Page 59 of Death Wish

“Should we open it?”

He pulled one of his concealed guns out of his belt, cocked it, and pointed it at my hand. “Okay, ready.”

“Whoa, whoa!” I shouted, holding up both hands. “Let’s not get trigger happy now. It could be harmless.”

Cole’s eyes hardened, turning all business again. “Open the top and toss the bag onto the bed. Quick. If anything jumps out, I’m shooting.”

The bag still shook in my palm, but I did as he said, pulled the drawstring, and threw it onto the bed in the same swift motion.

A little yellow pebble popped out and rolled halfway across the bedspread. I rushed over and snatched it before it fell onto the floor and under a piece of furniture, never to be seen again.

“What is it?” Cole asked, his gun still hovering my way, aimed and ready.

Standing, I studied it between my fingers. That was all it seemed to be—a rock the color of amber with a cloudy swirl in its center. A precious stone, maybe?

“It’s just a stone or gem of some kind,” I replied. Harmless, just like I’d thought.

On cue, the bag vibrated again, skidding across the bed some.

Cole approached the bed cautiously, finger still on the trigger of his gun.

Dozens of colored marbles erupted from the small pouch, covering the quilt, and spilling onto the floor. To my surprise and horror, they continued to flow out, quickly coating the dingy carpet in shiny stones.

“What the…” I tried to dance away but was soon standing in a pool of marbles. They were everywhere.

Finally, the last tiny ball popped out and clattered onto the floor with the rest.

I stared at the velvet bag, now empty, sitting at the center of the queen-size bed. How did something that could sit in the palm of my hand fit all those stones? There had to be thousands of them.

“What was that about?” I breathed, still unsure about what I had just witnessed.

Cole burst into a fit of laughter, his shoulders bouncing from the force of it.

“Oh, I’m glad you think it’s funny. Our room is covered in these little balls!”

When he could finally catch his breath, he said, “Leave it to Marla to pull something like that.”

“What? Was this supposed to be a practical joke or something?”

He gestured around the room. “Whoever this Mr. Johnson is, he’s obviously pissed her off. She got him what he paid for, which is obviously the bag, but she added a little extra for a bit of revenge. Very Marla-esque.”

“So, the bag is what this Mr. Johnson wanted?” I repeated as Cole picked it up, turned it upside down, and shook it a bit. Nothing else came out. “It must be enchanted to hold more than its size.”

“Exactly. Must have been a pricey item since it requires some powerful magic.”

A person could hide anything in there. I wondered if something as large as a car could fit. If so, you could carry an entire vehicle in your back pocket. That was incredible.

I walked over to Cole and snatched the bag out of his hand.

“Hey!” he protested.

“Marla gave it to me. It’s only fair.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Could come in handy later.” I tucked it back into my pocket as Cole holstered his gun.

He moved toward the small bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower. Maybe you should grab some sleep since we have a busy night ahead of us.” He paused, smirking. “Or…” he drawled, “you can join me…”

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