Colby's smile had the essence of a hyena laughing and it made Justin want to be sick.
"If you're smart, you'll put down your gun," Colby told Pertel, "and kick it over here."
Still half behind the doorway, Justin put his gun back into its holster, then lifted his shirt over it. He looked back into the room and saw that Pertel's gun rested at Colby's feet as the genius pressed the gun further into Adelyn's scalp.
"Good," he said, his grin widening as his eyes met Justin's. "Now it's bargain time!"
"Let go of her," Justin pleaded. "This is between you and me."
Colby nodded toward Pertel. "The second you brought the cops here, all bets were off," he told Justin. "What were you thinking, Justin? Did you really think I would just turn myself in? Just like that?"
Justin was silent.
"You were wrong. I thought you were smarter than that, but I guess I was wrong too."
"Let her go," Justin said again. "You can do whatever you want with me, just let her go."
Colby laughed. "Are you insane? She's a much better bargaining chip," he concluded as he looked down at Adelyn's face. "Don't you think?"
Justin glared at him. "What do I have to do to get you to let her go?"
"Not you," Colby answered, and then pointed to Pertel. "Him. I want immunity. I want papers that say all the charges are dropped."
"Like hell that'll happen," Pertel scoffed. "Do you have any idea how much money you've stolen?"
"Do you?" Colby shot back. "Justin doesn't even know how much we're talking about here."
"Let her go!" Justin yelled, his voice echoing around the almost empty room.
"Would you take care of him?" Colby said, his voice rising from before.
"Take care of who?" Justin wanted to know. "Who are you talking to?"
But Colby didn't have to answer him, because before he knew it, a pair of strong hands wrapped around each of his biceps. He struggled to break free, but the stranger was obviously stronger. As he glanced over at Pertel, he noticed a shocked expression on the cop's face.
"What?" he demanded, but Pertel remained silent, just staring.
"What do you think, Officer?" Colby grinned. "Do I pick my men well, or what?"
"Justin..." Pertel said slowly.
"What!?"
"You got a brother?"
"Two of them. Why?"
Pertel gave a relieved sigh. "Good, because I thought I was going nuts!"
Justin took a deep breath and carefully turned around. His eyes met with blue ones just like his own. "Oh, my God, Kyle!" he exclaimed, glaring at his brother as he broke away from his grasp. "What the hell are you doing here?!"
Kyle grabbed his brothers arm and pulled him back. "You know what, Justin?" he hissed. "You're stupid. You were dumb to betray Colby and now you know what has to happen."
Justin pushed and pulled, trying to get away. "What the hell, Kyle? Mom is worried sick about you!"
"Kyle," Colby spoke up. "I'd like you to meet your brother's girlfriend."
Justin felt his brother's grip loosen as he stared at Adelyn.
"Girlfriend?" Kyle echoed. "You never said anything about killing a girl."
Justin ripped his arms away from Kyle and pushed him hard into the wall. "You're in big trouble, little brother," he promised.
"What are you going to do?" Colby interrupted. "Tell Mommy on him?"
Kyle picked himself up as Justin glared at Colby. "This has gone to far," he said. "I thought we were just going to get those papers you were talking about and then get out of town. Why is his girlfriend here?"
"I'd like to know the same thing," Colby hissed, resting his stare on Justin. "Why did you bring her?"
"If you let her go, I'll do whatever you want, Colby," Justin promised. "Anything... I swear, just let her go!"
"I want immunity papers," Colby repeated. "And you can't get them for me."
Justin turned to Pertel. "Go get the papers," he demanded. "Now!"
"No way," Pertel said. "Even if I could get the papers, which I can't because I don't have the authority, there's no way in hell I'd leave Adelyn down here with you, your psycho brother and your madman boss."
"You're a moron!" Justin exclaimed. "Don't you see what's going to happen if you don't get those papers?!"
"I agree with Justin," Colby said. "You're an idiot if you don't go and get them." Quickly, he turned to Kyle. "Get over here and watch her while I teach this cop a lesson."
Kyle shot Justin a glare as he walked over to Colby and Adelyn, taking the gun from him and assuming Colby's position.
"This will hurt," Colby grinned, picking up Pertel's gun from the ground and pointing it at its owner's head. He took a few steps forward.
Everything was happening so quickly, and Justin didn't have much time to think, but in a fraction of a second, he had Colby pinned in the middle of the room, his gun aimed right at the criminal's heart.
"Justin..." Pertel said as he backed up against the wall. "What the hell are you doing?"
Justin glanced over at Kyle, who looked scared and panicked.
"Put the gun down, Justin," Colby ordered.
"No!" he yelled back. "If you think I'm gonna have any mercy for you after you took advantage of me and then threatened to kill Adelyn, then you fell off your rocker, boss."
"For the record," Colby began. "I was not going to kill her as long as you cooperated... and if you don't put that gun down this instant, your cop friend gets it."
"You think I care?" Justin asked, taking another step toward Colby. "Shoot him. He doesn't matter to me."
Pertel's jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed, and then turned to face Adelyn. "You see? You see what I mean, Brady? Look what he's doing!"
Adelyn couldn't respond.
"The second you fire that shot, Wyman," Justin continued, "you're dead... and it's not going to be pretty."
"And the second you fire your gun, your brother takes out your girlfriend," Colby shot back.
Justin glanced at Kyle again. His brother's hand was shaking so hard that his gun wobbled against Adelyn's head. Justin fixed his gaze back on Colby. "Go ahead," he said. "Shoot him."
"Justin, put down the gun!" Pertel yelled in desperation. "You're only making things worse!"
"Would you just shut up!?" Justin shouted at Pertel, and then looked back at Colby. "Are you going to shoot him or not? I'm loosing my patience here."
"Kyle, shoot the girl," Colby ordered.
Justin jerked his head around to face his brother and their eyes met.
"Do it!" Colby yelled again.
A gunshot resonated throughout the room. His heart in his throat, Justin pulled the trigger as hard as he could, and another gunshot rang out. Then, there was a third, and as it echoed, Justin's gun slipped from his fingers and landed on the ground.
Chapter 29
Paying the Consequences
Justin {Fiction}
My Fiction
I'll Never Stop {Fiction}
Email me: irishgirl982@yahoo.com