slammed the door to scare the
rats.
Annie looked over at Jake's chair.
He wasn't by her side. She'd have to fend for herself if need be.
Wonder where my gun got to?
Preparing herself to do battle,
Annie sat up on the couch, finding it hard to breathe through the
pain as she waited to see who was slipping quietly around in the
kitchen. Her heart thumped fast as she stared toward the
doorway.
Sofie leaned around the back of her
recliner to see in the kitchen. She saw Annie weaving around on the
couch. “Relax, Gal, it's just Jake coming back.”
The room was so dark, and Annie's
vision was hazy. She'd missed Sofie leaned back in that recliner.
Annie slumped against the couch back and tried to slow down her
breathing.
Her skinny friend ducked his head at
the doorway to come into the living room. He paced the floor,
running his fingers through his hair.
“ Slow down before you wear a hole in
my floor,” Sofie barked.
“ I cain't, Sofie. Annie, we got to
get out of here now. Someone ratted on us. Word on the street is
Big Ed is coming here with three of his goons. They figure on
killing you and me on sight.
Sofie, Big Ed knows you helped us.
You got to get out of here and lay low a few days until Big Ed
cools down.” Jake ran his fingers through his hair again and took a
deep breath.
Sofie grunted. “I spect it will take
more than a few days to get Big Ed off our backs. When you two
upset that mean son of a gun you did a good job of it.
You don't have to tell me twice. You
two try to stay safe. Annie, get some more rest if you can and be
careful not to start that wound bleeding again. You ain't near
healed. Now I'm out of here.” Sofie grabbed her wool coat and scarf
off a peg on the wall and headed for the back door.
She opened the door and peeked out
then slipped away into the night, leaving the door wide open. Big
Ed was a bigger fear to her right now than the rats.
Chapter 13
Annie lifted her legs off the couch
and wavered back and forth as she sat up. “Jake, where did my gun
end up?”
“ I put it in your jacket pocket,
hanging on that peg.” He pointed to the wall behind Sofie's
recliner. The denim jacket was beside the empty peg Sofie's coat
had been on. “Where you think you're going to be able to hide in
the condition you're in?”
“ In that storm drain I told you
about. That's where we was headed when I got shot. Come on,” Annie
said, standing up. She wobbled and grabbed Jake's arm until her
head quit spinning.
Slowly, Jake led Annie through the
kitchen to the door. He peeked outside, and thanked Mother Nature
for the moonless night. “Not a soul in sight as far as I can see.
As dark as it is, if I cain't see them, they cain't see us. Let's
go.”
Annie stepped outside and stopped to
look around for herself. Jake grabbed the door knob to quietly ease
the door shut. She put her hand over his on the knob. With humor in
her voice, she asked, “Do you think we should slam the door for
Sofie to keep the rats away until she comes back?”
Jake shook his head. “Nope, I don't.
Unless you want to let the neighborhood know we just left so you
can get shot again. Now come on.”
He tugged on her arm with a tight
grip and then grabbed her around the waist to make sure Annie
stayed on her wobbly feet. As much as they could they kept in the
shadows of the buildings. Soon they came to an undeveloped lot full
of scrubby trees.
When they reached the spot Annie
wanted, she pushed bush branches out of the way. She sank to her
knees and crawled into the dark metal hole. She heard scuffling
sounds of a fairly large animal and hoped it was fleeing out the
other end of the tube.
When the tube was suddenly quiet,
Annie's voice sounded like a hollow echo as she called back out of
the storm drain, “Come on in, Jake. Join me.”
She took a deep breath and let it
out while Jake bellied in. “Whoee, that walk about done me in. I'm
not going to be fit to move out of here for a day or two yet
rats.
Annie looked over at Jake's chair.
He wasn't by her side. She'd have to fend for herself if need be.
Wonder where my gun got to?
Preparing herself to do battle,
Annie sat up on the couch, finding it hard to breathe through the
pain as she waited to see who was slipping quietly around in the
kitchen. Her heart thumped fast as she stared toward the
doorway.
Sofie leaned around the back of her
recliner to see in the kitchen. She saw Annie weaving around on the
couch. “Relax, Gal, it's just Jake coming back.”
The room was so dark, and Annie's
vision was hazy. She'd missed Sofie leaned back in that recliner.
Annie slumped against the couch back and tried to slow down her
breathing.
Her skinny friend ducked his head at
the doorway to come into the living room. He paced the floor,
running his fingers through his hair.
“ Slow down before you wear a hole in
my floor,” Sofie barked.
“ I cain't, Sofie. Annie, we got to
get out of here now. Someone ratted on us. Word on the street is
Big Ed is coming here with three of his goons. They figure on
killing you and me on sight.
Sofie, Big Ed knows you helped us.
You got to get out of here and lay low a few days until Big Ed
cools down.” Jake ran his fingers through his hair again and took a
deep breath.
Sofie grunted. “I spect it will take
more than a few days to get Big Ed off our backs. When you two
upset that mean son of a gun you did a good job of it.
You don't have to tell me twice. You
two try to stay safe. Annie, get some more rest if you can and be
careful not to start that wound bleeding again. You ain't near
healed. Now I'm out of here.” Sofie grabbed her wool coat and scarf
off a peg on the wall and headed for the back door.
She opened the door and peeked out
then slipped away into the night, leaving the door wide open. Big
Ed was a bigger fear to her right now than the rats.
Chapter 13
Annie lifted her legs off the couch
and wavered back and forth as she sat up. “Jake, where did my gun
end up?”
“ I put it in your jacket pocket,
hanging on that peg.” He pointed to the wall behind Sofie's
recliner. The denim jacket was beside the empty peg Sofie's coat
had been on. “Where you think you're going to be able to hide in
the condition you're in?”
“ In that storm drain I told you
about. That's where we was headed when I got shot. Come on,” Annie
said, standing up. She wobbled and grabbed Jake's arm until her
head quit spinning.
Slowly, Jake led Annie through the
kitchen to the door. He peeked outside, and thanked Mother Nature
for the moonless night. “Not a soul in sight as far as I can see.
As dark as it is, if I cain't see them, they cain't see us. Let's
go.”
Annie stepped outside and stopped to
look around for herself. Jake grabbed the door knob to quietly ease
the door shut. She put her hand over his on the knob. With humor in
her voice, she asked, “Do you think we should slam the door for
Sofie to keep the rats away until she comes back?”
Jake shook his head. “Nope, I don't.
Unless you want to let the neighborhood know we just left so you
can get shot again. Now come on.”
He tugged on her arm with a tight
grip and then grabbed her around the waist to make sure Annie
stayed on her wobbly feet. As much as they could they kept in the
shadows of the buildings. Soon they came to an undeveloped lot full
of scrubby trees.
When they reached the spot Annie
wanted, she pushed bush branches out of the way. She sank to her
knees and crawled into the dark metal hole. She heard scuffling
sounds of a fairly large animal and hoped it was fleeing out the
other end of the tube.
When the tube was suddenly quiet,
Annie's voice sounded like a hollow echo as she called back out of
the storm drain, “Come on in, Jake. Join me.”
She took a deep breath and let it
out while Jake bellied in. “Whoee, that walk about done me in. I'm
not going to be fit to move out of here for a day or two yet
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