, right?" Steele said.

"Who said we were after the same thing?" Arnaud said feeling annoyed. "I'm not the one who wants to kill Charlie."

Steele lowered his hands. "Why are you protecting the guy?" he said.

"He's done nothing wrong to you or to Henry and you both want to kill him," Arnaud said.

"He's damaged goods for Christ's sake!" Steele said.

He was starting to feel annoyed too. He wondered how long it was going to be before one of them blinked.

"I think I can sit here and wait," Steele said.

"No," said Arnaud. "You get your ass out of here and I won't shoot you. I promise."

Steele was seethed.

"You won't shoot me?" he said, his voice elevated. "You can go fuck yourself!"

Arnaud fired a shot. The bullet grazed Steele's left temple. Rage ensued. He didn't like being shot at.

"I wasn't joking when I said I would shoot," Arnaud said.

"We'll see about that, you motherfucker!" Steele hissed.

Both men stood still. Steele wasn't going anywhere and neither was Arnaud.

Charlie would have to be protected and Arnaud was more than willing to put himself on the line for Charlie.

For reasons he didn't know.

### Chapter 33

*Charlie Finally Takes out Henry Shaw*

Henry arrived at Arnaud's apartment. He figured Charlie would still be there. Perhaps he could give the lad one last chance to save himself.

"Boss, what exactly is going to happen once we deal with Charlie?" Bishop asked as he opened the door for Henry. Henry didn't respond.

He quickly strolled inside the building and within a minute he stood inside Arnaud's living room. Bishop was with him.

"We'll wait for Arnaud," Henry said. "He probably knows about my plans for leaving and he probably knows about Sonia and Charlie too by now."

Bishop said, "So, why not just cut both ends out and leave with a clean slate?"

"I'm not interested in talking about that," Henry snapped. He didn't mean the reaction, but he didn't like be asked about his intentions.

Henry sat down in a chair. He wondered if Charlie or Arnaud would make it through the night at all. It was seventeen minutes past ten. Henry had hoped things would be put to bed before sunrise.

"I'm sorry Bishop," he said to his driver. "Not that I meant my response that way."

"No worries boss," Bishop said. He was a tall and imposing fella and Henry valued him very much.

"We'll wait for an hour. That should give the four of them some time," Henry said.

He took out a Cuban cigar. Bishop handed him his lighter. Henry took a couple of huge puffs before giving it to Bishop.

"Enjoy," he said. "This one is in remembrance of Charlie and Sonia."

"Man, the fuck with them!" Bishop sneered. Both men laughed.

Charlie had been awake. He heard Henry and Bishop downstairs in Arnaud's apartment. They most likely didn't know that Charlie was home. Perhaps they had assumed that Charlie had stepped out.

"We'll wait for an hour. That should give the four of them some time," Charlie heard Henry saying. He knew the bastard was talking about him.

Charlie slowly got up. He turned and went to the kitchen. Inside the top cabinet to his left were two hidden guns he left there. Both were .50 Caliber Desert Eagle pistols. He took one of them. Found a roll of bullets in one of the bottom drawers and loaded the gun.

He was ready for action. He crept up to the stairwell. He made careful movement as he stepped down. Henry and Bishop were still talking. This was going to be fun.

Charlie wanted to blast Henry. He wanted Henry to suffer. Charlie had once loved Henry like a father.There was no use for the fatherly love now.

Henry was cracking up over a joke Bishop had told him. Neither was aware that Charlie was standing behind them with his pistol drawn at their backs.

"I'm here!" Charlie shouted.

Bishop spun around. Charlie fired two shots through his chest. Bishop's eyes went wild as he quickly pressed both of his hands to the wound.

His eyes glanced at a stunned Henry who could only watch his driver collapse onto the floor.

"Charlie...what the fuck," Henry said.

"So, you surprised to see me you backstabbing motherfucker?" Charlie said, a hint of rage echoing in his voice.

"It's not what you think Charles," Henry said. "I had nothing to do with it. I swear!"

Charlie shook his head. He felt utter contempt for his former mentor. He said, "I thought I knew you Henry. I thought I knew better myself."

"It's Sonia you have go after, not me," Henry pleaded. The guy was acting like a bitch.

Charlie could hear Bishop coughing in his blood. He felt nothing for the guy. _Wrong place and the wrong man to work for_ , Charlie thought. He smiled. Henry glared at him.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Henry said. He didn't know how he could have guessed Charlie was inside.

"I guess that's question I should be asking you, dear chap," Charlie said. "You killed Casey. She was to be my new life outside of this. You, Steele, and Sonia had other ideas."

"It was Taylor's fault," Henry said. "If he did what he was told then maybe all of this would have been averted."

Charlie fired a second shot. The bullet grazed Henry's lower right leg.

Henry shouted expletives at Charlie. Charlie fired again, this one whizzing past Henry. Henry froze.

He was done for and there was no hope of getting out of his alive. He had made his own bed when he decided to fuck with Charlie.

Tears began to stream down Charlie's eyes. "I loved her so much," he cried. "You had to do this Henry, why?"

Henry couldn't say anything. He could only stare at the man he had mentored and watched those many years ago. Finally, he said, "There's something I wish to tell you about Sonia."

Charlie tightened the grip on his pistol. "I don't need a fucking explanation," he growled. "I'll just kill you right here and right now."

Henry's eyes rose when the bullet that was fired went through his stomach. He sunk on his knees, his eyes still pleading with Charlie. Charlie came up to Henry. He stopped.

"What was it you wanted to tell me?" he said as Henry held his hands to his stomach.

Henry spat at him. Charlie smacked Henry across the face with his pistol. He didn't fire another shot.

He took the car keys from Bishop's jacket. He slowly turned. In less than a minute he was outside.

He entered the Escalade and turned the ignition. He knew where to go next. There was no doubt Sonia would be waiting for Charlie there.

### Chapter 34

*Sonia Meets Her Maker!*

Sonia saw Steele's Jaguar in the driveway. She stopped her car in front of the driveway and turned off the ignition. She exited the vehicle and took out her mobile. She dialed Henry's number. No response. She dialed the number again but there was no response. Something was up.

"Henry, if you're fucking with me I swear..." Sonia muttered under her breath.

She began to walk up to the townhouse. She had hoped Charlie was there. Where else could Charlie be hiding if not the apartment at St. Clair?

Sonia stopped. She could hear faint sounds from inside. Steele wasn't alone. Sonia quickly took out her handgun. It was past eleven by now, probably close to midnight.

The cold was getting stronger. The skies were clear blue. A strong chill permeated but Sonia wasn't bothered by it. She just wanted to kill Charlie.

She stood at the front door and pressed her right ear against it.

Steele and Arnaud were arguing. The two men had sat there for over an hour or so, and neither was willing to move.

"I'm telling you Arnaud, stay the fuck out of this," Steele said. He held his gun on the armchair while Arnaud held his gun in his lap.

"Why don't you just shoot me," Arnaud taunted. Steele didn't want to waist his ammo on Arnaud. Charlie was the bigger fish, followed by Sonia. That's what he came for.

"I'm not going until I see Sonia and Charlie die," Steele said.

"Very well," said Arnaud. "I will step outside and let you deal with this matter when Sonia comes."

Steele gave Arnaud the look. The guy was probably pulling him. He said, "Hey, are you trying to pull something or what?"

Arnaud smiled.

"No, I'm not," he said. "I'm just enjoying this."

Suddenly gunshots exploded through the front windows. Steele's head exploded. Arnaud jumped out of the couch he was sitting and hid behind it. His gun was drawn and loaded.

"Fuck this!" Arnaud shouted. It happened so fast. No shots came. Arnaud was still. He didn't want to expose himself.

Sonia fired one shot at the doorknob. She burst through the door. "Steele, if that's you in there get up and show your ugly self!" she yelled. Steele didn't respond.

Sonia held her submachine gun tightly. She exchanged her handgun for the Russian PPSH-41.

She saw Steele's body. She smiled. She would have to get out of there soon enough if Charlie wasn't coming.

She moved slowly. "Anybody else in here?" she yelled. She didn't care. She was going to finish this once and for all regardless of Charlie. There was the question of the half million dollars. Fuck that!

Sonia cocked her weapon.

Arnaud's heart pounded feverishly. Sonia was probably three or four feet away from him.

He didn't anticipate it coming to this. Steele was dead but so was Charlie perhaps.

He raised his gun and fired three shots into the air. All the ammo was out. Now he was fucked.

Sonia jumped to the side as soon as she heard the shots and in the process dropped her submachine gun.

Arnaud jumped from behind the couch and ran up the stairs before Sonia could get a shot at him.

"The bastard," Sonia yelled at him. She quickly got herself up and picked up her sub. She was steaming now. Now she wanted to destroy the bastards more than ever.

She raced up the stairs and stopped. She knew she still had some ammo left. She would find that fucker somehow.

Arnaud hid in the closet inside the master bedroom. He remembered he had his mobile on him.

Sweating like a pig and scared shitless, Arnaud quickly searched through his blazer before retrieving his mobile.

He dialed Charlie.

Charlie was at least five minutes away when his mobile buzzed. He saw it was Arnaud calling him.

"Arnaud, what's up?"

"Charlie, its Arnaud. I'm trapped and Sonia's here. Come quickly!"

The line went dead. Charlie jammed on the breaks. There were two cars ahead of him and he nearly caused a fatal crash by going past two of them before nearly rear-ending a tractor trailer coming the opposite way.

There was no time to lose. Charlie had to get to the townhouse fast! He got there in a few minutes. He jumped out of the Escalade, the engine still running. He ran through the front door.

A couple of concerned onlookers saw him. One of them was talking on his mobile. Charlie apparently didn't notice him.

Sonia was standing behind the door of the bedroom. She knew the fucker was inside. She kicked the door open. She saw only a nicely furnished queen-size bed but she heard the fucker's breathing. She smiled again. She knew it was Charlie.

"Alright," she said loudly. "You can stand up. I promise I won't shoot."

She waited for the fucker to respond.

Arnaud was breathing faster now. His end was coming. Why did she think he was Charlie? It didn't matter.

Slowly, Arnaud raised his hands. No shots were fired. Next, he stood from the right side of the queen-sized bed.

It was Sonia. She was starring at Arnaud with a vulgar look. Arnaud could only watch as the woman moved towards him with her sub aimed.

"You're not Charlie," Sonia started to say. "Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Francoise," Arnaud lied.

"Do you look familiar?" Sonia said. She was ready to end this fucker's life.

Arnaud said, "No, I don't look familiar to anyone. I know a lot about you, Sonia. I think you and I may have something in common."

"Wait a minute," Sonia said. "Of course, you're the man I spoke to earlier. Arnaud Ballenger? Yes, of course you are. You were warned about fucking up, weren't you? You though you could muzzle your way in to save the day?"

Arnaud stood silent. He dropped his gun. There was no use. He lost and he so did Charlie. A part of him wished he never picked up Charlie from the airport.

"Do as you wish," Arnaud said. "I will accept my fate as it is."

Sonia was amused.

She said, "You will accept your fate...how nice of you."

Suddenly her head jerked forward. Arnaud watched in stunned silence as Charlie yanked the butcher knife from the back of Sonia's head.

Charlie jammed the blade into Sonia's back repeatedly. He finally stopped, his face littered with uncontrolled rage. His eyes shot up at Arnaud. Arnaud could only look back at Charlie.

"You fucking cunt!" Charlie hissed.

Arnaud shook his head. He was afraid Charlie would get at him. Charlie stood as he held up the bloody weapon. Sonia was dead. Police sirens were heard from a distance.

Both men stared at each other for a moment. Finally, Charlie said, "There's a back exit we can go through. It leads to a pathway that leads to the local park. We can escape there."

Arnaud could only nod. He wasn't going to say anything. He just wanted to get fuck out of this place. His was fence and informant. He wasn't a killer. He wasn't used to this kind of violence.

### Chapter 35

*The End*

Both men managed to get out of townhouse through the back door. They went past the fence through an opening.

They had to run through a couple of backyards before jumping a fence the separated the properties from the pathway.

"Why didn't you tell me about Henry in the first place?" Charlie said.

Arnaud responded, "I don't know. I don't want to talk about it."

Both men kept running. Neither of the two knew they were running. They just had to get away from the area as fast and as far as possible.

"We need to get out of town for the time being," Arnaud said in between breaths. He saw Charlie grin at him. He grinned back. Somehow the two men would have figured this whole thing out together.

They finally stopped.

"Where are we going?" Arnaud said. They were at a street filled with rows of houses and a children's park. It was getting chillier outside and Arnaud felt cold.

Charlie at least had a jacket on him. The last several hours have been a whirlwind for the two. Steele, Bishop, Henry Shaw, Taylor, and Sonia were dead. It was Charlie and Arnaud who had remained alive.

"Arnaud, I'm sorry," Charlie said. He meant it. He gave Arnaud a slight tap on the shoulder. Arnaud returned the favor.

"So, are we settled then?" he said.

Charlie shook his head no. "We need to find a way back to your place. I killed two people there."

"Let me guess, Henry Shaw and Bishop?" Arnaud said.

Charlie nodded his head. Arnaud sighed.

"I'm sorry about everything," he said in between breaths.

"So am I," Charlie said.

"I'll be out of your way if you want me to," Arnaud said.

"That's okay," Charlie said. "I can manage."

They kept running for about a mile in silence. After, Charlie stopped. Arnaud stopped too.

"Okay," he said. "We can arrange for the bodies to be taken. Can we find someplace to eat meanwhile?"

"I have a better idea," Charlie said. He started running again.

Arnaud followed suit. They would keep running.

### About the Author

Vincent Alexandre is the pen name of indie author Vincent Muambi. **Killing Schmidt Honorably** is his **first novel**. You can visit the website www.killingschmidt.com for more information on his books. You can also follow his Twitter through his French profile _AlexanOfficiele_. He currently resides in Milton, Halton Region.

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