Page 84 of Coff

“Is someone here?” Nelson shouts, then begins walking up the stairs.

We stand still, but we don’t have time to be quiet now.

“Oh shit,” Ozzie says quietly. “We have company.”

I go back to the window and see another car pull up. Three men jump out.

“Duke Manzia! Just the man we are looking for!” A tall man aims a gun and fires.

Duke dives into a bush as Nelson runs downstairs toward the back of the house.

Logan takes my hand. “Where is the nearest bathroom?”

I point to a closed door near the window. He leads me in there and points. “Get in the bathtub and stay there.”

I frown. “Why?”

“I’m trying to keep you from getting shot by a stray bullet. Now get in there,” he orders.

There’s something in his tone that I decide it’s best to just listen and not argue right now. Or maybe it’s the fact that between those men and my brother, a lot of shots are being fired.

I lie down in the tub, and then glass breaks. I sit up enough to spot Ozzie aiming his gun out the window. He fires several shots. I sink back into the tub and hope Duke isn’t caught in the crossfire.

“Those three men are down,” Ozzie announces.

I climb out of the tub.

“Get back in there!” Logan shouts at me. “Nelson is still out there somewhere.”

“Nelson! You asshole, where are you?” Duke shouts from inside the house.

“Stay here!” Logan orders.

He and Ozzie run out of the room. I appreciate his wanting to keep me safe, but there is no way I can sit here. My dad keeps a gun in the office. I need to get to it before Nelson finds Duke.

I run down the back stairs. I’d always thought it was dumb to have two staircases, but right now, I’m grateful for them.

They lead me to the kitchen, which is empty. Slowly, I round a corner on my way to the office. I’m certain I’ll find Nelson waiting there for Duke. But I am wrong. As I round that corner, someone grabs me and puts their hand over my mouth. His grip is tight.

“Hello, wifey. Glad you could stop by.”

I go limp. Nelson.

“Wouldn’t it be funny if your brother accidentally killed you? Oh, I’m not sure he could live with that. Let’s find out!” Nelson drags me to the middle of the hallway. “Duke, I’m over here,” he yells.

No, that is not how this is going down. I take this opportunity to catch Nelson off guard as I use his body weight to flip him until he’s onto his back.

“You bitch!” He grabs my ankle, and I go down hard.

He climbs over me and has a fistful of hair. I try to get out of his grasp, but the way he’s holding my hair, every time I move, it pulls harder.

“Let her go!” Duke yells.

The next moment happens so fast. Nelson releases me and reaches for a pistol in his waistband as he turns toward Duke.

“He has a gun!” I shout.

A shot rings through the air, and I swear time stands still. Nelson freezes. From what I can see of Duke, he freezes.

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