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Enjoy Chapter 1:

FRIDAY, September 12, 2014

The gun sat on the front seat, cold as a dead man’s heart.

The Beast, a large black revolver, was the only tool that Danny and Frankie would need. The brothers cruised through the San Fernando Valley on a Friday night near the end of summer, with an almost full moon shining down its ghostly light. The blare of speed metal throbbed through the car speakers, energizing both.

They were hunting. Again.

Ten seconds after turning off their headlights, Danny saw their target from the passenger seat and hefted the revolver into his hand with a smile. “We have a winner!!”

As their Mustang rolled east down Roscoe Boulevard, Frankie saw it too. The white Accord drove past them, flashing its high beams while heading west. With tires shrieking, he made a quick U-turn then stomped on the gas to make up the distance.

The Honda turned right, then passed a sign that read “not a through street”.

As the cars rounded the corner, the brothers could see that this road dead-ended at the train tracks, in a darkened pool without streetlights overhead.

“Dumbass just messed up,” Danny said with a chuckle. They liked to give insulting nicknames to their victims; it added to the fun.

“This is it,” Frankie said as he mirrored the movements of the other car.

The Accord driver eased to the left at the fork in the road, then parked in front of a pitch-black house. The moon cast spectral shadows across the narrow road. The driver turned off the car and exited lazily, with the interior light showing him to be a man about 40 years old. Chubby, clean-cut, wearing thick glasses. He opened his trunk, removed three heavy grocery bags with his right hand, then struggled to close the trunk with his left.

Distracted. Unaware. Perfect.

Danny wore his work clothes: dark baseball hat, clothes, and gloves. He lifted his black bandana to cover the lower half of his face. Only his ruthless brown eyes showed.

As Frankie slowed the car, he grabbed The Beast, methodically rotated the cylinder to make sure it was fully loaded. He nodded at his younger brother.

“Dumbass doesn’t even have a clue,” Danny said, “Okay, light him up.”

Frankie stopped behind the Honda and blinded the man with his high beams, as Danny opened his door and slipped smoothly toward him, gun at his side.

The other driver stood near the back of his car. He raised his left arm to shield his eyes from the light then jumped in surprise when he heard Danny’s voice.

“Keys, phone, wallet, on the trunk!”

“Wait … what?” The man stumbled like he was drunk, swivelled his head wildly.

“Keys, phone, wallet, on the trunk, Dumbass. Now!” Danny highlighted the last word by cocking the revolver from five feet away.

The man recognized the sound and dropped his grocery bags. His face looked stiff, pale with panic. He fished through his pockets with jittery hands, then tossed his keys, wallet and phone onto the trunk before he backed away in fear. His breathing became ragged; his body shook as his heart raced.

“Please don’t hurt me!”

“Shut up.” Danny smiled cruelly. “Now, close your eyes.”

The man stood frozen, paralyzed with fear. “Please don’t hurt me,” he whined.

Danny clenched his teeth. “Close your eyes or I’ll blow your head off!”

The man did as he was told, just like the rest of them, and Danny slowly released the hammer on his revolver. He took two quick steps forward, then smashed the handle of the gun on the top of his head. The man groaned, then staggered to the sidewalk before he collapsed on the pavement, as blood streamed from a large gash on his skull.

Danny laughed with satisfaction, then tucked The Beast into his waistband and scooped the keys from the trunk. He snatched the phone and wallet, then coolly opened the driver’s door. Sitting inside the Accord, he placed the phone and wallet on the seat next to him, then turned over the engine and revved it for a few seconds. Slamming it into gear, he jerked the wheel, made a quick U-turn.

Frankie drove up to the man, laying dazed and barely conscious. “Thanks for the car, Dumbass!”

He followed his brother’s lead. Soon both cars were moving swiftly south bound.

Danny turned right quickly on Roscoe, while Frankie drove straight through the intersection. Done in 30 seconds and no cars following them.

Perfect. Danny smiled.

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