“C’mon, let’s do this somewhere a bit more quiet.” He drives the car away from the diner, and I follow him into an obscure alley. The car only narrowly fits; just enough for him to step out and scrape the side of his door against the wall, but he doesn’t seem to mind.
He walks to the back and opens the trunk. “Check this out.”
It’s loaded with all kinds of guns, more than I’ve ever seen before. My eyes sparkle at the sight.
“Like it?”
“Love it,” I say. “That one.” I point at a smaller gun that seems more manageable, hoping it still packs quite a punch.
“Ooh … you have a great eye,” he muses, taking it out. “I call it the mosquito. Small but effective. Know how to use these?”
I shake my head. “Show me,” I say.
“This ain’t something you can learn in a day or two.”
“Just gimme the basics.”
“All right.” He holds it up in a shooting motion, luckily away from me. “Take the safety off. Put your finger on the trigger. Don’t close your eyes when you shoot. Aim for something easy to hit, like their leg or stomach. You don’t have to be a sharpshooter to hit ‘em where it hurts.”
“Gotcha,” I say. “I’ll take it.” I rummage in my pocket and take out whatever money I have left, which isn’t much, but it’ll have to do. “Look, this is all I have, but I’ll pay it back, I swear. I’ll work for you for free.”
He looks at me suspiciously. I try to grab the gun, but he holds it back, frowning.
“Tell me why.”
I sigh out loud. “I’m gonna kill people. Why else?”
“Who?”
I mull it over, biting my lip. If I tell him, he’s going to meddle, and I can’t have that, but if I don’t tell him, he’ll never give the gun to me.
“You want it? Spill,” he says.
“Fine.” I cross my arms. “Some asshole’s got my sister and he’s not letting her go until I surrender, which I’m not fucking doing.”
“Fuck …” He shakes his head. “I knew something wasn’t right.”
“They came to talk to you too, didn’t they?”
“Yeah, but how do you know?”
“Ah … long story. Anyway, they’re mobsters, Deangelo. Bad guys. Don’t engage with them.”
“Then why are you tryna shoot them?” His voice changes in pitch often.
“Because I’m gonna save Alisha. End of story.” I hold up my hand. “Now, give me the gun.”
“No. Are you tryna get yourself killed? No. I’m not gonna let my favorite girl throw herself into some mafia boss’s hands.”
I appreciate the sentiment, but this isn’t about him.
“Thanks. It means a lot to me that you say that, but I’m not gonna let you stop me. I’m going. With or without a gun. Your choice.”
He cocks his head, sighing. “Alexis … c’mon.”
I keep my foot down and my eyes on him.
“Fine, I’ll go with you,” he says.
“No,” I say. “Can’t have you there too.”
“I can help ya,” he says.
“No.” I place a hand on his shoulder. “I want you to be safe.”
“I can’t let you go in there by yourself,” he says.
“I can handle it. I’m a big girl,” I say, winking.
“I can’t say anything to change your mind, can I?”
“Nope,” I say, shrugging.
“Thought so.” He hands me the gun slowly. When I try to give him the cash, he pushes it back into my hand. “Keep it. I don’t need anything in return.”
There’s a pause, and this time, a genuine smile appears on my face. “Thanks,” I say. “I mean it.”
“Aw, don’t mention it.” He scratches the back of his head. “Just make sure you come back alive, okay?”
“I will,” I say, as I turn around and start walking.
“Oh, and Alexis?”
I glance at him over my shoulder.
The smile that adorns his face gives me power. “Give ‘em hell.”
***
Thirty minutes later
I approach our building with caution, keeping the gun tucked in my pocket but armed and ready. I keep Deangelo’s lessons in the back of my head as I stalk up the stairs. When I see one of the men, I panic and hide behind a wall. He was definitely carrying a gun. Then again, I am too, so what the fuck am I afraid of? Death? Nah. I’m just afraid of losing my freedom, and no way in hell am I gonna lose it to these sons of bitches.
So I take a deep breath, turn the corner, and shoot at him. The first bullet ricochets off the wall, and I flinch from the recoil. But I can’t stop; I have to continue, so I fire again and again. One of the bullets hits him right in the fucking knees.