Cal said if Zach did just what he said, nothing would go wrong. Zach could go home like nothing happened with twenty-grand under his belt. But if he snitched and spilled the beans, Zach knew Cal would kill him.
Zach took a couple puffs from his inhaler, and let out short gasping breaths.
Cal gave me a chance and Cal doesn’t take chances, he must have believed I could do it. Zach calmed his breathing but not his worries. He toddled through the Zinbollie’s parking lot uneasily, his shoulders tense and his head aching. Zachary it’s a normal day at work, just do it and it will be over. Quietly Zach repeated Cal’s instructions as quickly as he could. He stuck his hands into his pockets. Each hand held a precious object. In his left pocket it was his inhaler. In his right pocket it was an object worth his twenty-thousand, Zach happened to be right handed. A low distress signal reeled throughout the block. Zach nearly fainted from the sound. In his mind police sirens rang all over the place, but he could hear the chase speed down town. Flashes of cold flutter up his back, Why would any cops come hear, Zach wondered, the food sucks?
He’d meant it as a joke but a frightened expression was glued to his young face. He was fifteen and a busboy at Zinbollie’s Italian restaurant. And he needed cash for reasons he didn’t like to talk about. He was terribly desperate.
Zach flung the entrance door open and swallowed his nerves. I have to do this! He shouted the words in his head, for Pepper... Zach let the dear name echo in his mind.
“Morn ‘in Zach” called a friend. Zach didn’t even look at him.
“Your late” a cook brawled, exiting the kitchen, “You better explain why you’re…” he shut up. In fact the whole building went silent. Zach had one hand in the air, the one holding his inhaler still in his pocket, the other hand held a deadly black gun. What had Cal said to do next? Zach thought as fast as he could. He shot a bullet in the sealing. Families screamed and hid under their tables. Two men ran toward him.
“LOWER YOUR WEAPON” called one of the men. His voice sounded official.
Cops! Cops! Zach panicked, his stomach tightened. Cramps! Cramps! Holding his breath Zach lowered the gun. And shot the first person in front of him. Zach watched horrified as the cook leisurely knelt to the ground. Zach felt dizzy. And he felt breathless. In slow motion the two men came toward him. He would surely faint before they reached him. From what he saw Zach could imagine easily out running them, but he felt too faint to move. A pinching pain gushed through Zach’s body as he was tackled to the tile floor. Pepper… was the last thing in his mind before everything went black.