Glenn did as he’d said he would, pulling onto the street then into a space directly in front of the building. As he got out he looked back to see Joey on one knee, ostensibly retying his shoelace. He looked so young and innocent that for a second Glenn was torn between beckoning to him to get back in the car where he’d be safe, or at least safer, or continuing on with their plan. Then common sense prevailed.
This ends now, one way or the other.
He moved swiftly down the cut-through on the other side of the building from the parking lot. Silently he made his way to the back corner of the lot, his gun now in his hand. As he watched Joey strolling with apparent casualness toward his car, Glenn saw a slight movement in a car parked in a space next to the building. It was just behind Joey’s, only a few feet separating them.
Even as he inched his way along the wall, squeezing between it and another parked car, Glenn saw Joey arrive at his car and heard a muttered oath when Joey saw the flat tire. Looking pissed as hell in the dim light; Joey went to the back of his car and opened the trunk.
Instantly, but quietly, the door to the car which had caught Glenn’s attention opened. The man must have unscrewed the overhead light because it didn’t come on, not that Joey would have seen it any way from where he was standing.
A head appeared above the roof of the car and a voice, low but threatening, said, “Move and you’re dead. Put your hands behind your head.”
Joey did as he’d been told.
The man stepped into the aisle between the two cars. “Now back toward me. Do not turn around.”
Glenn was of two minds, shoot and wake the neighborhood or just capture the man and deal with him in a more remote spot later. Common sense prevailed, again. He slid around the back of his car, coming up behind him.
“I think you’re the one who should put their hands behind their head, after dropping you gun,” he said menacingly as he pressed his gun to the man’s back.
Joey spun around, reached for his gun and pointed it at the man’s chest. “Do as he says, please.”
Glenn would have laughed at Joey’s politeness if he’d had it in him at the moment. “I said, hands behind your head, and then turn around, slowly,” he ordered.
The man turned, but not slowly. He whipped around and fired, the bullet cutting a line across Glenn’s side as he twisted to avoid being shot. Before the man could get off a second shot, Joey fired. His shot hit home and the man dropped to the ground, still clutching his gun in his dead hand.
Joey was beside Glenn seconds later. “How bad?” he asked, his voice trembling with emotion.
“A flesh wound, nothing more.” He holstered his gun before asking, “How are you doing?”
“I’m…” Joey looked at the dead man at their feet. “I killed him,” he whispered, then turned, bent over and threw up.
Glenn rested his hand on Joey’s back in commiseration. “The first one’s always the worst.”
Shaking, Joey straightened, his face pale. “I guess…I should call this in.”
“Might be a good idea although they probably heard shots fired since we’re less than half a block from the station.”
“But still…” Joey called it in anyway, his hands trembling as he punched in the number. When the dispatcher answered he told her he’d shot the man who had kidnapped Nate, gave her the location and hung up.
Glenn wrapped his arms around him finally, ignoring the pain in his side. “You might not think so right now but you did good.”
“I guess.” Joey shivered, resting his head on Glenn’s shoulder. “I just… I never ever want to have to do that again.”
“Chances are you won’t. It’s not like you get a lot of killers coming to town.”
Shuddering, Joey took a deep breath before pulling back. “What do we tell them?”
“Simple. We got to your car, you saw the flat and went to get the spare. The man appeared out of nowhere, pointed his gun at us, said something about you screwing up his plans when you found Nate and then fired. Heroically…” Glenn grinned, “I stepped in the way, he hit me and you shot him.”
“I guess that works.”
“Let’s hope, because we’re about to have a lot of company.”
No comments:
Post a Comment