Page 109 of Whisper

Shadow tilts his head. “Which target?”

“Mine. He tried to roofie me.”

“Oh, right. Whisper told me about him. You took care of it?”

“We did. It was fucking awesome. He was a total prick and he had a history. We definitely saved some future victims.”

Shadow nods. “Yes, I think you’ll fit right in. Assuming there’s nothing concerning in your background, the job is yours. Starting pay is $100k a year, but after six months of solid performance it doubles. Any bonuses we receive during the year are given to the appropriate person. Whisper can go over the details of getting your financial information set up.”

He’s still talking but my brain is stuck on the starting pay.

“Do you have any questions for me right now?”

“Did you say it pays a hundred thousand dollars?”

“Yes. To start.”

“And then it doubles?”

“Correct.”

“A hundred thousand?”

“Is that not what you were expecting?”

“No.”

“It’s standard and all the guys are paid the same. I’m sorry if it’s disappointing.”

“Disappointing? Dude. I make, like, half that.”

“Ah, I see. Well, it’s a potentially high-risk job.”

“Right.”

“Do you have any questions?”

“Oh. Uh, yeah, I do. Has anyone been arrested?”

“No, and I have a handful of politicians and people in law enforcement who could fix that if it did happen.”

I nod. “Has anyone been killed?”

“No. We’ve only had one injury and it was minor, fortunately.”

I summon the courage to ask the burning question in my head. “How does a guy like you build a hit man empire?”

“A question for another day.”

His tone makes it very clear I shouldn’t push. “Okay. I’m good.”

“Then let me officially welcome you to Crestvale House. There are plenty of rooms here in case you and Whisper aren’t ready to share, and you can move in anytime.”

“I have to talk to my family and come up with something. I might just tell them I’m moving in with Whisper, but that’ll be a shock to them. I’ll figure it out.”

“Do you need a salary advance to get situated?”

I shake my head. “No, but thank you.” Reality hits me suddenly. “Holy shit. I’m a hit man.”