The Ultimate Assassin

8

Back in the ward, Pops was already awake. Xavier walked over with a basin of water. "You're up, old man. Come on, let's get you washed."

"Let me do it," Lilly interjected, taking the flannel from Xavier’s hands. She expertly dipped it into the water, wrung it out, and began to carefully wipe the old man’s face.

"Thank you." Xavier stood there, momentarily at a loss.

Pops echoed his thanks profusely. He had never experienced such attentive care in a hospital before. In the past, the doctors and nurses had only ever looked at him with disdain and disgust. None of them had ever offered to wash his face like this young nurse.

Girls this gentle and respectful of their elders were a rare breed nowadays. It occurred to the old man that Xavier was still single; it would be absolutely brilliant if he could win this young nurse over. At the thought, he shot Xavier a pointed look, wiggling his eyebrows and gesturing with his chin. Xavier caught the hint immediately and couldn't help but give a helpless, wry smile.

"All done," Lilly said. "You two haven't had breakfast yet, have you? There's a canteen in the hospital where you can grab something. What do you fancy, granddad? I'll go and buy it for you." Though she was speaking to the old man, her eyes fluttered towards Xavier.

Pops chuckled happily. "What a kind lass you are. But there's no need, dear. I don't usually eat in the mornings."

"You can't do that, skipping breakfast is dreadful for your stomach," Lilly scolded gently. "Tell you what, I'll go get you some congee and steamed buns." She turned her gaze back to Xavier. "And you? What do you want?"

Before Xavier could reply, the old man shot him a frantic, meaningful look. Catching on, Xavier sighed inwardly and offered a smile. "I'll come with you."

Lilly met his eyes and gave a sweet smile.

As the two of them stepped out of the ward, the old man watched her retreating figure and sighed. "What a lovely girl. If only she were my daughter-in-law."

"Thanks for last night," Xavier said once they were in the corridor, handing the white doctor's coat back to her.

She smiled softly before her expression turned strict. "Don't mention it. But absolutely no more drinking in the hospital from now on, alright? Besides, your granddad is still recovering from his injuries. You shouldn't be letting him drink anyway."

Xavier blinked, slightly taken aback, before obediently replying, "It won't happen again. Absolutely no next time."

Seemingly satisfied with this, she nodded. "I'm Lilly. And you?"

"Xavier."

"Oh." Unsure of how to keep the conversation going, she merely let out a soft sound of acknowledgement.

Truth be told, Xavier had never actually been in a proper relationship. The women he usually dealt with were either ladies of the night or bold, hardened female mercenaries. Faced with such a pure, kind-hearted girl, he found himself utterly out of his depth, unsure of what to say.

Right at that moment, Xavier's mobile rang, breaking the awkward silence. "Sorry, I need to take this," he said hurriedly. He pulled out his phone and answered. Hearing the voice on the other end, he paused for a brief second, murmured a few quick responses, and hung up.

Seeing his hesitant expression, Lilly spoke up. "Is something the matter? If you have something to deal with, go ahead. I'll look after your granddad."

Xavier didn't feign politeness. "Thank you. I'll be back in a bit. Sorry to trouble you."

"No trouble at all. Go sort out your business. Don't worry about him," she said.

Lilly had been on the night shift; technically, she should have clocked off by now. Having been awake all night, she was quite knackered, yet she still chose to stay and help Xavier look after the old man. Watching his retreating figure, she stood there in a daze, lost in her own thoughts.

"Eh? Lilly, why haven't you headed off yet?" another female nurse asked as she walked over, looking surprised. Catching the direction of Lilly's gaze, the nurse gave a knowing smirk. "Oho, is our Lilly in love? Who is he, then? To catch your eye, he must be quite the catch."

"Don't talk rubbish, you're the one in love," Lilly retorted, her cheeks flushing. "I'm ignoring you. I'm going to the canteen."

Xavier hadn't expected to get a lead on the nouveau riche thug who'd injured Pops quite so quickly. He had to hand it to that bartender, Lita. She was the one who had just rung, feeding him the bloke's address. She'd clearly been gearing up to invite him out for dinner and a dance, but Xavier's abrupt sign-off had left her rather miffed.

Still, knowing he owed her the rest of her payment meant they were bound to cross paths again, which set her mind at ease. She smirked seductively at her phone. "Hmph, I refuse to believe I can't bag you."

She wasn't worried about him welshing on the final payment; rules of the underworld dictated that nobody wanted that kind of trouble. Much like Xavier's own mercenary work, you took a deposit upfront and collected the balance upon completion. Clients didn't dare refuse to pay the tail end, lest they bring a world of hurt down upon themselves.

Arriving at the gates of Eden Gardens, Xavier halted. According to Lita, the upstart, John Carter, lived in Block C on the sixth floor. A cold sneer tugged at the corner of Xavier's mouth as he stepped towards the entrance.

"What's your business?" the security guard in the booth challenged.

"Visiting someone," Xavier replied calmly.

"Who?"

"John. Sixth floor, Block C." Lita had unearthed the man's name as well.

The guard stared hard at Xavier for a moment, as if trying to read his face, but Xavier's expression remained perfectly flat, giving nothing away. The guard slid a pen across the counter. "Sign in."

Xavier didn't kick up a fuss. He scribbled a fake name and ID number onto the register. It wasn't like the guards had any way of verifying it; it was purely performative. The guard gave it a cursory glance before buzzing him through.

Reaching Block C, Xavier tipped his head back and glanced up. His eyes landed squarely on a flabby silhouette groping a petite woman on a balcony. The woman was clad in nothing but her knickers and a bra, while the fat bloke wore only a loosely draped dressing gown. Right at that moment, she was squatting in front of him, her head bobbing back and forth rhythmically. Xavier didn't need to look any closer to know exactly what they were up to.