Page 35 of The Thief
Two took a step closer, getting into One’s space as he sneered, “Bit fucking late for that though, isn’t it? It’s not like you can throw me out now.”
I heard One mutter, “Try me,” under his breath, but Two either didn’t hear or chose to ignore it.
Instead, he turned back to the old man who was standing slightly hunched over, his face marred with pain, but his body fighting with everything he had.
Two grinned at him and held his gun out. “Go on then, Grandad. It’s a party. Dance.”
The old man just stood there, staring back at him wide-eyed, until he started to shoot his gun at the floor just in front of the old man, making him jump and move his feet in fear of being hit. I heard Ava wake with a start at the noise and then she began to whimper again in her mum’s arms.
“Its okay, baby. Mummy’s here,” Jess soothed as she rocked Ava in her arms beside me.
“Fucking stop it! Now!” One shouted, lurching forward to make a grab for Two’s gun, but Two pushed him off, and then tilted his gun a fraction and shot the old man in the leg, making him cry out as he fell to the floor.
“Now look what you’ve fucking made me do,” Two snapped, turning his gun on One. “That was your fault he got hit.”
“You’re a fucking dead man,” Number One snarled, and he stormed through to the back office as Two scoffed at his threat.
Moments later, he emerged with what looked like a scarf, and knelt down, wrapping it around the old man’s bleeding leg. But all the time, he was cursing under his breath.
I watched him tend to the old man on the floor, while Number Two stood over him and started to mock him.
“Do you know what the first sign of weakness is for guy’s like us?”
Number One didn’t answer, just carried on securing thescarf tightly to the old man’s wound, and then asked him if he was okay.
“It’s giving a fuck,” Number Two stated. “Want to know the second?”
One ignored him, reaching across to the old lady who was crying, and she nodded in response to something he’d said.
“It’s taking your eye off the ball.” Number Two grinned, and then, gripping his handgun firmly, he swung his arm back and smacked the pistol hard into Number One’s head.
Number One hit the floor, but Two wasn’t giving up that easily. He lifted his gun in the air and brought it smashing down onto the side of One’s skull again, knocking him out.
Number One had made the biggest mistake, Two was right about that. But it wasn’t taking his eye off the ball, it was turning his back on his enemy. That was the mistake. And I knew we were all about to pay for it.
The sound the gun made as it hit his skull made everyone gasp and recoil in fear and revulsion.
And me?
I sat there, trying to prepare myself for the fallout, because it was coming.
When Two stood up and turned his attention to our corner of the room, I knew I had to prepare myself really fucking quickly.
“And now the party really starts,” he cackled with an evil laugh as the other gunmen came into the room to see what was going on, clutching their bags and gawping at Number One who was lying lifelessly on the floor.
“What the fuck happened?” a Scottish voice asked.
“Someone needed to remind him where his fucking place was,” Two growled. “And it wasn’t at the fucking top of thisgame.”
He strolled over to stand in front of us, his eyes raking over Jess as his smile widened.
“Time to go to Daddy for a while,” he sneered, reaching down to grab Ava off Jess’s lap. “Mummy has something she needs to do for us in the back room.”
Ava started to cry loudly now, squeals piercing the air as she tried to pull her arm free and cling to her mum. I threw my body over both of them. My hands were useless, the skin of my wrists ripping against the plastic tie as I tried to get free. But with my body I did everything I could to shield them. I wouldn’t let him take Jess. He couldn’t. This wasn’t happening.
“Now, now. Don’t make this any harder than it has to be,” Two said, addressing Ava as he tried to prize her out of Jess’s hands. “Mummy has holes, and we need to use them.”
I felt sick.
