AllFreeNovel
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I stick two of the guns into the back waistband of my jeans, one hanging from my hand as we dodge dumpsters and sewer rats that are the size of fucking raccoons. Puddles of dark water splash onto the concrete as we jog through them. My eyes dart in all directions and I hold out an arm before Rocco pulls on the large, metal door handle to enter the building. I stare up. There are a few dim lights coming from a few floors up. She has to be up there.
And I’m sure there are plenty of thugs who are lurking beyond that door, just waiting to stop us from finding her.
“Wait,” I whisper.
“For what? For the fucking feds to show up?” Rocco mumbles back.
I strain my ears and my neck to see if there are any headlights turning down this alleyway. “Nico and the guys. They should already be here.”
“Maybe they went into a different entrance. He said there were a few.” Rocco nudges me forward. “Come on, you wanted to do this on your own anyway, right?”
A sharp pain assaults my chest. So many memories of that night come crashing back. The darkness, the cold, the panic that I’d be too late…
I take a deep breath. “I did. I’m just—”
Rocco claps me on the shoulder. “I’m not Gabe. Nobody is gonna clip me tonight. Okay? So stop worrying about me, ya pansy. And open the fucking door!”
My heart thuds like a hammer to a nail as I pull open the heavy door. It creaks open, revealing an empty, dark expanse. The silence is deafening. I exchange a quick look with Rocco as we creep inside. I hold out my arm, gun tight in my hand as I step deeper into the darkened lobby, or wherever the hell we are. Rocco hangs onto the door so it doesn’t slam shut. It’s comforting to know he does actually think a few steps ahead sometimes.
I turn on my phone flashlight so we can at least see how to get upstairs. I take a few steps toward a doorway in the corner.
“Where are you going?” Rocco hisses.
I point. “There were lights on upstairs. Are we just supposed to sit down here and jerk each other off while we wait for Nico?”
“I don’t know why you had to go there, man, and make shit weird. Why couldn’t we just sit here jerking ourselves off? Why would we need to jerk each other off?”
I roll my eyes, not that he can see them. “Would you just shut the fuck up and get over here?”
“Are you gonna get frisky with me? Now I’m thinking I should’ve stayed with your dad in the truck.”
I point my gun at him. “How about I just shoot you in the fucking head instead? Put us both out of our fucking misery.”
“Don’t get pissy because I didn’t want to jerk you off.”
“Rocco, I swear to God—"
Crack!
A single gunshot explodes, piercing the still air. We both dive to the floor, pointing our guns in every direction, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Minutes pass, feeling like hours, until a smattering of bullets pop, the sharp sounds ricocheting against the concrete floors.
Rocco is huddled against a wall, covering his head. “Sonofabitch! I knew they’d never just let us waltz in here. Where the fuck is Nico?”
Dammit, they have us trapped. We can’t go any farther inside because we’ll get massacred. And if we try to escape…well, I’m pretty sure the perimeter is covered. Someone must have tipped them off that we rolled down this alleyway.
Suddenly, a blinding white light fills the space. It’s so bright I have to cover my eyes. It’s like staring into the sun. I blink fast, jumping to my feet. I hold out my arm again, pointing the gun in every which direction.
Rocco leaps to a standing position. “Who the fuck is there?”
And they say I’m the loose cannon.
Three large-muscled guys who look more like linemen than hitmen appear in a corner of the dingy lobby. The place is a real shit hole. Broken concrete floor, bare and stained sheetrock walls. Broken beer bottles cover the floor, along with metal beams, saws, and nails.
The kinds of things you don’t want to see in the same room with these three guys.
And I doubt they’re using that stuff for construction purposes.
I stand with my arm straight out, focused on the guys coming toward us. A gurgling sound makes me jump, and I swivel around to see a thick arm looped around Rocco’s neck. He struggles to loosen the grip, his face turning a disturbing shade of purple as the seconds tick past.
