My Assassin

Chapter 18

We decide to take a detour into Pennsylvania. Because of what happened in Naples, we are sure someone will be waiting for us in New Jersey. Instead, we land at Philadelphia International Airport. Freddie is waiting in an SUV for us.

Ryder gets into the truck and I follow closely behind him.

The flight Attendant was able to remove the bullet and stitched him back up on the plane. She said he was lucky. A couple inches to the left and he would've been paralyzed.

She also gave him an I.V. with antibiotics, just in case an infection happened.

Why they were prepared for such a thing was beyond me, but I was more than happy that he was getting treated right away.

Ryder falls asleep rather quickly in the car. He wakes every now and then to check on me, but I cling onto him. He doesn't need his night terrors on top of getting shot.

"You did an amazing job."

I am staring out of the back, passenger side window when I feel his hand on my lap. I turn and look at him. "All I did was climb down some ladders."

I still feel horrible that I left him to deal with the shooter alone.

"No, with the gun. I am impressed! You held him off for a while so that I could get everything I needed." Ryder tries to put his arm around me and winces.

"No, don't move!" I say getting even closer to him. "And thank you. I have an amazing teacher. Even though I'm only good at shooting the arm off a scarecrow. Well almost..."

He smiles and lays against the car door.

"Ryder, have you ever been shot before?"

He is taking this pretty good. He just looks uncomfortable.

"Of course! Shot, stabbed, thrown out of a third story window. But I've never been shot in the back before." He put his hand out to grab my hand but stops short. He groans in pain.

"Stop moving! Here..." I put my fingers between his and squeeze.

He sighs.

"So, what happened? Is that guy still alive?"

He shakes his head slowly. "No. He's not. I made sure of it. The fact that I knew nothing of this hit is what disturbs me." Ryder looks at me and then out of the window.

I also do the same.

Things just got a whole lot more complicated.

"What did he want? Did he say why he was after you?" I turn my head and look back at him.

Ryder looks back at me and shrugs his one good shoulder. "Something about paying an old debt." He scratches his head and look at me uncomfortably.

It seems like Ryder is lying. I don't want to press him about it though. I am just glad we are going back to his house.

However, this joy will be short-lived. He will have to eventually go back out and kill again.

"What are you going to do?" I really don't want to hear the response.

"Kill or be killed. It that simple," Ryder says staring at me with no emotion at all. He closes his eyes and leans his head back.