Page 74 of The Money Man
“Derek?” Alice whimpered when he didn’t move. Then she remembered what he’d said about his death scenes in acting school and relief nearly swamped her. Her brain clicked into high gear. “Help him! He ... he has epilepsy. Seizures.”
“Sure he does,” Barsky said, his gun on Alice. “Stay where you are.” He shifted his attention to Ivan. “Is it real?”
“Yes, it is!” Alice said, letting her fear sharpen her voice. “You have to roll him onto his side so he doesn’t choke to death. Let me, please! Help him!”
“It looked real,” Ivan said. “That’s a stone floor, and he didn’t break his fall.”
Just then Derek began to convulse, arching up off the floor.
“Please!” Alice begged, admiring Derek for supporting her improvisation. “You have to put something under his head or he’ll hurt himself.”
Suddenly, Barsky’s arm was around her neck and the gun was jammed against her temple, a hard, cold circle of pressure that she could almost feel creating a bruise. Barsky yanked her against his body, sending a shudder of revulsion through her as she tried to swallow against his grip on her throat. “A little insurance in case your boyfriend is faking it,” he said, pulling her away from the table so their view of Derek and Ivan was unobstructed. “Roll him,” he said to Ivan.
The bodyguard tried to shift Derek with his foot, but the seizure appeared to stiffen his muscles so that his body resisted. Ivan knelt down and snaked his left arm under Derek’s shoulders, grunting with the effort of fighting the convulsion. As Ivan bent to get better leverage, Derek slammed one fist into Ivan’s nose and wrenched the gun out of the bodyguard’s grip. He smashed the gun sideways into Ivan’s temple and rolled as the big man fell forward, coming to his feet with the gun held in both hands.
Barsky’s hold on Alice’s throat tightened, making her cough. “That was a very stupid move. You gained nothing, and Ivan’s going to be pissed when he comes to. I can’t answer for what he’ll do.” He jerked Alice up onto her toes. “I’m pretty pissed myself.”
“Don’t hurt her,” Derek said, his breath coming in pants. “I’ll put the gun on the table. Or the floor. Wherever you want it.”
Barsky loosened his hold on Alice slightly, so her heels met the floor again. That reminded her of Dawn’s lessons on how to break a choke hold. Except those scenarios hadn’t included a gun. However, if she could get free before Derek put his gun down, he could shoot Barsky. Would he? That two-handed grip he displayed seemed pretty expert, but she wasn’t sure he would actually use his weapon. Personally, right now she would happily shoot Barsky, in the arm at the very least, for what he’d put them through.
Her captor had his left hand around her neck, so she needed to go right.
“Place it on the floor and kick it over to me,” Barsky said beside her ear. “Slowly, so you don’t startle me into shooting your pretty girlfriend.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Alice said, planting her left foot in front, the way she’d practiced. She pivoted in toward her captor with her right foot, slipping her shoulder under Barsky’s forearm and ducking down. She could feel the gun muzzle drag up through her hair as she turned. Then she slammed her palms against his torso and shoved with all her might, knocking him off-balance.
“Shoot him!” she yelled as she bent low and raced away from Barsky to take cover behind the island.
A shot rang out, and Alice prayed it was from Derek’s gun. She heard something hit the floor with a metallic clank.
“Shit!” Barsky snarled. “You’re a fucking accountant and you shot me.”
“You were hurting my girlfriend,” Derek said. “Nowyoukick the gun tome.”
Alice peered up over the countertop to see Derek stop Barsky’s sliding gun with his foot before he redirected it behind the table, well out of Ivan’s reach. Barsky was leaning against the island holding his left hand over his right shoulder where a bright red stain was spreading across his shirt.
“She’s just a fucking bookkeeper,” Barsky growled. “What the hell is it with you two?”
“Alice,” Derek said. “I need you to tie up Ivan. After that, you can shoot Barsky yourself.”
“Can I get a towel?” Barsky asked with a strange calm. “I’m losing a lot of blood.”
Alice straightened and looked at Derek to see what he wanted her to do.
Derek’s face was icy with anger. “I hope you bleed to death. Where are the restraints you were going to use on us?”
“In the black duffel bag under a table in the front entrance hall,” Barsky said easily. He seemed remarkably unworried by his situation, which made Alice wonder if he knew something they didn’t.
“Do you know how to use a gun?” Derek asked her.
“I got a marksman badge in summer camp,” Alice said. Of course, that was quite a few years ago and mostly they had used rifles. However, she had been allowed to try out a handgun a couple of times.
“Take Barsky’s then, just in case.”
“Do you think someone else is coming?” she asked, nerves tightening her stomach into a knot.
“It’s a precaution.” Derek shifted his position so that he had the table between himself and the unconscious Ivan.
