Eighty-Sixed [manxman]

I | Worthy |

I

| Worthy | 

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

My fingers caressed the trigger and squeezed. The gun kicked back. I peered through the scope to find the bullet had whizzed through the air and struck the target between the eyes. The woman was a higher-up member of the state's most notorious gang, Savage 5. Her death would curb the distribution of drugs in the city, at least for a while.

"Target down," I said, speaking quietly into the transceiver.

"Pack up and head out. See you in the morning, Syx." The communication with the boss, Corporal Daniel Garcia, cut. I set to work on disassembling my precision rifle. The mission went easy enough, which was dull to say the least. The last few missions Corporal Garcia had me on were fucking snore-fests.

No real talent or skill went into shooting someone. The execution was simple and clean, every time. Admittedly, the assignments I worked weren't supposed to be riveting. I started my work as a Criminal Information with the Alum Springs City's Police Department to do something more positive with my life. Having immunity from jail-time was a perk too, but more than anything, I yearned to wipe the red from my ledger.

After spending the better part of my teenage years as a contract killer who had well over two-hundred kills under my belt, the all-consuming guilt won out over everything else. If I didn't try to make a difference or have some sort of beneficial impact on the world, then what was the point of my life other than to leave death and destruction everywhere I went?

As a kid, my parents and their associates trained me as an assassin, a spy, and so much more. At sixteen, I was Alec fuckin' Syx. Shadows were my home. Born in enemy blood, baptized in an arsenal, and built from the bones I buried: the Syx family had a generational reputation in the underground world of organized crime. The motto for too many years became kill or be killed, win or end up six feet under. But now... Now I wanted to wash my hands of it all. Maybe one day, I'd be worthy enough of living a normal life instead of engaging in the perpetual search for penance.

Closing up the gun case, I stood and rolled out of the empty office building. Back on the streets of Alum Springs, I inhaled the cool evening air, savoring the way it burned the back of my throat. On my way back to my apartment, I stopped in a convenience store to pick up six-pack of beer. Once I was home, I kicked back, cracked one open, and began the unending scroll through my phone, scanning the news.

Homicide. Suicide. Domestic violence. Child abuse. Mindless celebrity bullshit which somehow qualified as news for reasons I'd never understand... Data breach. Tech giants. Stocks. My mind grew fuzzy as the evening passed before ending with me passing out into a dreamless sleep on the sofa.

The next morning, I woke with the sun. Showered, shaved, and dressed neatly in jeans, t-shirt, blazer, and boots, I left the apartment to get to the PD.

I opened the door to the station and passed through easily, the officers recognizing me as I made my way to the back conference room. Already, most of the table was full. I slid into the chair next to Corporal Garcia. He was a handsome man with a bit of stubble lining his chin and defined jawline. He dressed in the ASPD uniform, as did the others around the table.

In the room were the members of ASPD's Security Division. Each officer present had a division under their command: investigations, narcotics, road patrol, and so on. The Security Division tackled the worst of the worst, including undercover operations, counter-terrorism, and any assignments with the potential to implicate the PD as dirty.

"After reviewing the information you gathered on Aubriella Disick, as well as movements we've observed Savage 5 taking, we're assigning you to investigate Oliver Harlow," Garcia said. "Harlow is the lord of Savage 5."

"He took over as lord five years ago, when he was twenty-one," Captain Kate Prim said, opening a file in front of her. "Not much is known about him. Harlow rarely makes public appearances, and it doesn't look like he handles a lot of his own business. He has two daughters and lives in a multi-million dollar mansion on the outskirts of the county. We know he has something to do with Rapidz Transport and Logistics, but the company doesn't list any information about him, so we don't know what he's doing there. Whatever it is, it's probably a front for trafficking."

"We're coordinating with border patrol and the Feds to execute random searches on their vehicles," Garcia said. "While you're there, we need you to gather information about Harlow, about Savage 5, and report everything back."

"Yes, sir," I said. "I haven't had any dealings with Savage 5 in the past, so how would you like me to approach Harlow?"

"You'll be posing as his nanny. Harlow currently has an ad out seeking a live-in nanny for his children. Detective Vance has drawn up a resume tailored to fit Harlow's qualifications and preferences, all you need to do is show up for the interview and get the position."

"What if he runs a background check?"

"Detective Vance has developed fraudulent identification forms for you, as well as implanted the fake information on our database to show a clean record. You'll go by Alec Sykes." Garcia slid a manila folder over to me. Flipping it open, I found the identification documents, as well as the job listing for the nanny position.

Throughout my time as an assassin, I hadn't shown my face to anyone aside from my parents and trainers. Anyone who hired me never saw me--clients paid through an encrypted server and exchanged information about the target in the same manner. Targets rarely saw my face, and if they did, then it wasn't as though they were alive to squeal to someone about it. A fake name and background would cut it. All I had to focus on then was selling it enough to convince Harlow to hire me.

"I've never worked with children," I said.

Garcia shrugged. "You should be fine. Questionable people shit out kids every day and do just fine. It should be easy enough for you to keep a couple kids alive, while playing Harlow."

I frowned, picking more points of concern from the arrangement. "It takes more than keeping the kids alive to be a decent nanny. And besides, even with the background and interview, why is Harlow going to hire a man with facial piercings and tattoos from neck to knees? I don't exactly scream 'child friendly.'" If I had children (a terrifying thought, frankly), I certainly wouldn't hire someone who looked like me to take care of them. While I knew how to appear presentable and professional, interacting with children was beyond me. "I don't even think I've been around a child for more than an hour. I've never been alone with one."

"Look, this is the best route for us to gather information on Harlow. It puts you in his house, around him and what he loves most, and we'll have all the access we need to information that'll bring Savage 5 down. You want to make the community a safer place, right?"

"Yes."

"Then this is what it's going to take. We've already applied for the position on your behalf, and the interview is tomorrow at noon. It'll take place at Rapids Transportation and Logistics. As for references, the phone numbers will go to burners on all of us. They'll either be early childhood pre-school programs or a PI firm from a few counties over, so you'll meet Harlow's requirements for experience in security and early childhood education."

I scrubbed my hand over my face, pretending I could wipe away the stress of the situation. "What if he fires me?"

Garcia raised his brows and leaned back in his chair. "Then you'd better hope you have enough information on Savage 5 to make a difference." The unspoken threat following the sentence hung in the air and turned my stomach.

The mission had to go perfectly. It wouldn't be that much more difficult than the ones before. If anything, it would be more interesting than the last few I had. At least it would take more finesse and skill than shooting someone. Taking the file, I stood from the table.

"How would you like me to report to you, sir?"

"Use the burner phone to send encrypted updates. If we need you in person, I'll let you know. Until we call for you, stay with Harlow and stay in character. If you really want to make a difference, then it'd be best for this mission to be successful."