Jimmy Chen and Clayton Radcliffe sat parked at the back end of the parking lot at Willowbrook Mall. They were meticulously observing the bustling shopping mall through a pair of binoculars. Their faces remained hidden beneath baseball caps and dark sunglasses offering an air of anonymity as they surveyed the crowd below. The mall's vibrant exterior, adorned with colourful storefronts and a sea of shoppers provided the perfect cover for their surreptitious activities.
As they focused their binoculars on different areas of the mall, their expressions revealed a sense of urgency and anticipation. They were staking the mall out planning their hit on Julie Koop. They had both agreed that the mall would be the best place to carry out the hit for two main reasons. First of all, it provided the most options for a clean getaway. And second of all, Julie was known to frequent the mall on Wednesday afternoons for her nail appointments. She wouldn’t see it coming.
The tension mounted as they continued their surveillance, aware that one wrong move could jeopardize the entire hit. The fate of Julie Koop, and the violent course of events about to unfold hinged on the information they had spent days gathering.
“She’ll most likely come out of the Walmart entrance over there,” Jimmy said as he pointed towards the doors of the large sprawling department store.
“She’ll have to park in the west lot because they got the east parking lot closed for repaving. She drives a very distinct red Mustang with a black soft top, you can’t miss it.”
Clayton nodded in approval. The two hitmen had gathered all the information they needed about Julie Koop from one of Bronson‘s crooked connections at the DMV.
“From there, she’ll most likely walk down in front of the Walmart and towards the corner of the building, which is perfect. She’ll have nowhere to run. There’s nothing around the corner but a back alleyway that leads to loading bays. It’s a dead end at the back and if she tries to run, and she goes down there, she’s fucked, it’s all fenced off on the side.”
Clayton slowly nodded as he listened to Jimmy. Clayton felt a slight sense of unease inside him. He always hated carrying out hit jobs and had hoped that at this point in his gangster lifestyle, he would’ve elevated himself high enough to no longer have to do them. He dreamt of the day that he could give the orders, and somebody else would carry them out.
“You ever get nervous before doing this shit?” he asked Jimmy.
“Not really. My last one maybe,” Jimmy replied.
“Oh yeah?” Clayton asked.
“Yeah. He was a color-wearing member of the Hells Angels, very high ranking. The guy walked around with eyes in the back of his head too, constantly surrounded by his biker buddies. I had no idea how to pull it off, took me months to get it done”
“Fuck, that was you? You took out Randy Johnson?” Clayton asked as he looked over at Jimmy.
“Yep.”
Clayton made an expression that suggested he was impressed with Jimmy's resume.
“For Bronson?” Clayton asked.
“Yeah, for Bronson.”
Clayton placed the binoculars to his eyes and scanned the front of the mall for a moment while Jimmy continued his story.
“I parked across the street from their clubhouse down on Eastleigh Cresent and caught him coming back on his Harley. Gunned him down right there. Ballsy as fuck, but Bronson was paying me a hundred grand for that one. I barely made it out of there, thank God all the traffic lights were green.”
“I didn’t know Bronson was going at it with the Hells Angels,” Clayton said.
Jimmy nodded.
“Been going at it with the Angels for years. Honestly, I’m surprised Bronson is still alive. These days he spends most of his life hanging out on that yacht of his and fucking any pussy he can get his hands on. He’s developing a certain paranoia these days, scared of dying, and scared of leaving his yacht.”
“I don’t blame him. A lot of people want him dead. When you live to be fifty-eight in our line of work you have a lot of enemies,” Clayton said.
A look of introspection came over Clayton’s face, his thoughts were growing a little bit deeper.
“That’s it though, isn’t it? For guys like us? Dead or in the can. If you make it to your fifties, you’re gonna spend your life creeping around like a ninja in the shadows. It’s only a matter of time at that point. Our shelf life sucks.”
Clayton thought about his mortality much more than Jimmy did because he had a wife at home and they were talking about having a baby. Jimmy said nothing.
“So, you and Bronson close?” Clayton asked.
“Nah, not really. It’s a paycheck. Riddick pays well for a hit, but he expects it done fast. I don’t think he has a lot of close friends these days, he can’t afford to. It’s lonely at the top. I don’t envy him, and I hope I never find myself there, in his shoes. Completely incapable of trusting anyone, surrounded by women who only like you because of your money. A sad life.”
Clayton had always lived life on the edge, embracing a criminal lifestyle that had become his grim reality. He had been entangled in a web of deceit, theft, and violence from his early teens. It was a life that had promised money, protection from bullying, and most importantly, beautiful women. As he looked back on the drug deals and murders he had made, he couldn't help but feel a growing sense of remorse. The faces of those he had harmed, and the lives he had ended sometimes haunted him like ghosts.
Clayton worried about the uncertain future that lay ahead. His criminal exploits had left him with few friends, and his enemies were numerous and unforgiving. The fear of retribution and the consequences of his actions had begun to consume him. He yearned for a chance to make amends, to find a path away from the darkness that had defined his life for so long. The uncertainty of what the future held, and the relentless worry that he might never escape the grip of his past haunted his every waking moment.
In that moment, he felt a sick feeling in his stomach and thought to himself: This is it! Just this one last kill, and I’m out! Whoever Julie Koop is, I don’t care. Just this one last hit.’
That thought alone, the thought of freedom from the violence, and the constant fear of death or incarceration left him feeling lighter and at peace. He felt better than he had in years. Tomorrow, he would gun down Julie Koop and walk away from this criminal lifestyle for good.
“Okay, this will do. This is where we’ll take her out, I’m comfortable with it. We’ll have a clean getaway onto the Fraser Highway, and then a quick merge onto the freeway and we’re gone. Easy fifty grand. There’s a lot of people in the area so we’ll have to be quick!” Jimmy said with satisfaction in his voice.
Jimmy looked at his iPhone.
“Today’s Tuesday, she comes here every Wednesday for nails or hair or whatever. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at twelve sharp. That’ll give us a couple of hours to get ready for this, maybe do a couple lines of coke to get cranked up first. Always helps.” Jimmy said in his usual cold way.
Clayton nodded in agreement as Jimmy turned the key in the ignition of his Hummer, and the two hitmen drove off.
********************
A vibrant red Mustang tore down a winding, sun-drenched road that hugged the coastline, providing a picturesque backdrop of the endless ocean. The sleek, aerodynamic curves of the car glistened in the sunlight. Behind the wheel, Julie's wind-tousled hair danced in the breeze. Her thick dark hair was now down to the small of her back, the longest it had ever been. Her sun-kissed skin and sparkling blue eyes mirrored the exhilaration she felt, giving her a sense of freedom that few experiences could replicate. It was a blend of beauty and power, both in the form of the car and the woman driving it.
She was on her way to see Jay for lunch. She knew she was in some trouble, and had some grovelling to do. The evening before, Julie and Jay had had a tense conversation on the phone about her past issue with gambling and the debts she had acquired. Jay was angry that Julie had never shared with him anything about her gambling past. She knew over the next couple of hours that she would have no choice but to open up to Jay. She wasn’t looking forward to it.
Julie wasn’t good with confrontation, and she tried to steer herself away from it as best she could, but in any relationship it is inevitable. She was guilty of holding her cards too close to her chest. When she was in a relationship, she wasn’t good at opening up to her boyfriends, but she knew now at this moment she had no choice. Jay had a right to know about her past struggles with gambling and had decided that she would open up to him fully, and tell him anything he wanted to know; except the threatening message that Jimmy Chen had left on her phone. She wasn’t ready to share that.
When she got to White Rock, she pulled into a parking spot and climbed out to plug a few coins into the parking meter.
“Twelve dollars for three hours? What a joke!” she said to herself.
Begrudgingly, she pumped some coins into the parking meter and made her way across the street to the small café where she was to meet Jay.
She was hungry and looking forward to a nice little soup and sandwich combo, maybe a grilled ham and cheese and a nice broccoli soup to go along with it.
When she entered the café, she found Jay waiting for her at a small table for two. The small, quaint café exuded an irresistible old-world charm. Its weathered wooden exterior was adorned with ivy, and a hand-painted sign welcomed guests with whimsical elegance. Inside, the cozy space was adorned with mismatched vintage furniture, softly worn Persian rugs, and the gentle hum of patrons savouring espresso and freshly baked pastries. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting dappled patterns on checkered tabletops, creating the perfect ambiance for quiet conversations and contemplative moments. Julie had always been fond of this little lunch place.
On this particular day, it wasn’t busy, Jay watched as she crossed the floor of the small café towards him, and a warm smile crept across his face, his heart swelled with affection. Julie’s beauty was a source of endless wonder to him, he loved the way her eyes sparkled and changed colour, sometimes a light dazzling blue, and sometimes a darker blue with a little bit of green mixed in. Her hair cascaded down her back, it was thick and healthy. Her thick thighs and big ass were wonderfully accented by a smaller waist, the over-exaggerated hourglass figure that he loved.
Jay could see that Julie was gaining some weight, but she was still holding it well, it always seemed to go to all the right places. At that moment, he couldn't help but reflect on how fortunate he was to have her in his bed most nights of the week.
Jay stood up to kiss her as her eyes took in his chiselled body, always a testament to his hours of relentless training and discipline. Every muscle group was defined and proportioned, from the bulging biceps to his washboard abs, creating a mesmerizing sight that turns heads. His broad shoulders and a V-shaped torso give him a commanding presence, his confidence and poise as impressive as his physique, making him a magnetic and alluring figure to behold. Julie loved having him, she loved having this strong, alpha male on her arm in public, she felt completely safe in every way when she was in his presence.
They both ordered lunch and took their time enjoying their meals, enjoying some meandering small talk between lovers. Their chemistry was strong enough to withstand moments of silence between them that could sometimes go on for a few minutes. Julie knew that the inevitable questions about her gambling past were coming.
“I’m sorry I got bitchy on the phone last night,” Jay said keeping his eyes on his lunch.
“It’s okay, babe,” Julie responded.
“It’s just that I worry about you, you know that. I love you so much it’s stupid. If anything ever happened to you…”
“I’ll be fine,” she responded.
“See, that’s what pisses me off! You’re acting so blasé about this. These men, these gangster types, you don’t mess around with these people. What were you thinking about borrowing money from somebody like Jason Leather? Where do you think he was getting his money from? He’s not Elon Musk.”
