The man started talking as they finished eating, "Do you know my name, Nicky?"
"Tasman Bentley, you're a journalist."
"Very well. Do you know the name of the person who hired you?"
"No, of course not, nor does he know my real name. It's a professional . . ." He stopped; pulled up by the twisting corner of Bentley's mouth.
"An ingenuous and idealistic aspiring assassin who still believes in anonymity for both parties. I regret that you are not destined to last long in this vicious game, young man. Perhaps it is a good thing I caught you - that is, provided things work out."
"I've been thinking, Nicky, of a junkie with a slit throat, about six or seven months ago, and late last year, an ancient old felon shot in the temple with a small calibre pistol while he slept."
The young man's eye's widened and he had to force his mouth to stay closed.
"Both easy jobs and wouldn't have paid much. But," Bentley added with a slight patronising touch, "carried out efficiently."
"Just who are you?" Nicky burst out with.
The question was ignored.
"Now your present job. Of course, you dealt through a third party, using the name Slade. However, Nicky, I'd be very surprised if your employer didn't know your real name. I can tell you his, it's Rocco Smyles, a middling ranked crime boss. He's a slob, tightfisted and grossly overestimates himself, but he can be quite cunning."
"Were you expecting me?" Nicky exclaimed incredulous.
"Of course. Well, not you in particular, but someone similar."
"You see Nicky," Bentley went on, "Rocco would have had to pay very big money to get one of the top people to come after me, and even then he would have had difficulty finding someone who was willing to take the job. So he decided to try a cheapie - you. Maybe, you'd get lucky, if not, the default position would be a satisfying start."
"Default?"
"Yes. The word would spread that someone was after me. Nobody wants to hire an assassin who has to keep looking over their shoulder, so my work would dry up."
Nicky was staring at Bentley with equal measures of admiration, awe and dread. It was now clear to him that his captor was a hired killer, and one of the very best.
"Oh, God, what have I done? What have I done?" surged into his brain.
YOU ARE READING
Option Three - an unexpected transition
Short StoryA male-to-female transgender story with a villainous setting. It starts with a grim situation, but with some dark humour (and tongue-in-cheek stuff as well) then moves through progressive change until discovery . . . and happiness.
