“What was that?” Johnny asked, stepping away from the window. “Fuck, my rifle’s by the front door.”

Ricky pulled his gun out and ducked down beside the window in the dining room. “It’s the local cop car. Have they popped in since you’ve been here?”

“It’s been quiet as a mouse around here.”

“Fuck, I bet the neighbor across the way noticed something,” Miles said, putting his body flush to the wall by the hallway. “Let me see if I can talk to them.”

“Miles, no,” Ricky yelled in a hushed tone. “Stay by me, Johnny.” He bent his head slightly around the wall of the hallway and watched Miles reach for the door knob. “Miles, I don’t feel good about this.”

Miles dropped his hand. “The last time you said that…”

There was a gunshot that went through the door right by Miles’s head. “Grab the rifle and get back here.” All three men were huddled together in the hallway. “Where’s the door to the basement?”

“In the kitchen.”

“Is there a way outside from the basement?” Ricky was trying to assess the situation they were in, and if they had a good escape route.

“There is an exit by the wood stove. It looks blocked, though.”

“Only one way to find out,” Miles said, carefully making his way to the basement.

Another gunshot went through the door; all three ducked. “Come on, this way,” Johnny took the lead.

Ricky was confused. “I bet the sheriff’s office has been bought out by Giano.” As he made his way down the stairs, he ran all the possibilities for why they were being attacked over and over in his mind. “It would make sense now why Cooper would get scripted responses back about the property every time.”

Johnny grabbed the padlock on the door by the wood stove. “You both really thought you could get me out of here alive?”

Ricky looked at him. “Correction: we are taking you out of here alive, Johnny.” He riffled though the drawers in a cabinet. “Where are all the tools? There has to be something we can use to get that padlock open.”

“Here.” Miles held up some bolt cutters.

“Or those will work.” Ricky grabbed them and immediately cut the first padlock. There was laughing upstairs. “That sounds all too familiar.”

“Yeah, because once you hear it, you never forget it,” Johnny said, shaking his head. “You need to hurry up, Ricky.”

Miles placed the bolt cutters on a shelf. “We need to make it look like the door is still locked.”

“Maybe you could’ve told me that before I twisted the lock.” Ricky held up the mangled piece of metal. “Let’s wrap the chain around a few times.”

Ricky was the last one to duck down into the little door. He quietly wrapped the chain around the metal bars a couple times and turned to step into the shadows. As he stepped back, there were foot falls on the stairs. He turned and held his hand up for them to be quiet.

Miles leaned over to Ricky and whispered. “If that’s Giano, we have a problem.”

Ricky grabbed his phone and made sure it was set to silent. He pulled up a number and immediately sent a text message.

Cooper, we need assistance and stat. Station is compromised.

He looked at the little clock on his phone; it read 11:12. Right as he was about to search something, a text message came through.

Ricky, not the whole station is compromised. I have Dana Little on the phone now. She contacted me ten minutes ago.

He showed the message to Miles and Johnny and whispered, “We need to stay here for now.”

Johnny nodded. “I’ve talked to her in town.”

“You sure we can trust her?” Miles asked.

“Completely.”

* * *

Ricky hit the home button on his phone. The low battery was flashing ten percent, and the clock read 2:22. “Where the fuck is this Dana chick?”

“She’ll be here. If Cooper trusts her, then I do.” Miles leaned his head back against the wall.

Just then there were shots fired off in the distance. “There she is,” Ricky said, leaning forward to get a good look into the basement.

“Let’s go outside from here.” Johnny crawled to the small door.

“Anyone down here?” A stern voice asked. “This is deputy Dana Little. I talked to Cooper earlier.”

Miles nudged Ricky. “What are you feeling about this situation?”

He rolled his eyes. “So we are going to go off what my feelings tell us every time now?”

“Hey, if it works.” Miles shrugged.

“Ricky or Miles, are you here?”

“Yeah, we’re here,” Ricky said, pulling out his gun. “But my gun is drawn until I see some kind of verification you talked to Cooper.”

“Here,” Dana said. “You can have my phone and call him.”

Ricky looked at Miles and Johnny. “Stay,” he whispered.” Then he inched toward the door with his gun pointed right at the stocky woman standing in the middle of the basement. He used his one hand to undo the chain and push open the door. “Dana.”

“Yeah, here.” She handed him her phone. “Are you all okay?”

Ricky took the phone and then stepped back. There on the screen was Cooper’s name and several text messages. “So Giano’s offer wasn’t big enough for you?”

She laughed. “I was never approached. Maybe because I’m a woman, who knows. Either way, we need to get you three out of here, or is it just two? Cooper said he had not heard from you both, so he didn’t know if Johnny was here.”

The moment she said Johnny, Ricky calmed. Giano’s men knew him as Jason, the task force knew him as Johnny with the best homemade ravioli in town. Ricky holstered his gun. “Miles and Johnny, it’s safe.”

“How did you know?” Dana asked.

“You said Johnny.”

“That’s what Cooper called him.”

“Cooper knew how to make us trust you.”

“Well, there is one dead officer outside. I can’t guarantee there are not more coming. If I’m hit, take the squad car and head right to the airport.” She handed Ricky two walkie talkies and her keys. “This place needs to be sold or tore down soon. It causes more harm than good.”

“So, someone else has stopped by and caused a ruckus?” Ricky scowled.

“I’ve heard the house has been used as a meeting place to discuss things.”

“Well, I was literally a sitting duck here.” Johnny emerged from the hiding place.

“Sir, I’m afraid you were probably on borrowed time.” She nodded. “You heading back with them, right?”

“Yeah.”

Ricky noticed Miles had his hand resting on his gun. “We need to get out of here. Ricky, you go first.”

He knew Miles told him to go first just in case Dana was a dirty cop. She would be in between them with no way to secretly communicate with the assholes. “Here,” Ricky said and handed one of the walkie talkies to Miles. “Give me thirty seconds and then come up.”

Ricky took each step quickly and stopped at the door to the kitchen. He waited to see if there was any sound. He stepped out with his gun drawn and turned from right to left before stepping out into the room. There was a body by the kitchen island lying in a pool of blood. He bent down to ensure he was definitely dead; the body was already cool. Miles stepped up beside him and nodded his head forward. They both stayed locked together and scanned each room. After checking the upstairs and attic, they made their way back down the steps. Ricky stopped suddenly and Miles plowed into his back.

“What the fuck? Shit.” Miles said with his gun still drawn.

“You do know anyone could have Cooper’s information on their phone if you have the ability to hack a phone.” Dana stood there, holding Johnny around the neck with a gun pointed at his temple.

“How much did Giano pay you to get Johnny?” Ricky asked, stepping down onto the landing.

“Enough.”

“Enough to make it worth having blood on your hands for the rest of your life?”

“This is nothing. He stole from Giano and no one should ever steal from him.”

“Are you sure it was Johnny?”

“What are you talking about?”

Miles was still behind him with his gun drawn. Ricky holstered his gun and put his hands up in surrender. “Well, if you knew more about what happened, you may think twice with what you are doing right now.”

“You can’t stop me.”

“Are you sure about that?” Ricky said, stepping forward.

“Don’t come any closer,” Dana said, pushing the barrel of the gun harder into Johnny’s temple.

Ricky gave Johnny a look. When they were in the little room in the basement, they all three talked about scenarios. One being if Johnny was held at gun point. He told Ricky and Miles he was skilled in mixed martial arts, so if there is a way to distract the holder, he could get out of the hold.

“Let’s talk about this first.” Ricky took a step back. “Is it your daughter, maybe your son, or your high school crush now husband Giano is holding against their will?”

“What are you talking about? I have no one. Giano is a good man.”

Ricky’s eyes went wide. “How much money did he give you to bring Johnny in?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“So it is money,” he said and stepped forward again. “You know money can’t buy happiness.”

“But it can buy me security and retirement.”

He couldn’t believe this shit always came down to money. Giano knew how to get what he wanted every time. Ricky stayed rooted to his spot but watched Johnny, waiting for the signal to move.

“You know a dirty cop’s retirement package is a jail sentence. Is that really what you want?” Ricky dropped his arms to his side. “What are you, thirty-four or thirty-six? Spending the next forty to fifty years in prison doesn’t sound like a good retirement option.”

“Why the fuck do you care what I do?”

“I know Giano,” Ricky said. “And I know he is playing you, just like he does to everyone else.”

“You don’t know him like I do.”

Ricky always found it funny when people thought Giano really cared about them. They couldn’t see beyond his lies. A man like Giano only cared about his inner circle, meaning those in his family. Anyone else was just collateral damage for him.

Johnny gave a slight nod, so Ricky stepped forward. “You’re not family, Dana.”

She moved the gun away from Johnny’s head for a fraction of a second, but that was all they needed. Johnny did a move that twisted her around and brought her to the ground before she had a chance to protest.

“Dana, you picked the wrong side. I’m sorry.” Ricky found a cord and tied it around her wrists. He stood back up and turned to Miles. “We need to have Cooper alert the local authorities, so they can come take care of her and the body in the kitchen.”

“I’m on it,” Miles, said pulling out his phone.

“You okay?” Ricky asked Johnny.

“Yeah.” Johnny shook his head. “What is it with this man? He somehow puts a spell on everyone he comes in contact with.”

“Money talks.”

“Yeah, and bodies sink.”