Chapter 75: Taking Down the Hitman

Nick, Colby, Teo, and Kyle sat in the van across the street from the apartment building, waiting for Simon Allegri to show up for work. It was close to seven in the morning, so they expected him soon. They were upset about not being able to take out Jon before the authorities got him, so this was a way for them to redeem themselves.

A few minutes before seven, they saw Simon walking toward the entrance. He was carrying a duffle bag they were sure had his gun hidden inside. They weren't going to make a move while he was in the apartment building. Instead, they would follow him when he left and take him off the street. It was time for the hunter to become the hunted.

They didn't move all day while they waited. The four men got ready for quitting time so they could follow the hitman. When he walked out of the building, Teo and Colby hopped out of the van to follow him on foot while Nick and Kyle stayed in the van.

As they followed him, the four men were conscientious, knowing Simon was not the average person. When Simon cut down a side street, they knew it might be their only chance. Teo and Colby sped up until they were right behind him while Kyle pulled the van up ahead of them. Nick opened the side door and waited.

Teo and Colby nodded at each other, and as Simon approached the van, they jumped him from behind, pushing him into the van. They were so quick the few people on the street had no time to react before the van pulled away.

"What the fuck is going on? Let me out of here." Simon tried to fight the three men off him, but they were strong. Before he could move, his hands were tied behind his back, his feet were tied, and they gagged him. Simon was internally kicking himself for letting his guard down. No one knew who he was, so he didn't think he had any reason to be alert.

"You want to know what's going on? We'll tell you, Mr. Hitman. We know you were hired to kill Natalia Crawford and Hayden Sumner. We were hired not to let that happen. So you're going to disappear, and no one's ever going to be killed by your hand again." Colby said as he shoved Simon onto his side.

Simon's face was pushed into the side of the van, but he tried to struggle. How did they know about the contract? He'd been careful not to leave any paper trails. Every contract was hidden deep in the internet under false paths that only he knew how to follow.

"You want to know how we found you? Let's just say we have our ways, and you're not as good as you thought. We found you within hours and all the people you killed. Now all those you had contracts with will be arrested thanks to your sloppy filing. At least you'll already be dead, so you won't have to face the wrath of the mob or some of those other ruthless bastards you worked for you." Teo stated as he sat down, resting his feet on Simon's face.

Kyle drove the van far out of the city, where there were only trees for miles. He then went down a long dirt road that most people who made it out that far would never know existed. They then drove down another small side road out to the middle of a small clearing.

When the van came to a stop, Nick opened the van door and pulled Simon out by his feet, letting his head bounce as he threw him to the ground. Nick and Colby pulled him to a hole they had dug overnight before going to wait for Simon to show up at the apartment building. Kyle shoved Simon into the hole, and he looked up at the men in fear. For the first time, he felt something close to what his victims most likely felt.

"Don't worry. We're not going to shoot you. We got something better for you. You're going to be buried alive. Think of it as justice for all those people you killed. A slow, painful death that will suffocate you as you breathe in the dirt and feel your chest ready to explode. A bullet to the brain would be too easy. Get ready to die, Simon Allegri." Teo said as they all grabbed shovels and began covering him with dirt.

After burying him, they replaced the grass and stepped on it so no one would notice anything suspicious if they happened to come to that area. When they left, Colby texted Dorian one word to let him know he could turn in what he'd found regarding the people who had died and those who had ordered their deaths. *Okay.*

_____________

When Dorian received the text, he felt a sense of relief come over him. The threat of the hitman was gone, and now they could all relax while taking down Simon Black.

"The hitman is dead. I'm sending what we found to Dennis anonymously, of course." Dorian took the file and sent it to Dennis using one of his encrypted emails.

Hayden and Natalia looked at each other with big smiles. At least this time, the killer was taken care of quickly. They could focus on healing rather than running for their lives.

____________

Dennis opened the email and immediately knew who had sent it to him. What he wasn't expecting was what he read. As he deciphered the contracts, he saw they were contracts for murder. When he saw the most recent one with Natalia and Hayden's names on it, he became enraged. Are they being chased by a hitman? As he read further, he saw the message in the email.

*Don't worry about the hitman; he's gone. Focus on the people who hired him.*

Dennis shrugged his shoulders. At least that was one less person they would have to hunt down. He picked up his phone to call Andy, knowing he would want to be part of this. As Captain Clifton was gone, Dennis was acting as captain until they hired someone. He hated the paperwork and politics but was willing to do it temporarily.

"Andy, we got something else to do." Dennis heard him sigh on the other line and smiled to himself. That was precisely how he felt.

"What now?"

"A hitman was hired to kill Natalia and Hayden. We don't need to worry about him, but we need to pick up the people who hired him." Dennis said cautiously, hoping to defer any questions.

Andy wasn't stupid. He knew they most likely didn't need to find the hitman because he was already dead. That was fine with him, so he wouldn't give Dennis the third degree.

"Who hired him?" He asked.

"Simon and Lily Black. Shania Black's parents." Andy almost dropped his phone.

"Are you kidding me? I guess it wasn't enough that their daughter was behind bars; they must be ready to join her. I can be there in ten minutes. Are you ready to pick them up?" He asked, hoping Dennis was good to go.

"Yep, I'll be here waiting on you." When they disconnected the call, Dennis looked over the rest of what was sent. It looked like they would be making many arrests all over the country with the number of people this man killed. At least they would be getting justice for a lot of victims and closure for their families.

_____________

Lily was sitting in the bedroom contemplating the best way to get the hell out of the house and away from Simon. How had she not seen he was a monster? Is that why her daughter was like she was because her dad was unstable? Her husband was downstairs watching television as though nothing was going on.

She stood up and started pacing. What could she do to get out of this situation? There was no way she was going down with her husband. Even though Lily signed the contract with Simon, she assumed that the hitman hid his records well enough that no one would ever know. What if after Natalia and Hayden were dead, she contacted the police and told them that her husband was behind it. She smiled to herself. That's what she would do. Then the two who ruined her daughter's life would be gone, and so would Simon while she got off free as a bird. Lily laughed to herself as she headed into the bathroom to take a shower. Just as she turned on the water, she heard a loud bang and shouting.

Lily ran out of the bedroom, looked down at the front door, and saw police everywhere. What was going on? There was no way they knew about the hitman; he hadn't even been able to kill anyone yet. She ran down the steps angrily.

"What's this? Why are all you men in my house?" She yelled at them. Before she knew what was happening, a woman approached her and put handcuffs on her wrists.

"Lily Black, you're under arrest for the conspiracy to commit murder."

"What are you talking about? I didn't kill anyone." Lily said in a panic as two men came over. She saw her husband being taken out and put into a patrol car.

"We have the contract you signed to have Natalia Crawford, and Hayden Sumner killed," Dennis answered as Lily looked at him with wide eyes. She was pulled out of the house as her Miranda rights were being read.

Dennis and Andy looked at each other as the Blacks were taken away. Hopefully, everyone will sleep in peace tonight. Most of all, Natalia and Hayden.