Page 89 of Dual Destruction

The situation could have played out any number of ways, but I had to think quick and I had to make the right decision. Molinaro was on the other side of the shop with Sage, no doubt poking the bear and calling out his arrogance to keep him distracted. I had the fleeting thought that maybe I’d been the target all along. Maybe it had never been Sage, maybe Ronan had just been misdirection. Maybe the play had been for me, and I’d put the few people I cared about at risk.

Maybe it was time to retire.

As if.

I needed to think fast, and I needed to stop thinking about Sage. I needed to stop worrying about something I had no control over or I was going to get all of us killed.

“You cast a broad net for a small fish,” I hedged.

“You think you’re a fish?” the man behind me asked. “You’re plankton.”

So I wasn’t the target, at least not the end target.

“Let’s go outside.” I shrugged.

“Nice try.”

“What?” I chuckled. “You gonna shoot me in the back in the middle of this fucking candy shop? Are you a fucking amateur?”

“Shut up,” the man growled.

“You’re not gonna shoot me in here, or out there, because you’re a fucking little bitch. You think I’m plankton?” I gave him a derisive laugh. “What the fuck are you?”

“You don’t even know how deep this goes.”

“Deep enough to drown you.” I spun around, curling my fingers around the barrel of the gun at my back and yanking it out of the stranger’s hand. I didn’t recognize him, but that didn’t mean much. I grabbed his arm and wrenched it behind his back, shoving him chest first into a tall wire rack of chocolate bars and sour candies. The whole thing toppled, drawing everyone’s attention, including Sage and Molinaro.

Sage was across the store before we even hit the ground. I handed him the gun, pulling my 1911 out of my holster and aiming it at the back of the guy’s head. Sage dropped into a squat and fisted him by the hair, yanking his head up to see his face.

“Don’t call the cops.” Molinaro pointed a warning finger at the clerk behind the register. This was going to get really ugly really fast.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” I dug my knee into his spine and stood up, giving him a kick in the ribs for good measure.

“What the fuck is this?” A booming voice called out from the front of the shop. I pursed my lips and glanced toward it, finding a tall man with broad shoulders and gray hair blocking the doorway, surveying the damage we’d done. He looked at the clerk, pointing a finger. “Don’t you even think about calling the cops. We’ll take care of this, understand?”

This must be the kid’s dad.

Our plan had worked, at least this far.

“Everyone else out,” Anthony Molinaro ordered. The clerk scampered out, trailing behind the two remaining customers, leaving the five of us alone in the store.

“Good to see you,” Sage greeted, an eyebrow arched and his hand extended.

Anthony frowned, but took Sage’s hand and shook it before turning his attention on his son.

“You,” he accused.

“Papa.”

“Imagine my surprise when I got a phone call from this man, telling me stories that could no way be true.”

“Papa,” Molinaro said again, his expression turning worried. “It’s not what you think.”

“Oh? You know what I think?” Anthony laughed. “Let me tell you what I think. I think you’re useless and cowardly.”

Molinaro’s face flushed in silent confirmation.

“You impatient little twit. You didn’t even think this through. How did you think your little power play was going to go?”