“You think you could kill me out here.” I nodded at his group. “You have eight men. I have a good twenty.”
“And you have ten men across the street in black vans.” Hiro took the lollipop out and assessed the shiny red candy. “I bet there are snipers on the roof with a target on my back.”
“Smart, but you’re wrong. Close, but not good enough.” I pointed to the roof behind him. “I put eight snipers on the roof so that one red dot could be on each of your backs. Only seven of your men have the dots on their backs, but the eighth sniper has his target on the back of your head. Do you know why?”
“I have some theories, Mr. Stronz.”
“Good. Go with any of those.”
No one put their weapons down.
I moved in closer. Only two inches rested between Hiro and me.
He put the lollipop back in his mouth and gazed my way. Intrigue lay within his eyes. “Mosquito, I wouldn’t kill you today, even if there were no men on the roof or in vans across the street.”
Stunned, I eyed him. “Why not?”
“That’s a mesmerizing jacket.” He reached his hand out to touch it.
“Yo, keep your hands to yourself.” Maxwell shifted the point of his gun to Hiro’s eyes.
Hiro shrugged. “What is that color? Old rose?”
I glared at him.
“My favorite color.” Hiro lifted his face and kissed the tip of Maxwell’s gun.
Done with the games, Naveen spoke, “So when do you plan to kill Misha?”
“Tomorrow. We just wanted him to be warned. It is a thank you for his help in Japan. We hope he spends time with his ballerina this evening.”
I raised my hand. Everyone put their guns away but Maxwell. He kept his gun focused on Hiro. The Xecutioners lowered their weapons.
I glanced his way. “Maxwell, we’re good.”
“Fuck that.” He didn’t move his hands. “I don’t trust this cocky motherfucker.”
I went back to Hiro. “Thank you for your twenty-four-hour warning, but I would rather you not come for me at all.”
Hiro shrugged. “The owner of the contract is alive. He’s not happy that you outbid him with Ms. Jones. He raised the amount of your contract just in case you tried to outbid that one.”
“And what would the price be, if I could outbid his?”
“You can’t. Reputation is everything in this world. You know that better than me.”
I sneered. “Do you think I’m going to let you come and kill me?”
Hiro licked the lollipop. “I hoped your men and you would make it fun.”
“We’ll make sure none of you survive.”
“You should hope so. The problem is that we are not individuals. The Xecutioners are a large group. If we die and the contract remains, then others come.” He shrugged. “We’re actually the nice ones.”
“How is that?”
“Because we’re easier to see as a threat. Other Xecutioners are not this obvious. Some can be women or children. You would constantly be looking over your shoulder, never knowing who is a friend or enemy.”
Considering this visit, I shook my head. “No.”
Hiro leaned his head to the side. “No?”
“This visit isn’t that black and white. You came here for more than a warning. There’s something that could be negotiated.”
Hiro crunched the rest of the lollipop. Only the white paper stick was left. He raised it between us and twisted it around. “Do you know why lollipops are my favorite candy?”
“It boggles my mind and keeps me up at night.” I frowned. “I assumed you were sweet enough.”
“It is true. I am a sweetie.” Hiro smirked at me. “When I was a young boy, I saw so much death. Lots of blood and rotting bodies. My father would take me with him when he killed. Afterward, he would make me clean the dead bodies up. Once we were done, he would give me a lollipop.”
“Sad story.”
“Don’t cry for me, Mosquito. The dead bodies are now forgotten. Lollipops are what I remember the most. Lollipops helped me escape the horror of the world for ten minutes. And that was enough peace for my young mind to not crack. The candy was an escape.”
“Would you like a box of them?”
“If you survive, then that would be a nice gesture. But for now, you need to find your own escape. Unfortunately, your problem won’t be solved from a sweet candy on a stick.”
“Since you’re in such a wise mood, maybe you can give me a solution to my surviving and no more Xecutioners coming my way.”
“While the contract exists, there is nothing I can do.”
“And if the owner of the contract is dead?”
Hiro’s eyes sparkled with interest. “Then our contract would end and perhaps you’ll send me a nice box of lollipops.”
I studied him. “Why tell me this?”
“You’re like me. Do you know why you asked that?” Hiro didn’t wait for an answer. “It’s because you want to know the measure of my soul. Why give you a way out of the contract with my employer—a man who has done nothing to me? You’re intrigued.”