Jude Grant had arrived in Sydney, Australia with a purpose. A meeting with his daughter. The venue of choice was the Manly Hotel, an iconic venue by the water and far from quiet. He had already assessed the exits and general floor plan.
His first step into the Public Bar did not reveal anything unusual. It was unlikely he would encounter trouble and he had already begun to relax and take a position at a window seat. His daughter would approach from the Dock area. Relax he said to himself. This would be fun.
Jude Grant was a killer. He was a hired gun. He did it for the money, not the thrill. Most assassins did likewise, but there were some who enjoyed the chase and then the kill.
A drink ordered earlier was already half finished, when his pleasant thoughts were suddenly changed. What he saw made him shiver. He blinked again and again but there was no changing what he saw. It was Enrico Fernando Mario Quatro- "The Firecracker". A small man, but his nickname was well earned. Beside him, Olivia Milanos a woman of stunning beauty garnered the attention of all. They were both assassins and liked the chase and the kill. What the hell were they doing here?
His daughter was only fifteen minutes from the arrival time agreed upon. Had they followed him? He knew them from a previous encounter and he had seen the end result of their work. This was not good . He slunk to another table further from the entrance and the window. He lost sight of them. Perhaps they would walk on by.
His referral to a large mirror on the hotel wall showed otherwise and Olivia's grand entrance announced their arrival. Too late to call his daughter and he slid his right hand underneath his shirt. The familiar frame of his one shot pistol gave him some confidence. Maybe they had not seen him. He was possibly drawing his daughter into the danger zone.
Their disappearance into the Dining room was both a relief and a concern.
Not being able to see them meant they could surprise him and he only had one shot. Assassins were often called on to kill other assassins. How could this have come about?
A table and two chairs lay directly across the aisle and he knew it would give him a better shot and more time to react. He moved quickly and as he settled, the doors opened and a waiter with a tray and a bottle of Champagne walked towards him. He stopped and thrust a note at Jude. Jude tentatively unfolded it.
It read:
Jude,
Please accept this gift from both of us. It is our day off. No doubt we will meet in the future
Enrico and Olivia.
He smiled and hearing his daughter's voice, confirmed this indeed would now be a good day off.