Read A Necessary Kill for Free Online

possibly being injured. They won’t know I’m recruiting.
    It was a calculated gamble, which apparently paid off.
    I tilt my head back and to the side, trying to alleviate some of the pressure from the needle. “Jonas Briggs, I presume?”
    “Who the fuck’s asking?” he replies. “And, before you think about lying to me, pay close attention to the needle. It contains a little cocktail of my own design. Completely undetectable in any blood tests and extremely lethal.”
    I smile. “Well, at least I know I’ve found the right person…”
    “Who are you?”
    “Jonas—assuming that’s your name… Needle or not, it doesn’t matter. I’m not here to lie to you. But for the sake of full disclosure, I want you to go ahead and lift up the duvet next to your leg.”
    He’s silent, but after a moment of hesitation, he does. Even in the gloom he can see my hand holding a Beretta, which is aiming, quite accurately, at the left side of his stomach.
    I feel the needle move away from my skin.
    “You stick me with that thing, I’ll make sure you bleed out in an agony you can’t imagine. But that’s just me being honest with you. I’m not here as an enemy.”
    Slowly, he moves away to stand over by the table at the end of the bed. I reach across and flick the light on at the side of me, bathing the room in a bright glow that forces me to squint.
    Once my eyes adjust, I take a good look at him. He’s a short guy, maybe five nine. He has a thick neck and looks well put together, treading the fine line between muscular and fat. He’s bald, and his head is round. The skin around his cheekbones is tough and pockmarked.
    I sit up in bed and lean against the headboard, resting my gun on my lap, allowing him to get a good look at me as well.
    “Are you Jonas Briggs?” I ask.
    He says nothing and doesn’t move, neither confirming nor denying the fact.
    “Okay, I can understand your hesitation. Usually, I’d be just as skeptical, but in the interest of time, or lack thereof, I’ll go first. My name is Adrian Hell, and I’m here to ask for your help.”
    His eyes betray his surprise when he hears my name. He rests on the edge of the desk and places the needle carefully down next to him.
    “Adrian Hell?” he says, with a hint of disbelief in his voice. “Jesus… how did you find me?”
    “I got your name, along with a few others, from Ashton Case.”
    “You know Ash, huh?”
    I shrug. “I wouldn’t say we’re best friends or anything, but he’s an acquaintance I’ve come to respect over the years.”
    Briggs nods slowly. “Yeah, I’m Jonas. What do you want?”
    I smile. “In my experience, the answer to that question usually requires a couple of beers… ”
    Briggs checks his watch. “Fine… get dressed. I know a place.”
    “At this time?”
    He stands and makes for the door. “Yup… open all night.”
    02:51 EDT
    It turns out the place he knows is a strip club. Should have guessed, really. What else would be open at this time?
    We’re sitting on either side of a small, round table just in front of a low stage with a pole connected to the ceiling in the middle. We’re both sipping a whiskey, straight up on the rocks. The chairs are a cream-colored leather and deceptively comfortable.
    The girl strutting around on the stage is naked apart from a barely there thong and a pair of heels. The place is pretty busy, despite the hour, and the men sitting nearby waving their dollar bills around are transfixed by the dancer, looking like a pack of hungry wolves circling their prey.
    The place isn’t far from my motel, and we’ve been here about fifteen minutes. I’m getting pretty good at condensing the shit I’m caught up in, so I had given Briggs the lowdown as we drank.
    “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised,” he says, his voice rough. “I’ve never liked the CIA. And Cunningham? Well… credit where it’s due—it’s one helluva stunt he’s pulled.”
    I flick my eyebrows up in silent