Chapter 31

The next night was moonless. I moved slowly from one waterfall of darkness to another. The Siblings kept me aware of the assholes' movements but the first pair of stops had not provided an opportunity to finish it. I walked into the alleyway behind the third bar and found a spot where the shadows completely shrouded my presence.

I woke up with sunlight illuminating the room that morning. The Siblings getting out of bed woke me earlier but they left immediately so I went back to sleep. The clock on the nightstand said one pm. I rolled out of the bed and walked into the bathroom to wash up.

I heard the Siblings enter the bedroom. I wanted to go over the equipment for the last time but could not do that without preparing myself first. The Siblings walked into the bathroom wearing robes and carrying scissors, a set of electric clippers, and a shaving kit.

Krista grabbed a towel and I knelt down in front of the sink. She wrapped the towel around my shoulders. Leeann plugged the clippers in and worked on my hair without saying a word. I closed my eyes and listened to Jason as he hummed in my head.

Jason always hummed during the final hours.

Krista stepped away from me. I stood up, shook the hair off, and stepped into the tub. I sat down on the edge. I heard the aerosol of a shaving-cream can behind me. Hands lathered my head and the back of my neck. One of the Siblings used a razor to remove what hair was left. When it was done, they washed the lather off. A pair of hands ran fingertips along my scalp. They stopped and I felt the shaving cream and razor again.

Leeann stepped into the tub and applied shaving cream to my face. Krista took her place and shaved my face. Leeann handed Krista the clippers and a small pair of scissors so she could trim my eyelashes and eyebrows. I preferred bare hands on the guns so Krista used the razor to shave them also. Leeann performed a final inspection for hair and grunted in satisfaction.

Krista removed her robe. Leeann handed her a pumice stone. Krista took it and turned the shower on. I was scraped thoroughly to remove dead skin. The water was lukewarm, but I noticed it only on the periphery of my awareness like Krista's nakedness.

Leeann showed me the jar with the gel for my eyebrows. It would retain its moisture for most of the night and catch any falling hair. The only things I planned to leave behind were gunpowder, impacted bullets, and two bodies.

If I had the time, I would have dug the bullets out.

They stood back when I stepped out of the shower. I had instructed there was to be no physical contact once I was clean. They would have an easier time explaining a stray hair but there was no need to risk it. I walked out of the bathroom, past the bedroom, and into the living room.

I took toast off the breakfast tray the Siblings ordered and sat down in one of the chairs. I could feel their eyes on me, but they held their silence. I finished eating and walked to one of my bags. I opened it on the floor, and pulled out a pair of running shorts. I put them on and picked up the second bag.

I pulled the nines out. I disassembled them and put them back together carefully as my last check. I screwed the silencers on as tightly as necessary to keep them in place without harming the threading on the extended barrels. I tested the springs in the magazines and loaded the bullets. I would have the magazines in the guns, and two extra for each. There would be plenty of weapons lying around if they caught me on the streets and I went through that much ammo.

The careful process of checking the gear worked to further relax me. Purpose had been on my shoulders for two weeks but in the last hours it was no longer a weight; it stood behind me pushing instead.

I pulled out the oak case with Jason's forty-fives. They always rested at the ready so I only gave them a cursory inspection. If they trapped me in the funeral home, Jason's gifts would force my choice of consequences on everyone involved. Considering my skill, five magazines was enough to drop the better part of an infantry company.

It was overkill but sending me after rapists was even worse.

I took the clothes out of the bag. Everything was black or gray, dark enough to camouflage but not call attention. All of it was out of the package, even the coat.

The earplug fit snugly. I looked at Leeann. She held up a small transmitter that looked like a lighter. She depressed the button and whispered into it while lighting a cigarette.

I stood up and walked out to the balcony. I looked at the city. I ran through different scenarios; studying them and accepting every ending that might come about, the good ones and the regrettable ones. I knew the most likely possibility. They liked to bar hop through the same places every weekend. There were a couple of spots that I could catch them alone. I needed two seconds; with five, it would take a dozen miracles for either of them to survive. They liked backdoors for some reason. There was an alleyway that ran for several blocks in the area. Two of their favorite bars had backdoors that led to alley. If they kept to their normal behavior, I would not need luck. I would take them and use the alley to meet Krista and Leeann at the car. The Siblings understood if the two assholes walked out a backdoor, they were to impede anyone else from exiting that way. If they got me five seconds, they were to head to the car.