Sixteen In Paris

The water lapped calmly onto shore as Henry looked out over the river. Paris rose in intimidating scale around him, but he was in his own safe, blissful world. He had a glass of wine, perfect weather, and Addie. 

She looked over and smiled at him. "This never gets old," she said before sighing contentedly. 

"I'm not sure what is more beautiful, this day or you," Henry replied. He felt stupid saying that, but it was accurate. Addie giggled and kissed him. Now he felt proud of saying it. 

"I can't believe we found each other in this city of millions," she said as she stared into his eyes. "This is what a girl dreams of on summer vacation."

Henry didn't want this to end. He didn't want to even mention the fact that they both had to go back home soon. He would go back to being an angsty, unpopular kid in a boring high school. He pushed the thought out of his mind, wrapped his arm around Addie and continued to feel like a king. 

"Look at these two lovebirds," a voice said from behind.

"Daddy!" Addie said excitedly. Henry jerked out of his trance and pulled his arm away. "This is Henry."

"Hello Henry, nice to meet you. I'm Jack Plank. Addie had said she met a great guy at the cafe." Jack reached out his hand and Henry shook it. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. Your daughter is very beautiful," Henry replied. Addie giggled and Jack smiled. 

"Why don't you come upstairs and meet the family? Our suite has a lovely view of Paris you just can't beat," Jack offered. 

Henry realized his parents would probably be wondering where he was. Then he looked at Addie and decided they could text him if they were actually concerned. "Absolutely," he replied. 

Jack led the way, back to the hotel and up a private elevator to the penthouse. As Henry exited, his heart nearly stopped. The view of Paris was indeed perfect, but something else dominated his attention. 

There was a sniper rifle on a table at the edge of the room. 

Henry instinctively turned to leave, but Jack was blocking the door. "Is there something wrong, Henry?" Jack asked.

"What is going on? Henry asked.

"I could explain that, but this is a conversation better had with your parents. I'll call them," Jack said.

"You know my-" Henry started as Jack dialed his phone. It picked up instantly. 

"Hello Jack," came an answer from the phone. That was Henry’s dad. He did not sound surprised, confused, or scared. He sounded resigned to all of this happening. Henry could hear his mom in the background, asking who was on the phone and then crying.

Before Jack could speak, Henry chimed in. "Dad, what is going on?" He tried to sound measured, curious but confident. Addie was watching, and he had to be a man. 

"I am here with your son, Bill. He is very shocked. Would you like to explain or should I?" Jack said. 

"Henry, I am so sorry," Bill began. 

"Dad, what in the world is going on?" Henry asked again, more fervently. 

"Son, there is no easy way to explain this. I have been wrestling with this moment in my mind for sixteen years, and it only grew more difficult as I watched you grow up," Bill began.   

"Get to the point, Bill," Jack said. 

"Henry, I am a hitman," Bill said quickly and let out a deep sigh. 

"What!?" Henry screamed. He stared at the rifle, then the phone. He was lightheaded. "You're an engineering consultant," he said before trailing off. He feared everything he knew was a lie. 

"Yes, son, I work for Western Engineering Group. WEG. I have worked there for twenty years. They are the largest engineering firm in the world, doing very impressive work. But underneath, a small group is tasked with doing what our biggest clients actually pay us to do. We complete assassination contracts," Bill said. 

Henry was wide-eyed, pale and speechless. 

"I have done all I can to provide you with a great childhood," Bill said.

Henry had never lacked anything. They lived in a large house, he had every form of entertainment he could think of, and they had gone on expensive vacations at least every summer for his entire life. Belize, London, Dubai, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney. Henry had seen much of the world, and could always count on seeing more. 

"The vacations," Henry mumbled. "You always said they were work trips."

Bill sighed again. "Yes, every summer vacation you have been on has been tied to a contract."

"My entire life is built on murder,” Henry said slowly, “How could you do this?" 

There was a long pause on the other end. Jack said, "I see you have never told him about our arrangement.”

Bill finally said, "This started when I was 19. I was desperate. I had been kicked out of college for too many fights, I was facing charges of assault and battery, and I was unemployed. Your mother, God bless her, was pregnant with you. I just wanted to provide for you both. 

Jack found me in jail. I had asked for a public defender, because I couldn't afford even a minute with an attorney. Jack showed up, and said it was all taken care of. He was right, the charges disappeared and I was a free man. Only, that meant I was secretly captive the rest of my life. 

Jack gave me this job, and trained me how to do it. He gave me everything to provide for a family. However, that night in jail I had to make a deal with him. I would raise you like normal, but someday he would have the right to call on you. He would give you a chance to join WEG like me. You would never be forced. Rather, you would have the option to say no, have your memory wiped, and go on living a normal life."

Jack said, "Your father is right, life is always made up of choices. This is no different."

Henry could not think. So many thoughts were swirling in his head, he had no idea which one to start with. He wanted to punch someone, or scream, or run away. He pushed them all to the back of his mind and focused on the problem in front of him. His eyes returned to the table with the rifle. 

"So what do I need to decide? I see a rifle here," Henry said. 

Jack pulled a picture from his pocket and handed it to Henry. It was a photo of a middle aged, muscular man in sunglasses and a suit. It was clearly taken in public, zoomed in from far away, without this man knowing. Below the photo was a long list of horrifying crimes.

"This is Dominique Sabine. He is the leader of a cartel that traffics in drugs and people, primarily children. Our contract calls for us to take him out. 

Our intelligence states that he will be entering the Ritz in ten minutes for a meeting. We have a clear line of sight to the front entrance. As you can see, this rifle is silenced."

"And you want me to kill him?" Henry asked. 

"Yes I do," Jack replied.

“Don’t do it!” Henry's mom pleaded through the phone. Her voice was high-pitched, nervous. 

Bill was more level-headed, with the same message. “Son, you don’t have to do this. They can wipe your memory. You can live your entire life in peace, a peace I never had.”

Henry thought about his life back home. He was always bored in school, which led to getting in trouble. Everyone picked on him for being weird, so he fought back and got in more trouble. All the girls hated him, and most days he felt completely hopeless. Nothing in Henry’s life was exciting, or elevated him as important. He was always in the background, a pointless kid that would go on to lead a pointless life. 

But now destiny had finally called his name. Even if this ended poorly, it would be more interesting than what he ever thought his life could become. If it worked for his dad, why could it not work for him?

Henry replied, “But you gave me the greatest childhood I could think of. We went on extravagant trips. We never had to worry about anything. Why would I not want this?” 

Henry looked at Addie. She smiled back at him. She was beautiful, and he could have her along with a life of adventure. 

Bill said, “Henry, this is a life of violence! A life of killing people on the orders of this organization! Those targets have families, and hopes and dreams. It’s not about the vacations, or the money. Think about what this all really, truly means.”

“Sabine sounds like a terrible person. I would be doing the world a favor,” Henry replied. He approached the rifle and ran his hand over it. Addie smiled. Jack nodded his head slowly. 

“We are all terrible people!” Bill replied. “That is where grace comes in. That is why we have jails, and a justice system. We are not made to assassinate each other. We are made to discuss things, and work our problems out in a reasonable way.” 

“Then why did you do it? Why did you kill all those people?” Henry replied. His voice cracked, and he looked down in shame. He was becoming a man now, he could not cry. 

Bill pleaded, “I was desperate. WEG caught me when I had nowhere else to go. I was in prison, I was in a mountain of trouble. But they did not do it for free, or out of the goodness of their hearts. They saw my potential to be a monster and they capitalized on it. But I was wrong, there is always a way out. There is always another option. 

You are not desperate. You are not hopeless. You can tell them no and live a life free of all of this. Please, live your life better than I did. I know you can.” Henry’s mom was still sobbing in the background, unable to control herself. 

“I have no idea what I want to do in life. I am so angry all the time, and nobody understands me,” Henry said. 

“You are sixteen! You don’t have to know what your future holds. You have infinite potential, but starting down this path will haunt you for the rest of your life,” Bill said. 

“But WEG has a plan for me. And Addie loves me. I finally have something that makes me happy, and you are trying to rip this away from me,” Henry said. 

“They are using you!” Bill shouted. That was the loudest Henry had ever heard him. “They don’t care about you, or anyone. They care about whoever is paying them.”

Henry looked down at the photo of Dominique Sabine. He read the charges again, all of the sex crimes and human rights violations. Henry could fix this. Henry could stake his hidden, silent claim in world history, and make society a better place. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dominique Sabine sat in the car, with the door open, staring at his phone. 

His bodyguard leaned in and said, “It is time to go.” 

“Just one second,” Sabine replied, “I have to do something first.”

He pulled up the phone number of his assistant. He could fix this, he needed to fix this. He would turn himself in, but first he would dismantle this empire from the inside. Everything he had built, only he could tear down. Anything else would result in chaos. 

Sabine reached to click the call button, but his thumb never reached the screen. A bullet tore through his neck, exploding inside the flesh and sending his head flying. His bodyguard rushed to his side, while thirty others spread out to look for the killer. 

Dominique Sabine was dead, and his reign of terror was over. His chance to make things right was also over. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Henry lifted his head from the rifle. Addie hugged him excitedly and kissed him. Jack hung up the phone and shook Henry’s hand. 

“Welcome to Western Engineering Group,” Jack said.

Henry was now a man.