Chapter 15 (part 1)

A hesitant dawn was creeping up on them as Max drove into Shinoe. They took Max’s truck, hiding the van behind Max’s house just in case the group had sent members out to look for them. They drove into town slightly ahead of the lazy rush of morning traffic.

When the hotel came into view, Evan felt a growing heat in his chest. He could taste the revenge on the back of his tongue and was a bit afraid that he enjoyed it. There was no doubt in his mind that Sam was capable of violence, but after confronting Lott and his minions last night, Evan wasn’t at all concerned about him. Especially with a hardened rogue cop like Max at his side.

Apparently sensing Evan’s anxiousness, Max drove around the lot a few times. “When you get in there, think with your head and not your anger, okay?” Max said. “I’d like to try to use him to help us out. If you do much damage, chances are that he’s going to be hesitant to help. I’ve seen it in my line of work before—the more civil you are, the more willing others are to offer help and information.”

“I understand,” Evan said. Still, each time Max drove by the van with the Conner’s Produce logo on it, he tightly clenched his left hand. There was a dull throbbing sensation coming from his right hand where his pinky still sat in Max’s crude splint, but that slight pain seemed to only trigger more hate and anger within him.

“Now,” Max said. “If one of them pulls a gun, don’t panic. I’m going in with you and I have two on me, one on each hip.”

“Any chance I could borrow one of them?” Evan asked.

“I don’t really trust you with it right now.” Then, sighing at the look of hate that remained on Evan’s face, Max killed the engine and opened his door.

“You knock on the door and I’ll hang by the side,” Max said. “If they see that you’re with someone, things could get ugly pretty quickly. But I’ll come in behind you as soon as you’re inside.”

Evan nodded. He walked to the door and stared at it for a moment, trying his best to get control of himself. As he waited, a police siren cried out somewhere in the distance. He saw Max looking in that direction with an odd look of concern on his face.

Evan raised his hand and knocked. There was a scuffling sound from inside, a pause, and then the unbolting of the lock on the other side. When Sam opened the door, he said nothing. He grabbed Evan by the collar, jerked him inside and threw him on the nearest bed.

There was a blur of motion as Evan was thrown and then an almost comical bounce as his body hit the bed. But at once, there was Sam’s partner, pinning Evan down in the bed and then, in a flash, there was a gun planted at his temple.

“What did you find?” Sam said. He was hunched over the bed, his face inches from Evan’s.

Evan didn’t have time to think of a response. He scarcely had time to register the fact that the cool surface of the pistol at his head was almost comforting in a way. He had time to do nothing at all because, as promised, Max entered the room with one of his guns drawn.

“Get off of him right now and drop your weapon,” Max said, entering the room and kicking the door shut behind him. He spoke as if the four of them were good friends, his voice calm and smooth.

Max’s sudden presence in the room startled both of the men at the same moment. In his confusion, Evan wasn’t sure which of them was holding the gun to his head and he really didn’t care. He took their moment of distraction and used it to his advantage as well as he could.

Using the palm of his right hand, he punched Sam squarely in the throat. Although his right hand was injured, he did enough damage to get Sam to stumble backwards. He coughed and made dry gasping sounds and he stumbled against the wall.

Evan rolled away but was caught at once by Sam’s partner. The man was stronger than Evan had remembered and, much to Evan’s dismay, had been the one holding the pistol to his head. Evan heard the hammer pull back as the man drew him closer, but Max was on top of things at once.

Max dashed towards Sam and kicked out his legs, pinning him to the floor. He then drew his other weapon while simultaneously placing the other one against Sam’s throat. The aimed the second pistol at Sam’s partner with a fluid ease that surprised Evan. Max looked rather old but he moved with an eerie speed.

“Let him go,” Max said. “We’re not here for violence. Drop your weapon and you have my word that I will holster mine. This is the only time I’m going to ask.”

The partner looked down to Sam’s panicked face, looking for instruction. With a hesitant nod, Sam gave in and signaled for his partner to drop the gun and to release Evan. The man did so, grunting with anger as he let Evan go. He then released the hammer on his pistol and tossed it on the bed.

“Thank you,” Max said. He then looked down to Sam. “How about you? When I let you up, are you going to do something stupid?”

“No,” Sam said. There was obvious rage in his voice, but he wasn’t dumb. He knew that he and his partner had been bested.

Max stood up and gave Sam a moment to get to his feet. Max then holstered his guns, took the one on the bed and tossed it into the furthest corner of the room.

“Who are you?” Sam asked, looking directly at Max with a stare that seemed to look right through him.

“I’m a policeman here in Shinoe,” Max said.

A look of sickening alarm rose up on Sam’s face and he turned his hateful stare towards Evan.

“Don’t you worry,” Max said. “I’m not here on police business this morning. I have some personal issues I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Like what?”

“I want to know everything you know about that bus.”