Chapters (46)
- COVER PAGE
- PRAISE
- DEDICATION
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- SNEAK PEEK: EXIT .45
Locke was thinking of his family at home—Lucy clearing the table by now, probably, and the boys into PlayStation time. He wondered why he’d even walked in the door. He’d already won everything worth living for. But here he was pushing his chips forward, sitting down opposite a nutcase. So maybe he could … what? So he could say he’d come across the very worst of the world, and he’d faced up to it. Maybe that was something.
He said, ‘It’s time you got up and went outside.’
Andre said, ‘Lawmen are strange creatures, aren’t they? Send you to police school, teach you how to shoot straight, read people their rights. Then you come out and think you’re the big dog.’ He was quiet then, and he seemed to be thinking, lips moving, forming the rest of the line. He said, ‘But dogs aren’t much in the wild, are they? There’s dogs, but then there’s wolves and lions. And then somewhere out there’s the devil.’ Smiling, obviously pleased with that.
Locke said, ‘I’ll keep it in mind.’
‘Good.’ He sighed as if relieved, and Locke smelled his halitosis.
Andre said, ‘I was hoping you’d take that all in, and then stand up and walk out, and I won’t see you again. But I’m worried if I get up and leave, my message won’t have sunk in. So give me a sign, huh? Get up and walk out. So at least I know you understand something. I already gave you a chance. I told you tonight could have gone different. But it hasn’t. Whether you think that’s right or wrong, I still did you a favour.’
Locke felt a bead of sweat crawling through his hair and then down his temple. Another on his back.
Andre said, ‘I can count you down if you like? Because I’m not getting up. You are. One way or the other, this is it for you and me. Five.’
Locke pulled his gun.
Aimed it two-handed and lined it up on Andre’s chest.
Andre hadn’t moved, hadn’t even blinked. Locke heard people gasp, heard flatware clash and chime as someone went under a table.
He said, ‘Police. Stay calm. Everything’s okay.’ Then to Andre: ‘Do not move.’
Andre said, ‘Colton, you need to relax. What’re people gonna think? We’re just talking, and you drew down on me. Easy now.’
He had his hands up, palms out, but he was moving his left hand toward the bag. He said, ‘You just think about what’s sensible. You can’t shoot if you don’t see a weapon, huh? Easy now. We’re good. I’m just picking up the bag.’