how are we going to make them think I killed you?”
“Aw, fuck you...”
“Listen to me. There’s not much time. They’ll be coming back soon to check. Since you’re the one who’s busted up, I don’t think you really have much of a choice. But if I can get you over that ledge and into the water we both might stand a chance.”
Nolan’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You’re a crazy murdering son of a bitch. The cops will be here any minute, you’ll see. They said they’d give me some time to do what I wanted before they picked you up.”
“They weren’t cops, Ken. Don’t you get it? We’ve been set up. They want us to try and kill each other.”
Nolan grinned through bloody teeth. “I think you’re scared, man. Scared you’re going to be on the fast track to death row.”
Robert pressed his makeshift knife against the man’s throat.
“Go ahead. Do it,” Nolan whispered. “It’s what you’re good at, right?
Robert pressed deeper into the man’s flab, until blood began to well up around the edges of the crystalline point.
“You must listen to me, Ken. There’s an island in the middle of the reservoir. Right now it’s hidden by fog. Swim for it, and hang on. This area is full of security cameras. As soon as they see us in the reservoir they’ll be calling the cops. The men behind this won’t be sticking around. They’ll think you’re dead.”
He drew back the blade from Nolan’s neck. The tip had left behind a red dot of blood.
Nolan laughed incredulously. “I still don’t believe a fucking word you say. You’re a goddamn coward. You could’ve stuck me in the jugular with that thing and it would have been over.”
“You’re exactly right. I’m trying to give you a chance to live.”
Robert thought of something. A way to connect. He took out Connor’s drawing and handed it to Nolan.
“What’s this?”
“My son drew it for me.”
Nolan squinted at the picture. He lifted his head and stared into Robert’s eyes.
“Jesus, your kid really did draw this, didn’t he?”
“His name is Connor. He and my wife were taken from me last night by a group of violent men. I have no idea why they chose us. They’ve taken them somewhere, and won’t give them back until I’ve done what they ask. Those men you think are cops are going to kill us all if they don’t see a clear winner tonight.”
Nolan studied the picture some more and grunted. “Kid’s got talent.”
Robert stood up on shaky legs. He walked over to the fence and sat down on the concrete ledge. It seemed that Nolan was coming to his senses. He could understand why he wouldn’t want to believe him, especially if Marsh had been feeding him lies.
“Okay, okay. I’ll go along with your plan,” Nolan said. “But how am I going to do this if I can’t walk?”
“I’ve already thought of that… I’m going to drag you over here and dump you over the fence. They’ll think I first stabbed you, then decided to drown you just to make sure.”
“Then let’s get this fucking thing over with.”
Robert took Connor’s drawing and folded it neatly back into his pocket. He slid off his jacket, lifted Nolan up by the armpits. He was heavier than Robert expected and his bad shoulder began to throb.
“You’re going to need to help.”
“Go to hell. You broke my leg, remember?”
When they came to the ledge through the opening in the fence, Nolan used his good leg to help jack himself over to the other side. A concrete slope angled sharply into the slapping dark water. Robert had been too busy trying to support Nolan’s weight to notice he’d grabbed hold of a loosened iron bar and pulled it free.
Robert set Nolan down on the narrow shore and looked up to see if anyone was watching. Nolan slid the iron rod out from behind his back and stabbed Robert in the chest. The pain shot up inside him, ringing all the way to the back of his jaw. It hadn’t gone in but had glanced against a rib and taken a lot of skin with
“Aw, fuck you...”
“Listen to me. There’s not much time. They’ll be coming back soon to check. Since you’re the one who’s busted up, I don’t think you really have much of a choice. But if I can get you over that ledge and into the water we both might stand a chance.”
Nolan’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You’re a crazy murdering son of a bitch. The cops will be here any minute, you’ll see. They said they’d give me some time to do what I wanted before they picked you up.”
“They weren’t cops, Ken. Don’t you get it? We’ve been set up. They want us to try and kill each other.”
Nolan grinned through bloody teeth. “I think you’re scared, man. Scared you’re going to be on the fast track to death row.”
Robert pressed his makeshift knife against the man’s throat.
“Go ahead. Do it,” Nolan whispered. “It’s what you’re good at, right?
Robert pressed deeper into the man’s flab, until blood began to well up around the edges of the crystalline point.
“You must listen to me, Ken. There’s an island in the middle of the reservoir. Right now it’s hidden by fog. Swim for it, and hang on. This area is full of security cameras. As soon as they see us in the reservoir they’ll be calling the cops. The men behind this won’t be sticking around. They’ll think you’re dead.”
He drew back the blade from Nolan’s neck. The tip had left behind a red dot of blood.
Nolan laughed incredulously. “I still don’t believe a fucking word you say. You’re a goddamn coward. You could’ve stuck me in the jugular with that thing and it would have been over.”
“You’re exactly right. I’m trying to give you a chance to live.”
Robert thought of something. A way to connect. He took out Connor’s drawing and handed it to Nolan.
“What’s this?”
“My son drew it for me.”
Nolan squinted at the picture. He lifted his head and stared into Robert’s eyes.
“Jesus, your kid really did draw this, didn’t he?”
“His name is Connor. He and my wife were taken from me last night by a group of violent men. I have no idea why they chose us. They’ve taken them somewhere, and won’t give them back until I’ve done what they ask. Those men you think are cops are going to kill us all if they don’t see a clear winner tonight.”
Nolan studied the picture some more and grunted. “Kid’s got talent.”
Robert stood up on shaky legs. He walked over to the fence and sat down on the concrete ledge. It seemed that Nolan was coming to his senses. He could understand why he wouldn’t want to believe him, especially if Marsh had been feeding him lies.
“Okay, okay. I’ll go along with your plan,” Nolan said. “But how am I going to do this if I can’t walk?”
“I’ve already thought of that… I’m going to drag you over here and dump you over the fence. They’ll think I first stabbed you, then decided to drown you just to make sure.”
“Then let’s get this fucking thing over with.”
Robert took Connor’s drawing and folded it neatly back into his pocket. He slid off his jacket, lifted Nolan up by the armpits. He was heavier than Robert expected and his bad shoulder began to throb.
“You’re going to need to help.”
“Go to hell. You broke my leg, remember?”
When they came to the ledge through the opening in the fence, Nolan used his good leg to help jack himself over to the other side. A concrete slope angled sharply into the slapping dark water. Robert had been too busy trying to support Nolan’s weight to notice he’d grabbed hold of a loosened iron bar and pulled it free.
Robert set Nolan down on the narrow shore and looked up to see if anyone was watching. Nolan slid the iron rod out from behind his back and stabbed Robert in the chest. The pain shot up inside him, ringing all the way to the back of his jaw. It hadn’t gone in but had glanced against a rib and taken a lot of skin with
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