Incubus 2 Teaser 2
I’m still waiting on cover art for Incubus Mini-Boss. In the meantime, how about another teaser?
“Megadeath #4 was this Syndicate’s best hitman,” he began.
“Apparently, he wasn’t,” I interjected. I was still pissed at his power games, and wanted him to remember that I bested the man.
Gambetti continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “His absence will leave quite a gap in our organization,” he said. “One that I’m not sure we can easily fill.”
The Syndicate boss was still pissing me off. The way he spoke, it sounded as if it was my fault. As if all he cared about was that Megadeath’s demise had created a problem for him.
“What did you expect me to do?” I asked. “Roll over and die?”
Gambetti didn’t even blink. “In essence, yes,” he replied. He paused for a moment, as if giving me time to let his answer sink in. But then he continued, “You weren’t the first competitor to come out of nowhere and attract Megadeath’s attention. He had taken out a vendetta contract on others in the past, and always he had emerged the victor. We thought the same would happen again. But it seems he underestimated you. As did we all.”
“No shit,” I said flatly.
Gambetti nodded as if I had said something pertinent. He took a deep breath. “Of course, he wasn’t the first to take the Megadeath name. He inherited it from his predecessor, whom he killed.”
Another pause. It was as if he was waiting for me to say something. “So, what? You want me to take his place? Become Megadeath #5?”
Gambetti didn’t say a word. He just looked at me, as if silently evaluating me. I wondered if that’s what this meeting was about. A job interview. At the same time, I couldn’t help but think about my quest for status. Was this my leg up? Was this the next step?
Or was it merely a distraction?
I couldn’t help but think that Megadeath #4 had reached the top of his particular ladder. Sure, maybe he had wealth and the respect of his peers. But his skill set was specialized. And, as had been shown, there was always someone new coming along who could knock him from his pedestal.
Either way, it turned out Gambetti wasn’t looking at me as a replacement for Megadeath after all.
“No,” he said succinctly. “I don’t believe you have what it takes. Megadeath #4 spent his whole life training to be the best. But you?” He gestured toward a manila folder on his desk. “I’ve read your file. I know who you are, and where you have come from. There is nothing in your history to suggest the type of focus and dedication required to do what Megadeath did for us.”
I stared at the file on the desk and wondered what sort of information was in there. More importantly, how had Dario Gambetti come across it?
All of a sudden, I recalled that somehow, Megadeath #4 had found my apartment. How had he done that? Did he have access to a file like the one Gambetti had?
Was my entire history, including where I lived, open knowledge throughout the Syndicate as a whole?
Yet that wasn’t the most salient point Gambetti had made.
“I still beat him,” I said. “Him and his men.”
Gambetti didn’t look pleased about that truth in the least. “Yes. But given your history, I put that down to luck more than anything else. I would expect a different outcome nine times in ten, if we could set up the same scenario again.”
I admit it. I didn’t like Dario Gambetti one bit. He was like a more sophisticated, more sure of himself version of Chad, and I wanted to see if I could change his expression by ramming my fist into his teeth.
Instead, I returned to the main point. “Why have you asked me here?” I repeated.
“You defy expectations. On paper, you are nothing. I wanted to see if that matched you in person.”
I found I was clenching my fists at my sides and grinding my teeth. “And?”
“There’s something about you. A hidden capability. You are more than you seem. An anomaly.” His voice suddenly hardened. “And I don’t like anomalies. At least those who come out of nowhere. I don’t trust them.”
As if dismissing me from his thoughts, he flicked a glance at Tweedledee and Tweedledum at the door.
“Dispose of this, if you would,” he said succinctly. “Try not to make too much of a mess.”
Have you read the first book, Incubus Hitman, yet? If not, now’s a great time to check it out. You can get it here.
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