The Chasers - Chapter 4

They there! This chapter is quite long, as I felt like some of my other chapters were too short. Reading the first three chapters will make this chapter make a little bit more sense, but I think many people could read it without having read the first three. I understand that the more chapters I write, the less reviews I get because people don't like reviewing mid-story, but any and all input is appreciated immensely! Thanks.

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CHAPTER IV

“I don’t give a ruddy fuck!” he screamed, flipping the photos off the desk in front of him and standing up to full height, “Why hasn’t Moore’s wife called the police? Huh?”

The assassin stood shakily in front of Benji, his hands clattering against his side, looking for something to grip on to. He knew he shot the right guy, Room 701 at the Royale, but no one had been called. Not the police, not anyone. Benji didn’t believe that the hit had been successful.

“Do you think it’s a good idea to lie to me?” Benji asked, jabbing a ring covered dagger hand at the assassin, “Do you think I’m the kind of man who takes kindly to being deceived? To being conned?”

Benji’s voice was calm and deep. It relaxed the hit man just as much as it scared the shit out of him. It made it very hard to determine just what he would do next.

“No, no definitely not,” he finally stuttered under the pressure of his boss.

“You’re right,” he said, moving out from behind his desk. Now the assassin could see Benji’s leg more clearly, encased in a slick steel exoskeleton. It provided the support and strength that his muscles couldn’t; yet he still walked with a cane.

“I asked you to do a pretty simple job, didn’t I?” he asked, leaning on his cane for support as he rounded the table to stand face to face with the assassin who was nodding feverishly. “And I told you I’d pay you as soon as you got back here with proof Alexander Moore was dead, didn’t I.”

The assassin’s bobble-head impression continued.

“But instead,” he mused while examining the handle of his cane, “You come back to me with photos of the back of a man’s head, an unverified score. You haven’t done what I asked at all, my friend. You are incompetent. I do not tolerate incompetence.”

“Please, Benji, I-”

The sword flowed from Benji’s cane like velvet and danced across the assassin’s throat in a clean slash. Blood spurt forth as Benji took a step back to avoid the mess and the gun for hire hit the ground on his knees, grabbing at his neck and trying helplessly to suck in air.

“I’m going to string up your fucking head so everyone knows I’ve killed you. That’s how you prove a mark, that is how you do your fucking job!”

Benji lifted his blade high above his head, a single drop of blood flicking down onto his face. He brought it down across his body in with brutal strength and the assassin’s head was thrown to the floor where it rested at the foot of the desk.

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blade clean before wiping the blood from his face. Benji’s watch beeped quietly in the dark. He looked down: 9.27am. His meeting with Chinner was soon.

One more investor after Chinner and he’d be ready to present a decade of work to the Organization. Finally after so much time he could drop this life of hiding in dank warehouses and retreating to luxurious yet foul mansions in Thailand and go back home. He would be a hero invisible to history. His country would owe everything to him.

“Sir, there is a car waiting,” called one of his men from the door as four more ran in with plastic wrap and cleaning products.

“I’m coming, give me a moment,” said Benji. He was so painfully close.

***

“Can you hear me alright Ryan?” asked Link through the tiny cochlear implant nestled in Chase’s ear.

“Yeah I got you fine,” said Chase, holding the local paper open on the table but scanning the plaza around him for Benji. He had no idea what to look for, no idea what to expect. In his mind he kept picturing a flamboyant and lavish crime boss, but his experience told him that Benji would more than likely appear from the crowd completely fitting with the environment. He wouldn’t bring attention to himself.

A man came forward from the stream of people that were flowing from the shopping mall. His light brown hair was tied into a slick ponytail and cool black lenses hid his eyes. He wore a navy jacket which fit just a little small, showing off strong shoulders and a wide chest under an open white shirt. Straight chinos ran into worn but not tattered boat shoes.

On his right leg was a frame that moved and shifted as he walked. It didn’t restrict his movement, but instead it appeared to aid it. Chase had never seen anything like it. Either side of his knee was small hydraulics. The frame looked to be semi-powered. The man walked on an ornate cane with a bear sculpted on the handle.

As he approached Link dropped the paper and folded his hands on the table: the signal to Link that Benji had been spotted.

“Alright, we’re here the whole time, remember to let us know as soo-” Link cut out and the earpiece screamed with static. Chase flinched and quickly tore it from his ear, pocketing it as Benji pulled up a seat at Chase’s table and sat down. He offered a hand covered in rings and Chase shook it. He spotted the small cell-phone sized electronic counter measure (ECM) inside Benji’s jacket. Smart guy: didn’t want any eavesdropping.

Over Benji’s shoulder Chase spotted his muscle. He could have gone toe-to-toe with Bull and Chase sincerely hoped he would never have to tousle with the goliath of a man that stretched his arms on the other side of the street. A gun was visible beneath his jacket.

“Mr. Chinner, I’m glad we’re finally able to meet,” said Benji. His accent was American, which surprised Chase. He had expected this to be a London based crime racket.

“As am I,” Chase replied, “I was hoping you could give me a little more information about where my investment is going, you said there were some developments?”

While filing through Chinner’s emails to Benji, Link and Kelly had found that the young technology entrepreneur had been made a further offer by Benji. He had been told that for an extra three million dollars he could join the team that would ‘usher in a new era’ and ‘make his money back tenfold.’

“Ah, yes,” said Benji, waving down a waitress from across the outdoor area of the café he had chosen to meet in, “As we all know, LandWarrior has been in a bit of slump since US withdrawal from Afghanistan.”

“Yes, I guess we’ve been selling less equipment, but our government contract is good for another five years,” Chase explained as Benji quickly ordered a coffee and winked at Chase as he made it double.

Benji hummed as he pulled the shades from his face to reveal startlingly blue eyes, “What if I could give you a promise? A promise that not only would you make millions in the next five years of your contract, but that when it expires in 2020, I can guarantee its extension for a decade.”

Chase didn’t flinch. He didn’t want to give anything away but inside he was panicking. This was the offer Benji had mentioned for another three million, but Chinner had said the day before that he had transferred the money. Chinner had made his decision and now Chase had no idea what it was.

“Well I think you’ll find my answer in your bank account, Benji,” Chase said coolly, leaning back to allow the waitress to take his newspaper and place down his coffee, “The money was wired yesterday, it should be there by now.”

“Perfect!” Benji laughed, whipping his phone from his pocket and thanking the waitress, “I’ll have a look now.”

Benji flicked through pages on his phone, his face calm and completely unreadable. He stopped flicking and didn’t move for a second.

“I see…” he said, locking the phone and placing it on the table. Chase sipped at his coffee to try and hide his face as well as give his hands something to do. Benji’s ring encrusted hand jutted out to greet Chase again.

Fuck, thought Chase to himself, I might have just lost him.

“Welcome to the team, Mr. Chinner,” said Benji, “We’re going to become very, very rich.”

***

Benji got up from the table and walked away, leaving Chinner alone at the table. He was considerably better looking and much more suave than Benji had ever expected. He definitely had the look of a military man, but Benji couldn’t remember ever reading that Chinner was ex-military. He moved across to where Devin was standing and his bodyguard turned to face him.

“How’d you go, boss?”

“Yeah, good. He’s on board. I’m going to get a cab back to the warehouse. Can you get our lads to dig a bit deeper on Chinner? He’s not what I expected based on their brief.”

“No problem,” said Devin, reaching inside his jacket and pulling out his pistol, quickly sliding it beneath Benji’s coat, “Take this. See you back at the warehouse.”

The monolith of a man left Benji alone on the street. He watched Chinner stand up and leave on the other side of the plaza. He had a weird feeling about Chinner. He seemed genuine and Benji was impressed by his gusto in accepting the offer to join the team, but he wasn’t completely convinced. Either way, he decided it was a no-brainer to keep him close for now.

Chinner could be a massive asset to get on board, but if he wasn’t faultlessly committed to the cause…

It would only take one loose screw to ruin this entire operation.