Free Paradise Burns by J. P. Sumner Page A

is their cause, exactly?’ I
asked.
    ‘I’m not sure what their end game is.
But they’ve got the numbers and they’ve got the backing to do whatever they
want. The Colonel is a madman, and I could tell he was determined to take
revenge on the various people he feels have wronged him, and he believes he’s
right in doing so. His followers are completely loyal to him and his ideals.
They would die for him without hesitation.’
    ‘And what about you?’
    ‘I was there for the money. I’m a
killer, not a monster.’
    ‘I get that,’ I said, with a half-smile.
    ‘He told me I needed to protect someone
for a couple of weeks. Said he was important and was doing Dark Rain a great
service. I had no idea that they were involved in things that would lead to
nuclear weapons. That’s more heat that I can be paid to deal with.’
    Again, I believed her.
    ‘Good,’ I said. ‘That makes this next
part a bit easier.’
    I walked back over to the briefcase,
took the documents out of it and closed it. Then I threw it on the bed next to
Clara.
    ‘I’ve got what I came for,’ I said,
waving the documents in my hand. ‘In that briefcase is quarter of a million
dollars. Take it and walk away.’
    She was shocked, clearly not expecting
me to be so kind after seeing me shoot Jackson in cold blood. I could see her
doubts, so I tried to put her mind at ease.
    ‘He was a job, nothing more,’ I said. ‘The
whole thing has obviously got a bit messy, and I’m going to do what I can to
sort that. But it’s now my problem. I don’t see it as being yours as well. As
far as I can see, you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I have no
desire to hurt you. But you need to walk away. Now. Take this money - I’m sure
you’re resourceful enough to put it to good use.’
    She looked at case, then back at me. She
smiled. Not her mercenary, ready-to-kill-you smile. But, as best as I can
describe, a girly smile. Then it faded.
    ‘I’ll never be able to hide from them.
The Colonel won’t allow me to leave. He’ll see it as treason and he’ll order me
killed if I even try.’
    ‘Then help me.’
    ‘You can’t manage on your own?’
    ‘Well, I’ve very recently found myself
in possession of a uranium mine that’s wanted by an extremist army that has
funding from a military defense contractor, as well as a very powerful mob boss
who is determined to get the land to build a casino on it, but has no idea it
even has a uranium mine underneath it. I’ve been in better situations.’
    ‘Yeah, that sounds like a pretty shitty
day,’ she said with a laugh.
    I laughed too. But as I was laughing, I
remembered something. This morning, as I was coming out of Jimmy Manhattan’s
club, there was a leather-clad biker who sped off as I walked out, which
must’ve been Clara. I know a tail when I see one, but what I didn’t realize
until just now, is that she was tailing me before I’d even heard of her
or Dark Rain. If she was following me then, that means they knew who I was long
before I found out about them. And a betting man would think that if they knew
who I was, they knew why I was there.
    Clara stopped laughing when she saw the
expression on my face change. I raised the gun once again.
    ‘How did you know to tail me this
morning?’ I demanded.
    ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’
she said, defending herself. ‘I wasn’t tailing you this morning, I was with
Jackson. Besides, I’ve only just met you.’
    ‘Bullshit. You knew I was outside the
door before.’
    ‘I know, but that’s only because I’ve
been expecting some kind of attempt to get at Jackson ever since I was assigned
to protect him. Why else would he need protecting? Plus, your bellboy
routine was so transparent it was embarrassing.’
    ‘What? No it wasn’t. Shut up.’
    ‘I was just saying.’
    ‘Well, just don’t. If it wasn’t you following
me, then who was it?’
    ‘What did they look like?’
    ‘Like you - head to toe in