2 Chapter 2
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I approached the jewelry store cautiously around one A.M. Not that I didn’t trust Morgan not to rat me out…Okay, I didn’t trust him, so I spent more than a few minutes making certain no one was around who might want to stop me before I got into the store, or arrest me when I came out.
It may be clichéd, but I was wearing dark clothing. Not the ‘look at me, I’m a thief’ kind—but black slacks, a dark blue shirt, and a navy peacoat because it was cold out. Winter hadn’t arrived yet, but it was sure hovering on the horizon.
I determined the only people hanging around on the street in front of the store belonged there—a few couples heading to or from the bar a couple of doors down, some people coming out of the restaurant next door to the jewelry store. The usual denizens of the early morning. No cars slowed as they passed me. No one was sitting in the ones parked along the street, pretending to be waiting for someone.
Going around to the alley at the rear of the store, I made quick work of getting up to the roof to check for observers. Nothing. All was good. There weren’t even any homeless people bedding down for the night up there, or in the alley itself.
Moments later, I entered the code to unlock the rear door, stepped inside, and disarmed the security box. Then it was a case of staying well back from the store’s front windows as I made my way to the room holding the safe.
Why didn’t I tell Morgan to empty the safe and meet me somewhere with the goods? Where’s the fun in that? Everybody needs a little danger in their lives—especially me. I’m an adrenaline junky. I wouldn’t do what I do if I wasn’t. Well, that and the fact it’s a hell of a lot more interesting to make my money the way I do, by convincing other people to give it to me with no strings attached—on my part at least.
I was in and out in less than fifteen minutes, the jewelry in a bag hidden under my peacoat. I stiffened,ready to run, when I heard footsteps a few feet away as I punched in the code to lock the back door.
“Ain’t no way you can get in there, dude,” a guy said as he came into view. He was dressed in an old jacket and jeans that had seen better days.
Since he apparently hadn’t seen me coming out, I replied. “Doesn’t hurt to try, but I see what you mean. Now if I had the code…” I pointed and winked.
He chuckled. “You’d be rich when you left.” He pulled his hand out of his coat pocket. “Or are you already?” He waved a knife at me as he stepped closer.
“I don’t think you want to do that,” I told him, hands at my sides for the moment.
“Yeah? Well I think I do. So how about you hand me your wallet.”
It’s interesting how stupid some of these punks are. Not that I begrudged him trying to make a few bucks, but come on. A skinny, maybe five-ten kid going up against someone six foot plus with an athleticbuild? Did he really think I’d hand him my worldly goods just because he had a knife? A gun? I might have thought about it—for all of two seconds.
“Okay, you win,” I told him, digging into my slacks pocket for my nonexistent wallet. Of course, like an amateur, he greedily watched my hand. The look of shock when my foot connected with his crotch was almost laughable. I quickly relieved his of the knife, and after making certain it wasn’t one worth keeping, snapped the blade off under the sole of my boot.
When the punk quit groaning in pain, I knelt down beside him, digging my hand into his greasy hair to turn his head so he’d look at me. “Next time you decide to try to roust someone for their cash, you might not be quite so lucky.”
“Fuck you,” he muttered, but from the look on his face I had the feeling he might take the lesson to heart.
“Stay put until I’m out of sight,” I warned him. Then, turning my back on him, I walked to the end of the alley. When I checked, he was clambering to his feet. He flipped me off before going in the other direction.
My good deed for the day? I shrugged and headed to the lot three blocks away where I had parked my car.
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On my way back to my condo, I checked my phone to see if I had any messages. There was one. Brant, call meif you’re free tonight. Or better yet, stop over.
