Kyle answered the door. That was also good.
He opened it wide, standing in the doorway proudly. He was a step above me, but that leveled out our difference in height. Kyle even had a smile on his face as he said ‘hello,’ a warm welcome to his home. But this was no time for pleasantries.
That smile was quickly wiped away as I flung my fist into his throat. I gripped hard on his windpipe, squeezing the fragile tissue there into a contorted mass inside my knuckle white fist. He wheezed violently, the air departing from his lungs, as his eyes widened in shock and fear. He fell backwards like a sack of potatoes. I stepped inside, my handgun drawn from my belt, and I pointed it into his face. Kicking his legs out of the way, I pushed the front door shut behind me. I was inside and concealed.
Tanya stepped out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel, to see what the commotion was all about. The color drained from her face and she froze when she saw I had the gun to Kyle’s face.
“You.” I grunted to Tanya. “On the floor, face down. Hands on the back of your head.”
She whimpered quietly but did as she was told. Kyle struggled to breathe, grabbing frantically at his throat. I gave him a final aggressive squeeze then let him go with a push, shoving his skull into the carpeted floor.
The hallway was wide but dimly lit. A rug ran up the middle of the walkway, stained with a couple of muddy footprints.
“Whatever you want, just take it,” Tanya said with her face squashed in the carpet. “I have jewelry upstairs, but that’s about all I have. My purse is in the kitchen. Whatever you want, just take it and leave us alone. Please don’t harm us. Please don’t kill us. I beg you.”
I ignored her and kept my focus on Kyle. He was breathing more easily but now had beads of sweat appearing on his forehead and I could tell he wasn’t entirely surprised to see me.
“You know what I want.” I snarled at Kyle. “You know why I’ve come here.”
Kyle looked to Tanya first, face down on the floor, and then back to me. “It’s not here. Not yet.”
“Where is it?”
“I’m getting it, ok?” He responded, relaxing a little and rubbing his throat. “I just need another two days and I’ll have it all. Just two more days. I promise.”
“You don’t have two days. You’ve got exactly five minutes before I pull this trigger.”
“What’s he talking about?” Tanya questioned, face down.
“Not now, Tanya.” Kyle didn’t take his eyes off the gun this time.
“Kyle, what’s he talking about!” Tanya raised her head.
“Not now!” he responded.
“Kyle! What sort of trouble are you in?!” Tanya’s voice was starting to crack, whether from fear or anger, I couldn’t quite tell.
“Yeah, Kyle.” I grunted. “What sort of trouble are you in? Why don’t you tell this good woman what sort of trouble you’re in?”
“I’ll get it.” He pleaded to me. “I promise. Just two days and I’ll have the money.”
“The money?” I questioned. “What money?”
“All of it. The whole five grand. A guy told me that he can get my money back in two days. I’ll have more than enough to pay you back then. I promise. I’ll have it in cash.”
“What five grand?” I leaned forward. “You think I’m here for money?”
A look of complete confusion washed over his face. “What?”
“What are you talking about, Kyle?” I leaned in closer, gun still in my hand, pointed at his head.
“The money that I was lent to pay the lawyer. The five grand. I’ve got it. I just need two more days to pay it back.”
I lowered my gun, just a touch.
“And what did you need a lawyer for, Kyle?”
“What do you care?” Kyle looked over at Tanya, a pleading look in his eyes. “I’m sorry, honey. I know you didn’t want me using a loan shark again, but the lawyer was so sure he would get the money back, then I could pay back the loan and we’d be on easy street.”
Tanya looked ready to explode, gun or no gun.
“First you pawn the only thing of value we own and now you’ve brought debt collectors to our door. What if Millie had been at home?” She looked ready to jump up and knock him out herself.
I stepped between them and gestured for her to lie back down on the floor. This was my show.
“If it wasn’t for your dirt bag ex-husband,” Kyle began.
I interrupted Kyle by waving the gun in his face. “Tell me why you needed a lawyer.”
He glared at me for a moment.
“I needed a lawyer to try and sue Chase Martin, her ex, for losing our money.”
“You tried to sue Chase?” Tanya raised her head again, but kept her stomach on the ground. “And you didn’t tell me?!”
“Don’t move.” I pointed the gun at her. “Keep talking, Kyle. How are you getting the money back to pay for the lawyer?”
“A guy called me. Unknown number, deep voice. Said he would get my hundred thousand dollars back from Chase in two days. I can pay you then. I can even pay interest.”
“How was he getting the money back?”
“He didn’t say. He just said that he would transfer it to my bank account on Saturday morning.”
The thoughts crashed through my head.
“You’d better have the money by then.” I tried to cover my tracks. I didn’t need them to know that Millie was missing. That would only complicate things further.
“What?” Kyle was confused. “I thought you didn’t know about the money? And
