Page 78 of Velvet and Valor
“Where’s June?” I ask.
He smirks. “Moorcrock said you’d have a one track mind. She’s inside, hero. You try anything funny, and….”
He drags his finger across his neck and makes the obligatory cutting noise. I’m not impressed. At this point, I can’t afford to let them get under my skin. I need to stay calm and rational; it’s the best chance for us to get out of this alive.
I walk through the yawning portal of the shadowy doorway. I get about three steps inside the shipyard structure when a blindingly bright light shines right in my face.
“Welcome, Axel,” Moorcrock’s voice says from somewhere. With all of the echoes, it’s hard to pin down where he’s at. “Have you got my gems?”
“Right here,” I say, taking a package out of my jacket. “Where’s June?”
“As far as I know, she’s safe,” he says.
“Not good enough. I want to see her, now.”
The bright light is hard to deal with, but my eyes are adjusting. Slowly, I can see at least two other people in here. Both too tall to be June. Goons working for Moorcrock, more likely than not.
“While we’re trading clichés, you’re not in any position to make demands.”
I smirk. “You think?”
I pull my jacket the rest of the way off, revealing the sticks of dynamite strapped to my body. Well, okay, they are highway flares but I hope they won’t be able to tell.
“I can blow us all to hell, Moorcrock. I doubt even gemstones are going to survive this detonation.”
“June will die too,” Moorcrock says.
“So, she is here,” I counter. “So, you can produce her.”
“Not a chance,” Moorcrock says. “The only way you’ll ever see her again is if you take off that silly harness and act like a grown up.”
“I guess I'm a perpetual child. I’m not fucking around with you, here. Either I get my way, or we all go boom,” I say.
Moorcrock groans. “Hasn’t this gone on long enough? Aren’t you tired of this affair?” Moorcrock shakes his head. “I certainly am.”
“Maybe you should have thought of that before you went and tried to rip off the scariest mofo’s out there besides myself,” I say.
Moorcrock smirks. “I’ll admit, I never thought this would get so complicated.” He shrugs his shoulders. “I had no way of knowing the courier had gotten herself mixed up with a random film producer. Only in Hollywood, am I right?”
“It does seem like the script to a movie,” I say. “Not a good movie, mind you. A Lifetime original movie.”
“I prefer comedies myself,” Moorcrock says. “But we’re going around in circles, aren’t we, Mr. Sawyer? There are only two paths forward here.”
“Is that so?” I ask. I don’t like the clever light in Moorcrock’s eyes. He’s taking an awful long gander at my ‘dynamite’ vest.
“Indeed,” Moorcrock replies. “Possibility number one: you’re not bluffing. If I don’t give you June in the next minute or so, you’re going to blow us all to smithereens. I’ll admit I’ve been worried this is the path the future will take.”
“You’re a psychic, aren’t you?”
“Maybe,” he replies with a grin. “Possibility number two: You’re bluffing. You either have no intention of blowing yourself up until you know June is safe, or that’s not even an explosive vest to begin with.”
“Isn’t that three possibilities?” I ask, turning my body sideways so as to present a smaller target. I move my hand backtoward my concealed handgun as well. I think this is about to get ugly. Real ugly. There’s three of them, and only one of me. They can triangulate their fire and all I can do is spray bullets and pray.
“You're stalling,” Moorcrock says. “Maybe you think help is coming. I assure you, Mr. Sawyer, you’re quite alone.”
I hear the click of a gun being cocked in the darkness. My hand starts to move for my own weapon when a sharp crack shatters the fragile tension.
I move fast, firing off some random shots in Moorcrock’s direction while I dive behind a support pillar. Bullets ricochet all around me, sending bits of concrete raining down onto the floor. Some of the dust cakes my sleeves, making it clear how close the shots truly come.
