Hersh whispered desperately, “Don’t you fuckin’ hear it? Can’t you hear footsteps? I don’t believe…” He began to pace. “Well, you stick around, bud, but I’m callin’ it a day!”

But then Noam leveled the gun at Hersh’s eyes and Hersh halted in his tracks.

The noises became louder.

Instantly, Noam panicked. There were noises. His chest got tight and he began to wheeze. Hersh hadn’t been lying. Someone was out there.

What to do? What to do?

Hersh read the fear in Noam’s eyes and whispered quickly, “Put the gun away, Nick-O. If it’s a cop, we’ll pretend we’re bums and he’ll just send us on.”

Noam lowered the gun. Was this another one of Hersh’s tricks? If he put the gun away, Hersh might jump him. No, he couldn’t put the gun away. Without the gun, he was dead.

“Put it away!” Hersh screamed in an angry whisper.

Noam was paralyzed with fear. Get a grip on yourself!

Then Hersh lunged at him.

Pointing the Beretta, Decker jumped out of the darkness and yelled, “Freeze, motherfucker!”

Hersh stopped almost in midair.

“Drop the knife, you motherfucker!” Decker shouted. “Drop it! Drop it! Drop it now! Drop it! Drop it! Drop it!”

Hersh let the knife fall to the ground and raised his hands in the air. “He was trying to shoot me—”

“Hit the ground,” Decker screamed to Hersh. In the back of his mind, he knew Noam was holding the gun. But Hersh was his main concern. “Now! Hit it! Hit it! Hit it!” He moved forward, reaching behind his back for his cuffs. Then he remembered where they were.

He cursed his stupidity. Was that friggin poetic justice or what! Hersh was on his knees. Decker pushed him all the way down, kicked his legs into a spread-eagle position. Kneeling, he yanked Hersh’s hands behind his back, then tried to undo his belt. As he fumbled with the buckle, he felt the presence of another body close to his. He looked up.

Noam pointing the gun at him.

Decker felt sweat pouring down his brow. “I was sent here by your family, Noam.” He was trying to free his belt. “Sent here by your abba and eema. Put away the gun, son. All I want to do is just take you home, back to Boro Park. I spent yom tov at your bubbe’s. Everyone was so worried about you—”

“Bullshit, Nick-O!” Hersh interrupted. “You know how they really feel—”

Decker jerked the arm upward. Hersh let out a yelp of pain.

Noam just staring, his eyes far away.

Decker said, “Noam, I’m Sammy…Shmuli and Yonkie’s stepdad. I’m married to Rina Lazarus. You know Mrs. Lazarus, don’t you? She knows you. She always said what a fine boy you were.”

Hersh said, “Bullshit. They all hate you, Nick-O. You know that.”