Page 101 of When He Lies
For an instant, Frederick was stunned. So certain that this could not be happening. Then he was horrified. Terrified. In pain. “Stop!” His hands clamped around Hugo’s shoulders.
Hugo pulled the blade out of him. “And here I thought you wanted me around because of my bloodthirsty skills. Wasn’t that why you hired me in the first place? So that I’d take care of the dirty work—the bloody work—that you didn’t have the stomach to do yourself?”
Hugo…he had such a friendly face. Round, almost babyish. And his eyes would shine when he smiled. He hadn’t been the scary one. That had been Alexei. Alexei had been the one to do the dirty work.
Hugo and Alexei both began working for me at the same time. But Alexei had been sent by Konstantin and Hugo had been…Hugo had been…
“Want to know a secret?” Hugo asked him. “Alexei let me know early on that if I ever had important news, then that news should go to Konstantin. He told me that Konstantin would always pay well for loyalty.” Hugo glanced down at the bloody knife he held. “It’s made for up close killing. Killing that can be fast.”
No, no, no.
“I made a phone call to Konstantin after you passed out last night. Didn’t take long for Konstantin and I to connect the dots regarding the broach and the earrings. Logan Sterling was the key. Once we had him, we could understand Simone. She is actually a woman with skills that we need.”
His fingers gripped Hugo’s shoulders too hard. “You…stabbed me.”
“You can’t get the egg and the chip back, but Konstantin believes Simone can. Simone and Logan are the two people who interest him the most right now. I regret to inform you that your services are no longer needed.”
Frederick shook his head. He could feel blood soaking his shirt. “I…get…ambulance…”
“Why?”
“Doctor—”
“A doctor can’t help a dead man.” The blade hit him again. Fast. Hard. Vicious strikes over and over.
They hurt…
Or, at least, they hurt at first. After the fourth, no, fifth one? After that one, Frederick stopped feeling the stabs. He could just hear sloshing sounds when the blade slid out of him. Again and again and…
“There. See, it’s done. Wasn’t so bad, was it?” Hugo lowered him onto the bed. Frowned down at him. “You can close your eyes and go back to sleep now. I’ll be heading out for that meeting in London.” He grabbed some covers and tossed them over Frederick’s body. “I’ll make sure that the egg and chip are retrieved.” His footsteps began to pad away.
Frederick was glad that Hugo had tossed the covers over him. He’d been feeling cold. His eyes fluttered as he stared straight up. “The…light…”
Hugo turned off the light right before he left the room. Or at least, Frederick thought he’d turned out the light.
Everything just went—dark.
“It’s done,” Hugo said, speaking into Frederick’s phone. Not like Frederick would be using it again. He walked out of the country estate and headed straight toward the Rolls Royce Phantom that waited. “I’m on my way to London now. I’ll go to the meeting with Ryan Quinn.”
“You know what to do with him?” Konstantin asked.
“The same thing I just did with Frederick, got it. That’s my skill set.” Up close kills had always been a specialty of his. “And you have Simone covered?”
“Simone and Logan are handled.” Flat. “I will get back what belongs to me.”
Right. That was what Hugo wanted. A happy Konstantin. A happy Konstantin paid well. A pissed Konstantin? Well, he just delivered death.
Then again, that was what Hugo did, too. He thought this new employment arrangement would work out far better for him. He’d never liked that stuffy prick, Frederick. But Konstantin? The Russian seemed a far better fit for him.
“Your intel has proved invaluable,” Konstantin praised. “I’ll make certain you are appropriately compensated.”
“I certainly appreciate that.” He was nearly at the Rolls Royce. The driver waited, wearing a black uniform with gold buttons and a shiny hat. Frederick had always insisted the guy wear that dumb outfit. “See you in London.”
Konstantin hung up. Hugo tucked the phone into his coat pocket.
“Where is Mr. Bradwin?” the driver asked, a frown pulling at his features. The man had to be eighty if he was a day. Hugo knew the driver had been with Frederick’s family for decades.
No sense ruining the man’s morning by letting him know that his boss was dead. “Frederick decided to sleep in. He really doesn’t want to be disturbed.”
