War(55)

“You’re in trouble,” the woman said.

I shook my head rapidly. “No. Not me. Priest.”

Her eyes widened, but she recovered quickly and tucked her hand against my elbow.

“Come inside,” she said.





Thirty-One





Priest



“She’s gone?” I asked Benton when he came back in.

He locked the door behind him, pulled up a small folding chair, and then sat. Then, he finally answered. “Yes. She’s gone. Now it’s just the two of us, alone, like I’ve wanted for so many years.”

He sounded like a scorned lover, but I chose to keep that observation to myself.

“You seem uncomfortable. Have a seat,” he said, nodding toward the floor.

“I’ll stand,” I said.

“That wasn’t a request, Nikolai,” he said, his voice turning steely.

“I know,” I replied. The fucker had the upper hand, but I wouldn’t stand for his bullshit.

His eyes flashed and he vibrated with anger that he quickly managed to rein in.

“This is not off to a good start. I thought we had an agreement,” he said.

“And I fulfilled my part of it. Her for me. There were no other strings attached.”

“Maybe it’s time to reevaluate,” he said.

“What does that mean?” I asked. He was threatening me, but I would make him state so outright.

“It’s my fault, really,” he said instead of responding. “This will be much more…pleasant if you play nicely.”

“I doubt this is going to be pleasant,” I said. In fact, I was certain it wouldn’t be, but me dying in a room like this, one worse, the pain that would come before my death, was the only logical end for me, so the only question, the only surprise was whether it would be today or not.

“For you, no. It’ll just be less unpleasant, perhaps, and much better for her,” he said.

“We had an arrangement. You’re going back on your word?”

He laughed again, the joy and bliss and glee in the sound no less alarming now than it had been before.

“Nikolai, would you presume to take someone’s word? You who wreak havoc and destruction wherever you go.”

“But I always keep my word,” I said. Yes, I had killed, hurt people and lots of them, but I never lied. I wouldn’t dare suggest that gave me integrity or honor, but it meant something.

“I guess you’ve given me a goal to aspire to,” he said.

He didn’t articulate a threat, but he didn’t need to.

I had made a mistake. Perhaps he would spare Milan, maybe he was just toying with me for his amusement, but either way, I would do what I could to protect her for as long as I could.

“So, I want to tell you a story,” he said. As he spoke he crossed one leg over the other, settling in to get comfortable.

It was all I could do not to roll my eyes. That happened all the time in the movies, people feeling the need to explain, to try to make someone understand their twisted logic.

What people like that didn’t get was that there was no explanation, no understanding. He had something he felt needed to be done, so he should do it, take whatever solace he got from it, and then move on, no theatrics, no speeches.

At the very least, it would spare me the burden of having to listen to his bullshit.

No such luck, it seemed.

One look at the guy, and I knew I was in for a long, laborious story, but maybe that was a part of the torture. I’d rather get worked over by the pliers, but I suspected he knew that.

Benton still stared at me and then he began to speak.

“You and your kind, you do this for a living, it’s your profession?” he asked.

“‘My kind’?” I said.

He nodded. “You connected guys, you like to think of yourselves as businessmen, better than ordinary criminals?”

“I’m not connected,” I said, which was the truth. I knew many, but I had no formal relations.

“You’re too modest,” Benton said, “but even if I accept your modesty, you still consider yourself a professional, right?”

I considered and then nodded. “I value professionalism and believe there are ways to run a business neat and clean. Though some don’t value those qualities as highly as I do.”

“I value professionalism too, though I take a much different approach,” Benton said.

“Cop, I take it?”

He nodded. “For a little while, but I decided that local policing wasn’t for me. I wanted to make a difference. Help the country and all that shit, you know?”

“Not personally, but I’ve heard similar stories before,” I said.

“Yeah probably. I went federal, did good for a while too. Then everything changed.”