Chris Kuzneski - The Prophecy

‘What the hell are you doing?’ Jones whis pered.

‘Shut up, and stay hidden.’

‘Screw that. I want to see this shit.’

Payne signalled for him to duck behind the counter. Once he had complied, Payne was ready to start his charade. ‘Hold your horses,’ he grumbled. ‘I’m coming!’

From a distance, he could see the female

‘Can I help you?’ he said as he put his face near the door.

A gorgeous brunette was standing in the middle of the hallway. From her body language, he could tell that she had been caught off guard by the unexpected presence of a stranger.

‘Is, um, Ashley home?’ she asked.

‘Of course, she’s home. She’s in the shower. Who are you?’

‘I’m her neighbour, Megan.’

‘Hey, Megan. We’re kind of busy right now. Can you come back later?’

She took a step closer. ‘And you are?’

‘A friend.’

‘Yeah, I kind of gathered that. I meant your name.’

‘Jon.’

‘Nice to meet you, Jon.’ With a grin on her face, she reached her fingers through the crack and tried to shake his hand. He willingly obliged, just to speed things up. ‘So, have you known Ashley long?’

Payne cleared his throat. ‘Not to be rude or

Megan leaned in closer and whispered. ‘From what I can see, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.’

Payne laughed. ‘Okay, now I’m really embarrassed. Time for me to go.’

‘Wait,’ she said, giggling. ‘Don’t close the door. I was just teasing.’

‘Don’t worry, I wasn’t offended. I just need to get back to Ashley.’

‘Before you go, can you please do me a favour? Can you get my mail for me?’

‘Your mail?’

Megan nodded. ‘I’ve been out of town, and Ashley’s been picking up my mail. Can you grab it for me? My name is Megan Moore.’

‘Hold on. Let me see if I can find it.’

‘Look on her table. It should be there in a neat little pile.’

Payne turned around and mumbled, ‘There’s nothing neat in here.’

‘What was that?’

He called over his shoulder. ‘Something smells sweet in here.’

‘That’s probably my new scent. Do you like it?’

Jones whispered. ‘The goal is to get rid of her, not pick her up.’

‘I know that, but she won’t leave.’

‘Is she hot?’

‘Excuse me?’

Jones noticed Payne blush ever so slightly. ‘Oh my God, she is hot. Does she have a friend?’

‘Yeah, her name was Ashley, and she was shot in Pittsburgh.’

‘I meant another friend. I don’t like dead chicks. Does that make me a racist?’

Payne growled softly. ‘Just give me her mail.’

Jones handed him the stack, loving every minute of Payne’s embarrassment. ‘If the topic comes up, ask her about a threesome. Maybe we can do some ebony and ivory shit.’

Trying to control his emotions, Payne took a deep breath, then turned back towards the door. Once he got rid of the neighbour, he was going to take care of Jones. One way or another, he would make him pay.

‘Who were you talking to?’ Megan wondered. ‘Was that Ashley?’

‘Really? Do you know who else does that?’

‘No, who?’

‘Serial killers.’

Payne grinned. ‘Then I guess I better stop. I don’t want to tip off my victims.’

She returned his smile. ‘Nice talking to you, Jon.’

‘You, too, Megan.’

‘And thanks for my mail.’

‘You’re welcome.’

She started to walk away. ‘Wait! I think you’re forgetting something.’

‘I completely disagree. A goodnight kiss would be inappropriate.’

She laughed. ‘You know, you’re pretty funny — for a serial killer.’

‘I hear that all the time. So, what did I forget?’

‘There should be a package of some kind.’

‘A package?’

She nodded. ‘I was expecting a package.’

‘Sorry, I didn’t see any package. I’ll let Ashley know you’re looking for it, and she can drop it off later. Okay?’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Okay, I can take a hint. I’m leaving now. But please let Ashley know I stopped by.’

Payne nodded, then closed and locked the door.

32

Payne walked towards his friend, braced for the onslaught that would eventually come. ‘Go on. Get it out of your system.’

Jones started to laugh. ‘Man, I’ve seen a lot of crazy things during our time together, but the whole I-just-got-done-banging-your-neighbour tactic has got to be the craziest. Did you learn that shit at the academy or during SEALs training?’

He shrugged off the comment. ‘It worked, didn’t it? That’s all that matters.’

‘I guess worked depends on your distorted definition.’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘Which is?’

‘Miss Moore saw you and talked to you. Who do you think she’s going to blame for wrecking this place? I’ll give you a hint. He just finished boning a dead chick.’

Payne disagreed. ‘She saw three inches of me through the crack in the door. No way she can ID me from that.’

‘Dude, I’ve seen you in the shower. Three inches is all you got.’

Payne ignored the insult, trying to decide if he had anything to worry about. Ideally, he would have preferred not talking to anyone who could place him inside the apartment, but considering the unique situation he had been facing, he had utilized an unconventional tactic to do what he had to do — he kept Megan away from the apartment without harming her.

‘Listen,’ Payne declared, ‘it’s my ass on the line, not yours. So tease me all you want; I really don’t care. I made a gutsy, spur of the moment decision that proved to be successful. And if I had a chance to do it over, I would do the same damn thing.’

‘Are you sure? Because next time I’d suggest

Payne shook his head. ‘I swear to God, I need to get a new best friend.’

‘If you don’t mind, can you order one later? For the time being, it’s probably best if we get out of here as soon as possible. Megan might come back for a second viewing.’

Payne wiped down the door, making sure his prints had been removed, before he peeked into the hallway. He glanced left and right and saw nobody out there. Jones stood behind him, waiting to exit the apartment, but he wouldn’t leave until Payne was holding the elevator at the far end of the hall. In their minds, it was the best way to minimize their exposure time.

Moving quietly, Payne slipped out of the apartment and turned left. He clutched his gun inside his coat pocket, ready to fire at all times. The odds were against the intruders returning — they had already trashed Ashley’s apartment — but he was prepared, just in case.

He pushed the down button and watched the numbers move above the three elevators, trying to time things perfectly. The one on the right had been in the lobby but was now climbing towards

Jones heard the signal and opened the door softly. Wasting no time, he slipped into the hallway and closed the door. Unfortunately, his timing couldn’t have been worse. A split-second after the lock clicked shut, Megan stepped out of her apartment, carrying a large bag of recyclables. Years of training had taught Jones to trust his senses, so he immediately pivoted towards the noise behind him and raised his gun in a shooting stance fully expecting to see an armed gunman. Instead, he saw a gorgeous brunette wearing a silk robe and bunny slippers.

Their eyes locked for a full three seconds before all hell broke loose.

Stunned by the development, Megan dropped her bag and unleashed a scream that caused dogs to bark a block away. Realizing his mistake, Jones tucked the gun into his pocket as quickly as he could and immediately started to apologize, but Megan was too frazzled to comprehend what he was saying.