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Matias is not the sort of person you turned your back on… even in the middle of an immersive escape room experience.
“I was beginning to wonder if we’d been stood up. Did you get lost?” he asked.
I stare at him. “No, the instructions were pretty straightforward.”
Matias nods and takes a step forward. I notice the jagged scar running down the side of his face is an angry red. “Good. It’s all here?”
“Yes, as we discussed,” I reply, giving him a bored look. “Where’s the money?”
Matias looks over his shoulder and a tall, well-built man steps forward carrying an identical suitcase. “It’s all there.”
“I’m sure you won’t mind if we check it.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, Pierce steps forward. His movements are quick and lithe as he reaches for the suitcase of money. While we wait, I glance around the place and ignore the tight knots forming in the center of my stomach.
Cory got inside your head. Nothing’s wrong. Matias is just a creepy motherfucker, but you’ve dealt with him before. Besides, you wanted to do this to blow off some steam, remember? They’ve got a lot of great reviews.
When Pierce is done, he casts a look in my direction and gives me a small nod. In return, I look over at Cory, who bends down in front of the table and punches in a few numbers. With a loud hiss, the suitcase pops open, revealing the contents inside.
Matias’s face gives nothing away as he approaches the table, bends down, and reaches for one of the bricks. Using two of his fingers, he pretends to rub the baby powder and sniffs. “This is good stuff.”
“You know we don’t deal in cheap shit,” I tell him. “So, we good here?”
Matias wipes his hands on the back of his jeans and steps back. “Not quite.”
Shit.What now? What the hell has Cory gotten us into? This is getting a little too realistic for my liking.
“I don’t like the product you gave us last time,” Matias continues in a low voice, “And I don’t appreciate you trying to pull one over on us.”
I blink. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. It’s the same product.”
A muscle ticks in Matias’s jaw, and I sense movement behind me. A heartbeat later, I duck, and a knife goes sailing past my ear, lodging itself into the wall across from me.
Adrenaline bursts through me as I wheel around and charge, knocking the assailant off his feet. He hits the ground with a thud, the breath wheezing out of him. I kick his prop gun out of his hands, making sure to give him a menacing look as I do. My blood pounds in my ears, and through the thick fog as I leap out of his reach, excitement coursing through me.
When I have the man in a headlock and drag him up to his feet, Cory takes him by the scruff of his neck and throws him onto the cold, damp ground. I brush both hands together and spin around to face Matias and the others who are held at knifepoint by Pierce.
“I don’t like being betrayed.” I take a step toward Matias, but he doesn’t flinch. “The next time you try something like that, I’m going to gut you.”
Matias gives me a withering look. “You don’t have the balls.”
My lips draw back into a cold smile, channeling all of the mafia movies I had seen. “Don’t try me. I’m not a very patient man.”
At the snap of my fingers, Cory pulls the man up to his feet and pushes him back down. He does the same with the others until they’re panting and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Luckily, no one breaks character since they’re all committed to their roles.
It is, by far, the best executed escape room I’ve ever been a part of. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
“Next time, we won’t be so nice,” I announce, pulling my lips back to reveal my teeth. “Am I being fucking clear?”
Matias says nothing.
Pierce presses the knife to his forehead. “He asked you a fucking question.”
“Clear,” Matias replies through gritted teeth. “I underestimated you.”
“Yeah, you did.” I straighten my back and fold my arms over my chest. “Let’s go.”
As soon as Matias and his men are released, he bends down to help the rest of them to their feet. Cory and Pierce come into formation on either side of me, and I stick both middle fingers up. Then, I walk backwards, never taking my eyes off of him until we are outside.
