Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 117408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
“All right, all right,” I said. This had to end; we had to scrap the rest of our mission. We’d get answers some other way. “It was worth a shot. Good luck to you, man.”
No one turned to leave, no one wanting to turn their backs on the other.
“Nah, nah.” Dank started to laugh. “I think you two are up to something. I don’t like it.”
I moved closer to Jonah. Every muscle in my body was taut, ready to explode. I could almost smell the danger in the air, swirling with the humidity. We could run, but that was going to leave us exposed, and if this guy had a gun, it wouldn’t be hard for him to take us.
“Come on, man. We came here offering a business deal, that’s it.” Jonah was speaking in a calm, steady voice, which was a stark contrast to how I was beginning to feel. “It didn’t work out, so we’ll drop it here and now. We don’t even know your real name. We all leave here and that’s it, no harm no foul.”
For a second, I thought Jonah had done it. And then Dank laughed, and I knew the game was done. “I don’t think so.” He clapped his hands. “Good thing I brought a friend.”
And then all hell broke loose.
Dank stuffed his hand in his pocket. I knew I couldn’t let him take out whatever was inside.
I lunged, using all the power in my legs to launch myself through the air, arms extended. Jonah shouted something, but I couldn’t hear over the rush of the wind, over the sound of two bodies impacting. We went crumbling down to the ground, Dank breaking the fall with his back. His eyes bulged as he gasped for air.
“Knife!” Jonah shouted behind me. I turned around and saw a gleaming silver blade cutting through the air toward me. There was no time to stop it. No time to prevent the blade from burying itself straight into my chest.
I was done. This was it.
Jonah’s hand came down on the knife-wielding thug’s wrist, grabbing it and twisting it around at exactly the last possible moment before I was filleted. I felt the whizz of air being sliced as Jonah twisted the man’s arm and pressed the blade up against the man’s gut. Whoever Dank had brought as backup looked more like he belonged in a deli pigging out on sandwiches rather than a warehouse drug deal.
“Okay, okay!” the man cried out as Jonah held his other arm behind his back in a way that must have been incredibly painful.
“Drop the knife,” Jonah said, giving the man’s arm a loving squeeze. The man shouted and the knife fell to the floor.
Underneath me, Dank struggled. I pinned him down and reached into his pocket. I pulled out a small jet-black pistol, as heavy as a boulder in my hand, even with its unassuming size.
“You should have told us what we needed to know.” I looked down at the gun, double-checked the safety was engaged, spun the gun around on my finger, and brought the butt of it slamming down on Dank’s forehead.
It was lights out for him.
“Fuck, let me go!”
“You tried to kill my partner,” Jonah said, driving his knee into the back of the thug’s leg, making him fall down to the floor in front of Jonah. He looked at me. “Wanna do the honors?”
“I’d be glad to.”
“No, no, no, please.” The man’s eyes were bulging.
“Relax, you’ll wake up from this.” I pistol-whipped the man the same way I had done to Dank. And in the same way Dank passed out, so did the man. “Didn’t tell him he’ll be waking up in a jail cell, though.”
“Whoops,” Jonah said, dusting his hands off. We looked at each other then, and I couldn’t help but laugh. The sound rose out of me like some natural force, as if the laugh were carried on by a strong gust of wind.
“Holy shit,” I said, still chuckling, Jonah joining me. “That went a little messier than I had planned.”
“Just a little.” Jonah wiped at the beads of sweat that had accumulated on his forehead. My pulse pounded, adrenaline being carried through my system at an accelerated rate. I could hardly see straight. I wanted to simultaneously give Jonah a high five and also sink my tongue into his mouth.
“Let’s tie these motherfuckers up,” I said, spotting a pile of heavy rope in the corner. There was mold growing on it, but it was sturdy, and there was enough to tie up the hands and feet of both guys.
When they were secured, I made sure to empty the gun and leave it as evidence out of either of the men’s reach. But before we ran off, leaving the two behind for the police to sort out, I crouched down next to the rag doll and stuck my hand back down into his pocket. I wasn’t looking for a weapon this time.