James Halton had expected sirens. He had expected handcuffs, a holding cell, perhaps a lawyer explaining to him the many charges that came with attempted murder against a man of Sebastian Waters' standing. Instead, when Sebastian Waters lifted his phone and made a call right there in the narrow tiled restroom, all James Halton heard was a single, calm instruction."Table for two. My usual booth. We'll be there within the hour.""You're not calling the police," James Halton said, bewildered, his mind still scrambling to catch up with the situation. By now, he was supposed to be arraigned before angry and aggressive officers who would gladly do anything to kiss the legs of any billionaire who calls at them. He was supposed to be surrounded by the enforcers of the city law who are always so eager to please their rich masters."Why would I do that?" Sebastian Waters slid his phone back into his pocket and gestured toward the door, where the guards who had blocked his escape now simply ste

And from the shadows along the warehouse walls, armed men began stepping forward, six of them, perhaps seven, weapons already raised. It was then he realized that he was never called to come here for a meeting. He was called here for an assassination and this time, he was to be the victim. They were going to kill him!James Halton fought as he had been trained to fight, every instinct from years in the navy surging forward in epochs. One by one they came at him, as though they preferred to deal with him physically than to let a gunfire do the needful. He thought in his mind that maybe they still needed him. Maybe all these was just a way to force him to complete the mission. Maybe the client has thought that by teaching him a lesson, he could be coerced into doing what they want him to do. But James Halton was not like that. He had already made his decision and nothing was going to change that.The attacks came swiftly. Some he dodged, some he blocked. Some of his attackers were soon

296The gathering that evening at Sebastian Waters' estate had drawn together some of the most powerful men in the city, and James Halton found himself shaking hands with faces he had only ever seen in newspapers, men whose names alone could move markets and topple smaller fortunes without so much as a raised voice."James, come meet some old friends," Sebastian Waters said, guiding him by the shoulder toward a small cluster of men holding drinks near the tall windows overlooking the estate's gardens.The first was a gentleman with a booming laugh and a grip that nearly crushed James Halton's fingers, introduced simply as Martin Astana, chairman of one of the largest holding companies in the region. The second was younger, sharper featured, his suit tailored so precisely it seemed to have been poured onto him rather than worn."Federico Rodriguez," the younger man said, extending his hand with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. "Recently taken over the family business, followi

Every wealthy man has his secrets. Even the one who was regarded as an angel in human form. Even the one who spent his entire life committed to good charity. No man can be that good. No man can be that free from sin and evil. James Halton was always taken aback, perhaps a bit suspicious as to the unnatural nature of Sebastian Waters. Although his suspicions had died with every minute he spent around the man, the events tonight might have just reawaken the spark of doubts. For what reason had Sebastian Waters quickly left his own event in a rush, accompanied by only a select few of his men. For what reason was there another woman outside, looking out for him and preventing others from entering the same room. And why was there something like an argument going on in there, as that was the only sense that James Halton could make from the muffled sounds that managed to pass through the door holes with the brief moment he spent standing before the door before he was intercepted by the woman

"Is there a problem, sir?" James Halton asked, stopping a respectful distance away. "I noticed you leave the party rather suddenly. Thought it best to make sure everything was in order." That had been the exact reason he had followed them anyway. Except that now he had found the situation a little bit of suspicious and mysterious, and now he was interested in reaching to the end of it.Sebastian Waters studied him for a moment, something almost approving flickering behind his tired eyes. "Good instincts. That's precisely the kind of attentiveness I hired you for." He said, although James Halton thought it was only to patronise him.From behind the closed door, a voice rose sharply, muffled by the heavy wood but unmistakably furious, a woman's voice pitched high with anger, the specific words lost entirely but the emotion behind them impossible to misread. James Halton's gaze flicked toward the sound before he could stop himself. Something was going on inside of that room, something he