JUST THE TWO OF US
Chapter One
“Hands up.” The man, all in black, including a mask, was of average height. Baggy clothes hid his body shape. His big gun looked deadly, but he wasn’t holding it very steady.
Justin Sherrod gripped his store’s glass jewelry counter, swallowed a gasp, then shot up his hands. His stomach twisted in knots. A light fixture hummed because it was about to go out. The clock above his head ticked ominously.
Thank goodness, his one employee was off today. Now at eight-thirty, it was getting dark, and he was the only one here. Except a woman was pushing the door open. Out of sight of the gunman. His heart leapt. He had to say something. “Why are you pulling a gun on me?” he said loudly and raised his hands higher.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the door close and the woman disappear. He let out the breath he’d been holding.
The gunman turned his head as if to guess what made the noise. Justin kept his eyes on the man.
He knew this could happen.
He’d planned for it.
Rehearsed for it.
Where was that damn button?
He must be standing right next to it. He dared not look down.
There. He stepped on it. Now it was time to stall.
He kept his hands up. “What do you want?”
Aiming the gun at Justin’s chest, the robber pointed to the glass case between them. “Those rings. Set them on the counter, and you won’t get hurt.”
“Easy, man. I just have to unlock the case.” Keeping one hand up, Justin struggled to dig for his keys. He pulled them out and flipped through them. He caught a glimpse of the burglar’s impatient glare. Finally got the right one.
As he inserted the key, he inadvertently pushed the button for the cabinet lights, which flashed off.
“What didya do to the lights?” the burglar demanded. “Did you set off some alarm?”
Justin shook his head. “I accidentally hit the switch for the case lights. They make the diamonds sparkle even more.” He turned the lights on again. “Which tray do you want?”
“All three, you son of a bitch. Hurry the hell up.”
Justin’s phone jangled.
“Answer the phone. If that’s the cops, tell them you’re good.”
Justin reached in his pocket, grabbed his phone, and held it to his ear. “What’s your emergency?” the voice said.
The burglar pointed the gun at Justin’s chest. Justin took in a quick breath. Willed his voice to sound natural. “Everything’s okay here.” He paused a minute as if listening. “Thanks for checking.” He tapped a blank spot, pretending to shut the phone off and slid it into his pocket, hoping the dispatcher could still hear. “Just hold on. I’ll get out the rings you want.”
Fidgeting, the masked man pointed the gun at Justin like he meant business. His voice seemed familiar. Was he in here yesterday looking at engagement rings? He might have cased the place. His pulse racing, Justin set one tray on the counter and bent to get the next one.
The masked man shoved the tray into a tote bag. “Don’t try anything.”
The middle tray was stuck. Desperate to keep the man talking, Justin said, “Wait ‘til I get this tray loose, and I’ll give you all three.”
The man pointed the gun at Justin’s chest. “Stop stalling. Hand out the other tray, or I’ll shoot. Gimme it, and be quick.”
Relieved the other tray moved easily, Justin pulled it out. It clinked on the counter and made a scraping sound as the thief dragged it across the glass and dumped it in his bag. Where the hell were the cops?
Sirens sounded. Justin ducked behind the counter to jiggle the stuck tray loose.
“Where’s the back door?” the burglar yelled.
Justin scooted further away. He raised his hand and pointed. “That way. Just go.”
The man ran out the back door.
A minute later, two uniformed Dallas policemen rushed in. Justin pointed. “The robber ran out the back.”
The two cops followed. “Police. Stop or I’ll shoot!” one yelled. Sounds of running footsteps soon faded. A third officer walked inside and questioned Justin. Five minutes later, two officers returned, huffing a bit from running. “He got away,” the first cop said as another cruiser pulled up outside.
Finally, after Justin had answered all their questions, the police and the fingerprint expert left, leaving black dust on anything the robber might have touched.
It was dark and past the time stores stayed open on Friday nights. He didn’t feel like staying to clean up. That could wait until morning. Justin locked up and put the ‘Closed’ sign on the door.
Thank goodness, his female clerk hadn’t been here, and he hadn’t gotten his head blown off. He called his stepfather, owner of the jewelry store chain, to report the robbery, but had to leave a message. Tomorrow was soon enough to make the insurance claim.
Hoping this was the last robbery he’d have to deal with for a while, he trudged to his car and drove home.
First thing next morning, Justin turned on the lights at the store and rearranged the displays to fill the empty spaces. The door chimed, and his step-brother, Stevie walked in.
“Hey, brother,” Stevie said. “How are you? Sorry about the robbery. Look, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, considering what’s happened, but Dad and I agreed this shop has to close. Not only is it in an area more likely to be robbed, but it’s not bringing in enough profit.”
“What?” Justin’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t believe it had come to this. “But last quarter’s profit was better than the previous period.”
“Not good enough.”
“I’m not giving up this store. I’ll call Father right now.”
“It’s a done deal.” Stevie held up a sign which said, ‘Store Closing Sale. Visit our north Dallas store on Northwest Highway and the Toll Road. He set it in the window.
Justin’s hands clenched into fists. He wanted to pound his jackass stepbrother into the floor. “But that’s your store.”
“Technically, it’s Dad’s, but I run it.”
“We’ll see about that.”