F-F-F #35 - So Close

So long away--getting ready for the big move to Tennessee! Very excited about it, but much packing and planning to be done. Stepped away from the mountain of boxes long enough to write an entry for this week's Friday Flash Fiction. The starter sentence made me do it. I do hope you enjoy!

SO CLOSE

‘I don’t disagree with you, but you have to admit, this puts me in a delicate position.’

Damn. I hate when this happens. The best laid plans, and all that. You work things out right down to the smallest of details and along comes somebody who fucks it all to Hell. May I explain?

My name is Jake Ard…, um, Wardm…, oh, I forget. It was something like that this week anyway. I don’t really use the same name for too long because I wouldn’t want to begin to create any kind of a trail--paper or otherwise. The thing is, you see, I kill people. Not for fun or anything like that; although, over the years, I have run across a couple of fellas that did it just for the kick of it. That’s not for me though. I’m in it strictly for the monetary gain.

You know, I am really good at what I do and I make a good living, so what’s all the fuss. I don’t get any real pleasure out of it, but then, who literally loves their job anyway. But, I digress…

Let’s be very direct and to the point here. My current assignment (if you will) is to kill this guy who is a sort of entrepreneurial type, you know? He puts money into different businesses, makes a quick profit, pulls out his share and then some, and then moves on. Apparently, of late, he has been spreading a lot of money around and pulling in big returns using bucks that belonged to someone other than himself. Now, in and of itself, that’s not really a bad thing. However, in this case, he’s been doing it without the someone else’s knowledge or permission. Not a terribly healthy practice, if you want my unbiased opinion.

To cut to the chase, normally, I do not engage in random chit-chat with my…, uh…, ‘jobs’, but circumstances totally beyond my control, kind of like a Force Majeur, really fucked up the required stealth aspect of this particular task. All is well again, of course, but this guy started yapping about this, that and the other thing, and now, he’s trying to upset my proverbial applecart, if you get my drift.

This wouldn’t otherwise be an issue of any concern to myself, but this fella’s ‘this, that and the other thing’ are relative to my latest client. According to, let’s call him Dave (I like the name, Dave. My little brother’s name is Dave), I’ve been hired by a simpleton (you don’t often hear that term, do you) who claims to have a killer in his pocket. Evidently, the gentleman enjoys sharing his exploits and the like with anyone who possesses a functioning ear, and it had allegedly become known that a hit was on and that I was the individual contracted to perform same. Thus, Dave, it would appear, was kind of expecting me, which is why there was only minimal fuss when I took him.

He’s claiming to have made provisions of a sort so that in the event he should disappear or perhaps, be found already well on his way to the Pearly Gates, the law would immediately be drawn first to the employer we share, then ultimately to me, personally. Interesting? Yes. Fascinating. Really. But, it is also a tremendous annoyance to someone in my line. The question is, is he speaking the truth or could he possibly just be feigning the sincerity to stall for time, trying to play games with my inner sense of security and stability?

I guess we’ll never really know for sure. An assignment is an assignment, after all. I am intensely grateful, however, for Dave’s concern for my welfare and, after having given it some serious consideration, I decided to proceed. There actually have been those in the past who mistook my temp work as some type of long-term commitment to them and their cause. Naturally, it became necessary for me to resolve that discrepancy in their perception of my role, as it were--to quietly and discreetly ‘terminate‘ our relationship. Perhaps this new client of mine might require the same clarification down the road as well. Only time will tell.

In the interim, I sincerely thanked Dave for his input, and pointed out there weren’t many who would try to offer such insight--all things considered. When I delivered the headshot, I made sure it was right on the money--so to speak. After all, this was a real classy kind of guy, and classy kind of guys deserve only the best.