In the Crosshairs: Locked and Loaded

By RJ Demers

Chris Slaughter is a hit man with everything going his way. Hes got the money, the car, the girl, and the career. Chris decides to call it quits and give up the contract killing business for good, but one vital mistake unfortunately puts him right back in the game. Unfortunately, this one error now changes Slaughter from the hunter to the hunted.

A single shot from his rifle puts his life and the lives of those he loves in danger. Only he can fix the mistake and figure out who set him up, but in order to do so, he enters into the criminal underbelly of organized crime and gangs. What he really seeks is forgiveness, as he wonders if his job has sent him straight to Hell.

Chris will go through anything to get his life back, from gun battles to car chases. Hell need Gods help to find the people who wrecked his life, but when he finds them, theyre going to pay the cost of righteous injustice. Chris wont lose this fight; hes too good, and his enemies should knowpeople caught in Slaughters crosshairs always die.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Sep 24, 2015
• ISBN: 9781491771051

RJ Demers

RJ Demers currently works for the Government of Canada and CEO of the online auction company Titan World Wide Auctions. He has a diploma in police science from Grant Macewan College and lives in High River just south of Calgary, Alberta.

Book preview

CHAPTER I

D-DAY

My sights are set and my trigger finger is itchy waiting patiently. I feel my heart begin to gradual slow down and my breathing starts to become tranquil. I feel the gun in my arm, it’s almost like an extension of my body, it knows what I’m thinking and now it’s anticipating the command to destroy whatever is in its crosshairs. The wind is peaceful, it brushes my skin ever so gently, the sun is out and warms my face with its sweltering glow. I’m not the most educated man on the face of this earth but I instantly transform into an astute genius when a firearm is put it in my hand understanding the physics and science behind a perfect shot. I sit perched on a hillcrest of trees overlooking a small crescent of seven houses in a quaint little peaceful neighbourhood. There is nothing in my way and nothing blocking me from a clear shot at my target who will soon be sauntering out of his house eventually meeting his ultimate demise. I envision the kill in my head and have replayed this moment over and over again for the last two weeks, there is no way I will fail this contract, it’s not even an option. The target has no idea that he is mere moments away from dying as a result of a bullet to his head that will be soon be exiting my gun. My gun, my precious, is locked and loaded just waiting to do my bidding, ready to strike down a man that I have never met, or even spoken to. Still, this is what I do, this is my life, this is my job.

What is the one objective that all humans on earth strive for? Prosperity? Distinction? Long life? No. The ultimate objective for anyone on this earth is to live a sin free life. It is said that in order to truly purify your soul of sin, you must not only repent the words to the messenger of God, but you must also believe in your repent and truly forgive yourself, only then can you truly purge yourself from your sins and atone for your mistakes. Simply put, the words are not enough, one must want to rid himself of the sins that he has bestowed upon his soul. Forgiveness is what I truly pursue, but forgiveness is not attained until I seek it with repentance and forgiveness. For the sins that I have committed in this lifetime of mine are menacing and sinister, I am not sure if I can really be forgiven, perhaps my soul is decaying and cannot be resurrected or become untainted and pure again, but that never stops me from coming in to Church on Sundays to try. Evil is defined as something or someone that is the cause of suffering, injury, or destruction. The best way liberate yourself of evil is simply to confront it head on, look at it in its demonic eyes and command it to disappear. Does that really wash away the blood on my hands, or take the blackness from my heart, or the take away the maliciousness from my soul? Only in the afterlife will I be privileged to that kind of information. Everyone on this earth sins, next time look up at the night sky and count the stars, each one is a single sin that someone has committed in their lifetime, but since sins are repented and cleansed, those stars are now millions of miles away.

Earlier that day…

I am in my bed slowly waking up and look around to see the sun peeking through the window with an elegant awe inspiring mahogany glow. I feel my chest and it is damp from sweat and I know it is the result of another nightmare, images and thoughts that I just cannot escape from no matter how fast I try to run from it. The horrible incident that happened in Russia five years ago that has rocked my very soul. I lay there now trying to get the gumption to get up and start my day, that moment we all feel when we first open our eyes and look around contemplating whether to get up or not. I finally sit up, rub my face and run my hands through my hair trying to wake up. I look over and there she is, still half covered, sleeping like a queen as if she never heard the alarm go off. She is Trina, my girlfriend of four years and the love of my life. I look her up and down, her skin so beautiful and perfect, eyes a piercing blue color and her hair the color of the sun still and looking like heaven and after a full night of sleep, she is perfect. She is the best thing in my life and there is nothing I would not do for her, she is my world, my soul mate. She kind of moans almost ready to get up as an instant grin comes to my face, she still makes me smile and my heart skip a beat when I look at her. I stand up sporting my nice white Calvin Klein underwear against my trim robust body. I walk to the mirror and take a good look at my entire face and the expression I currently have on it, a grin that is telling me that I am happy to be alive and I think I may have the perfect life. A beautiful girlfriend, a mansion for a house, seven cars, and a great job, how can anyone complain right? I can’t. Beginning of a new day, each new day is a blank page in the diary of your life. The secret of success is in turning that diary into the best story you possibly can and living that day to the fullest filling up those pages with as much detail as possible.

Hey you Trina says in that waking up voice as she looks up at me with her big beautiful blue eyes.

Hey baby, how did you sleep? I asked her as I turn my head to her.

Mmm, great. Had a wonderful dream that I got caught up in she says semi sitting up You ready for today? she asks.

I gently nod and say Yep, ready as I’ll ever be, it’s go time, D-day.

She turns back in her bed almost disappointed. I look back in the mirror knowing exactly how she feels. It’ll be okay babe, I will be okay I say trying to reassure her and myself for that matter.

I know, it just seems to get harder every time, you can’t blame me for getting apprehensive, I mean over time that worry grows and accumulates she says still not looking at me. She then sits up What if you don’t make it home one of these days, you don’t exactly work in a nice cozy office surrounded in bulletproof glass. The world is so unpredictable and nobody is invincible, God can only protect so many people at once leaving so many others susceptible and vulnerable.

I move towards her, sit on the bed and look deep into her eyes "I’ll always come home to you baby, nothing, I mean nothing will keep me from doing that. Heaven and earth can’t stop me from seeing that beautiful smile of yours that warms my heart and brings an instant smile to my face. After this one we will start our new life in Mexico and leave everything behind us. This is my last, the very last, I promise you, I’m done with this after I get home. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath no torment. He that feareth in not made perfect love" I say to her, a quote from John 4:18." I take my religion serious and put all my faith in the Lord who watches over me.

I look at her and a single tear runs down her cheek, I gently kiss her lips then get up and put a shirt on. I suppose I should tell you what I do for a living. I am a contract killer, better known as a hitman. Shocked? This is how I make my money, most punch in and out of time cards, I punch out peoples’ lives. Between Angels and Demons you’ll find me Chris SLAUGHTER, trained assassin, lethal killer. Trina knows what I do, I’ve never hid that from her since day one. I was scared, almost petrified at first when I told her what I did for a living figuring she would freak out and call me a murderer or something, but she had almost no reaction as she computed it for a few minutes. I couldn’t lie to her, I mean how could I explain the money I had, never actually punching in at a job? She’d probably think I was having an affair or cheating on her, and I didn’t want to start off a relationship with a lie, she’d either accept it or leave me, and I can deal with whatever she chooses. To my surprise, Trina came to the conclusion that a hitman was the sexiest manliest job on earth, but after four years and a couple close calls, she is terrified every time I do a job. It’s not like taking a picture where you simply just point and shoot, I study my target, I practice daily, and do tons of research. I work alone and perform long-range hits or sniper shots to reduce the risk of getting spotted or caught. Some long-range sniper hitmen use a spotter, I don’t. What’s a spotter you ask? A spotter works side by side with the shooter calculating everything for him and watching his back allowing the shooter to focus on only one thing, the target. I just don’t have enough trust in anyone, I do the calculations myself using an electronic anemometer to calculate exact wind speed, my cell phone calculates the humidity with a SHTC1 humidity and temperature sensor. I also bring a little device called the XA1000 all in one, it calculates temperature, and air flow which is also vital for the perfect shot. All these calculations need to be accounted for, computed and analysed in order to get the job done right, there is no room for error in this line of work, mistakes in estimation compound over distance can cause a shot to miss the target completely. Any given combination of firearm and ammunition will have an associated value known as the circular error probable, defined as the radius of a circle whose boundary is expected to contain the impact points of half of the rounds fired.

D-day, this refers to the day that I will be putting a bullet into my targets’ head, killing him dead and eliminating him from this earth. I’m twenty seven years old, I’ve been doing this for just over five years, I have 8.7 million in the bank and I have killed twenty two people. How did I get into this line of work you ask, I’ll tell you all a bit later.

I walk down the stairs into the kitchen which is all made of stainless steel, the fridge, the stove, the sink and even the huge island in the middle and all accented with picturesque chestnut brown wooden cabinets and marble floors. I’m not really hungry as I am anticipating Jimmy’s call which is a ritual on D-day, Jimmy is what you would call my middle man, my handler sort of speak. He is the one that does the deals and then gives me the 411 on the next assignment, who he is, who he’s associated too, his history and stuff like that. Assignment, target, victim, hit, contract, whatever you want to call him or her, those are the people that I am paid to eliminate on behalf of someone else. I never speak to the client directly, nobody knows who I am and the only way they know how to get a hold of me is through Jimmy. The less people in this world who know who I am and know my face, the better. So here’s how it works; say a client wants some low life or backstabber or whoever offed, majority of time it’s a gang hit put on by either a rival gang or a gang wanting a potential snitch eliminated. The client will get in touch with Jimmy and inquire to have this job done and how much it would cost to do it. It’s not like he’s listed in the phone book or anything, you need to know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody way up in the thug world who’s got the right connections. Jimmy will then get a background on who exactly the client is and who the target is, the bigger the risk, the higher the price, that’s the deal, client can take it or leave it. Jimmy will then run it by me and get my opinion, then call the client back and give them a price, they want the job done right and no trace leading back to them, they’ll pay what we say, it’s that simple. I don’t care why they want a person killed, what their motives are, what they did wrong or anything of that nature, all I want to know is, where he or she lives, what his or her daily routine is, where the easiest place to take them out is, and what would be the best time to get the job done. All in all I take about a week or so to figure out who this target is, where he or she works, what their daily routine is, where they live, and scope out a suitable spot to snipe the target. Why do people call me? Because plain and simple, I AM THE BEST!

Jimmy call yet? Trina says while promenading down the stairs wearing a stunning purple satin robe and her golden hair neatly placed in a ponytail.

Not yet babe as I drank my orange juice, astringent taste. He’ll call soon, countdown is on, he’ll give me his game day prep talk, tell me to stay focused blah blah blah. I take another sip it should be soon. I get butterflies in my stomach knowing a contract is coming up, like a kid waiting to open presents on Christmas morning. Pulling off a perfect hit is like, well like almost having an orgasm, when I know I did my job perfectly and a big pay day is coming up, well, not gonna lie, it tingles down there a little bit. These violent delights have violent ends, ice in my veins, black is my soul.

Sun’s out, looks like another beautiful day she says.

Promise of a new day. My favorite time of the day, everything is waking up and looking magnificent and inspirational to start the day off I say looking at her with flirtatious eyes.

Trina smiles and says Smooth talker today are you?

As silk I respond with a wink.

Just as I was in that thought, my phone rings. Instantaneously Trina looks at me and I look at her knowing that Jimmy is most likely on the other end. I look at my phone It’s Jimmy. Trina then marches upstairs. Dunno why she’s upset, this ain’t new.

Hey Jimmy I answer my phone.

Christopher! You doing it today huh? You ready? Jimmy says with enthusiasm in his voice.

Ya, gonna head there in a bit before he goes to work, everything should go down as planned, no foreseen issues I respond in the calmest of voice. I didn’t have the heart to tell Jimmy that this is my final hit and I’m calling it quits. Not sure how he will react to that news, and to tell you the truth, I was afraid to tell him.

Be safe out there, stay focused, remain calm and composed, and know you are the best. I’m praying for you Jimmy says in a more concerning voice.

Thanks, pray for MYERS too I say. I always say a little prayer for the victim before I pull the trigger. Why? Well it’s like this, I have nothing against this guy, don’t know him, he’s never done anything to me, I have no beef with him, nothing. But I have a contract to kill him and that is what I am going to do, nothing personal, this is just my business.

I will. Good luck, call me when it’s done so I can let the client know Jimmy says. Remember, you be safe my boy. Let the sun open your eyes, let the thunder strike the person down, let the rain wash away your sins, and the night help you rest.

Will do Jimmy I say as I push the END button on my phone and walk upstairs. I open my massive closet and pick out a sophisticated navy blue suit with a light grey shirt. I put the shirt on, then my pants, do up my tie, put my shoulder holsters on, then slip on my blazer. I always dress to the nines when I am going to do a hit, it’s for respect of the victim, he will be losing his life today by my hands, so this is the way I show respect for that person, kind of like going to a funeral. Put some gel in my hair, two small blast of my cologne, and do a once over in the mirror to make sure I haven’t missed anything. Nope, I am dressed to kill, bad joke.

After I get dressed, I amble into my garage filled with exotic cars and open my cabinet, that has all my necessary tools, tools being my weapons, guns, knives, trip wires, binoculars, night vision goggles, you name it. I reach for the other lady in my life, Charlotte. She is my stunning M4OA3 sniper rifle with a night vision scope on her complete with silencer and trimmed in flawless chrome. I adore her as much as I do Trina and that ain’t no lie. As soon as I touch her my heart beats faster and I get goose bumps all over, like a young man on prom, ready to have sex for the very first time. As I look Charlotte over up and down like I was going to make love to it, Trina walks in with two shiny brass plated pistols. She walks up to me with them, one in each hand without saying a word and puts them in my side holster as sexy as anyone could possibly do that. Don’t forget these, and know how much I love you. Do you know why I love you? she asks as she looks deep in my eyes.

I grab her around her waist, pull her in and say remind me again.

She gazes into my soul and says because every day you seem to find a new way for me to love you. You amaze me all the time and seem to always wake my heart up when you look at me and touch me.

I look at her passionately and respond and that is what keeps me coming home to you every day. Knowing that I have someone as amazing as you waiting for me and loving me as much as I love her.

Please be safe.

I gently nod and say I will I say, kiss her on the forehead and turn to my car. I get into my black beauty, my jet black Porsche 911. I will call you when it is done, I will be home later I back up out of my driveway, look at Trina one more time, then off I go.

8:17 a.m

My contract is for a Joseph MYERS. I’ve been studying him and everything he does the moment we got the contract to eliminate him. The contract for Mr. MYERS was put out by three of his long time work partners slash former gang members turned businessmen who claimed that MYERS took or stole one of their ideas and made a fortune on it, quit, then went into business for himself and made millions off the idea behind their backs. His partners, who are related or were related to the Nazi Low Riders, a criminal organization primarily based in southern California are the ones who ordered the hit two weeks ago. They were obviously miffed that MYERS is now a millionaire on an idea that they all came up with and who could blame them, they got screwed big time. They lost the argument in civil court so I guess they said they can’t continue to live a normal life knowing that MYERS is making money hand over fist with their idea while they are busting their asses all day trying to come up with the next big thing. What was the idea? Who knows, who gives a shit, they want this guy dead for $225,000, that’s all I need to know. So, once I got the call from Jimmy telling me that these guys want MYERS eliminated, I got all the information for MYERS and studied everything he does. Joseph Woodward MYERS, born December 14th, 1969, former gang member of the Nazi Low Riders of L.A, has the letters N.L.R inked on the back of his neck, drives a 2010 silver BMW, works for the Union Wholesale International Trading Company for seven years, convicted twice of aggravated assault, spent three years in jail for it back in 1998, and got divorced last year from Melisa Stewart Anderson. How did I get all of this advantageous information on MYERS you ask? From the streets as well as my best friend Detective Anthony BECHERELLI of the L.A Gang Unit. Yes I said detective, so yes he is a cop. I’ve known Tony since I was five years old and we have been best friends our entire life. I was his best man at his wedding, and he will be mine when I marry Trina. Hitman and lawman, best friends, always amuses me when I say that in my mind. Tony knows what I do for a living and helps me out, keeping the heat off me, redirecting one of my victims to a gang hit or random drive by shooting. So why does he do this? Because I give him the low down on crime that the LAPD would never know about. I know all kinds of shit bags, low lives, gang bangers, and mobsters, who do you think most of my clients are? Not one of them know what I officially do for a living, they think I’m some lone wolf gangster with a big bank account that is piggy backing my Dad. I get my weapons from these thugs and pay them handsomely I might add, and when we all get chatting, they spill some stuff to me or I overhear things. Who would suspect a pretty boy white dude like me would be snitching to the cops about their criminal activities and working hand and hand with a detective from the L.A Gang Unit. They have never suspected me as being the person to be a so called informant, in fact, unknowingly, one busts that the Feds did on The Red Rider gang was on account of my information, which eventually lead to one of the largest gang sweeps of 2012. The Feds with the LAPD were led by Tony and simultaneously raided and arrested thirty core members of the Red Rider gang based on some hot information of mine and as a result, they all served a wide range of prison time. The remaining Riders became apprehensive of each other eventually which led to a hit on one of their own who they thought was the snitch that was working with the Feds leading to the big bust, then they ironically hired me to do the hit on the suspected snitch. Talk about a win win for me on that one, I rat them out and then they turn around and pay me to take out one of their own. Anyway, Tony is one of the very few people in this world I trust, I never worry that he will one day turn on me, we’re brothers for life and that’s as solid as steel. We have a good thing going, I get to do my contracts with the heat being deflected from a loan sniper, and he comes off as a super cop busting all these drug dealers and wanna be gangsters thanks to my information. I do have morals in case you’re wondering, I don’t kill kids, husbands or wives who want their significant other eliminated, or wealthy business men that benefit the community. MYERS may be a wealthy businessman, but everyone knows him as the former gangster who beat a man with a pair of brass knuckles almost to death in 1997. I’m talking about Casino owners, sports team owners, Politicians, Wall Street big wigs, or anyone of that nature, public figures in other words. And of course, I never kill anyone who I do not have a contract for no matter what, because if I ever do that, I go from a hitman to a murderer.

Sun is almost fully up as I look at the stunning skyline, a luminous piece of art painted on a canvas for all to admire. I then take a glance at the clock, 8:26 a.m., five minutes from MYERS house. For the past two weeks I have studied MYERS daily routine, and everything that he does including when he goes to work, what time he gets home, where he goes for lunch, and so on. Every morning like clockwork, he heads out to work at 8:50 a.m., dressed in his nice suit which is tailored I imagine and strolls to his fancy car parked in the driveway. He’s got a long concrete driveway leading to his house, so if I do it right, MYERS body won’t