"Why did I drug you? When Andrea called me, I had every intention of helping you two. I really did. I care about your sister and I don't want to see her hurt."
Janet angrily shook her head and the jerky motion made her nauseous.
"I'm serious. I love her. I really do. It's just that I've got to come up with some fast cash. I've been trying to come up with the dosh but I just can't raise it fast enough. Every day that goes by, they raise the interest. I tried to work a job last night and it all went to hell."
Janet's clumsy swing wasn't even close. Ethan continued," I nearly got caught and I've got nothing to show for it. So you see, I've got no choice. I love your sister but I love being alive more. I'm going to have to take what she's got. She didn't tell me what it was but judging from the crew I saw descending on that warehouse, its got to be pretty damn valuable. I knew Andrea would fight to the death rather than hand it over so, I took the liberty of dosing you two."
Janet wanted to scream. She tried to reach over and shake her sister but succeeded only in pitching headfirst onto the floor. I've got to do something! This bastard is going to kill us! Even if he doesn't, those people will kill us the moment they realize Andrea no longer has the talisman. Janet rolled onto her back in time to see Ethan looming over her sister. Her eyes fluttered shut. She forced them open once and then everything went black.
Ethan saw Janet's eyes snap shut and smirked. He'd have a little fun with that one in a minute. Nothing rankled him more than some git who thought she was better than him. Her and just about everybody he met. They all took one look at him with his tattoos and piercings and judged him.
Everyone always underestimated Ethan. Most of the time, he didn't care. It was easier to get over on marks if they dismissed you. Something about Janet rankled him. He had only just met the stupid slag and he hated her already. After all those years of friendship with Andrea, Janet steps in and in the space of minutes turns Andrea against him.
Ethan would have to teach her a lesson about shooting her mouth off. He leaned down and pushed Andrea's head and shoulders up off of the table. Her head dropped limply forward. Ethan straightened and smiled down at her.
Drugging Andrea was a once in a lifetime opportunity to have his way and she'd be none the wiser when she awoke. But he would know. Yes, he would always have the intimate, tantalizing memory of exploring her tight little body. Ethan stood gazing down at her, his lips slowly spreading into a lustful grin.
It slowly dawned on him that her eyes had opened a fraction. A moment later, Andrea's extended right arm flew up towards his face. His startled eyes slowly registered the piece of jagged glass gripped in her sleeve covered hand.
Belatedly, Ethan's hands flew up to shield his face as Andrea gouged his forehead and blood poured into his eyes. Ethan screamed and reflexively stepped backwards. His feet blundered onto the remaining broken shards of her beer bottle as he swiped at the blood stinging his eyes.
Ethan's foot slipped as Andrea launched herself up out of her chair and shoved him. He fell straight back into a broken down island in the middle of the kitchen. Andrea flinched as Ethan's head connected with the edge of the counter with a loud crack before he tumbled limply to the floor. She waited a moment but he didn't move.
Knowing that she had only minutes before he awoke, she scurried around the kitchen looking for something with which to secure his hands and legs. Andrea underestimated him once. She wasn't about to make the same mistake again.
Andrea was searching the few cabinets which still had doors on them when she came across a gym bag. Inside the bag were towels, zip ties, rags and an unmarked bottle of some murky liquid. That sonofabitch was going to bind and gag us! She shook her head to clear away thoughts of what might have happened if he had succeeded in drugging them both.
Andrea used the zip ties to bind Ethan's hands and feet before pausing to catch her breath. She checked his pockets and relieved him of his wallet, car keys, a switchblade and three Rohypnol tablets in a baggie. Tucked into the waistband at the small of his back was a 44 magnum.
Andrea turned it over in her hands and instantly recognized the scratches on the barrel. How the hell did this bastard get his hands on my gun? She was checking on her sister when she heard him begin to stir. Andrea rose and stood in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Good afternoon sleepyhead. I'm glad you're awake. Now we can have a nice little chat."
Ethan's eyes were still closed. He moaned, attempted to rub the back of his head and realized that his hands and legs were bound together. Ethan opened his eyes and glared up at Andrea. She smiled sweetly at him and retrieved a chair from the kitchen table, placing it at his feet.
She sat down and waited patiently. Ethan used the hands bound in front of him to push himself up until his back was against the wall of the kitchen next to the back door. He longed to wipe away the blood dripping down into his face. Andrea took pity on him and used the rag from the table to wipe his eyes before tying it around his head like a bandage.
"There we go. That's better. Now we can chat," she said brightly.
"I've got nothing to say to you."
"You had damn well better have something to say to me you ass hole! Maybe this will get you in the mood."
Andrea pulled the revolver from her waistband and leveled it at Ethan's chest. His eyes widened slightly and subconsciously, he pressed his back against the wall.
"You can start by telling me how you got my revolver."
"Why do you ask questions to which you already know the answers? Obviously, I found it where you dropped it."
"What were you doing at my house?"
"I was with Steve. He was just supposed to run in and get something from you and come right back out. I heard gunshots and saw you run out with your sister. Naturally, I went in and found Steve dead as a doornail."
"If you're going to lie to me then things are going to get unpleasant. You and I both know that Steve couldn't stand you. At best, he tolerated you. Try again Ethan."
"Okay, so maybe I followed Steve to your apartment. I knew he had a big score in the offing and I wanted in."
"He never would have cut you in on anything."
"Who says I was gonna ask?"
"That still makes no sense Ethan. Steve would not discuss his plans with the likes of you. The more I think about it, nothing that has happened here makes any sense. You my dear are a moron. In order for you to have inside information, someone would have to feed it to you and then put the fear of God into you to keep you from going to the nearest tavern shooting your mouth off about it. "
Andrea sat staring at him as if she could read his thoughts if she looked closely enough. She slowly said, " You know what else doesn't make sense? You dosing us. That's not something that would occur to you. Any drugs you get either go down your greedy gullet or get snorted up your nose. No dearest, someone is pulling your strings. Who are you working for?"
The ever present smirk on Ethan's face slid off, exposing the fear in his eyes. He made a lame attempt to play it off but she could see that he was frightened. She spoke without thinking.
"You know about the talisman don't you?"
Andrea shook her head in dismay. Ever since she helped Steve steal the talisman, her life had been turned upside down and inside out. Why did everybody want it so badly? Was it that valuable? She found that hard to believe. It certainly wasn't much to look at. It was just a flat piece of amethyst on a gold chain.
Andrea suddenly felt exhausted. It would take forever to get any useful information out of Ethan. He was clearly scared shitless. Consequently, the lies were just rolling off of his tongue. He was almost relieved when she asked him where he had hidden his car. It was the one piece of information with which he readily parted.
She needed to get some rest. Andrea placed one of the Rohypnol tablets in his mouth and forced him to wash it down with the last of Janet's ginger ale. She made him open his mouth and lift his tongue before waiting until his eyes slid shut and his breathing slowed before returning to her sister's side.
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