As Kincaid lounged in a luxurious hotel in a neighboring country to Duhoviche's chaotic homeland, his mind wandered to Sonia. Her sultry face and voluptuous, curvaceous figure made the veteran hitman's heart race. He couldn't help but yearn to wrap up his current job as quickly as possible and return to South America, where she was waiting for him.
Sonia was a goddess in Kincaid's eyes, rivaling the beauty and allure of Salma Hayek, who played Sonia in Castle's past-life movie The Hitman's Bodyguard. Though Hayek was only 5'2", her fiery Mexican charm made her unforgettable. This world's Sonia bore an uncanny resemblance to Hayek, with the same captivating face and even more breathtaking figure. For a man like Kincaid, who had been drifting through life since Belle's departure, Sonia was nothing short of a dream come true.
Men are visual creatures, and Kincaid, being the shameless rogue he was, was no exception.
As he sat in his hotel room waiting for Duhoviche's intermediary, Kincaid had a chance to catch up on the news and learn about the storm brewing around his employer. But instead, his thoughts remained fixed on Sonia, eagerly anticipating their reunion. Little did he know that his negligence would cost him dearly, robbing him of the last chance to extricate himself from the mess he was about to step into.
Meanwhile, Castle was entirely unaware of how fate was realigning events to their original trajectory despite his interference in exposing Duhoviche's atrocities ahead of schedule. At the moment, Castle was busy working with Gianna's hired designer, overseeing the transformation of her indoor shooting range into a playroom and toy castle for Onona. With Jarvis managing the monitoring systems, Castle was ensuring that the surveillance setup would be perfectly tailored to keep an eye on the adventurous little girl, minimizing any risks she might encounter during her explorations.
Castle had promised Onona's parents to prioritize her safety, and he intended to deliver. Jarvis would dedicate a portion of its processing power to monitor the lively toddler 24/7, ensuring she could roam freely while staying safe. The system would solely track Onona's movements, avoiding any invasion of John and Gianna's privacy. After all, this wasn't a task that could be entrusted to Harry or Ramsey—it needed the precision of an AI.
Gianna, as decisive as ever, had no reservations about installing such a system in her home. She was willing to risk being caught on camera alongside her husband if it meant providing their daughter with a bit more freedom and independence.
While everyone else was occupied with their tasks, Duhoviche's representative handed Kincaid a list of five individuals targeted for "elimination." These were key leaders of the opposition factions threatening Duhoviche's crumbling regime.
Duhoviche himself had no choice but to delegate this crucial task to Kincaid through an intermediary. His country was spiraling out of control, and even he couldn't manage the chaos entirely. If Kincaid could eliminate the five opposition leaders, it would create a power vacuum, plunging the factions into internal conflict as they scrambled to elect new leaders. This would buy Duhoviche precious time to consolidate his defenses and regain some semblance of control.
Duhoviche had been thoroughly impressed by Kincaid's efficiency and clean execution in their prior dealings. Confident in the hitman's abilities, he authorized his intermediary to offer Kincaid an exorbitant fee for the job—so high it made Kincaid's eyes light up with greed.
A man who had spent his early years scraping by in poverty, Kincaid couldn't resist such a lucrative offer. Without considering the potential dangers or consequences, he eagerly accepted.
With the hefty advance payment already in his account, Kincaid wasted no time. After the intermediary left, he checked out of the hotel, rented a car, and crossed the border into Duhoviche's country using official documents provided by his employer.
However, upon arriving, the sheer scale of the chaos unfolding around him finally snapped Kincaid out of his lust-addled haze.
Having grown up in the volatile environment of an impoverished Black neighborhood, Kincaid had developed a sharp intuition for danger. As he observed the escalating disorder in Duhoviche's country, his gut told him that he was in over his head.
A quick investigation into the recent news confirmed his worst fears. Duhoviche wasn't just any client—he was a tyrant desperately trying to suppress a rebellion sparked by his own horrific crimes. The five targets Kincaid had been hired to eliminate weren't mere obstacles; they were leaders rallying the opposition against a brutal dictator.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Kincaid's survival instincts kicked in. He made an immediate decision to abandon the job and flee the country. The risks were too great—not just to his life, but to his reputation as an American.
What if Duhoviche managed to turn the tide and used Kincaid's actions to implicate the United States in his atrocities? The thought alone was enough to send Kincaid packing.
In a display of self-preservation that bordered on shamelessness, Kincaid forfeited any notion of professional integrity. He saw no point in risking his life or reputation for a tyrant like Duhoviche.
"The advance payment?" Kincaid scoffed to himself as he hastily packed his belongings. "Consider it my mental health fee."
With zero hesitation, Kincaid turned his back on the mission. Within hours, he was on the first flight back to South America, leaving Duhoviche in the lurch.
Back in Duhoviche's crumbling regime, the dictator was furious when he discovered that his prized assassin had vanished without a trace. For two days, Duhoviche waited for news of Kincaid's progress, only to learn that the hitman had fled the country entirely.
Duhoviche's rage was boundless. He couldn't believe the audacity of Kincaid, who had already accepted the job, eliminated the first target, and taken the advance payment, only to abandon the mission halfway.
"You call yourself a hitman?" Duhoviche seethed. "You're nothing but a con artist!"
Under normal circumstances, Duhoviche would have dispatched his own forces to hunt down the treacherous assassin. But his country was in the throes of a full-blown rebellion, with civil war looming on the horizon.
The rebellion had been sparked by the revelations of Duhoviche's systematic ethnic cleansing, brought to light by Beckett's whistleblowing. Though the targeted minority groups didn't represent the majority of the population, they were numerous enough to pose a significant threat. With other opposition groups joining the fray, the unrest had escalated into an all-out conflict.
Duhoviche was now fighting for his survival, his regime teetering on the edge of collapse. And as if that weren't enough, troubling news had reached him from The Hague: the International Criminal Court was preparing to prosecute him for crimes against humanity.
If Duhoviche lost power, he wouldn't just lose his position—he'd likely spend the rest of his life in a prison cell.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.