The Hitman and His Consort

XLIII - Commence

First Person P.O.V: VALENTIN HACKSAW

I stared at the picture Inka prepared for us earlier. This is supposedly the skull and face of our dear Julian. The little f*cker who took Arthur because he’s obsessed with her, or at least that’s what it looks like. Jokes on him though, he’s not the only member of the club and unfortunately, there’s not enough Arthur to go around for everyone. I wish I was more creative so I could conjure up a million ways to make his life miserable, but I’m getting caught up in this sh*t too much that it seems like I became single-minded. I just want to kill him now.

‘That would be such a shame though, for such a daring act as taking Arthur away, death would just be unbefitting of someone who deserves more,’

No, I’ll take my sweet time with him. I’ll make everything really nice and intimate, something that would stay just between the two of us, dim lights, bondage, and who knows, maybe a little mutilation to go with it. Leave him something to remember in his last few moments alive.

‘Lynching sounds goo too, traditional but classy,’

I'm starting to understand why Denis was so obsessed with making moods and atmospheres before.

“Valya, Javier just gave the thumbs up, he says you owe him though,” Denis called out and I nodded, turning to Madeline and gesturing at the door, he’s been accompanying me from the start it’s better to keep the arrangement,

“Can I go fetch them now?” I asked, and Denis nodded.

“No, not just yet, Valya come with me for a second,” Rodrigo intervened as he headed to the garage, beckoning me over. Sighing, I followed him and he gestured at the bed, “Take a seat,” he ordered.

‘Must be a quick check-up,’

I thought and took off my coat and unbuttoned my s**t halfway up. I was right, and he began peeling off the taped gauge on my wound, and it seemed like he was sterilizing it. What else could he do with a wound that’s already been sewn shut?

“Are you sure of what you’re planning?” he asked, still tending to the wound,

“It’s just like every other plan,” I replied,

“I don’t think so, the other ones you did like a puzzle… just a mental stimulant to make you entertained,” he argued as he place a new gauge over the wound, taping it down,

“How’s this one any different?” I asked,

I didn’t follow him here to listen to him diagnose whatever it is that I’m dealing with at the moment, I just realized how borderline obsessed I am with Arthur, whether it be her as a person or the idea I have of her, I don’t know. To say I like her feels like an understatement, but saying I love her is disturbing. It feels wrong to label it like that, and classify it as an obsession….

‘Sounds exactly like something I’d developed, it’s messed up and wrong, practically has my brand all over it,’

“You made this thing your problem… this is all of ours’ problem, but you act like even we are perpetrators in this situation, I think you’ve made an unconscious connection with Arthur and now, frankly, it looks like you’re devoted to her—“

“I’m obsessed with her, Rod, so get it done and over with,” I said, cutting him off before we talk too long. He’ll charge me for it. I buttoned my shirt down and grabbed my coat before heading back to the main area.

“Oh, my gosh… Valya, you’re wearing the harness I gave you?” Denis gasped, I just ignored him. I’m too pressed to be bothered being commented on my f*cking outfit.

“Madeline,” I called out, calling out to him for the second time, he gave a kiss to August’s forehead, disgusting, before following after me. I’ll need to prepare my sh*t first before we do the actual raiding. I’m losing my patience, but I don’t want to risk the success of Arthur’s retraction because I got too excited and f*cked everything up.

We used the previous car and drove to Javier’s warehouse. I can’t tell if it’s been a week or a few days ago. Time felt like it was either moving too fast or not moving at all recently. It felt like a whole day has passed since Arthur was gone and it was becoming increasingly difficult to convince myself that it hadn’t been 24 hours.

‘Or I least I won’t let it be 24 f*cking hours,’

Once we reach the place, Javier was already waiting for us at the entrance of the building and called us over with his hand, dressed in his usual get-up still,

“Who’s this?” Madeline whispered over to me,

“Javier, weapons dealer,” I replied as we walked to follow after Javier, who led us to the basement of his warehouse, a.k.a, where all his illegal WMDs are stored, like his most prized possessions. The last I know of this is that he’s the only one who has a key to this place,

“Ya’ll be making the most convenient of friends,” Madeline whispered.

Javier opened the metal doors and threw a dark green cloth sack at me. “Take your pick, Valya,” he said as he nodded to the room. As expected, this place is to behold, and it’s becoming more obvious why he’s been a good friend to Denis. There was no such thing as good intentions behind the weapons in this room, it just screams destruction from every corner and shelf.

“I only need explosions—“

“Oh, my f*ck! Are you f*****g kidding me—what the hell is this place?” Madeline gasped, drowning my words out, completely in awe of the place, looking all excited like a kid in a candy shop.

“It’s a basement,” I answered for him as I made my way to the explosives rack.

“Then this is the most dangerous basement I’ve ever been, and I’ve been tortured in one,” he remarked as he helped me gather the explosives I need. Thinking over the plausible scenarios as I go.

I turned to Javier, “Is there a chance you have a tiny version of this?” I asked I raised a large grenade. Javier hummed as he stared at it, probably going through all of his product catalogs.

“I think I do, what kind of tiny are we talking about? In terms of size or in terms of explosion?” he asked,

“Both?” I said with a shrug,

He nodded with a shrug too, “then yeah… yeah I got those, they’re back upstairs. I’ll get you some when you’re done down here,” he said. I nodded as I packed the last pieces of the stuff I gathered in the sack that he gave me. Once we were done with the stuff down here, he led us back upstairs and grabbed the thing I requested.

“You sure you’ll only be needing that?” he asked.

I nodded, “Yeah, I’ll be able to compensate you don’t worry,” I assured, I’m starting to think that I should make Montreal run his money too, empty his bank as he fills mine, that way I could label myself filthy rich in both contexts met.

“Yeah, that’s not what I’m worried about… you sure you don’t need extra ammunition, some guns, just that?” he confirmed.

“No, I’m good, I have enough of those from back home,”

“Of course you do, well… good luck with… whatever, Denis is terrible at storytelling I didn’t understand what he was saying but good luck, either way, Valya,” Javier said, giving me a pat on the back as he led us out of the warehouse, waving to us as we left and drove back to the clinic.

The ride back was silent, there was this looming anticipation and anxiety the more I realize that this is actually happening, that in the next few hours I’m going to do everything I could to tear down the Mariella Labs company and building, that in a few hours I will see Arthur again and that in a few hours I may not be able to think about the words and instruction my mother so carefully ingrained in my head.

That, in a few hours, whether it's necessary or not, I will take whatever concoction August managed to brew with the drug I gave her and lock myself in a room with Pierre and tear him to absolute bits.

Make him realize that the moment he decided to hire Julian against us was his death sentence. That may sound lame, but that's how I feel, I feel f*cking lame that it’s ended up to this. But there’s no use dawdling about what happened. I need to pull together a more concise plan to enter the place.

Even if there’s a part of me that just wants to abandon the logical and somewhat analytical approach to this, even I know that would be reckless, there are people at stake, there’s Arthur at stake. Solely her.

We got back to the clinic and it seems Rodrigo and August are already setting up and starting with their side of the plan, with tabbed and bookmarked pages in the folders while some are torn off and stacked to the side, Denis was on the phone talking to someone and Inka is fiddling with an Uzi and dry firing with a 9mm Scorpion pistol.

Looks like she’s getting ready. I need to start getting ready too. I carried the green sack over my shoulder like a Santa Claus who really hates the Geneva Convention and placed everything on the ground. I even went ahead and grabbed the stuff from the trunk of the car, including the gun that I mentioned to Javier earlier, doing one last maintenance check and laying it out on the table, previously Rodrigo’s desk, that we cleared for solely that purpose.

“So, the whole walkthrough?” Madeline said as he picked up the AK-47, “Also you have a thing for the classics, huh? You also have a 45 1911,” he noted, but ignoring that, I rolled my shoulders to stretch them out as I speak,

“First, we enter the place, killed the guard instantly, quickly after that I have a placid grenade to keep them down,” I began and when I looked up to check if they were listening I was met with concerned gazes, even from Rodrigo’s table, Denis also pause his call just to look at me with contempt,

“What?” I asked,

“Are you seriously throwing grenade first hand right in the area where we’ll be, and called the said grenade placid?” Inka asked, repeating my words so I at least know she’s listening,

“Yes,” I replied.

A moment passed and after a few sighs and shrugs, the others resumed what they were doing and so did I, “after that, we hold the place hostage, I’ll go look for Arthur and Inka will look for Montreal, and Pierre,” I followed and they nodded,

“So I’ll be crowd control,” Madeline said with a nod, I know I might have warped my image of him but I was expecting some sort of aggression from him, I’m still not sure what to feel when he agrees with me but it’s better this way.

“What about Julian?” Inka asked,

Even I’m not sure what to do with that guy, I’ll find out as I go, but there are multiple possibilities that could lead to that,

“With Julian’s case, it’s a gamble, if we attack the lab and not find Pierre immediately, he might call Julian to his rescue, or Julian might still be prowling around to find the rest of us now that he’s secured Arthur,” I explained and Madeline nodded,

“Right, in the case that we don’t find Arthur in the lab… then she’ll be at Julian’s hideout!” he exclaimed, and I nodded, I know the plan has potholes, but what do you expect with a rushed scheme, it’s already a great stroke of luck that I’m working with individuals with experience,

“If he found Arthur easily, he might find out about the clinic, there’s a high chance he already knows this place so he’ll find his way here,” I followed and I could see the slight stroke of fear in Madeline’s face when his eyes darted to August before looking at me,

“But what about them?” he asked,

“I’ll handle things here,” Rodrigo announced, and I nodded to him, I was going to entrust the role to him anyway, he is more than enough to hold down the fort.

“Don’t kill him though, leave him to me,” I noted to him and he nodded.

Madeline, however, didn’t seem to think he’ll be able to do something like that, “Rod? I-I mean… no offense, but you don’t look—“

Instead of defending himself and explaining his credibility, Rodrigo cut him off in a swift motion by breaking the modified armchair of the couch he’s sitting on and pulling out a KAC 6×35mm PDW already aimed at Madeline’s face.

That seemed to be enough to leave him speechless and Rodrigo smiled as he lowered the aim and place the gun beside him, he then reached under the cushion of the same couch and pulled two 9mm Berettas, he peeled the cushioned backrest of the still the same couch and there; the guns were nestled, shape-fitted onto the foam of the couch.

“Both of the couches are well stuffed, August will be safe here, Madeline,” Rodrigo assured with a small smile as Madeline turned between me and him. He already said to himself, we make the most convenient of friends.

“We’ll need radios while inside the labs,” I said, just continuing the discussion.

Inka, albeit also taken aback by what just happened, nodded to confirm that we do have those and gave me a thumbs-up. That must mean that we’re good to go. Alright then.

“Let’s pack up, we’re behind schedule,” I announced, and everyone shared a knowing look as we all pack up the things we need and load them back into the car. Inka on the passenger side, me in the driver’s seat, and Madeline at the back.