If you have any brains, you’re scared out of your fucking mind.”
Thoughts racing, he played along. “Hell yeah, I’m scared. Think I’m stupid? But you and me and Hans, we’re going to put an end to this. We need to take Juan down before he gets to another one of us.”
A little smile was playing around Jonas’s mouth. “Juan’s hundreds of miles away by now. I know it. So do you.” He reached down for another beer. Brought up a gun he’d laid down behind it. “You should have gone, too.”
“Hey, buddy!” Johnny held up his hands with a half laugh. Scanned the area to get the layout. “You’ve had one too many beers tonight. Better put the weapon down.” Or he’d pull his throw gun from his ankle holster and do what he’d come here prepared to do.
Get rid of the crazy prick once and for all.
That smile was back. The one chock full of loony. “I don’t think so. It’s taken a lot of courage to get me this far. More than you can know. Sort of sorry it’s going to end this way, though. Was kind of hoping you’d be the next to burn.” He raised the weapon.
Johnny threw himself to the floor, rolled, frantically pulling at the gun in his ankle holster. The first shot sounded before he’d cleared the holster. But he managed to return fire. Before he realized he’d misjudged the situation. About as badly as anyone could.
Gray matter was spattered on the nearby wall. On the carpet. And blood was pooling beneath what was left of Jonas’s head. Johnny’s bullet must have caught the man in the chest as he was falling. But only after he’d swallowed his own gun.
“Jesus.” He wiped one damp palm on his pants. Switched the weapon to his other hand and wiped the free one. “Jesus.” Belatedly, he crossed to the window, looked out. The house next door remained dark. But as he watched, an upstairs light snapped on in the house across the street. He had to get the hell out of here. Fast.
Dammit. He needed to think but his mind was a jumble. He reholstered the weapon and took a quick walk through the place, being careful to skirt the unmoving body. He’d known the guy was unraveling. Just hadn’t correctly guessed the reason for it.
He pulled latex gloves out of his jacket pocket, put them on. A quick glance through the man’s dresser drawers showed nothing important. Similarly the desk tucked into the corner of the bedroom. But the next bedroom had him stopping in his tracks.
The place was a fucking shrine. Crosses all over the wall and a big-ass picture of Jesus. A statue with candles beside it. And at the statue’s feet was a sheaf of papers.
Dammit, was that a siren in the distance? Without waiting to listen more carefully, he grabbed up the papers and retraced his steps, this time heading toward the back door he could see through the open kitchen doorway.
He folded the papers and shoved them in his pocket, then fumbled for the lock on the door. Resecuring it, he pushed open the screen door and shut both doors quietly behind him.
The sound had been a siren. And it was getting closer. Johnny lost no time jumping off the back stoop and heading across the dark yard, staying close to the shadows, head down. He’d taken the precaution of parking on the other side of the block. He’d known the night was going to end badly.
He just hadn’t thought it’d go down quite like this.
It took longer than it should have to reach his car. He had to avoid the houses with lights on. But the ones closest to where he’d parked were dark. Maybe he’d finally gotten lucky.
He got in the vehicle, lost no time pulling away from the curb. He caught the strobe of lights between houses as he drove by. At the corner, he turned away from Jonas’s block. And kept driving. It took him well over an hour before he stopped for the first time. After ejecting the magazine from his weapon, he tossed it down the sewer. Got back in the car and drove toward the river. The gun would be thrown in it. And on the way home, he’d get rid of his shoes in a Dumpster. He could expect that to get raided by a homeless person before the night was over.
He’d bet money he hadn’t picked up any trace evidence, but