Page 45 of Pure Silence

Goldie was forced to retreat away from the entrance of the apartment building down to the corner near the alley where the construction was.

There was absolutely no one to ask for help, and Goldie had no idea where Day had gone.

“Did Michael Parker come to pay you a little visit last night or what?” the man demanded.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Goldie said firmly.

“Really?” The man laughed. “Because you were number one on his fucking shit list the second he made bail. You fucked up a real good thing we had going for him, and he told us he was gonna come see you to straighten you out before he got back to work.”

“I don’t know whousis or what any of this is about,” Goldie said. “All I know is that I dragged a piece of trash down a few flights of stairs last week for putting his hands on a friend of mine.”

“Well, that piece of trash is missing now, and the last time I saw him was when I dropped him off here at this very apartment to see you.”

Goldie’s stomach twisted.

Well, that wasn’t good.

“After he was done with his little visit, he had a real important errand to run.” The man smirked. “Imagine our surprise when he didn’t make it.”

“Huh,” Goldie grunted.

“So, let’s try this again,” the man drawled. “Did Michael come see you or—”

From around the corner of the alley came Day.

He leapt at the man, quick as a blink with a knife gleaming in his hand. He grabbed the man from behind, pressing the blade to his throat in an eerie echo of how he’d killed Michael. He looked ready to kill this man too, and Goldie had to do something.

“Wait!” Goldie held out his hands, waving at Day and trying to get his attention.

“What the fuck?” the man snarled.

“Hey, you!” Goldie pointed at Day. “No killing!” He pointed at the man. “You! Take your hand out of your pocket! Right now!”

The man obeyed, scowling as he raised his hands in the air. “You motherfucker.”

Day pressed the knife in harder until blood dripped down the man’s throat.

“Hey, hey!” Goldie waved again, and he tried to get Day to meet his eyes. “No killing, okay? This is different. We can stop this right now. We can call the cops, okay? We can make this better without killing anyone, I promise.”

Day definitely did not look convinced.

Goldie reached into the man’s pocket to take the gun. It was a small revolver, and he opened it up and removed the bullets. He shoved the empty gun back in the man’s pocket, but he put the bullets in his own.

“Hey, hey, call your bitch off!” the man cried as Day continued to press the knife into his neck. “Fuck, come on!”

“Day!” Goldie warned. “Come on. No. We’re gonna call the cops, okay?”

Day narrowed his eyes. “God wants me to remind you—”

“Yes, yes, I know! Holy mission, got it.” Goldie shook his head.

“The fuck?” the man demanded.

Goldie ignored him and continued to focus on Day, saying earnestly, “Please, listen to me. There is another way. Okay? A way that doesn’t involve you having to kill someone. We can call the cops and have him arrested. He can go to jail.”

“Fuck you!” the man barked.

“Day,” Goldie pleaded. “Just let him go. Please.” Goldie smiled reassuringly. “Just let him go and we can go home, okay? I can cook us those nuggets for lunch? The macaroni and cheese in the blue box? How does that sound?”