The Executioner

Hundred and Thirty-Six

Hunter cuffed Tyler’s hands behind his back using the same handcuffs he’d escaped from less than a minute ago.

‘Carlos, wake up.’ Hunter tapped his face.

A nervous twitch followed by incoherent mumble.

Another face tap. ‘Carlos, are you OK?’

Garcia coughed, spitting out blood. He blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the poor light.

‘What the fuck happened?’ he asked, looking at the mess in the room, a captured Dan Tyler and a bleeding Hunter.

‘You don’t really wanna know,’ Hunter said, freeing Garcia from the chair.

‘You need a hospital.’

‘So do you.’ Hunter chuckled. ‘Your nose doesn’t look too good.’

‘It doesn’t feel too good either. Actually, it hurts like fuck,’ Garcia replied, touching it with the tips of his fingers and recoiling with pain.

‘Let’s call this in first.’

Before Hunter had a chance to dial, his cell phone rang. The display showed Mollie’s number.

‘Mollie? Where are you? Are you OK? Where did you go?’

‘He… he’s here.’ Her voice was just a trembling whisper.

‘What? What’re you talking about, Mollie? I can barely hear you.’

‘He’s here.’

‘Who is where? And why are you whispering?’

‘Because he’s here. He’s in the apartment,’ she said between terrified, shallow breaths. ‘He’s after me. The killer came after me.’

‘Mollie, calm down.’ Hunter tried to keep his voice steady and winced as a new surge of pain burned through his left arm. ‘He isn’t after you. We’ve got him. He’s right here in front of me and he isn’t going anywhere. You don’t have to be scared anymore, Mollie.’

‘No. You’ve got someone else.’

Her tears were making it harder for Hunter to understand her. ‘What? What do you mean I’ve got someone else?’

‘He… he’s here in the apartment.’

Hunter’s gaze met Tyler’s. Only then he realized the challenging grin on the stockbroker’s lips.

‘You made a mistake, detective.’ The grin widened into a cold smile. ‘It wasn’t me who she should’ve been afraid of.’

Garcia shuddered. ‘What the fuck is he talking about?’

Hunter’s mouth went dry. ‘Mollie, talk to me. Are you still there?’

Mollie was so afraid she’d lost direction and wandered into the bedroom. The darkness was almost complete, except for the dusty sliver of colored light that crept in through the opening in the curtains. Confused and shaking, she turned around, not really knowing what she was looking for, and fear paralyzed her. From the corner of the room, hidden in the shadows, a pair of eyes blinked at her.