Laundry basket in hand, Randle dashed down a staircase and along a hall past several apartment doors and then watched a door ahead open and then staggered into a wall.
A woman ambled into the hall and stared at him, and Randle smiled.
“Good evening,” he said and straightened up.
The woman’s eyebrows raised.
A man stepped into the hall, closed the apartment door, and locked it. “So, what are you thinking—Thai or Japanese?”
“Golden Wok on Ross Avenue’s supposed to be the best Asian in the city,” Randle said.
The man looked at him.
Randle shrugged. “Or, so I’ve heard.”
The man nodded, positioned the woman on the hall’s far side, and walked her past.
“Enjoy your evening.” Randle swiped his brow, peered at a wristwatch, and darted into a laundry room where he snatched open a drier door, scooped armfuls of towels into the basket, and to a laundry room door in peeked out.
The hall was empty.
He flew up the hall and staircase to a fifth-floor apartment where he barreled through a door and into a dark room. He smacked shut the door, bolting and chaining it, and peered around at silhouetted furniture and plants.
“A damn power-outage?!” He flipped a light switch, and the room illuminated, revealing five black-attired men who stood, hands clasped before them, and one man seated on a sofa who held a picture frame.
Randle all but toppled.
“No, not a power-outage,” the seated man said. “Just a bill collector.”
“Angelo,” Randle said, climbing upright. “You found where I live.”
“My five hundred thousand in unmarked bills you stole,” Angelo said and stroke the frame. “Please go get it.”
Randle froze, swallowed, and Angelo gestured toward a nearby corridor.
“Go on, grab it. I’ll wait.”
“Angelo, like I told your ‘associates’ who stopped by my office yesterday: there was an issue with the local police, therefore I don’t have the money anymore.”
“Did you not lie, the first time we asked?”
“Yes, but that was different, I didn’t know whether or not those were your men.”
“Randle, stop lying.”
“I’m not lying. I’m not sorry I don’t have a photo directory of your organization.”
Angelo shook his head. “Randle, they caught you with packed bags and an airline ticket.”
Randle sighed and watched him hold up a picture of a smiling woman. “Rebecca, right?”
Randle’s eyes widened.
“You were in route to fly to Miami to meet her before you left the country with her and my money, isn’t that right?”
Randle gazed at him.
“I wonder how Rebecca’s doing in Miami.”
“Please leave her out of this.”
Angelo crossed his legs. “That all depends on you.”
“Give me a week, and I’ll get it—every dime.”
Angelo gestured to a man, and the man held out a phone.
“Call her, Randle. Now.”
“I can’t. Please.”
“Call her.”
Randle shook his head.
Angelo snapped a finger, and the man handed it to Angelo who dialed a number and waited a moment. “Hello, Rebecca? Randle’s financier, here. How you enjoying Miami? Oh, lovely.”
“Let me speak her,” Randle said.
“Randle wants to speak to you.” Angelo pressed a button and held out the phone.
“Are you alright?”
“Of course I’m not alright!” a voice said, sobbing. “My feet and hands are bound with electrical tape and Nacho’s in a dumpster out back with bullet in his head!”
“Your dog’s dead?!”
“Did I not just say that?! Randle, whoever you’ve pissed off, please just give them what they want…now.”
“Rebecca, it’s not that simple.”
“Oh, in the next five seconds, you better make it that simple,” Angelo said. “Or Nacho’s going to have a new roommate in that dumpster.” He held out a hand, and Randle sighed.
“If I had it, I’d give it to you.”
“You’re lying.”
“No, I’m not lying, sir.”
Angelo glared at him. “So, you won’t give it to me?”
Randle eyes lowered.
“Okay,” Angelo said. “Team Miami, execute the girl, but don’t hang up—I want Randle to hear it.”
“No!!” Randle said. “Please don’t!!”
“No,” Rebecca said. “What are you’re going to do? Please don’t do it—I haven’t done anything! No!!”
The phone roared with white noise, and Angelo shook and patted the device.
“What the hell?” Angelo said.
Suddenly, across the room, a knock rattled a sliding patio door, and the five standing men drew guns.
Angelo looked through the glass and saw two women. “All this had company?”
Randle’s forehead wrinkled. “No.”
Angelo looked at him.
“I meant, ‘Yes, yes I did…’”
The women knocked on the glass, and Angelo and Randle stared at each other.
“Well, aren’t you going to open it?” Angelo said.
Randle nodded. “Yes, of course.” He ambled to the door and slid it open.
“Goodness, Randle,” a woman said. “Do you lock all your guests out in the cold?”
Both women stepped inside, one gazing at a phone screen.
“By the way did you lose service, as well?” the woman with the phone said.
The second woman peered at the drawn guns. “Looks like everyone did, and are pissed about it.”
“Who the hell are you two?” Angelo said.
“We’re Randle’s neighbors. We just moved in. I’m Heidi and this is my sister Hope.”
Angelo glanced at the patio door. “Where you come from—when we arrived, there was no one out there.”
“No one, but us,” Hope said.
“Boss I checked when we arrived,” a man said. “I didn’t see anyone.”
Heidi chuckled. “Gentlemen, may I remind you we’re on the fifth floor. So, unless we arrived on wings, unseen, I believe we were out there.”
“No matter,” Angelo said. “You won’t leave this apartment alive.”
“Why not?” Randle said.
“Because I’m certain they heard the phone call because the line went dead.”
Heidi shook her head. “No, only the portion where you gave your goons in Miami the order to shoot Randle’s girl. That’s all.”
Angelo drew a gun and aimed it at Heidi. “Somehow, I feel as though punching your clock in front of your sister would be so satisfying.”
“You won’t,” Heidi said. “Not before you hear my proposition.”
“Proposition?” Angelo said. “What proposition?”
Heidi pointed down the hall. “Step into my office.”
Angelo laughed. “Randle, what is this about?”
“I don’t have the slightest idea,” Randle said. “But it’s gone on long enough. Ladies, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” He took Heidi’s arm, but she pulled away.
“I know about the money,” Heidi said.
Angelo stopped laughing. “You don’t have any idea what you’re talking about do you?”
“Do you really think half a million could be trusted to Randle without someone else watching. Just look at him.”
Angelo looked, a Randle glared at Heidi.
“If you want the money tonight,” Heidi said. “Follow me.” She started toward the hall, and a man stepped into her path.
Angelo waved the man aside, and the man moved.
“If the other two so much as move an inch,” Angelo said. “Shoot them.” He followed Heidi up the hall, gun aimed at her head, and into a bedroom, and closed a door. “Now, what’s this about my money?”
Heidi sat on a bed, crossed her legs, and glanced at wristwatch. “Ninety seconds.”
“What?!”
She leaned toward a nightstand an opened a drawer. “How did I know?” She pulled out a pack of trading cards. “Of course, Randle’s into Captain Credo.” She removed a rubberband and slipped several over, read them. “In his spare time, he probably swaps with fifth graders.” She glanced at her watch. “Sixty seconds.”
Angelo strolled to her and cocked the gun. “Where’s my money, bitch?”
“What do you care about money? Money won’t save your men.”
“You really think I’m joking?”
Outside the door, gunshots rang out.
Angelo chuckled. “Your sister and friend obviously believed I was joking, as well.”
“They’re dead.” Heide checked her watch. “Thirty seconds.”
“Of course they’re dead, and next, my men will arrive to kill you, too.”
“No, Angelo, I meant, ‘drop the gun’—your men are dead.”
“What the hell are you playing at?”
Heide pointed at the door. “Go on, check.”
He nodded. “Sure, I’ll check, but do me a favor…” He belted her head with the gun, and she fell on the floor.
“..Don’t go anywhere.” He ambled to the door and tilted an ear upward.
“No much to hear, is there?” a voice said, and Angelo spun around, saw Hiede stood beside him, smiling, and jerked away, aiming his gun at her.
“What the hell’s going on?!” he said.
“What’s going on is I gave my sister ninety seconds to, first, kill your men, and second, kill you.” Hiede viewed her watch. “She’s got five seconds.”
Angelo smirked. “Sure, but only after she finds you laying dead on the fl—”
Pow!!
He body fell, and Heide hit a button on her watch.
“With a second to spare,” she said. Hope peered through a hole in the bedroom door. “You said that as though you’d doubted me.”