Lita went to Gene and felt his pulse and told Kingsley there was no pulse. She walked back to Kingsley and stood beside him. They both looked at Corey Bradford.

“Up,” Kingsley said, motioning with the gun. Corey got up from the chair. Kingsley and Lita moved behind him.

“Let’s travel,” Kingsley said.

The three of them walked out of the room.

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

There was no talk as they went through the hallway and down the stairs. Lita had switched on a light in the hallway, flicked another switch to illuminate the parlor. They moved slowly, going through the parlor, toward the front door. Corey was slightly in front with his hands at his sides. Kingsley prodded him with the gun and told him to clasp his hands behind his back. Then Kingsley told Lita to take a look outside. It was possible the shots had awakened some neighbors, and he didn’t want heads sticking out of windows. Lita opened the front door, gave the street a long careful look, said there were no eyes out there. The gun nudged Corey’s spine and he walked out of the house, Lita beside him, Kingsley close behind, letting him feel the gun as they moved along the narrow street. Corey said, “Why the pressure with the rod? We got a contract, ain’t we?”

“Just wanna be sure you don’t break it,” Kingsley said.

Corey slackened his pace and glanced over his shoulder, giving Kingsley a look, and in the same moment aiming the look past Kingsley, checking the address of the house from which they’d emerged. The number was chalked on the splintered front door. It was four-thirty-one. He told himself to file that number, and went through the memory trick of adding one to three and getting four, then repeating the arithmetic until it was engraved in his brain.

There was a street sign posted at the intersection. In the darkness he could barely make it out. It read Harold Street. He’d turned his head only slightly to look at the street sign, but Kingsley noticed and said, “Whatcha lookin’ at?”

“Nothing.”

Kingsley prodded him with the gun. “Keep your eyes where they belong. In front.”

Corey came to a stop.

“Move,” Kingsley said. “Keep moving.”

Corey stood still. Kingsley jabbed him with the gun, but he didn’t budge. Kingsley and Lita frowned puzzledly at each other. Then Kingsley pushed the gun very hard against Corey’s spine and gritted, “You feel this?”

“Get it off me,” Corey said quietly.

The gun kept pushing against his spine. It was spreading pain through his back. He winced and squirmed. He heard Kingsley say, “You’ll move or I’ll split you in half.”

“No you won’t. You burn me, you’re losing a million dollars.”

Kingsley decreased the pressure of the gun, then gradually eased it away from Corey’s spine.

“That’s better,” Corey said.

“Then move.”