Cole frowned, looking at the expressionless Asian man standing across the counter.
He couldn't tell exactly what Hunter was thinking, but he knew the young assassin had stepped into a massive pile of trouble. A mess that was arguably just as dangerous as being hunted by the DoD and the CIA.
However, Hunter had paid for the intelligence. Seeing his unwavering stance, Cole let out a soft sigh.
"The team that targeted you last night," Cole began smoothly, "was sent by Hicks Consulting."
"The name is deliberately misleading. I can state with absolute certainty that Hicks Consulting is a highly capable, very well-funded private military and assassination contractor."
"They have deep, ongoing partnerships with both the Department of Defense and the CIA."
Cole leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping. "Which means, Hunter, if the Continental Hotel doesn't intervene on your behalf..."
"...Given your current resources, dealing with them alone will be incredibly difficult."
Hunter's brow furrowed tightly. He stared back at Cole.
"I thought the Hotel smoothed over the Arizona incident," Hunter said, his voice cold.
The moment he heard the DoD and CIA mentioned, his mind immediately jumped back to the desert border town, the dead Special Forces, and the downed military helicopter.
Cole shook his head. "This isn't about the helicopter."
"Hicks Consulting contacted the Hotel directly last night. They informed us that you killed one of their top-tier operatives."
"Our intelligence network verified their claim."
Cole paused, letting the weight of the name sink in. "The operative you killed... was John Smith."
"Because they are acting out of retaliation for the murder of their own agent, it doesn't violate the 'ceasefire' we negotiated regarding the Arizona incident. Even though we strongly suspect the DoD and CIA are quietly backing their play."
A sudden realization struck Hunter.
He never expected that a bullet he fired over a month ago would ricochet and hit him in his own backyard.
"John Smith!"
Of course Hunter knew who John Smith was. The protagonist of Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
Over a month ago, Perkins had hired him for that ambush near the border. Hunter had sniped John Smith from over a kilometer away to secure Jane's freedom.
It all made sense now.
A multitude of thoughts raced through Hunter's mind.
He knew how Western military contractors operated. They respected strength and exploited weakness. If he backed down now, they would simply keep pushing until he was dead.
Last night was proof of that.
"Avenging their operative" was just a convenient excuse. Hunter refused to believe the DoD and CIA weren't using Hicks Consulting as a proxy to legally eliminate the sniper who blew their helicopter out of the sky.
"Good. Very good. You think I'm a soft target?"
A dark, icy fury settled into Hunter's bones.
If they had just ambushed him on the street, he might have considered laying low. But they had kicked in the door of his lover's home while she was sleeping.
They had crossed his absolute bottom line.
He had to strike back. Hard.
Hunter locked eyes with Cole.
"I want the dossiers on every high-level executive at Hicks Consulting. How many coins?"
Cole stiffened. His tone shifted from professional detachment to genuine caution.
"Are you serious, Hunter?"
Hunter didn't answer verbally. Instead, he reached into his suit jacket.
Clink. Clink. Clink.
He began pulling heavy gold coins from his [Inventory], stacking them on the mahogany counter until a small tower formed.
There were exactly twenty-six Continental gold coins.
It was his entire life savings in the underworld. Ever since returning from the Caribbean, he had been grinding contracts non-stop. If converted to their estimated street value of $500,000 per coin, the pile sitting in front of Cole was worth nearly thirteen million dollars.
Cole knew exactly what that pile represented. Even as the concierge of the LA Continental, his personal liquid wealth didn't necessarily match that of a highly active, top-tier assassin.
He stared at the gold, then looked up at Hunter.
Hunter's voice was devoid of emotion. "I hate it when people target my women. When they do, the only resolution is absolute annihilation."
Cole paused, recognizing the lethal determination in Hunter's eyes. He realized that Hicks Consulting's raid hadn't just angered Hunter; it was a blatant disrespect to the Continental's rules of sanctuary by acting so boldly without prior notice.
Hunter's stubbornness was, in a way, a defense of the Hotel's honor.
After a long silence, Cole reached out and slid four coins from the top of the stack.
"Very well. Within my authority as concierge, I am offering you a fifty percent discount on this premium intelligence package."
"Go home, Hunter. I guarantee you will have the dossiers on your secure terminal within twenty-four hours."
Hunter stared at Cole for a moment, then gave a sharp nod.
He swept the remaining twenty-two coins off the counter, pretending to pocket them while actually dropping them back into his Inventory.
"I'll be waiting, Cole."
Hunter turned and walked away.
However, he didn't head for the exit. He walked straight toward the Hotel's private elevators.
He knew a massive war was coming. He needed to visit the Sommelier to purchase heavy weaponry, specifically high-yield explosives and specialized armor-piercing ammunition.
Cole watched Hunter disappear into the elevator.
After a moment of contemplation, the concierge picked up a secure red phone.
It rang three times before connecting.
"Mr. Scott," Cole said respectfully. "This is Cole in Los Angeles. I have a situation that requires your attention."
On the other end of the line was Winston Scott, the Manager of the New York Continental and the de facto overseer of all US branches.
"Speak," Winston's calm, authoritative voice replied.
"It concerns Hicks Consulting. Last night, they deployed a kill squad to raid the private residence of one of Hunter Sun's associates."
"Hunter eliminated the entire squad. He is exceptionally angry."
"He just purchased the dossiers on the entire executive board of Hicks Consulting from me. I authorized the sale."
Silence stretched across the secure line.
After a long pause, Winston finally spoke, his tone completely unbothered, almost amused.
"Ah. Let the boy stir the pot."
"Send him the dossiers. And while you're at it, slip in a few of our unresolved high-value contracts regarding individuals connected to that firm."
"Let us see if this young sniper you're so fond of truly has the potential to become the next John Wick."
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