After I limped to the car alone while keeping an eye out for Antonio’s men, I waited for a minute, then waved for the couple to follow. While I could only recognize a few of the thugs, I figured I was like the canary in the coalmine. No one appeared interested in us, letting me release my breath as the couple joined me.

I took the path to the Vaugh’s house as the couple sat next to me in the front seat. My constant glances in the rearview mirrors revealed no cars appeared to follow. Just to be safe, I took a quick turn down an alley, then another turn to get me on the route again. After several more turns that nearly got me lost, I finally found the path to Sally and Joe’s home.

We reached their house about fifteen minutes later. Joe and Sally went inside while I waited. My mind kept wondering about my next steps, including the need to get Adele away from danger. Yeah, I realized this problem before I stuck my big nose into Sally’s problem. But now that I was in the middle of the mess, my danger sense was on full overload. Obviously, my wife was a weak point for the gangster to exploit. I suddenly thought of the frequent calls to the apartment. While the caller kept hanging up when I answered, I remained confident it was Lloyd Childress. Nothing in my notebook showed Antonio knew much about Adele, so I believed I had some time to work with. After all, it’s hard to spring it on someone that you have a gangster pissed off at you and he wants your head for a display.

As for Childress, Adele mentioned she spoke with him. From our conversation, I got a hint that her lawyer continued his efforts to persuade her to continue the divorce. I realized I needed to remove Childress from his petty agitation of Adele.

Getting her on a train tonight will fix that problem, at least for the time being, I thought.

Looking at my watch, I realized the Vaugh’s were taking too long, so I got out of the car and went to the front door. I knocked, then opened the door. I spotted a suitcase near the fireplace and went over to retrieve it. Just as I got there, Sally reached the top of the stairs.

“I’m sorry, Joe suddenly got sick. He’s in the bathroom. I need to get him something to eat.”

Her expression surprised me. She appeared to a point of tired resignation, not concern. Then again, I suppose Sally was running on nerves herself.

“Let’s skip that and get food at the station,” I said as I looked at my watch. “I don’t...”

The sound of a car skidding to a stop reached us through the open front door.

Shit!

As I wrestled my gun from the holster inside my jacket, I hurried to the front window. Sally was on my heels. We saw three men get out of the black car parked next to mine.

“Get Joe and let’s head out the back,” I whispered.

“No, you go downstairs,” she replied and went to the front door.

I watched her lock and bolt the wood door, then I glanced outside. The men were pulling weapons from under their coats.

Holy crap!

I ran to the door and grabbed Sally’s arm.

“Get the hell away from the door!” I growled while pulling her with me to the middle of the room.

A thump came from the door before a crash sounded at the window. Both of us crouched as a shot echoed in the room. I shot at the arm holding a revolver through the front window. The bullet struck the window frame, and I ordered Sally to the stairs.

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“Get Joe and get out of here!”

As she crawled away, the front door burst open. I squeezed the trigger, and my shot went into the door. The thug fired twice as he dived out of the way. One of his bullets hit the couch in front of me while the other struck the fireplace, sending a ricochet out the nearby window. Suddenly, a shotgun went off behind me. I looked over, shocked to see Joe holding the shotgun he tried to kill himself with. His pale face was lit up with joy, even though his shot missed the target. Hiding behind the fireplace, Sally frantically called out for Joe to join her.

Seeing an opportunity, I aimed my sights at the exposed thigh of the goon crouched by the console near the front door. My shot struck him this time, and I heard a yelp as he rolled away. However, the thug’s partner opened up again as he stepped into the doorway. His shot barely missed my head, but the bullet struck a glass figurine sitting on the side table. The shattered display showered me in shards of broken glass. I hurriedly fired back, despite the pain on the side of my face, then abandoned my position. While I scurried to hide behind the fireplace, another shotgun blast from Joe sent Antonio’s revolver man limping back outside.

When I arrived near the stairs, Sally finally got Joe to join her behind the stone façade. Asking for a back route out of the house, Sally pointed to the stairs. Joe came up behind her. His expression remained elated, which I didn’t understand.

“You two head down. I’ll be right behind you.”

I shot toward the door as the couple headed down the stairs. When I pulled away from the fireplace, a bullet slammed into the stone where I just stood, curtesy of the thug I wounded earlier.

Damn, this really sucks!

My delusional thoughts crept into my mind at strange intervals, insisting this dimension wasn’t real. I think it came from a need to cope with the nearness of death. But I knew better. The pain from the shards of glass in my face and the aches of my muscles from the battering I took earlier were enough to convince anyone.

At the bottom, I looked both ways down the long hallway, but the couple was out of sight. Not sure which way to go, I guessed the opposite direction of the bedrooms. Sure enough, when I reached the end of the hallway, it went left, and I followed it to stairs leading back up. When I reached the top, I pushed open the door to find myself in a vestibule. A short hallway led into a kitchen and bar area, while the other side showed me Sally standing by a door. She waved me over.

“Some the place you have,” I told her when I arrived. “Where’s Joe?”

“He’s in the garage, opening the door. We’ll take my car and escape that way.”

I nodded, more than a little impressed in her and Joe’s calmness to the danger, while I kept hoping I would wake up in my old apartment after this crazy dream. Sally opened the door, and I followed her out into an open patio area at the back of the house. Surrounded on one side by the hill and on the other by tall bushes, the courtyard path led to another building. We made our way inside, where Joe waited. Sally went to him as he stood by the garage door.

“Get in the car and start it up,” he told us. “I’ll open the door and get on the sideboard as we leave. My shotgun will do a better job of holding them off.”

Sally hurried to the driver’s side and started the vehicle. I got in the back seat, rolling down the window. Joe looked at his wife, calmly smiling, as he lifted the door. Sally pressed the gas pedal after lifting the clutch and the car shot forward, sending me back into the seat.

Joe ran with the vehicle for a couple of steps, but he didn’t see the third goon step out of the bushes along the drive. Antonio’s man let loose with several shots which struck Joe in the chest. Joe staggered, pointing his barrel at the man, and pulled the trigger. The thug’s chest exploded from the blast of pellets.

Sally screamed for Joe, hitting the brakes while I struggled to open the back door to get out. As soon as I got the door open, a shot struck the front windshield of Sally’s car. I kneeled next to Joe, whose eyes remained open in death; his mouth held a slight smile. Instantly, I ran back to the car and jumped in.

“Go, he’s dead. Move or we die!” I yelled.

She didn’t move, still staring at Joe’s body. Then, another shot struck the front windshield, and she reacted by popping the clutch and nearly killed the car’s engine. I yelled at her again, then shot at the revolver man trying to hide at the edge of the house. Finally, Sally gunned the engine and the large car gained speed. As we came around the house, I had my .45 ready. When we passed the goon with the revolver, I was only a few paces away when my finger pulled the trigger. The bullet struck him in the middle of his belly.