Sooo...” Robert pursed his lips, hands in his pockets as he rocked slightly back and forth on his heels.

Tim remained silent.

Robert threw up his hands, letting out an exasperated sigh that sounded slightly overdramatic. “Jesus Tim! I’m freakin’ bored here! It’s hard keeping a one way convo.”

“Conversation, you mean.” Tim didn’t even look away from the crowd of people they were watching.

“Convo, conversation. What’s the difference?”

“Only the death of the English language. Now shut up and do your job.”

Robert’s shoulders dropped, matching his sulking mood. He kicked at the tiled floor with a booted foot, a frown on his face. “I don’t even know who we’re looking for,” he whined.

“There!” Tim’s eyes lit up, and a hand shot out to grab Robert’s shoulder. The other man yelped in surprise, and both pairs of eyes settled on the person they had been looking for.

“That’s him?” asked Robert, an eyebrow rising in disbelief. The man seemed to be in his seventies, if not older. He was bald, wispy white hair peeking out from around his ears. He was stooped shouldered, almost hunched over, walking with all the speed of a snail, his shaking hands barely holding onto the cane that seemed to keep him from toppling over.

“That’s him?” repeated Robert. He laughed. “Too easy. You should have told me this was a piece of cake.”

Tim looked at Robert out of the sides of his eyes, slowly shaking his head. They seemed to promise death.

“What? What did I say? Aw, wait up will ya?” Robert ran after Tim to catch up as the other followed the target.

The two men had to hang back, not quite realizing till then just how slow their target actually walked. It seemed to take an eternity, but finally they reached a street with no other people present. They looked at each other, nodded, and pounced.

Robert came from the right, kicking out the cane from the old man’s grasp. Tim came from the left, his leg up to trip the old man. However, when the man lost his cane, he stumbled forward, over Tim’s outstretched leg, and with surprising grace turned to face the two assailants.

“Not again,” moaned the old man, “don’t they get tired of sending people to kill me.”

“Woah, woah, woah. Hey now,” Robert’s eyes went from Tim to the old man and back. “Tim, you never said we were gonna kill the guy.”

The old man’s watery blue eyes twinkled. “So, your partner is holding out on you, huh?”

Tim’s eyes narrowed, but they never left the old man. “Robert, don’t listen to this guy. He’s playing with your mind. He is the most evil thing on this planet.” His hand slowly went into his jacket.

“Maybe he’s right, Tim. What are you hiding? I don’t even know who he is.”

“Or how much you will be paid,” said the old man.

“Hey, you’re right! How much are we going to get paid?”

“He’ll try to keep most of it,” whispered the old man.

“Tim, you wouldn’t cheat me, would ya?”

“Robert, watch it, he’s gaining control of you. He killed my little sister, not to mention a shit-load more people. He’s a monster,” Tim pulled a gun from his jacket.

“He’s stalling you. He didn’t even answer your question,” said the old man.

“You’re right.” Robert turned towards Tim. “You were gonna cheat me, weren’t you? This old man is harmless. He can barely walk!”

“Robert.” Tim raised the gun, aiming at the old man.

“Tim, put the gun down.”

“Robert!”

He rushed Tim, wrestling for the gun. Shouts echoed off the surrounding buildings. The gun went off. Tim stumbled back. Robert’s mouth was gaping like a fish.

“You fool,” whispered Tim, blood filling his mouth. He fell to the ground, his shirt having a slowly blooming red stain.

“He’s right you know,” said the old man from behind Robert. He felt his heart sink, the gun clattering to the ground from his numb hands. He slowly turned around.

“Oh, shit”

“You are a fool.”

The old man picked up his cane, brushing the dust from his trousers. He ran a hand through his thick white hair and, with a contented sigh, began walking. He held the cane in the crook of his arm, did a little two step, and began whistling a tune, a bounce to his step.

Behind him, where he had been but moments before, were two bodies; one with a gun shot in the chest, the other entirely drained of blood.