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Xavier held his head, groaning out of pain with squinted eyes and a dry throat. He needed to drink water but his phone rang. 
![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/sabrinah/EonnvpqQq2GURwJzxevmaHZoMBufvEFRyqFJN2DYzdRNUWW1bQeSyTTmwLAyXFvkm9T.png)
[This image](https://pixabay.com/photos/contract-agreement-signature-3002431/)
“Who is this fucker?!” he protested angrily as he stretched his hand to grab his phone from wherever. 

However, his phone was on the couch which was far from where he was lying. He looked around and there, he sighted his phone. He groaned in the distance before attempting to get up. 

There was again, a sharp pain between his thighs, and in total wonder, he still could not fathom the reason for the pain, therefore, causing him to drag his body on the floor and reach for his phone. 

Still, the call never stopped. 

He yanked his phone angrily from the couch and just as he was checking the caller which was an unknown number, the call ended. 

With swollen eyes and busted lips, he frowned and as his forehead creased, he felt a bit of pain. He was still in the thought of his pain when the call came in again, startling him. 

It was still from an unknown number. He immediately picked up the call out of curiosity. 

“Hello!” he said harshly but there was no response from the other end. 

“Hello!” he repeated, yet he got no response. He was about to give the call up when he heard a voice. 

“He…hello,” the caller said and he took a deep breath. 

“Who is this?” Xavier asked instantly. 

“You do not have to know who I am,” 

“Why not?” Xavier responded. 

“As it all depends on your choice after this call,” 

Xavier has had several experiences with prank calls and on those days, he would have exchanged words with the caller but today, he was feeling way behind the walls to converse with someone unknown. 

“Listen, if you want to go back and forth like this, I must say you got the wrong person!” Xavier said before dodging the phone from his ear to end the call. 

“Weren’t you the one at the bar last night?” 

Immediately, Xavier became interested__such that, the caller might have an idea why he has awakened with a busted face. 

“Yes, I was,” he became curious. 

“Well, I have a…” he cleared his throat. “I have a job offer for you,” 

Xavier furrowed his brows, narrowed his eyes, and cracked his neck which was accompanied by pain. 

“I’m all ears,” 

“After witnessing you hit that guy last night, I was certain you were the best fit for the job. So, here it is. I need you to eliminate a person for me__an asshole!” 

Xavier ended the call on the caller, tossing his phone away. 

“Asshole!!” 

******

Xavier pulled up in front of a fancy hotel. He was quite impressed at the structure before him but then, he couldn't deny the lingering setback in his head.  

Stepping out of the car and following the instructions forwarded to him, he walked into the hotel. After adhering to the necessary hotel protocols, he was directed to the room number the guy had told him. 

As he stood in front of the hotel room that says 435 which aligns with the number he had, he took a deep breath. He still could not believe he was doing this. 

It took a knock on the door for his feelings to come crashing down and for the guy at the other end to open the door.  

He couldn't believe he was doing this!

“Are you…” Xavier started. 

“Hey,” he interrupted with a broad yet nervous smile and Xavier managed to return the smile although not as broad as his. 

“Come in,” he said and Xavier did just that but not after looking through the hallway surreptitiously. 

He looked around the room, studying everywhere like the true killer that he was about to be. He then sat across from the table. 

“My name is Negan. Negan Cruise,” Negan started, looking at Xavier who was staring everywhere but at him. 

Negan cleared his throat to call his attention and Xavier immediately got out of his thoughts. 

“Uhmm…sorry. You said?” Xavier managed to pay attention. 

Negan shifted forward in his seat with his hands interlocking each other in front of him. 

“This is serious business. Trust me, you don’t wanna mess it up!” his look hardened, he meant business right now and Xavier could see that. 

“Tell me what I need to know,” Xavier said, straightening his back in his seat. 

Negan stared deeply into his eyes as though searching for some sort of seriousness or otherwise that could put him away. 

“I need you to know this isn’t just killing, it’s justice,” 

“How so?” Xavier asked with a furrowed eyebrow. 

“This man, Tony Berger,” Negan started as he brought out a brown envelope, and in it were pictures. Negan pointed at the man in the picture as he spoke. “He is the target. Now, let me explain how this is not just a murder. This man assaulted my sister and didn’t just stop at that but also killed her,” his voice faded off in a low whimper. 

Xavier could feel the intensity of it all, he could feel why Negan was never going to rest without killing this man. This was brutal. 

“She was just…she was just a college kid that was hanging out with friends after her exams. She just wanted to have fun but this man cut that short for her but you know the upsetting part of this story? This man walks freely with no remorse. Probably out there doing or planning to do the same thing to an innocent kid as well. Do you also think this man should live freely?” 

Xavier stared into thin air, deep in thought for a few seconds before he responded. 

“I do not think so,” 

“This is not a pity party, I just want that man dead!” 

“He’s surely going to but after the payment is made!” Xavier quickly chipped in. 

“Part payment upfront. The rest comes after the job is perfectly concluded, we have a deal?” 

“Full payment now, expect a perfect job!” 

Negan gazed at him intensely before finally nodding. He turned to his side and handed a mini box over to Xavier. 

“In it is a gun and his pictures. He goes to a low-quality pub every Friday. All other details needed and payment is in there,” 

Xavier took the box and checked its content for confirmation and it was exactly as Negan had said. His heart tumbled a few times but he wanted the money more. 

He held the mini box that was filled with his payment and he knew at that moment that there was no going back on this. 

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