A Necessary Kill by James P. Sumner Page B

what we’ve just done… shit, you should be locked inside there!”
    I sigh heavily. She’s right. I mean, obviously it’s a stupid idea… But I really like my guns. I have very little consistency in my life nowadays. I lost my original Berettas in San Francisco a few years back. These replacements were a gift from Robert Clark—a man who became the closest thing to a friend someone like me could have, and a man I watched die trying to stop the CIA director from nuking half the planet. They’re a legacy.
    On the other hand, logically, they’re just guns. And Ruby’s right, I can get weapons anywhere… I guess.
    I move my hand to my chest, absently feeling for the flash drive around my neck underneath my shirt. It’s still there, reassuringly.
    Fuck it. I’ll get new guns. Bob wouldn’t have minded.
    “Okay. First, we find a car.”
    Ruby nods and gestures behind us with her thumb at the almost full parking lot. “No issues there.”
    “Second, we get you some clothes, then third, we need to get the fuck out of Baltimore.”
    “Where are you thinking of going?”
    I pause for a moment, then smile as a brilliant idea hits me. “I know a place about three hours from here. You’ll love it.”
    16:41 EDT
    I boosted a dark green sedan, and we stopped off to borrow a change of clothes for the both of us from a nearby store. I ditched the flannel shirt look in favor of a more comfortable and familiar plain T-shirt to go with my jeans. My old leather jacket was in my shoulder bag, which is now lost forever, so I had to settle for a regular brown jacket with a hood attached to it. Probably for the best, given the weather.
    We cautiously navigated the streets, avoiding any sirens, and eventually made it onto I-95. We turned onto I-476 just before Philly, and headed north.
    Overall, it took a little under three hours to reach Allentown.
    On the way, I brought Ruby up to speed on everything. Being incarcerated the way she was, she didn’t have access to TV or newspapers, so she was genuinely unaware of everything that had happened.
    She reacted the way most people do.
    It’s interesting that regardless of who I tell and what they do for a living, they’re all affected the same way. She’s a contract killer, and arguably certifiable, yet she started crying when I told her about the attacks and who was behind them. She had fallen asleep after an hour or so, leaving me to drive on in silence.
    It feels… weird. So many flashbacks and memories rushing into my mind. I made this exact journey almost three years ago. Josh was driving his Winnebago, and I was heading into battle.
    Christ… that feels like a lifetime ago.
    But that man, the one who tore the corrupted fabric of this city down piece by piece is long dead. I’m coming here now to see what was left in his wake.
    Last time I was here, I did some business with a man named Oscar Brown—owner of the first and, as far as I know, only superstore for black market weapons. I’m going to need hardware—for me and my new team. Oscar’s come through for me more than once in the past, and I trust him not to advertise my latest visit.
    I pull up outside the warehouse complex and kill the engine. It still looks like I remember. It’s even raining, like last time. I look at the first of the three units facing the entrance and smile fondly.
    I wonder if he still has that chopper in there…
    I nudge Ruby’s arm, and she snorts as she wakes up. “We’re here.”
    She blinks hard, clearing the grit from her eyes, and looks around. “Where’s here , exactly?”
    I smile. “Candyland.”
    I get out and pull the hood on my jacket up to protect me against the rain. I walk around the front of the car and meet her as she steps out. She’s wearing black leggings with low-heeled brown ankle boots. She has a white vest top on underneath a brown fitted jacket. Her hair’s tied up. She looks nice—certainly different from the first time I saw her.
    She sees me looking and