Previously In Bad Pennies: Former lovers, Josh and Paul stole from Paul’s old boss, Cooper. Now he wants his money back and some revenge.
Josh sat on his bed feeling something like electric ice in his veins as he stared at the barrel of the revolver pointed in his direction. The stocky Black man standing a few feet in front of him had nearly half a million reasons to want to pull the trigger and end Josh’s life. And one reason not to.
The hand that wasn’t holding a gun held up one finger when Josh opened his mouth to speak.
“Don’t even think about lying to me,” Cooper said. “Where’s my fucking money?”
Josh started to stand. Cooper shook his head and gestured with the revolver that he should keep sitting and so he did.
“I don’t have it,” Josh said. “It’s not here.”
Cooper took a couple steps forward, raised his hand with the revolver and Josh saw stars. He knew that he’d been hit by the butt of the gun, but rather than fight, Josh lunged away from Cooper towards the door. Cooper’s leg tripped Josh as he tried to get up, causing him to fall to the floor.
He heard the unmistakable click of Cooper pulling back the hammer of the revolver and froze.
“You done being stupid?”
The classic car parked in the space across the street from Josh’s condo was not that pale blue Galaxie he drove around, but a green Chevelle. Paul recognized it immediately. Dano pulled to the curb behind the Chevelle.
“That’s Cooper’s,” Paul said beginning to get out of the car, but Dano put a meaty arm across Paul’s chest to stop him.
“Wait.”
“For what? Cooper’s going to kill Josh.”
“All the more reason not to go in without some sort of plan, dude,” Dano said. “Do you have any weapons on you?”
“No.”
“So all you got is a bag of cash I assume you don’t want to give to him, right?”
“I have to save Josh. This shit’s my fault.”
“No doubt. So here’s what I think. Keep the money safe here. And you go in there and save Josh with this.”
Dano reached into his coat and pulled out a sleek, silver pearl-handled pistol.
“I call this my baby nine. It’s little, but it gets the job done. Seven shots.”
Dano handed the piece to Paul who took a look at the gun and put it in his coat pocket. He opened the passenger door and noticed that Dano wasn’t moving.
“You’re not coming with me. I could use the back up.”
“You don’t need me to back you up. You need me to guard your money.”
“How do I know you won’t take it?”
“If I was going to take your money, why would I hand you a gun?”
Paul considered this, but said nothing. He also didn’t get out of the car.
“Christ, Paul,” Dano finally said. “If you really don’t trust me, shoot me, take your money, and take back the twenty K in the glove box. I’m not your problem, dude. Cooper is. Go save your boy.”
There was a gash on Josh’s forehead. It bled into his right eye. He now sat on the floor with his back against his bed. Cooper stood over him, pacing back and forth.
“I didn’t lie to you,” Josh said. “The money isn’t here and I can’t give it to you.”
Josh instinctively flinched as Cooper approached.
“You need to listen, white boy. I didn’t ask you if the money was here. And I didn’t ask you if you could give it to me.”
And now Cooper got close to Josh and said, “I asked you where’s my fucking money?”
Cooper crouched slightly putting the gun right on the gash on Josh’s forehead causing the pain in his forehead to explode. Josh reflexively kicked up, hitting Cooper in the crotch. Josh knocked the gun out of Cooper’s hand as Cooper bent over. The gun slid on the floor out of reach of both of them.
Josh heard a loud thump somewhere outside the apartment.
Josh got to his feet, noticed where the revolver had slid, and had turned towards Cooper just in time to see Cooper charging him. Cooper slammed Josh up against Erica’s vanity mirror shattering it. Bits of mirror cut Josh’s face. He shifted his body to get out from under Cooper, but Cooper hit him in the stomach. Josh found his hand close to Cooper face as they grappled with each other. He took his pointer and middle fingers and jabbed them in Cooper’s left eye.
Cooper screamed.
Another loud thump outside.
Josh regained his footing. Cooper held his hand over his eye. Josh grabbed a lamp from the Erica’s side table and smashed it into the side of Cooper’s head. Cooper staggered.
Josh thought to go across the room and grab the gun, but didn’t think he could make it before Cooper caught up to him. He ignored his head pounding and ran down the hall. He hoped he could get to his front door before Cooper got to his gun.
Paul exited the staircase and headed down the exterior hall towards Josh’s door. He heard someone yell inside. It might have been Cooper’s voice. Paul tried the door, hoping it might be unlocked. No luck. Knocking seemed like a bad idea. He needed the element of surprise. Maybe he could kick open the door.
Paul took a deep breath. He pulled out the small pistol Dano had given him, the handle almost too small for his hand. He might need to fire as soon as he kicked open the door. He’d never done anything like this. He’d spent plenty of time at the range with Dano, but he’d never shot anything that wasn’t made out of paper.
He let out his breath and breathed in again. Then WHAM, he kicked the door as hard as he could. His kick had succeeded only in leaving a scuffed print of his shoe on the white metal door.
He stopped. Took a deep breath, then kicked again with similar results.
Surprise no longer part of his strategy, he needed to get that door open by any means necessary. Maybe he could shoot the lock. Seven shots. That’s enough to destroy a door and shoot his former boss, right?
Paul took a couple steps back. There was no telling if the bullet might ricochet or something. He breathed in, intending to pull the trigger when he breathed out, like Dano had taught him to do. But then the door opened on its own and Josh was there.
Out of breath and bloody, Josh took one look at Paul and said, “Run!” Josh went past Paul. Before he could respond, Cooper stood in the doorway.
Paul didn’t even take a moment to breathe. He just pulled the trigger three times in quick succession. And heard three clicks.
NEXT: Paul, Josh, Cooper, Dano, at least one of them doesn’t make it through the next chapter.
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