Page 91 of Diamond in the Rough

“You can still go back. Turn yourself in.”

“If I do that, I’ll die.”

The driver’s eyebrows pulled together. “What the hell are you involved in?”

“You don’t wanna know…”

The sign for the airport whizzed by, and it didn’t take long before Jake could see the huge building and the tall tower in the distance.

“Look, I know as soon as I get out of the car, you’ll call the police. I’m not telling you not to, but a ten-minute head start would be great.”

“What?”

Jake shrugged. “Most guys in my situation would kill you—”

“I’ve got a family.”

“Exactly, you’ve got a family, seem like a nice guy, and you’re a good cabby, so I’m gonna keep my word. I’m not gonna hurt you. All I ask is for you to wait ten minutes before calling. If you could drop me off in the bay, drive around to the car park, then call the police, that’ll be great. What do you say?”

The driver licked his lips, then shrugged. “Okay.”

“Thanks…”

The breaks squeaked, and the car stopped with a jolt. “Sorry, stalled it.”

“No worries.”

Jake opened the door, swung his legs out, and eased himself up. His ribs pulsed with fire, but with each step away, the pain faded to a manageable level. He shoved the metal case into his bag of belongings and hurried into the crowds of people.

The airport looked more like a shopping mall with the amount of shops, restaurants, and cafés. Jake checked behind himself, then rushed towards the first clothing place he could find. He picked out a pair of blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a pair of new shoes.

He dropped everything, and a customer rushed to help him. “Are you all right?”

Jake smiled politely. “Not easy with a broken arm.”

She pouted her lips in sympathy. “Do you want me to carry this into the changing room for you?”

“That’s really kind of you.”

“It’s no bother.”

The woman led him into the changing room and hung his items on the back of the door.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Jake closed the door behind her and let out a shaky breath. He dropped his bag and started the difficult process of undressing. A soft whimper left his lips when he jarred his shoulder, and the room spun. He lifted the sling over his head and eased his bad arm through the arm of the T-shirt. He clutched his bad arm close but didn’t slip the sling back over his head.

He waited long enough for the polite woman to have moved on from the shop and stepped out in his new trousers, T-shirt, and black plimsoles. He left the coveralls, cap, shades, and shoes on the trolley for unwanted items and walked away.

Jake paused by a mannequin and slipped the gun into the pocket of the clothes it was wearing. He smiled when no one noticed and walked away with an excited tempo drumming in his heart.

The next step was finding out what was inside the metal case, and he checked he wasn’t being followed before finding the toilets. He slipped into a cubicle, closed the lid of the toilet, and sat down.

The metal case had a combination lock, and Jake had no Stanley knives on hand. He sighed and thought of what Maddox liked the most. Beethoven, something to do with Beethoven, the year he was born, the year he died…Jake didn’t know anything about him. He groaned and guessed combinations.

“Come on,” He hissed.

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