Diary of an Assassin by Victor Methos

say, your lucky day.”
    Gustav left him on the sidewalk crying, a grin on his face as he walked back to the car.

 
    CHAPTER 19
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Rhett drove over a hundred miles per hour as they sped down the freeway. It only lasted a minute or two before they hit traffic and had to slow down. Then they would speed up as long as they could before having to slow again.
    Stephanie sat next to him, in shock and shivering. Rhett took off his sports coat and placed it on her.
    “I don’t…I don’t understand what’s going on.”
    “We can worry about that later. I need to get you out of here right now.”
    “Where are we going?”
    “A place I know, upstate.”
    She shook her head. “I need to call my husband.”
    “Why?”
    “I don’t know,” she said confused.
    “Look at me.” She wasn’t responding and Rhett gently put his hand on her shoulder. “Look at me…your husband can’t help you. The police can’t help you. These people don’t care about laws or morality. They don’t feel pity for you. They don’t care. They have a job to do and are being paid a lot of money to do it. If they fail, not only do they lose this contract, they will never be hired again. You’re worth too much for them to leave you alone.”
    “Why? What did I do?”
    “I don’t know. But I may know someone that can find out.”
     
     
    It was a five-hour drive to upstate New York. The weather alternated between sunshine and a gray, dismal rain. They were near Palmyra now, famous because the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith had a divine vision there. But other than the Mormons, no one cared about this area of the state. It was little more than farmland and forests. Rhett never quite felt like this was New York.
    Getting off an exit a few miles past Palmyra, they stopped at a gas station. Rhett got out to pump and glanced inside the car. Stephanie was staring at the dashboard unblinkingly. She had lost color in her face and he could see that her hands were trembling. He went inside and bought her bottled water and some fruit to help steady her nerves.
    “Here,” he said, getting back into the car.
    “Thanks.” She opened the water and took a few sips as they pulled away. “I don’t even know your name.”
    “ Isaac.”
    “Isaac, did you kill those men?”
    “Yes.”
    “You just killed them, just like that?”
    “Would you rather I let them kill you?”
    She shook her head. As they drove, she stared out the window at the passing farmhouses and would linger a long time on the horses.
    “I grew up with horses. I worked at some stables when I was younger and I’d spend all day with them. I’d brush them before shows and make sure they had all their medication. They were so…human. They had personalities. If you just spent enough time with them, they would open up to you.”
    “Stephanie, you have one chance to live. You need to do everything I say when I say it. This isn’t a democracy , this is a dictatorship. You’re putting my life at risk too. Do you understand?”
    She nodded.
    “Please say it.”
    “I understand. I do what you say when you say it.” S he looked to him. “Why are you doing this?”
    “I have my reasons.”
    “Does your wife know you kill people to protect strangers?”
    Rhett was about to ask how she knew he was married when he realized she’d seen his wedding ring. He touched it lightly, twisting it on his finger. “She passed away.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    He nodded. “ Any idea why someone would have a contract out on you?”
    “No. I’m almost never home. Most of my time’s spent in Washington . Do you think…it could be my husband?”
    “Is your husband wealthy?”
    “No.”
    “Then it couldn’t be him. The company I work for—worked for—doesn’t pay less than half a million per contract. That means they’re probably paid doub le that for the initial retainer. This is bigger than a domestic dispute.”
    “You work with these people?”
    “I used