Monsters by Matt Rogers (bill gates books to read TXT) 📕

obviously, and she’d forged a ruthless career in the most competitive business arena in the country, but that was nothing compared to being in the thick of it, having a gun in your face, having to aim one at an enemy, searching for a chink in their armour. And to her credit she stayed disciplined, almost unbelievably so. She didn’t let the emotions get to her. Sure, she was a sociopath, but even sociopaths fear for their own lives. Heidi seemed to understand that the slightest weakness right now would spell the end.

No one budged.

Out of sight, Alexis said, ‘Look at me, Heidi.’

Her voice was weak but she kept her tone consistent, didn’t let it waver. Holding onto strength in the face of what might be permanent injuries.

Heidi said, ‘No.’

Didn’t take those wide eyes off King.

Didn’t dare.

Alexis said, ‘Okay. Then listen.’

Heidi said nothing.

Alexis said, ‘I’m sure you can see where this is going. By some miracle you kill us both — which won’t happen — you’re still fucked. Your company’s going up in flames. You’re going down for paying for murders. It’s inevitable.’

No answer.

Alexis said, ‘You know what I’m capable of. Me and my friend here. You’ve seen the bodies. All those men you sent.’

King stared into Heidi’s eyes, watched her listening.

Alexis said, ‘We can help you get out of the country, start fresh. We have those resources, that knowledge.’

‘Bullshit you’d do that.’

‘I’m willing to. But only if you help us. Only if you turn and shoot this bastard in the head in the next ten seconds.’

Frankie visibly stiffened. He tried to laugh but it came out hollow. ‘Right. That’ll work.’

Heidi said nothing.

King watched frantic calculations taking place.

Frankie’s laugh was gone, replaced by revealing nothingness.

Alexis said, ‘Five seconds. Or the deal’s off.’

Heidi said, ‘You’re not going to help me.’

‘Three seconds.’

No options.

No hope.

Except, maybe, one chance…

When Frankie spoke it came out panicked. ‘Heidi, don’t be a fuckin’—’

A flash of movement as Frankie turned first. Bringing his gun around to his left. King hadn’t considered that. That as grim as Heidi’s future looked, Frankie’s looked worse. He was going down, too. Guaranteed. Which only left the same offer. Maybe, if he killed her for them, they’d give him the same opportunity.

Heidi spun faster.

She shot Frankie through the left side of his temple as he finished his turn.

He fired too.

72

Frankie collapsed back, a hole in his head, his eyes glassed over.

Heidi didn’t.

King watched her freeze, shoulders forward, mouth open, like a movie’s freeze frame. She seemed in sudden, hideous shock, and although he couldn’t see a bullet wound he was sure she’d go down any second, joining Frankie in the peace of death.

But she stayed on her feet.

Untouched.

Frankie’s shot had missed.

Which meant the shock was about something else. King knew, just from the way she reacted, that she’d never killed anyone before. Ordering it over the phone or via an encrypted text isn’t quite the same.

She squawked a sound that was a mixture of surprise, relief, and disbelief, then slowly turned to face them, her gun lowered.

She said, ‘Did you see—?’

Alexis shot her twice in the face.

73

Finally King could turn to Alexis.

He braced himself for what he might see.

When he saw her, he breathed out, full of relief, which you wouldn’t expect from the way she looked, but he knew the difference between superficial injuries and life-threatening ones. Her forehead was bloodied and the skin was raw on one cheek, grazed off by her face crushing the concrete on the fall. It’d bleed a lot more, but it’d heal, and it sure wouldn’t kill her. The other hideous sight was the pinky finger of her gun hand, bent at a complete right angle away from the rest of her fingers, dislocated. Heidi would’ve seen that first and assumed Alexis was terribly injured, but beyond the scratches and cuts and bruises and swelling she seemed composed enough.

That’s what he thought.

Then she put the gun down, relocated her finger with a quick snap, and sat down with a moan from the pain.

Heidi had been right.

She wouldn’t have lasted much longer in a standoff. The sight of her right-angled pinky in her peripheral vision would’ve made her falter, aim swimming, and either Frankie or Heidi would’ve capitalised.

Would’ve. Should’ve. Could’ve.

Didn’t matter.

They were dead.

At the edge of the flood control channel, Danny finally got to his feet. He’d been cowering in the dark, hurt but not crippled like King had initially thought. Made sense. He didn’t have a gun. Involving himself in the standoff couldn’t have led to anything productive or beneficial.

Danny limped over to meet them. He couldn’t take his eyes off Frankie. King noticed the confusion in the young man’s gaze. He barely glanced at Heidi — she obviously meant nothing to him — but the dynamic seemed intimate with the man who’d taken him under his wing, served as a coach and a mentor. For better or worse, Frankie had shaped his young life. Danny must know he was a monster, but humans are infinitely complicated creatures. As much as Frankie was scum, he’d let Danny live with him for over a year. He’d taught him everything he knew about martial arts. That couldn’t be easily put aside.

King understood. He gave Danny space, kept his voice hushed as he faced Alexis. ‘You okay?’

She nodded, but didn’t get up. Underneath the grazed skin and swelling, her face was pale. ‘Yeah. Think so.’

‘That was a brutal fall.’

‘Worse for them.’

He wasn’t sure whether she was referring to the tumble down the embankment or something else, but as he watched her gaze at the soulless bodies of Frankie and Heidi, it didn’t take long to put it together.

She said, ‘The news is going to have a field day with this. Heidi’s still the flavour of the month.’

‘And her death will be the flavour of next month,’ King agreed. ‘But the month after that there’ll be some other outrage. Something else to distract people from their lives. That’s the way it goes.’

‘We should get back to Boston as