EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW OF "A NECESSARY KILL"

Happy Friday everyone!

As promised, here is a first look at the latest Adrian Hell novel - the full first chapter of "A Necessary Kill". Please comment and share if you like it!

(WARNING - CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS FOR "D.E.A.D. TILL I DIE")

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1.

ADRIAN HELL

APRIL 26TH, 2017

14:05 EDT

The world's gone to shit, and all I did was stand there and watch. Do you have any idea what that feels like? To believe you could've done more to stop something bad happening, but didn't? It's the worst feeling there is, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

That was almost a fortnight ago, and since then I've been doing the whole Kung Fu thing—walking the earth, on my own, thinking about shit. Oh, and looking over my shoulder every two minutes, because my paranoia’s working overtime due to the biggest intelligence agency in the world wanting me dead...

I put my hand to the collar of my shirt and reach inside, touching the flash drive I have around my neck, checking for the billionth time it's still there. It contains all the evidence GlobaTech managed to obtain from the NSA's and CIA's servers, and it proves the CIA doctored intelligence reports to frame both GlobaTech and myself—implicating us in the terrorist attack.

Bastards...

And the best part is, not only were the terrorists actually being used by the CIA to orchestrate the devastating attack, but when you follow the information, and the money, it all leads back to one man. Charles Cunningham. The Sixth, if you want to be fancy. And yes, if you recognize the name, it's because it’s the same Charles Cunningham currently sitting in the oval office of the White House. I'm still not 100 percent clear on why he wanted to blow up half the world, but don't worry—I intend asking the sonofabitch before I kill him.

He's got the whole world fooled into believing he's everyone's savior, but secretly, he still has control of the Cerberus satellite, which he told everyone he’d personally decommissioned on account of it being hacked by the bad guys and used to launch all the nukes that caused this shit-storm.

He's still holding us all to ransom, and everyone thinks he's the goddamn hero.

I have had some good news, however. And God knows I've been due some. Josh, along with Ryan Schultz, are pretty much running GlobaTech at the moment, and they've been able to get their hands on some documents that prove Cunningham is behind all this.

Apparently, some engineer that worked on Cerberus unknowingly had classified paperwork that detailed the requests to add in all the hidden extras that allowed 4/17 to happen. And the president put his signature on them. This is great, because if we can prove he knew about the secret stuff inside the satellite, that immediately brings the speech he gave twenty-fours after the attack, where he publicly claimed ignorance of the satellite’s true capabilities, into question. And if people starting questioning that, they’re more likely to pay attention to the evidence around my neck. And slowly but surely, the walls will come tumbling down...

So, as long as the threat of me releasing any of this information to the media is there, it should, in theory, stop them trying to kill me. I just need to stay alive long enough to take out Cunningham and undo whatever plans he’s put in motion. I know I can’t exactly un-detonate a nuke, but at least I can stop him doing anything else.

Well, that’s the plan, anyway. But things like this take time. And patience. And diplomacy. None of which I've had the good fortune to be blessed with.

I know I'm probably the last person qualified to raise an argument on morality, but Cunningham’s a piece of shit, through and through. He painted me as the enemy. He was behind the people I care about getting hurt. And he masterminded the largest terrorist attack in history... There are two Berettas at my back, right now, that have something they want to say to him about all that.

But as I'm sure you can appreciate, this isn't exactly a standard hit. He's the president. He's so well protected, he's the thing people use as a metaphor when they're describing something that's incredibly well protected. And with Josh working his way up the corporate ladder at GlobaTech, he's too visible to risk being seen helping me. He can't afford to be linked in any way to what's about to happen.

I'm on my own. And without his expertise and guidance, I'm literally free to do this however the hell I want.

What could possibly go wrong, right?

I’ve had to drop off the grid, as they say, while I put together a plan. Being at the top of the CIA’s hit list isn’t nearly as much fun as it sounds, and the last thing I need at the moment is those assholes breathing down my neck every five minutes. So, that means very minimal contact with Josh, and absolutely no contact with Tori.

I really miss her.

After that meeting a week or so ago at GlobaTech’s headquarters, I’d said my goodbyes and disappeared. Even Josh doesn't know where I am. I've communicated with him once since then, and that was just so he could tell me about the new information he’s uncovered.

Sheriff Raynor took Tori back to Devil’s Spring, and I asked her to run The Ferryman for me while I was gone. She practically ran the place anyway, so it isn’t much of a stretch for her. Plus, it’ll keep her occupied, so she doesn't drive herself crazy thinking about me and what I'm doing.

She was sad when I left, and I tried to comfort her by saying it’ll all be okay, and that I’ll be back before she knew it.

I hate lying to her.

I'm about to kill the President of the United States. The leader of the free world. That isn't the kind of job you come back from. I know it. Josh knows it. Hell, I reckon even Tori knows it, deep down. But my words of comfort were what she needed to hear, and I left her safe in the knowledge we wouldn't be apart for long, which was what I wanted.

As for me, I've worked my way slowly across the country, and I'm currently basking in the somewhat uncharacteristic heat of Bangor, Maine. Apart from my Berettas and my necklace of evidence, I have only my shoulder bag with me, which contains nothing except my favorite leather jacket, some ammo, and a burner phone.

I've headed to Maine because even I know going after the president on my own is stupid. Usually, Josh and I would take on anyone and everyone together, without hesitation. But Josh isn't here. Not this time. And this contract is big. It’ll be my magnum opus. I guess it could also be my swan song. And if working with Josh all these years has taught me one thing, it’s not to let pride get in the way of a good kill.

So I'm here looking for help.

As time passes, you get to know the people in your line of work. Josh has an entire network of facilitators, all of whom manage the contracts for at least one person like me. But while he knows the guys behind the guys with guns, I know a few of the guys with guns. And I don’t mean to sound elitist, but I've made a point over the years to establish, at the very least, a courteous relationship with a few assassins who, either by my own reckoning, or their justified reputation, I figure will be around for a while. I’m not the only one who thinks I’m the best of the best. I guess you could say my little black book contains the best of the rest.

One guy in particular lives here in Bangor and, last I heard, he was working exclusively for a local mob boss. Like me, this guy would probably be classed as an old-timer. In our line of work, you get that title one of two ways—by being good, or by being smart. You rarely get both. I'm definitely not smart—that’s what I had Josh for. This guy’s a decent professional, but has purposefully kept himself low-key; small-time. He’s never really had his skills tested, so he’s never had cause to evolve or hone his craft. But... the guy’s very, very smart. He’s never taken risks, he’s never splashed any cash, and where possible, he’s opted for exclusivity, which gives him security and protection.

No, I don’t expect this guy to help me. But I reckon he’s a good place to start if I want to find someone who will.

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So there you have it, folks! I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek, and I hope you'll check it out once it's finished!

Have a great weekend!

JPS