A bad feeling spawned in the pit of Russell’s stomach. The men surrounding them with weapons drawn and watching their every move made him uneasy. It didn’t feel right, then again, them being there at all didn’t feel right either.
“Amber,” Cathy called out, looking to the gaping holes in the walls on either side of the apartment. “It’s Mom. Can you hear me?”
“Tell me, Mrs. …” Sandman stopped shy of a silver briefcase resting on top of a table.
“Snider,” Cathy replied, still searching and listening for a response from Amber.
“Mrs. Snider, do you know what happens when someone gets addicted to a product that they must have?” Sandman asked, popping the lid to the silver case.
Cathy glanced his way, then craned her neck to see what resided inside the briefcase. “I’m not sure I follow.”
Sandman shuffled about the interior of the silver case, searching for something that Russell couldn’t see from where he stood. “When a person, such as your daughter, gets addicted to my product, they must have it at all costs. Do whatever is needed to get it, even if that means stealing.”
Clyde shifted his weight between his legs, then glanced at the men surrounding them.
Russell peered over at Gold Teeth who retrieved his piece and held it with both hands in front of his waistband.
Cathy stayed focused on Sandman, trying to see what he was doing. Her hopeful expression had changed to a sad, worried look.
“Whatever you think my daughter did, I can assure you she didn’t,” Cathy said. “This has to be some sort of huge misunderstanding.”
Sandman turned away from the case, holding a baggy with white powder in it. “I don’t think so. I know what she and Mr. Evans have done. See, Mr. Evans is one of many employees who I have deployed throughout the city pushing my product and widening my footprint from the lonely degenerates we provide for to a more upscale client. It seems as though he and your daughter formed a relationship, and she struggled to pay for said product right here. Well, as in some cases like this, Mr. Evans and your daughter stole product from me and used it without paying for it. Needless to say, that isn’t good for business, or my overall reputation. I can’t have anyone thinking they can take advantage of me in such a way.”
Cathy pursed her lips and stared at the white substance in the bag. She shifted her gaze to Sandman who eyed her right back. “I want to see my daughter, now. Let me speak to her, and we can get this cleared up.”
“I’m afraid that is not possible,” Sandman replied, tossing the baggy back to the silver case that had more of the same piled inside. “See, a lesson must be learned here, not only for Mr. Evans and your daughter, but for anyone else who dares to think that they can take from me without any consequences.”
“Is that really necessary?” Russell asked. “Could we work something out here? No one wants any trouble, and I imagine her daughter regrets her actions.”
Sandman looked Russell up and down. “She should’ve thought twice about stealing from me. As far as you three, if you didn’t want any trouble, then you shouldn’t have come here.”
The men flanking them grabbed Clyde and Russell by the arms, then pulled them away from Cathy and Max.
“What the hell?” Clyde said, growling. “Get your damn hands off of me.”
Russell jerked his arms, looking at Cathy and the two other men who closed in on her from the right.
Max stood and put himself between her and the threat, baring his bangs and snapping at the long-haired, dreadlocked men.
Sandman pointed at Clyde and Russell, then motioned to the door. “I have no use for either of you. Take them to the roof and finish them off.”
Russell pulled away from the men holding him. The barrel of a pistol pressed to his temple. He stopped his thrashing and stood still.
“Please. We don’t need to do this. Tell me how to fix this so no one gets hurt,” Cathy said, grabbing at Max’s collar. “I’ll pay whatever you want.”
Sandman held his hand up, stopping his minions from advancing on Cathy. “You and the German shepherd can stay. We’ll discuss possible terms for you and your daughter. But those two are loose ends that I do not need or want.”
“Cathy,” Russell said, heated as the thugs holding him and Clyde at gunpoint escorted them toward to the door leading to the hallway.
Max broke from Cathy’s hold and attacked the two men standing near her. They yelled and trained their pistols at the barking canine who snapped at their legs.
“Don’t shoot the dog,” Sandman said, waving at his men to lower their weapons. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
The door to the apartment opened. Clyde was dragged out first, shouting at the men who pulled him into the corridor. Russell kept his sights on Cathy who fought to restrain Max. She glanced back at him with worried eyes as he left the apartment and headed to an unknown fate.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
RUSSELL
It had been one bad turn after another. They couldn’t catch a break.
Clyde walked alongside Russell through the dark halls. Two men followed behind them with two more in front.
“I told you this was a shit idea,” Clyde whispered to Russell as they entered the stairwell. “You do realize that they’re going to take us up to the roof and put a bullet in both our heads, right?”
Russell glanced at the men they passed heading into the stairwell. Each gaze offered nothing more than a scowl. He thought of Cathy, Max, and Amber and what the Sandman had planned for them as well
