What It's Like to Take a Life - Org. feat. by @RSGuthrie #AODTour

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In three words:  Quiet.  Solemn.  Unforgettable.

You see I started with the Russo family of the Italian Mafia when I was twenty-one.  It wasn’t like I set out wanting to be one of them or even belong on the fringes.  There are so many young men who emulate and idolize the Mafia as if they think it’s glamorous as portrayed in the movies.

True life is quite different.

The Mafia only seeks its own interests and follows the lead of the Boss or Don.  He’s the one with absolute power.  He’s the one who ultimately decides your fate. 

But this post isn’t about what it’s like to be a part of the Mafia, it’s about taking a life.  I’ve killed more people in my lifetime than I would like to admit with another about to be added to the tally. 

Typically the marks I took out were people I didn’t know personally or have any attachment to.  Sometimes I came in to finish what Christian, the Don’s son, had started.  Don’t think Christian isn’t a killer because he’s the most unpredictable person I’ve ever encountered.  Christian’s specialty is torture.

When I’m sent to do a kill, I don’t ask any questions--I execute.  There are times I’ve had to plan to make it look like a random act that resulted in their death, there are times I’ve sniped from a distance, but also times I’m sent in to do the job up close.

I’m versatile in that I have the ability to get close and shoot a person barrel-to-skin, or I can snipe them from up to six hundred yards away.  This was another aspect that led Christian to adopt my last name as a nickname--Hunter.  He said it was proof of my life calling.

Anyway, when I pull the gun and the bullet leaves the barrel, there is an exhilaration and rush that comes with it.  When that round penetrates your target--a once living, breathing individual--there is a dark essence to the air that threatens to suffocate you.  I prefer not to stick around once the job’s done.  Not that it really matters.  Everything from that moment is embedded in the psyche for life.  I recall the faces, the names, the situation, the smells, everything, for each of my hits.  I don’t think I’ll ever forget.

Yet I’ve never lost sleep over a kill, at least not until now.  You see, I’ve changed my ways.  I used to be single and carefree.  Now, I’m a husband and father.  Contrasting to a time when I had nothing to lose, now everything is at stake.

Maybe you’re wondering how I even let things get this far, how I became connected with the Mafia in the first place.  Well, that’s another question all together, and I answered it in my interview on Katie Jennings’ blog here. 
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The above-noted piece is fictional and was written for promotional purposes.  Raymond Hunter is the main character in Assassination of a Dignitary coming March 14th to Amazon for Kindle, and in April for print.  Be sure to check out the full Assassination Blog Tour schedule here and enter for your chance to win!  

The post above was originally featured on R.S. Guthrie's blog here.

R.S. Guthrie grew up in Iowa and Wyoming. He has been writing fiction, essays, short stories, and lyrics since college. He lives in the Colorado Rockies with his wife, Amy, three young Australian Shepherds, and a Chihuahua who thinks she is a 40-pound Aussie!

Readers can catch up with what's new with the author at his official site, http://www.rsguthrie.com, discussions related to writing and other topics at his blog, Rob on Writing (http://robonwriting.com), or at his showcase of authors giving back to causes at the Read A Book Make A Difference (RABMAD) website (http://RABMAD.com/authors). 

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