slapped the man a couple of times to wake him. When he finally responded, his eyes cast a dark glare on Jake, who waved the knife close to the Serb’s eyes. Most men feared a few things from torture. First, that they would do something to his dick or nuts. Another great fear is that someone would screw with the eyes. Nobody wanted to go blind.
“Now, my friend, I’m sure you can see the gravity of your situation. I can poke one eye out, you scream and still don’t tell me what I want to know, and then I take your second eye. From there I can go to your cock and balls, taking one at a time. Now, I think you must have read somewhere that I will do what I’m telling you. Then I’ll leave you up here with no clothes, bleeding to death and no reason to really live anyway. That’s the hard way. And what does it really matter if you tell me the name of your boss?”
“He’ll kill me.”
“There we go,” Jake said, “we’ve narrowed the field to only half of the world’s population. We know it’s a man. Continue.” Jake ran the knife along the bottom of the guy’s right eye.
The Serb let out a labored breath. “I don’t know his name.”
Shaking his head, Jake sliced the man just below the eye, bringing instant blood and pain as the man pulled his head away from the knife.
“Now, that was a lie and you know it,” Jake chided.
This time the man said through clenched teeth, “Gunter Schecht.”
Jake couldn’t believe what he had just heard. “Gunter Schecht,” he repeated. “That’s impossible.” Impossible because Jake had shot the man, putting a bullet in his forehead many years ago in Berlin, Germany. “What did he look like?”
“I never saw him,” the Serb said. “The word got out about a bounty on you, so we made it known we were available. I’m sure we’re not the only ones. A million Euros is a lot of money.”
Not if you’re dead. “How did you get in on the action?”
“A website.” He gave Jake the web address. “From there they call you. I have no idea how they found my number. I didn’t give it to them. But they found me.”
“There are better ways to make money,” Jake assured him. “Trying to kill me is not one of them.”
“I see that now.”
Jake unlashed the guy and pulled him from the car, shoving him into the ditch, where he fell into low ferns and immediately grasped his shot knee.
“Now what?” the Serb asked.
“If I let you go I’m guessing you’ll just come after me again. Am I right?”
The man hunched his shoulders. “My knee must get fixed. Just like yours.”
So the man did know something about Jake. “And then what?” Jake pressed. He aimed his .40 cal auto at the man’s chest.
“That’s a lot of money.”
“At least you’re honest,” Jake said. “So why shouldn’t I just shoot you right here?”
“You should. I would. But then they will keep sending men after you until you’re dead. You can’t get away from fate.”
Okay, honesty could go too far. What the hell should he do? It’s not like he could just shoot an unarmed man. The guy had made a bad choice taking this assignment, but he had no way of knowing that. Jake backed up to the car, opened the driver’s door, and reached under the seat, collecting the Serb’s silenced gun. Then Jake threw the gun a few feet away from the man.
The Serb’s eyes shifted toward the gun.
“Pick it up,” Jake ordered.
“You’ll shoot me before I have a chance.”
“Maybe. But you’ll get more of a chance than you gave me back at the gasthaus.”
“You weren’t in the room.”
“You didn’t know that.”
Jake could see the calculations running through the Serb’s mind. Reach for the gun, roll to the side, raise the gun, and fire. As the man did just what Jake thought he would, Jake stepped quickly to his right, narrowed his profile and heard one puff just as he fired three times. The man crashed to the grass. Jake stepped carefully toward the man, his gun ready to fire
“Now, my friend, I’m sure you can see the gravity of your situation. I can poke one eye out, you scream and still don’t tell me what I want to know, and then I take your second eye. From there I can go to your cock and balls, taking one at a time. Now, I think you must have read somewhere that I will do what I’m telling you. Then I’ll leave you up here with no clothes, bleeding to death and no reason to really live anyway. That’s the hard way. And what does it really matter if you tell me the name of your boss?”
“He’ll kill me.”
“There we go,” Jake said, “we’ve narrowed the field to only half of the world’s population. We know it’s a man. Continue.” Jake ran the knife along the bottom of the guy’s right eye.
The Serb let out a labored breath. “I don’t know his name.”
Shaking his head, Jake sliced the man just below the eye, bringing instant blood and pain as the man pulled his head away from the knife.
“Now, that was a lie and you know it,” Jake chided.
This time the man said through clenched teeth, “Gunter Schecht.”
Jake couldn’t believe what he had just heard. “Gunter Schecht,” he repeated. “That’s impossible.” Impossible because Jake had shot the man, putting a bullet in his forehead many years ago in Berlin, Germany. “What did he look like?”
“I never saw him,” the Serb said. “The word got out about a bounty on you, so we made it known we were available. I’m sure we’re not the only ones. A million Euros is a lot of money.”
Not if you’re dead. “How did you get in on the action?”
“A website.” He gave Jake the web address. “From there they call you. I have no idea how they found my number. I didn’t give it to them. But they found me.”
“There are better ways to make money,” Jake assured him. “Trying to kill me is not one of them.”
“I see that now.”
Jake unlashed the guy and pulled him from the car, shoving him into the ditch, where he fell into low ferns and immediately grasped his shot knee.
“Now what?” the Serb asked.
“If I let you go I’m guessing you’ll just come after me again. Am I right?”
The man hunched his shoulders. “My knee must get fixed. Just like yours.”
So the man did know something about Jake. “And then what?” Jake pressed. He aimed his .40 cal auto at the man’s chest.
“That’s a lot of money.”
“At least you’re honest,” Jake said. “So why shouldn’t I just shoot you right here?”
“You should. I would. But then they will keep sending men after you until you’re dead. You can’t get away from fate.”
Okay, honesty could go too far. What the hell should he do? It’s not like he could just shoot an unarmed man. The guy had made a bad choice taking this assignment, but he had no way of knowing that. Jake backed up to the car, opened the driver’s door, and reached under the seat, collecting the Serb’s silenced gun. Then Jake threw the gun a few feet away from the man.
The Serb’s eyes shifted toward the gun.
“Pick it up,” Jake ordered.
“You’ll shoot me before I have a chance.”
“Maybe. But you’ll get more of a chance than you gave me back at the gasthaus.”
“You weren’t in the room.”
“You didn’t know that.”
Jake could see the calculations running through the Serb’s mind. Reach for the gun, roll to the side, raise the gun, and fire. As the man did just what Jake thought he would, Jake stepped quickly to his right, narrowed his profile and heard one puff just as he fired three times. The man crashed to the grass. Jake stepped carefully toward the man, his gun ready to fire
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