Ness looked at her feet and intentionally diverted her gaze away from Eddie in shame.
“What’s the final rule?”
“We’ll get to that. Here we are,” Eddie pointed toward the apartment block and parked across the street. Ness started undoing her seatbelt and unlocking her door. “Not so fast, grasshopper. Don’t be too hasty.”
“Is that the fourth rule?” Ness asked. “Nope, that’s just a piece of friendly advice.” Eddie turned in his chair.
“Listen, Ness, this is a dangerous game that you’re choosing to play, especially since you’re planning on taking on people that ‘deserve to die.’ Travis Jones and his friends are wealthy and that does bring about several more problems. Once Travis is killed, Jarrod and Nathan are going to be on guard, which is going to make your job much more difficult. Those are things that you’re going to need to consider. Now, if you look at this building, it will seem like it’s easy enough to get into but remaining invisible is another matter entirely. There are cameras in the underground parking area, through the foyer and in the elevators. There are a couple on the floors, but fortunately, Jones’ apartment is in a blind spot. The only way into the building that is devoid of cameras is in the fire escape, but there’s an alarm that’s attached to the door—once it’s opened, the alarm will sound, but I’ll show you how to work around that,” He leaned and grabbed two black caps from the backseat. “Put this on and ensure that your hair is completely hidden beneath. Your blond hair is something that people will remember.”
“Should I wear a wig in future?” Ness asked.
“It will be prudent to invest in a few; you’ll always be able to use them,” Eddie looked toward the sky. “The darkness has come—it’s time for us to go to work. With that in mind, now is probably a good time for the fourth rule.” Eddie’s eyes darkened: “If you fuck this up, or try and screw me over in any way, I will stop at nothing to destroy you, grasshopper. But, before you’re destroyed, I will tear everything that you love out of your life. All of your dear family members will meet tragic ends, and when there’s nothing left of you, then I will kill you. Is that understood?”
Ness gulped and then nodded fearfully. She had finally seen the true monster that lurks beneath Eddie’s normal demeanor—she had seen behind the eyes of true evil.
“Let’s go,” Eddie said and grabbed the duffel bag as he exited the vehicle. Ness followed his lead, and they went across the street and toward the back of the building. They approached the fire exit door, and Eddie dropped the duffel bag and donned a pair of gloves. He removed the alarm scrambler and a knife from his pocket. He pried the keypad off the wall and exposed the wires beneath. Once he stripped them, he connected the scrambler to the exposed copper on the interior of the wires, and Eddie turned it on. The scrambler beeped and lit up as it worked, and the door popped open.
“Many modern fire exit doors are electronically activated, and if there’s a small surge, the door automatically opens to allow people to escape more freely in cases of emergencies. Definitely makes our jobs easier,” Eddie said as he removed the scrambler and pushed the keypad back into the wall. He opened the door, and they walked up the stairs. “What floor is Jones on?”
“The fifth,” Ness responded without hesitating.
“Good,” Eddie continued climbing the stairs with Ness closely behind him. They reached the fifth floor, and he peered through the glass window of the door. “The floor seems empty. The only camera on this floor is facing the other way because it monitors the people coming via the elevator. The fire escape isn’t monitored as well,” Eddie said as he went for the handle on the door.
“Wait. Isn’t there an alarm attached to this door too?” Ness asked quickly.
“No. According to the schematics of the building, there’s only an alarm on the exterior fire exit door,” Eddie said and pulled the handle. The door opened and the silence remained.
“Well, that could have gone badly if I was wrong,” he smiled. Ness just shook her head:
“Jones’ apartment is right down the corridor—apartment 504.” Eddie led the way and walked toward the apartment’s door.
“Alright, Ness. knock on the door and make sure you tell him a story that he’ll believe.”
Eddie moved to the side of the door and allowed Ness enough room to try and persuade Travis to open the door willingly.
Ness knocked on the door.No response. Ness knocked again. “Travis, are you home?” Ness called out.
“Who is it?” A distant voice responded.
“My name is Sarah. Nathan asked me to pop by and cheer you up.” Ness said in a sweet and alluring voice.
“He didn’t say anything to me about it,” the voice sounded closer.
“What? And ruin the surprise?”
She could hear the door being unlocked, and Travis opened the door. “Well, hello there. Nathan certainly outdid himself this time,” Travis said, smiling broadly and opening the door wider.
“You have no idea,” Eddie’s voice sounded from around the corner. Travis tried to respond, but he
