Page 38 of Dancing With Doubt

17

Lincoln

He stood up as the car stopped outside. He heard the car door close and feet against the gravel. He prepared himself for a fight as the padlock was removed and the shutter came swinging up.

“Don’t try anything or I’ll shoot, then where will we be?” A voice called out of the darkness.

Lincoln agreed, it would do no good to try to sweep the man’s legs out from under him, he’d just knock the guy down and have to scrabble back up to try to get the man’s gun, if he even dropped it. He stood there, blinking as the car’s headlights filled the space with bright piercing rays.

“Fuck, why did you leave the high-beams on?” Lincoln protested.

“Shut the fuck up.” The man said as he walked into the small room and stared at Lincoln.

He was strung out, skinnier than he was not that long ago, with greasy hair and eyes huge in his now skeletal face. Lincoln’s smirk intensified when he saw the man’s left hand was wrapped in a beige bandage. He took pride in knowing the man’s injury was his doing.

“Damn man, what are you on that’s making you rot so fast?” Lincoln didn’t back down, choosing to antagonize the man instead.

“Don’t fucking worry about it, rich boy. Sit down and shut up.” Nathan’s ruined voice grated out from lips too big for his face now. There were blisters around his mouth and on his lips.

Meth or crack, Lincoln decided as he sat back down, following orders. Both would make Nathan unpredictable, cloud his thinking, and make him even more stupid than he already was. Great, just what he needed to deal with right now.

“I’m going to talk now and you’re going to listen.” Nathan insisted, waving the gun at Lincoln sideways like an idiot.

“You know if you shoot the gun that way that it’s only going to jam, right?” Lincoln couldn’t help saying it. Only morons would try to shoot a gun that way.

“What?” Nathan asked, his pitiful imitation of a tough momentarily wavering before he brought the gun up the right way. “Whatever man. Listen, I’m going to prison for arson at the very least. Then there’s the people that I probably shouldn’t have stolen from.”

“Including Roxie.” Lincoln offered but Nathan didn’t seem to appreciate his help.

“Shut the fuck up, I said,” Nathan shouted, bouncing on the heels of his feet.

He could knock the guy over with a good shove, but he’d have to get to his feet first. Jumpy McJumpy Pants over there would probably shoot him from reflex if he tried that.

“I need ten million dollars, clean and untraceable. I’m getting out of this country and starting a new life somewhere else.” Nathan said proudly, as if he was doing the world a favor.

“Actually, you’d probably only get through a few grand before you OD in some shitty motel and die. How about I give you 5k and we call it even?” Lincoln offered, his plan already in place.

“I’m going to get clean.” Nathan insisted, swiping at his nose with his free hand. His nose was bleeding, and he didn’t know it, but he smeared blood across his face when he did that. “I’m going to have the life rich boys like you take for granted. And I’m going to leave that bitch behind too. You can have her. I don’t want her anymore.”

“I’d be very careful if you were you, Nathan,” Lincoln warned, his eyes deadly calm. The exhaustion was gone now, he wasn’t tired at all, and he’d break the little shit’s neck if he said another word about Roxie.

“Fuck her and fuck you too. I know shit, man, shit that would blow your balls off if you knew it.” Nathan bounced again, making Lincoln wonder if he needed to pee.

“What shit, Nathan? I doubt you know anything at all, really.”

“I do, man, I do. I found shit in her apartment, when I, uh, you know, broke in.” Nathan’s forehead wrinkled for a moment, but it smoothed out again as he grinned at Lincoln. “Give me my ten mil and I’ll tell you everything I know.”

“Hm. That’s all? Why not ask for fifty million or a hundred? Why not a billion? Roxie doesn’t have that kind of money and I can’t do anything from in here with no phone.”

“It’s okay, I’m going to call her soon and tell her what she needs to know. I want ten million from you, compadre. She can ask her rich friends for the amount I’m going to tell her, don’t you worry none.” Nathan giggled as he revealed his plan to get double payments. “And if you don’t agree to pay me too, well, I’ll take her money, shoot you, and still be fucking rich.”

“Damn, I didn’t know it was possible to be that fucking stupid,” Lincoln replied, rolling his eyes. “I don’t think anyone will be dumb enough to give you money without seeing me alive first. Or didn’t you think about that part? You could just be cashing in on somebody else kidnapping me for all they’ll know. They’ll want to see me, and if I see anybody, I’ll tell them your plan, dumbass.”

“No, you won’t, not if you want the info I’ve got. That’s what your ten million is for. The information I’ve got. Hers will be to free you.” Nathan nodded again, looking around as if he had an audience applauding him and he was acknowledging each new clap of hands.

He's high as a kite, Lincoln decided and sat back. This might take a while and he was tired. “Listen, let me go, and I promise, I won’t kill you.”

“Ha! Your hands are tied up, you ain’t doing shit. Besides, I want to talk to Roxie first. Get my other ten million out of that whore before I do anything else. Fuck her and fuck you too.” Nathan’s brain seemed to go off somewhere for a moment and he stared up at the ceiling, the gun still pointed directly at Lincoln, but on his crotch now, not his head.