16 Gunpowder (1/2)

Adal must have had a full team working round the clock, because the fox body was back before I knew it. Shiny new paint job, and everything. The thing never ran so good.

With the 93 back in my yard I had the 302 at Tony's shop. He still hated me for keeping secrets like I was. Even so he still took the money when I put it on the table. It probably wasn't fair to hold that against him. He wasn't doing amazing in the nowhere town. No one was.

I found myself at his shop one day after the snow stopped. The roads where a messy mix of snow and mud now making driving no fun at all. The watery mix clung to my shoes and I had to knock it off so I wouldn't track it into Tony's shop.

”I think we got the suspension worked out now. The breaks really got to be changed before you do anything crazy with this”

Tony had the 302 up on the lift now as he was checking over the underside. I tossed my bag against the door to his office before I joined him.

”Who needs breaks?”

”People who want to live I suppose”

I scoffed walking myself back over to the garage door. I hit the button prompting it to groan as it closed. It was way too damn cold to keep it open.

”Who wants to live anymore?”

”That's a good question Jack”

Tony meandered his way over to his work bench tossing a greased stained rag across it.

”Either way you've given me enough to cover it. Shouldn't be too much trouble to swap them once I get them in”

He continued his thought as he put away his tools neatly where they belonged. Behind me the sound of tires sloshing through the muck in the driveway caught my ear. I turned peeking out the glass ovals in the garage door.

My heart dropped into a black pit in my stomach when I saw the black SUV. The same kind I put a shell through in Chicago. Four men exited the vehicle in black suits with ski masks.

The world moved in slow motion after that moment. Tony said something behind me, but my ears didn't catch it. All I could hear was my heartbeat thumping against my ear drum.

The silver of the hand guns they all pulled glimmered in the sun. A dangerous glimmer. One that Adal's eyes had an odd way of replicating. At first, I had no idea how to react. My body just stood there thinking about how it was weird that Adal's eyes could look as dangerous as a gun to me.

A shot rang out shattering glass near my face. The world snapped back to speed and I dived backwards for my bag. My .45 was in there. Tucked safely under a set of extra clothes.

When I dived I heard Tony yelling something. Probably a string of swear words. He collided with his office door faster than I thought possibly for him. I had never seen him move faster than a casual walk.

My bag went sliding into the office and I crawled on my belly after it. I fumbled with it trying to get my gun out. My brain flashed the thought that Tony would be suspicious if I was carrying a gun around, but now was hardly the time to worry about that.

Before I could get my gun free I heard the familiar sound of someone racking a shell in a shot gun. From my right a deafening shot rang out followed by the sound of the glass in Tony's office shattering.

Pressed tight against his shoulder Tony had a brown and black pump action. It was trained right on something out of my sight as he racked another shell. I scrambled again yanking my gun free and slipping a mag in.

The gun made a satisfying click as I chambered a round. Several more shots from the men after us came followed by another shot from Tony. Glass shattered again and something hit one of the metal garage doors hard.

I peeked over the low wall of Tony's office to try and spot the men. Three of them where moving on us quick and one was splayed out across one of the metal garage doors. When I took aim my muscle took over placing the sights right over the chest of some poor soul running for us.

I barely felt the recoil as I squeezed off three shots. One whizzed by my target but the last two smashed right through his chest. Blood splattered and bloomed out from the holes as he reeled back from the force.

I ducked back down putting my back to the wall just as Tony stood up from behind his desk. While I cowered behind the walls of the office he drew up his gun without a trace of fear in his eyes.

They locked on a target and the gun fired off another shot. My ears were ringing now too bad for me to hear if it had hit a mark or not. Like a scared toddler I clasped my hands over my ears and drew my knees up.

Tony fired off another shot and tried to go back behind his desk, but he couldn't move fast enough. He was too old to move fast enough. A bullet shattered one of the last windows over my head and found a new home in his chest.

The world went in slow motion again. I could see every detail as the drops of blood jumped free from the hole. The blood blooming against his white work shirt like a rose. The faintest hint of fear in his eyes as he stumbled back. Another bullet slammed into his chest inches from the first. Tony sucked in one quick breath before he fell over behind the desk.

My brain turned itself off for the moment. I turned around and popped up from my spot. Tony had made it easy for me. Only one guy was up. He was hiding behind the front of another beater Tony had been working on.

He peaked a little too long. My gun locked on like I wasn't even moving it. The hammer fell sending the bullet right into the man's forehead. His head snapped back and fell like a rock to the floor.

On an adrenaline high I dashed from my spot and vaulted Tony's desk to get to him. He coughed and choked on his own blood as he tried desperately to hang on. His shotgun sat beside him in his limp hand.

I had my jacket off and pressed it foolishly over his chest that was gushing blood. My mind raced trying to think of something. Tony faded fast from this world. His eyes locked on mine with a mix of panic and this odd spaced out look.

My breath caught in my throat hard as tears threatened to fall. I grabbed the old man's hand and squeezed.

”Tony, I swear to God if you die on me!”

He choked something. I couldn't tell through the blood in his lungs.

”Tony please don't do this to me!”

I ripped my phone out of my jacket pocket and took my hand away from his to keep pressure on his chest.

The 911 operator came on with a cheerful greeting. She was met with my hysterical screaming. I threw out the road's name four or five times between screaming about how my friend just got shot. My mouth moved too fast for my brain to know what was coming out.

Tony coughed and spit out blood trying to clear his throat. He gasped in a weak breath of air. I hung up the phone and tossed it aside to take the old man's hand.

”Tony please you can't leave me like this!”