Page 18 of Erase Me
He lunged at me, screwdriver in hand.When I took hold of his wrist, he slugged me with his other fist in the ribs where I’d taken the earlier blow.Pain shot up through my body, lighting up my brain.I couldn’t breathe, and I knew I had to finish this quickly.
Never letting go of his wrist, I raised my knee and slammed his arm down on it.That was all it took.The screwdriver dropped harmlessly.
He cried out and dropped to one knee, holding his arm.Whatever fight he had in him immediately disappeared.A broken arm can do that.
I grabbed him by the collar, yanked his headlamp off, and hauled him to his feet.
The intruder who had caught me off guard was struggling to his feet, still sucking air with difficulty.The hammer-wielding thug was curled up on the floor, clutching his knee and moaning loudly.
“You two, take this one and go.”My voice was strained, but I managed to bark the words out.
They’d all had enough.The two injured men somehow helped the whimpering hammer man to his feet.Leaning on each other for support, the trio staggered toward the door.
I took the lead, unlatched the door, and forcefully yanked it open, never taking my eyes off of them.
The black SUV pulled up at the curb, and they all tumbled in.As the vehicle pulled away, I closed the door, leaned my back against it, and gingerly touched my ribs.
My earpiece crackled to life.“The SUV is making good time out of the neighborhood.Appears to be heading toward the highway entrance.They picked up the bike and rider too.”
“Nice of you to let me know about the third man,” I retorted.
“Don’t blame me.I told you he was there.”
I managed to catch a breath.Not a deep one, but a breath, nonetheless.
“Clean up time.”
“Well done.No corpses to dispose of.”
“That was touch and go for a minute there.It could have been me.”
“Youpoorthing!”Payam was an artist when it came to sarcasm.“Well, a cleaning crew is already booked by the owners for the day before their arrival on Wednesday.”
I stepped into the room where the intruders had entered and aimed one of the abandoned headlamps toward the French door leading to the patio.Shards of glass littered the floor.
“Schedule the window repairs for the same time the cleaners are here.”
“Got it.”
I returned to the foyer, each movement sending a sharp jolt of pain through my ribs.The ache intensified as I gingerly bent down to retrieve the hammer and screwdriver from the floor.
“And make it look like an accident.A baseball or soccer ball.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
Looking around me, I picked up a half dozen books that had been knocked to the floor when I was driven into the bookcase.I started lining them up on the shelf.
“Do you want the Sheriff’s Department to grab them?”
“Not tonight.Give it a few days.But put it in your schedule for next week to call in an anonymous tip.Descriptions, license plate, and rest of it.”
“Are we going to be around that long?”
I noticed a frame on a shelf above that had fallen backward.I stood it back up and looked at the family in the photograph.A handsome couple.He had his arm around her, and she was holding an infant in her arms.
“I guess that all depends on how successful I am with this next job.”
ChapterFive
