Enamel by Tim Sabados

Author:Tim Sabados
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Tim Sabados
Published: 2021-01-29T00:00:00+00:00

23

Charlie screamed through a clenched jaw. He sprang forward to throw himself into the fray. Knock some heads. Rescue Aryssa. He had made it two or maybe even three steps before Sammy pulled a gun and racked the chamber. “Don’t do it,” Sammy commanded.

Charlie ground to a halt. Froze where he stood and raised his arms. “Let her go.”

Some thirty or so feet of empty blacktop stood between Charlie and that gun. How far could he make it before Sammy fired his first round? How quickly could he cover the distance if he zigzagged to avoid the bullet?

“Don’t be a hero,” Sammy demanded. “It’ll only get you killed.”

Anger swelled inside Charlie. It flooded his legs. His arms. He was ready to explode forward, except that gun kept him rooted. Forced him to quash every impulse that urged his desire to brawl. He could only watch helplessly as the fight in Aryssa dwindled. Her efforts to punch and kick her way free became weaker. Less frequent. It didn’t take long before there were none at all.

“If I were you, I’d forget any of this ever happened,” Sammy advised. “This isn’t your fight.”

Charlie opened his mouth to challenge Sammy, but chose to let silence quell his response. He squeezed his fists and tried to crush his frustration into his palms.

Sammy smiled. “You want to do something so badly, don’t you?” A gesture toward Charlie’s hands. “Let me be perfectly clear. If you try to rescue her or think you can get the police involved, then wipe that thought from your mind. The moment I sense something foul, people will die. Do you understand me?”

“Perfectly,” Charlie said in a voice as taut as a steel cable.

He desperately wanted to say more. Fling his words as if they were darts filled with the poison of instigation. Somehow taunt Sammy and those other men into a fight. Could he take all three of them? Would Sammy use his gun? He glanced at Mackenzie and Zoe, to Aryssa then back to the weapon. Charlie was stuck. There was nothing he could do except seal his lips and keep his voice buried in his throat.

Sammy perked up at the sound of sirens echoing in the distance. Tipped his head at the man atop of Aryssa. “Get her in the car.”

Without saying a word, the man slipped his arms underneath Aryssa’s armpits and dragged her limp body toward the back of the SUV.

Charlie could only glare at Sammy. Those sirens were growing louder. Was some kind of emergency happening close by? Had someone witnessed what was happening here and called the cops?

Aryssa was crammed into the backseat by the darkly dressed man. When he was finished, he waited by the door. “Let’s get out of here,” he said.

“Not just yet,” Sammy responded. He slowly shuffled toward the passenger door, all the while keeping his weapon fixed on Charlie.

Charlie kept his focus on the gun. Remained perfectly still. Why was Sammy taking his time getting into the car? Was he waiting for those sirens to get closer?

“You’ve got a choice,” Sammy advised.

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