hate leavin ya this way. It just doesn’t seem right.” She scooped Ralph up in her arms and called over her shoulder, “You call me when you get where you’re goin and let me know you’re okay. Promise now, honey?” She turned toward Emily and crossed her heart, “Cross your heart?”
“Promise! Now go!” She rushed over to answer the phone and the voice on the other end said, “Hello, is this Emily?”
“Yes, who’s…” Then she realized how foolish she was to answer the phone.
“It’s John, John Hazard. I was just calling to see if you had decided to join us on the…”
“Yes!”
“Great, will you need someone to pick you up in the morning?”
“I need someone to pick me up right fuckin’ now!” she screamed at the cell phone she had dropped on the bed while she tried to zip the over-stuffed suitcase.
“Give me your address. I think I might be in your area right now. Are you okay? You don’t sound so good.” He started to pull over to look for the address on her résumé. He remembered the street name, but not the number.
She had to think. “225 Rockland… Apartment 2C, but you better hurry cuz I gotta get out of here in the next five minutes or I’m dead!”
“Seriously?”
“Fuck, John! Some seriously bad people are on their way here to kill me.” She picked the phone up from the bed and put it to her ear.
John knew better than to ask what was going on. His cop reflexes were kicking in. “Is there a back exit out of the building?”
“No, just a fire escape,” she said looking out the window across the room.
“Look, if someone is coming to kill you they will probably come in hard. You need to watch out your window for them, wait until they get inside the building, and then get your ass down that fire escape. I should be there any minute and I’ll meet you at the bottom. You got it? If you are not there waiting, I’ll blow the horn to let you know I’m out there.” He felt the rush of adrenalin now. John began scanning all the people he could see along the way. Maybe he could spot something suspicious.
Emily picked up the suitcase and walked toward the window that opened to the fire escape. “Right, fire escape... Shit!”
Shoving the phone in her pocket, she bent over and unlocked the window, grabbing the top latch and tried to pull it open. It was stuck! She tried several times, until finally it broke loose nearly throwing her to the floor.
She was just sticking her head out the window when she heard the slamming of car doors outside on the street. She leaned out and peeked over the rusted cast iron railing and caught a glimpse of two very large men dressed in black walking from the SUV to her apartment entrance.
“Fuck!” she whispered and began to feel more panicked as she grabbed the stuffed suitcase and hoisted it through the window onto the landing of the fire escape. She was certain that she had triple-locked her door, but unsure if it would hold up if someone was determined to break in. As she stepped through the window she prayed.
“You better be there, John. Please, God. Hurry!”
On the street below, the two thugs broke the glass on the security door and reached in to unlock it.
“Yo, what apartment was that?” one asked the other.
“2C, second floor.”
“Yeah, I know, I know! Second floor! You think I’m some kinda mook?” He turned his back to the open door and faced his alleged heckler.
“Nah, I didn’t mean…”
“Fuck you! I should pop one in ya like they did to Bobby.” He started to raise his gun.
“Come on, man. Let’s do this and get out of here. I’ll buy you a beer on the way back.” The guy held his hands out defensively.
“Beer sounds good, but I should still kick yo’ ass,” he said, turning to step through the door. They hurried up the steps and looked down the hall to find apartment 2C.
Meanwhile, John was beginning to be concerned that he might not make it to Emily in time, so he started running the red
“Promise! Now go!” She rushed over to answer the phone and the voice on the other end said, “Hello, is this Emily?”
“Yes, who’s…” Then she realized how foolish she was to answer the phone.
“It’s John, John Hazard. I was just calling to see if you had decided to join us on the…”
“Yes!”
“Great, will you need someone to pick you up in the morning?”
“I need someone to pick me up right fuckin’ now!” she screamed at the cell phone she had dropped on the bed while she tried to zip the over-stuffed suitcase.
“Give me your address. I think I might be in your area right now. Are you okay? You don’t sound so good.” He started to pull over to look for the address on her résumé. He remembered the street name, but not the number.
She had to think. “225 Rockland… Apartment 2C, but you better hurry cuz I gotta get out of here in the next five minutes or I’m dead!”
“Seriously?”
“Fuck, John! Some seriously bad people are on their way here to kill me.” She picked the phone up from the bed and put it to her ear.
John knew better than to ask what was going on. His cop reflexes were kicking in. “Is there a back exit out of the building?”
“No, just a fire escape,” she said looking out the window across the room.
“Look, if someone is coming to kill you they will probably come in hard. You need to watch out your window for them, wait until they get inside the building, and then get your ass down that fire escape. I should be there any minute and I’ll meet you at the bottom. You got it? If you are not there waiting, I’ll blow the horn to let you know I’m out there.” He felt the rush of adrenalin now. John began scanning all the people he could see along the way. Maybe he could spot something suspicious.
Emily picked up the suitcase and walked toward the window that opened to the fire escape. “Right, fire escape... Shit!”
Shoving the phone in her pocket, she bent over and unlocked the window, grabbing the top latch and tried to pull it open. It was stuck! She tried several times, until finally it broke loose nearly throwing her to the floor.
She was just sticking her head out the window when she heard the slamming of car doors outside on the street. She leaned out and peeked over the rusted cast iron railing and caught a glimpse of two very large men dressed in black walking from the SUV to her apartment entrance.
“Fuck!” she whispered and began to feel more panicked as she grabbed the stuffed suitcase and hoisted it through the window onto the landing of the fire escape. She was certain that she had triple-locked her door, but unsure if it would hold up if someone was determined to break in. As she stepped through the window she prayed.
“You better be there, John. Please, God. Hurry!”
On the street below, the two thugs broke the glass on the security door and reached in to unlock it.
“Yo, what apartment was that?” one asked the other.
“2C, second floor.”
“Yeah, I know, I know! Second floor! You think I’m some kinda mook?” He turned his back to the open door and faced his alleged heckler.
“Nah, I didn’t mean…”
“Fuck you! I should pop one in ya like they did to Bobby.” He started to raise his gun.
“Come on, man. Let’s do this and get out of here. I’ll buy you a beer on the way back.” The guy held his hands out defensively.
“Beer sounds good, but I should still kick yo’ ass,” he said, turning to step through the door. They hurried up the steps and looked down the hall to find apartment 2C.
Meanwhile, John was beginning to be concerned that he might not make it to Emily in time, so he started running the red
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