James sipped on his beer. “We’re in Miami. Defense is, where? In Washington, D.C., right? They may as well be in different countries. Synco Systems has nothing. Just the software they’re designing, and that’s not going to be ready to go for another two or three weeks.”
“I just think there’s something lying right on the table, and we’re missing it.” Em sat on the couch and pressed her fingers into the fabric.
“Maybe not.” I stood and was pacing. As much as you could pace in the tiny abode we called home.
“Oh, so maybe there’s been a suicide or murder and the disappearance of two employees for no reason. Maybe Carol Conroy is just paranoid. Maybe this Feng is following you guys and Carol Conroy as just some sort of exercise. I suppose that could be.” Em smiled and slugged down another swallow. “Hey, boyfriend, bring me another beer.”
I did. And one for James and myself. We were now officially out of Yeungling, and I went outside to get the case from my car. The moon was coming up, and I realized the late hour. We hadn’t even looked at the video card yet. I hefted the case up on my shoulder, not needing any lower back strain at an early age, and turned to go in. I heard a car enter the lot, and turned briefly. The headlights were off, but I could make out the shape on the far side of the parking lot.
I walked into the apartment, case on my shoulder, and Skip and Em looked up from their conversation and applauded. Whenever someone is bringing the drinks they get the accolades.
Carrying the case to the refrigerator and setting it down, I turned to Em. “Well, do you have it all figured out by now?”
She gave me a smirk. “No. But one more of these, and I’ll have to crash here tonight.”
That wouldn’t have been all bad. We always spent the nights at her place, but if she really wanted to, well-That’s when the front window shattered and I heard the sharp crack from the parking lot. Like a whip, a firecracker. Like a gun. I froze.
The glass shattered in our second front window and I heard another sharp crack. You always wonder what you’ll do in a tense situation like this. I lunged at Em, tackling her around the hips and knocking her to the ground. Later, she said I’d actually bruised her, but I couldn’t have cared less. Climbing on top of her I screamed. “James, get on the ground. Now.”
He was sitting there, his mouth half open, watching me covering Em. Then, like a tottering bowling pin he fell from his chair and for just a moment I thought he’d been hit by a bullet. James stretched out flat, his eyes riveted to mine. A second later I heard the sound of more broken glass and something rattling. I glanced up at the computer stand and saw our old P.C. explode into dozens of pieces.
“Damn.” James had crawled under the kitchen table and couldn’t see the stand, but he knew what had happened.
I pulled my cell phone from my belt and punched in 911.
“Nine-one-one. Do you have an emergency?”
“Someone is shooting at us.” I was screaming.
“What is your address?”
I gave it to her, trying not to shout.
“Sir, is anyone injured?”
“Ma’am, if you don’t get someone out here immediately, we’ll all be dead. Damn the injured part.”
“Sir, I’ve already alerted the authorities. Now please, you have to tell me if anyone is injured.”
Something whizzed overhead and crashed into a lamp. “Not yet.”
“Can you take cover?”
“I’m lying on the ground, lady. Three of us are hugging the floor. It’s the best we can do.” Em squirmed under me, but didn’t say a word.
“Is there a bathtub? Or someplace safe you can go to?”
The bullets had come right through the windows. Even if we wanted to change our location, it would have been a bad decision. The minute we would rise up, someone could get hit, and none of us wanted that to happen. “Ma’am, I just want to know someone is coming.”
“Miami Gardens Police are on their way. Would you like me to stay on the line until they arrive?”
I could hear a siren in the distance. No more gunshots. “No. Thank you.”
“You’re certain?”
The sound of the siren was louder. “I think we’ll be fine. Thank you for being there.” I felt like we were doing a commercial for General Motors’ OnStar. “Em, are you all right?”
“You’re a little heavy, Skip. Other than that, I think I’m okay.” I stayed on top. There was no guarantee the gunplay was over.
I’d expected a run-in with the police tonight. It’s just that I expected to be arrested for bugging Sandy Conroy’s office. Instead, local cops were in rescue mode. Our rescue.
“James?”
“I’m here, pard.” His voice was quaking.
From underneath me I heard, “Skip, thank you for covering me, but seriously, I think you can move off of me now.”
So I slid off of Em, still hugging the floor. The siren was closer now, screaming with a mournful wail. Still no shots.
We were silent. The three of us realizing how lucky we were to be alive. I reached out and grabbed Em’s hand, secretly wishing I could grab James’s hand as well. She squeezed, and I felt a chill go through my body. I shivered and squeezed back, looking into her eyes. She had tears running down her cheeks.
“Hey, Skip?”
“Yeah, James.”
“Is it safe?”
“I don’t know, man. I wouldn’t go putting my head out the window. But I do know one thing.”
“What?” Em asked quietly from the floor.
“It’s gonna be a mess. Windows, the computer, the lamp.”
“Holes in the wall. God, I hope they didn’t hit the beer or the refrigerator. Why us?”
I didn’t have an answer. A couple of guesses maybe.
“You guys know more than you think you do.” Em was still hugging the floor, her face buried in the cheap carpeting, stained with beer and cigarette burns.
“But Skip-” James sounded more upbeat. The fact that no bullets had flown by in the last ninety seconds may have had something to do with that.
“What?”
“Is it safe?”
“Safe?”
“Is it safe?”
It had been a long time, but I remembered the answer. Amid all the craziness, the gunfire and near death experience, James was still playing. It was dangerous because someone was still out there, trying to kill us. But I answered. “Yes, it’s safe, it’s very safe, it’s so safe you wouldn’t believe it.”
Em raised her head, looking at the two of us, still lying flat on the floor. “Are you two crazy? Wait. Don’t answer. I know.”
“You already know we’re crazy, Em,” James chuckled softly.
“Yes. There’s no question about that. Crazy enough to almost get us killed. But I know the movie.”
“Movie? What movie?”
“Guys, I know the name of the movie.”
James strung her along. “How do you know there’s a movie involved? Em, don’t give me that. No. No, you don’t know what movie that’s from.”
The siren shrieked as it pulled into the parking lot. I could see purple light, combination of red and blue, as it streamed through the window, or what was left of the window. There was a slight commotion as voices outside got louder, and still we lay on the floor, afraid to sit up.
The siren drifted off, and there was a pounding at the door. “Police, open up.”
Slowly I pushed myself from the floor, and as Em stood up she brushed at her clothes, shaking shards of glass from her hair.
I turned to my two best friends. “We cannot say anything about who might have done this. We’ve got no proof. Agreed?” The two of them nodded their heads. “Officer, I’m going to open the door. Nobody in here has any weapons.” The cops hadn’t asked, but I didn’t want any accidents. We’d already been shot at from a distance. Didn’t need to have it happen at close range.