The Hitman's Last Job(28)

“St Louis? What the f*ck’s he doin’ there?”
“And there’s somethin’ else. The car was on fire. I mean literally burnt to cinders. But no bodies,”
“The clever bastard…” Angelo sucked on his cigarette angrily. “He thought he could lose us….”
“I reckon he walked the four miles to a small truck stop on the edge of town,” and Jerry rifled through his pocket to look for the scrap of paper he’d written the name down on. “An Evergreen Motel… that’s where I think he went,”
“What’s with the motels? He seems to have a thing for them,”
“I reckon it’s where he keeps the girl,”
“The girl…. Such a shame she got dragged into this,” Angelo looked to the smoke drifting from his cigarette. “But too bad,”


Jerry nodded solemnly.

“So… Call Jorge. I want the both of you out there immediately. With a bit of luck you’ll find them both holed up in their new love nest,”
“On it boss,” and Jerry gave a thumbs up as he turned to leave.


~

When Carl finally woke up it was dark.

“Shit… how long was I out?”
“Pretty much all day,” Anna held onto his hand.


His head was foggy as he looked out the window to figure out where they were. He squinted into the darkness and Gerald saw his confused look.

“We’re just comin’ up to Austin,” he announced.
“Already?”
“Yup… So your wife here has been telling me all about you being a Navy Seal!”


Carl looked to Anna with a befuddled expression.

“Wife?” he silently mouthed to her.


She shrugged nervously and rolled her eyes.

“Oh… yeah. Just a regular job you know,” he lied to end the awkwardness.
“Oh. Nonsense Sir. You’re a real hero,”
“Thanks,”
“So… Folks, where should I drop you off?”
“Anywhere I guess,” Carl replied.


And they drove in silence until central Austin came into view. Anna thought it looked like a charmingly modern yet clean kinda place. A place she wished she had more time to explore, but as had become normality over the last few days, they had to dash.

“How about here?” Gerald asked as he pointed at an empty parking spot.
“Lovely,” and Gerald pulled in. “Well I guess it’s goodbye,”


As Anna looked to Carl, he had that fierce look of control and determination that she loved so much. He sensed her fear and held her hand tightly.

“We’ll be fine,” he whispered. “We’re nearly there,”


And she nodded.

“Ok… Let’s go,”


They jumped out the car with Carl making sure he definitely had everything this time. Gerald tipped his hat and smiled as they closed the doors and thanked him profusely.

“Good luck!” he waved and then he was gone.


His car disappeared to a pin point in the distance, and Anna wondered where the night would take him.

“It’s funny… meetin’ people like that. They’re the most important person in your life for a little while and then they just go,” Carl remarked.
“I wonder what happens to them,” Anna was still looking into the distance.
“And I wonder if they think about us,” and Carl put his arm around her.


He kissed her on the cheek and swept her hair back behind her ear. He leant in and kissed her cheek softly. She cuddled into him close and turned to kiss him back. But then she pulled away. Carl felt her tension and looked her in the eye.

“What’s wrong?”
“Now what? Another empty road… another night on the run,”
“I promise as soon as the night is over we’ll be hurrying our way over to Mexico. We can get the first bus and we’ll be there in no time,”
“Hmmmm…..”
“You don’t seem happy about that,”
“I’m just scared….” and she cuddled back into him.
“Come on… let’s go find somewhere for the night,”
“Yeah, hopefully we can find a cheap motel around here.!”


Carl laughed and looked to the briefcase of money under his arm.

“I think I can do better than that,”


And he led her down the street until they arrived outside an old, opulent looking hotel.

“Wow, this must be five stars!” Anna looked up in awe.
“I think it is. Come on… we deserve a treat,”


And they entered the magnificent hallway, to be greeted by a concierge who eyed them up somewhat suspiciously as they walked to the reception. After convincing the arrogant girl at the desk that he could indeed afford it he booked the most expensive suite they had, a penthouse on the top floor. As the bellboy took them up in the elevator they smirked to one another and burst out laughing the second they walked out onto the top floor.

“That girl…. With the bad smell under her nose,” Anna giggled. “Her face when you just showed her all that cash,”
“Yeah, I wish I’d taken a picture,” he held out the key as their door approached. “I hope you’re ready. This should be really special?” and he slid in the key card.


As he pushed open the door the most spectacular scene was revealed. Anna gasped as she looked around at the plush living area that looked out through tall glass windows. Next she popped her head around the bathroom door and squealed when she saw the Jacuzzi.