Page 73 of Vas

To Vas’s advantage, Jennings had a routine that he never varied from. His job as a blackjack dealer made passing the product he sold child's play, hiding the exchange in the hustle and bustle of the busy casino floor. On the downside, between the packed casino and the flophouse the guy called home, there wasn’t a lot of opportunity for Vas to strike.

Then he hit paydirt. After tailing Nolen for nearly two days and slipping some cash to a few of the casino staff who were only too happy to sell the guy out since he gave his female co-workers the creeps, Vas had his in. Every night Jennings took his dinner break, sitting in his car—a fact Vas verified two nights running as he watched the guy plowing his way through his meal while his stereo and air conditioning blasted.

The sun had just started to make its descent when Vas, leaving his rental car in an abandoned lot nearby, started walking the half mile or so to lay in wait for Jenning’s by his car, which was parked in the employee-only, multilevel parking structure tucked into a far corner of the hotel property.

Vas entered the facility unconcerned about cameras. He’d found and disabled three low-budget units earlier that day that hadn’t even been connected to wifi and which were now mysteriously missing their SD cards.

Slipping into the shadow of a concrete pillar with a line of sight to Jenning’s older model Chevy Malibu, Vas didn't have long to wait until the man in question showed up, whistling as he made his way over to pop the trunk of his car. He leaned in to pull a small cooler from the trunk and set it on the ground then went back in, scrounging for who the fuck knew what.

With his neck gaiter now pulled up over his nose and his gloves on, Vas inched around, hugging the pillar, the rubber soles of his boots not making a sound as he scanned the rows of parked cars for any movement. There was nothing his eyes or ears could pick up, but his sixth sense had his survival instincts screaming a red alert.

Shaking off the eerie feeling, Vas reached to the small of his back to grab the knife he carried and started the stride forward that would take him from cover. Before he even wrapped his fingers around the hilt or planted his step, a ray from the setting sun hit the back of the Malibu's trunk. Reflected in the mirrored finish, Vas saw a hand, holding a large handgun pointed at his back.

Too late, he realized he’d been set up.

Diving forward, Vas leaped for Jennings. Hooking him around the chest, Vas used all his upper-body strength to whip the startled man in front of him to use as a human shield.

He'd bought himself seconds at most.

The gunman let fly a stream of curses then shouted, “Get the fuck out of the way. I don’t have a clear shot.”

If his would be killer wanted a clear shot then Vas would give it to him. He shoved Jennings with everything he had at the other man then dove between two cars in an attempt for protection. The muffled pop of a silencer sounded as he rounded the front end of a jeep—a searing pain in his side letting Vas know he hadn't gained cover quite quickly enough.

Loud pounding footsteps of a third man could be heard as the gunman shouted, “Get the fuck off me you idiot,” followed by a thud and grunt from what Vas presumed was Nolen hitting the pavement.

Not wasting any time, Vas rolled underneath a high-profile SUV just as another bullet shattered the side mirror of where he'd been crouching a moment before.

Cursing under his breath at the searing pain that radiated from his wound as he rolled out the other side of his temporary cover, Vas rounded another pillar and planted his heaving back to it. Pulling his neck gaiter down, he worked to control his breathing and tried not to focus on the blood he could feel seeping into the waistband of his pants. He was not going to die in this piece of shit garage—end of story.

That end was helped by the fact these three didn't seem prepared for Vas to fight back. With that in mind, he reached to the small of his back, bypassing his weapon of choice and pulling the silenced Ruger Mark IV he carried as backup.

The pounding footsteps grew louder, nearing Vas’s hiding spot as Dumb and Dumber continued to argue over who fucked up. Listening closely as the guy approached, Vas stuck his muscled arm out at the last second, clotheslining the dude and knocking the wind from him. Vas didn't have time to be subtle as he followed him down, putting the gun to his temple and pulling the trigger.

The commotion got the attention of the other two and finally shut them up. Not good. Vas didn't have time for this shit. He was losing too much blood, but making for the exit would put a target on his back. Dropping to his belly, he slid back under the SUV, his side fucking burning as he army crawled his way to the front of the vehicle–then he waited.

Vas’s patience paid off as the scuff of shoes sounded and seconds later a pair of knock-off Italian loafers came into view. Waiting for the gunman to pass was an exercise in frustration. One, two, three… Vas counted off in his head until he reached ten before daring to slide out and come up on his haunches. He turned his head just enough to see out of his peripheral that Jennings was far enough away that Vas could make his move. Pushing his pain away, Vas tackled the first gunman from behind, pulling the trigger for a killing blow before their bodies even hit the pavement. With a grunt he rolled, taking the man's now dead weight with him and pulling them both up. He locked eyes with the very panicked ones of Nolan Jennings.

Vas’s side screamed as his muscles pulled, but it didn't stop him from training his gun on the asshole in front of him.

“Your friends are dead and there’s only you and me left. You wanna bet your life on whether you're the better shot?”

Jennings dropped his gun, kicking it aside while raising his hands, proving he wasn’t a complete fucking idiot.

Vas let the dead body fall from his arms, resisting the urge to kick the asshole in the head as he stepped over it. For one, the fucker wouldn’t feel it, and two, though it would give Vas a modicum of satisfaction, with the wanning of his adrenaline and the fuckton of blood loss, he was losing steam fast. He needed the rest of his energy for the fucker in front of him.

Vas trained the gun higher. “Who are you working for?”

Nolen took a hasty step back, his head whipping about, looking for an exit. Resigned to the fact there was no easy way out, he frantically shook his head. “No one.”

“Don’t lie to me.” Vas took a few steps closer.

Jenning’s started babbling. “I was set up, just like you.”

Vas took another step closer, pointing the gun between the dude’s eyes. “Wrong answer.”

The guy’s eyes turned manic. “Okay. Okay. Don’t shoot.” He looked at the dead guy behind Vas and then the one slumped against the tire of a car. “Those two approached me a few days ago. Said their boss knew about my operation. They blackmailed me, man. Showed me they had enough video evidence to put me away for life.”

“So what you’re saying is they know you’re dealing date-rape drugs, threaten you, and in turn, you set me up to save your sorry ass?”

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