The Ultimate Assassin

9

Xavier calmly lit a cigarette. He watched John in utter silence.

John had lost every ounce of his previous arrogance. His face was a messy smear of tears, snot, and blood. Staring up at Xavier with stark terror, he stammered, "B-Boss, I was wrong. Spare me, please. I'll do anything you ask."

As the fat bloke struggled to push himself up, Xavier planted a foot in his chest and kicked him straight back to the floor. "What do you think?"

"I... I genuinely don't know!" Meeting Xavier’s piercing glare, John remembered how offering money earlier had only earned him a worse beating. Utterly lost for words, his voice cracked into a desperate sob.

"The People’s Hospital. Bring your cash and go apologise to Pops!" Xavier spat viciously.

"I'll go! I'll go right now, immediately!" John nodded furiously, terrified that the slightest hesitation would invite another brutal thrashing.

Satisfied, Xavier stubbed out his cigarette and turned to leave. Just as he reached the door, he paused as if recalling a forgotten detail, and pivoted back. John watched him approach, his fleshy face frozen in pure panic.

'Thud.'

Xavier’s boot connected squarely with the side of his head, knocking the upstart out cold. "Scum," Xavier muttered, spitting on the floor. Feeling his frustration finally ebb, he turned on his heel and strode out of the flat.

On his way out of Eden Gardens, the security guard offered a casual nod. "Heading off so soon?"

"Yeah. Cheers," Xavier replied with a faint, breezy smile.

He couldn't touch the funds in his diamond gold card just yet. But if he wanted Pops to live comfortably and enjoy his twilight years, he needed to find a proper job. The rub was his absolute lack of qualifications and conventional work experience; landing a decent gig wasn't going to be a walk in the park.

Wandering aimlessly down the high street, a wave of irritation washed over him. Clearly, settling down for a quiet, ordinary life was going to be harder than he thought.

His thoughts were violently interrupted when a group of men suddenly blocked his path. Xavier glanced up in surprise. Seven young men stood shoulder to shoulder, glaring at him with murderous intent. He recognised one of them instantly—the pickpocket he had collared the night before. The lad had been released surprisingly quickly. It didn't take a genius to figure out they were here for payback.

"Liam, that's him. If it wasn't for this tosser last night, the coppers wouldn't have nicked me," the pickpocket spat, pointing an accusing finger at Xavier.

"Do him," the man called Liam ordered, flicking his hand dismissively after giving Xavier a cursory once-over.

The words barely left his mouth before Xavier’s foot lashed out, launching the gang leader backwards to crash heavily onto the pavement. Without missing a beat, Xavier tore into the remaining men like a tiger let loose in a flock of sheep. His movements were a blur of lethal efficiency. In barely a dozen seconds, all seven men were writhing on the ground, groaning in agony. Xavier had measured his strikes perfectly - they were completely incapacitated, mostly nursing dislocated joints and twisted limbs, but he hadn't left them with any permanent disabilities.

Xavier strolled over to where the leader lay and crouched down beside him. "Liam, was it? My name is Xavier. “Xavier” as in humble. Have you got any further guidance for me?"

"N-No!" Liam stuttered, his voice tight with panic. "B-Brother Xavier, I didn't know I was standing in front of a lion. Please, let us off this once."

"You're having a laugh, aren't you, Liam? Surely I should be the one begging you to let me off," Xavier mocked.

"Brother Xavier, you must be joking," Liam whimpered in terror.

'Smack!'

Xavier delivered a vicious backhand across his face. "Do I look like I'm joking? I'll be straight with you: I'm in a foul mood today, so consider yourselves supremely unlucky. Since you lot delivered yourselves right to my doorstep, I'm not going to let you off quite so cheaply."

Rummaging through Liam’s pockets, he fished out a set of car keys. Xavier dangled them in front of the man's battered face. "I'm taking your motor. Bring cash if you want to ransom it back. I’m sure you have your ways of finding me, right?"