walked
away. No cops yet.
Annie made her way back to Jake
surely but slowly. She wanted to make sure she wasn't followed
which would give away their safe place. Besides, she was about out
of energy to stay on her feet.
Annie felt a surge of sheer relief
when she spotted the tangle of bushes ahead of her. She slipped up
to the branches and looked around her as she spoke softly, “Jake,
it's me.”
Jake grunted. “Come
ahead.”
Annie crawled into the drainage
tube. Jake lay on his belly, his head resting on his hands as he
watched her. He grinned, looking relieved to see her. “It's seems
like forever since we parted. I was just thinking I should go back
out and find you. I figured I might have to carry you back here if
you gave out and had to stop to rest. You're lucky if you didn't
bust open that wound and start bleeding again. What
happened?”
Annie shrugged. “Coming out in the
open would have been a stupid thing for you to do. I told you I can
take care of myself. I always have and always will.”
“ Aw, now who is forgetting we are
supposed to watch each other's backs,” Jake
chided.
The fact that Annie killed a human
being was just sinking in. She put her hands over her
face.
“ Something bad happened, huh?” Jake
surmised.
Annie shook her head and wiped the
moisture out of her eyes with her jacket sleeve. “Jake, Big Ed sent
one of his goons after me while he talked to the cops. The guy
stayed on my tail so I hid in the appliance store
dumpster.
He figured out that's where I
disappeared to and started looking in the dumpsters with his gun
drawn. The dumpster I was in was the last of the four. The coward
stuck his pistol in first and shot without looking.”
“ Oh no, did he hit you?” Jake asked,
looking her up and down.
“ No, not even close. I was doubled up
in a corner so he missed me by a mile. He was curious enough to
peek which was his mistake. When he did, I let him have it between
the eyes. He dropped without a sound, and I got out of there before
the gunfire was reported to the cops again,” Annie
said.
“ Well, don't feel too bad for the
guy. It was either you or him going to bite the bullet. I'm just
glad it was Big Ed's man that went down for the count and not
you.
What are we going to do now? We
can't stay in this storm drain forever with winter coming on,” Jake
groaned.
“ No, we can't. We need to trap Big Ed
and get him jailed permanently before he kills one of us,” Annie
said frankly.
To Jake that seemed like an
impossible plan. “Oh, sure. Sounds like you're getting one of your
cockamamie ideas to me. Now just how are we going to trap Big
Ed?”
Chapter 16
“ I think I know a way,” Annie said,
grinning at him. “It involves you buying me another
doughnut.”
“ Oh, come on. Quit your joking. That
bakery is the last store we need to be seen near. Big Ed is sure to
have it figured out by now that the two of us can only afford
doughnuts. He already knows we hang out in that alley a lot so he's
sure to have one of his goon's keeping an eye out for us,”
complained Jake.
“ Exactly, so he knows where to find
us if we get another doughnut and eat it in the alley,” Annie
agreed. She checked her pockets. “I've got enough change to buy two
more. After that, I better go back to work,
rummaging.”
“ Hey, awhile back you told me you
only had enough money for one doughnut we'd have to split,” Jake
groused.
Annie chuckled. “So I
lied.”
“ That wasn't a bit nice of you to
make me feel sorry for you and spend my hard earned money on
doughnuts for us both when you had money to buy your own. I thought
you said you weren't going to lie to me anymore,” Jake
said.
“ I'm sorry. Old habits are hard to
break,” Annie apologized.
“ Well, my being cautious is an old
habit that is hard for me to break. For your information, your plan
don't sound like a great one to me. I don't feel like being bait
for Big Ed and maybe getting myself and you killed.
away. No cops yet.
Annie made her way back to Jake
surely but slowly. She wanted to make sure she wasn't followed
which would give away their safe place. Besides, she was about out
of energy to stay on her feet.
Annie felt a surge of sheer relief
when she spotted the tangle of bushes ahead of her. She slipped up
to the branches and looked around her as she spoke softly, “Jake,
it's me.”
Jake grunted. “Come
ahead.”
Annie crawled into the drainage
tube. Jake lay on his belly, his head resting on his hands as he
watched her. He grinned, looking relieved to see her. “It's seems
like forever since we parted. I was just thinking I should go back
out and find you. I figured I might have to carry you back here if
you gave out and had to stop to rest. You're lucky if you didn't
bust open that wound and start bleeding again. What
happened?”
Annie shrugged. “Coming out in the
open would have been a stupid thing for you to do. I told you I can
take care of myself. I always have and always will.”
“ Aw, now who is forgetting we are
supposed to watch each other's backs,” Jake
chided.
The fact that Annie killed a human
being was just sinking in. She put her hands over her
face.
“ Something bad happened, huh?” Jake
surmised.
Annie shook her head and wiped the
moisture out of her eyes with her jacket sleeve. “Jake, Big Ed sent
one of his goons after me while he talked to the cops. The guy
stayed on my tail so I hid in the appliance store
dumpster.
He figured out that's where I
disappeared to and started looking in the dumpsters with his gun
drawn. The dumpster I was in was the last of the four. The coward
stuck his pistol in first and shot without looking.”
“ Oh no, did he hit you?” Jake asked,
looking her up and down.
“ No, not even close. I was doubled up
in a corner so he missed me by a mile. He was curious enough to
peek which was his mistake. When he did, I let him have it between
the eyes. He dropped without a sound, and I got out of there before
the gunfire was reported to the cops again,” Annie
said.
“ Well, don't feel too bad for the
guy. It was either you or him going to bite the bullet. I'm just
glad it was Big Ed's man that went down for the count and not
you.
What are we going to do now? We
can't stay in this storm drain forever with winter coming on,” Jake
groaned.
“ No, we can't. We need to trap Big Ed
and get him jailed permanently before he kills one of us,” Annie
said frankly.
To Jake that seemed like an
impossible plan. “Oh, sure. Sounds like you're getting one of your
cockamamie ideas to me. Now just how are we going to trap Big
Ed?”
Chapter 16
“ I think I know a way,” Annie said,
grinning at him. “It involves you buying me another
doughnut.”
“ Oh, come on. Quit your joking. That
bakery is the last store we need to be seen near. Big Ed is sure to
have it figured out by now that the two of us can only afford
doughnuts. He already knows we hang out in that alley a lot so he's
sure to have one of his goon's keeping an eye out for us,”
complained Jake.
“ Exactly, so he knows where to find
us if we get another doughnut and eat it in the alley,” Annie
agreed. She checked her pockets. “I've got enough change to buy two
more. After that, I better go back to work,
rummaging.”
“ Hey, awhile back you told me you
only had enough money for one doughnut we'd have to split,” Jake
groused.
Annie chuckled. “So I
lied.”
“ That wasn't a bit nice of you to
make me feel sorry for you and spend my hard earned money on
doughnuts for us both when you had money to buy your own. I thought
you said you weren't going to lie to me anymore,” Jake
said.
“ I'm sorry. Old habits are hard to
break,” Annie apologized.
“ Well, my being cautious is an old
habit that is hard for me to break. For your information, your plan
don't sound like a great one to me. I don't feel like being bait
for Big Ed and maybe getting myself and you killed.
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