Red Jersey dismissed her with a wave of his hand, then said, “Who’s the Sandman? I think the blood loss from the wound in your leg is getting to you, lady.”
“I’m looking for my daughter and was told some of the people she associated with worked for this Sandman character, and that he lives in this building.” Cathy dug her hand into the back pocket of her jeans, removing what looked to be a folded piece of paper. All three men reached for their weapons, but didn’t pull. She unfolded the paper, then held it up in front of them. “This is my daughter, Amber. Have you seen her here, by chance?”
Gold Teeth leaned forward and took a closer look at the picture. His tongue traced his lips as the other two men he stood next to whispered crude comments under their breath.
“I can’t say exactly,” he said with a shrug. “We get lots of white girls down around these parts.”
The other two men shrugged and snickered.
Cathy folded up the paper in a huff.
A deep growl loomed from Max’s throat, but he didn’t bark or disobey his handler’s stern command.
“Listen. I don’t have time or patience to mess with you three. Just tell me where the Sandman is, and we’ll be on our way.”
Her sharp tongue silenced the chattering men. Their jovial smiles evaporated in a blink, leaving behind scowls and furrowed brows.
“You best watch that mouth of yours before it gets you and your two friends here in a world of hurt,” Gold Teeth said, staring at them with malevolent eyes. “Don’t no one talk to me and my boys like that. Don’t forget where you’re at. We could drop you three right here, and the police won’t do shit about it.”
Russell interjected, trying to calm the tension, “We don’t mean any disrespect. We’re just looking for her daughter. All we need is a moment to speak with the Sandman, then we’ll be on our way.”
Gold Teeth glanced at Russell, then looked him up and down.
“I’m not leaving until I speak with him. Once I do, then we’ll be gone, and you’ll never see us again,” Cathy said, matter of fact.
“You got any money?” Gold Teeth asked. “To get inside, you have to pay the toll. No cash. No entry.”
Cathy glanced at Russell who patted his pockets, then shrugged.
Clyde pulled his wallet out, grabbed what cash he had stuffed in the interior pocket, then handed it over. “This is all I got.”
Gold Teeth ripped the money from his fingers, counted the crumpled bills, then handed it back to his partners. “That’ll buy you five minutes with the man.”
“Good. Let’s go.” Cathy tried to walk around him, but he held up his arms.
“Hold on there.” He pointed at the rifle slung over Clyde’s shoulder. “You’re not walking in there with that rifle or any other weapons. Give ’em up now.”
Clyde held the sling with a firm hold and shook his head. “Yeah. I’m not going in there without my rifle. No way I’m giving it up.”
Gold Teeth pointed at Clyde. “That’s the only way you’re getting inside, homie. Hand over the rifle and any other hardware, now.”
Cathy handed over her piece without thought.
Russell did the same, but was less than thrilled with the notion.
“Come on. Hand it over. We’ll get them back when we leave,” Cathy said to Clyde, nodding at the three men.
“Yeah. You’ll get them back,” the plump white guy said.
Clyde eyed Cathy, then Russell. He shook his head, sighed, then removed the sling from his shoulder. “Fine. I better get that back.”
“Sure. We’ll make sure you get yours, pal,” Gold Teeth replied with a wry grin, taking the rifle from him. “Come on. Follow me.”
He handed the rifle to Red Jersey and the pistols to his plump pal, then walked past them.
Cathy trailed behind him with Max at her side. Clyde shook his head and walked next to Russell as they flanked Cathy.
“I don’t like this one bit,” he said in a low whisper. The other two hoodlums brought up the rear, watching them closely and making snide comments under their breaths. “We go in there, we may not come out alive.”
Russell looked straight ahead. “I know. Stay cool and keep it together. Cathy’s already on edge. We don’t want to dial up the tension any more than it already is, all right.”
Clyde sighed, but held his tongue. He peered over his shoulder at the two men.
Gold Teeth dug his hand into the pocket of his coat and fished out a flashlight. He took one last drag from the joint, flicked it away, then thumbed the switch to the light.
The beam fired at the glass doors that led into the lobby of the slum apartment complex. He wrenched the door open, and strutted inside with Cathy, Max, and the others filing in behind him.
“We’ll have to take the stairs up.” He turned and shined the light on her wounded leg. “That isn’t going to be a problem for you, is it?”
Cathy shook her head and tried to walk normally, but struggled to do so. “It’ll be fine. Just keep going.”
“What floor is the Sandman on?” Russell asked, staring at the stench-ridden building.
“The floor we’re going to,” Red Jersey answered at his back.
The smell of pot clung to the air. A flicker of red and orange loomed at the far reaches of the lobby from a black clad figure that lurked in the murk.
The sunlight shining through the front windows of the rundown building lessened to a low, dark hue that cast everything in rich, black shadows. The silhouette of Gold Teeth’s taller frame blended with the ether as he skirted past the elevator to the stairwell.
The beam from the flashlight shone
