chapter 3. Just Another Peaceful Breakfast

The walk to the restaurant was short. We walked across the street took a left around a corner and we were there. The restaurant, PulaZen, was a small Romanian joint with ethnic waiters and cooks. The food list was large and the ingredients were fresh. We basically ordered 3 dozen eggs and sausage. It didn’t seem very Romanian to me but what do I know.

            “So Nick, how was your walk?” Matt asked “Meet any cute girls?”

            “You sound like my dad.” I chuckled. “Actually I never started, it a….was interrupted by a phone call”

            “Really, who was it? There aren’t a lot of things that could stop you from walking.” Fish asked laughing

I paused. I still couldn’t decide on weather not I should tell them. To tell the truth I treated it as I treated a bad grade……I ignored it, pretended it was a dream or at least tried to until she walked in. It was the girl from the bar no doubt about that her face was the same, but everything else, and I mean everything about her had changed. Her hair went from short and blonde to long and black it went all the way to the middle of her back. Her black shirt changed to blue skinny jeans, perfectly matching her denim jacket and black tank top. My mouth dropped to the floor. She was hot, so hot infact that I watched her walk across the room over to our table. She pulled a chair over next to me and sat in it back facing forward.

            “Sup guys” she said smiling. My friend’s faces turned to me.

            “Nick when exactly did you plan on informing us of our gracious guest here?” Matt asked

            Suck up I thought in my mind. I went to open my mouth but she cut in.

            “Actually Nick here didn’t know I was coming.” She said. “Now if you’ll excuse us the two of us need to talk.” Her voice was familiar but I couldn’t pinpoint where I’d heard it before. She got up and began dragging me from my chair. She pulled me over to the restaurants balcony. She walked so fast that when she stopped I tripped and fell into her; I felt like a klutz as she helped me up. She crossed her arms and put her head down on the balcony.

            “You’ve got my attention……..don’t waste it” I said standing there. She chuckled.

            “So what did you do?” she asked. I didn’t say anything. “You know to get pulled into this.”

            “Nothing! Just came here for my birthday and then you slip a phone into my pocket.”

            “That’s really hard to believe considering the only way to get into this game is through black market contacts and snitches.” She turned around and looked at me; leaning against the balcony’s railing. She smirked, I got ready.

            “You a cop” she asked

            “No” I said. She stood up.

            She pulled a gun from behind her; it was a Walther PPK the same gun James Bond uses.

            “So, if I were to hold this here no one would come running?”

I could hear the people in the restaurant leaving there tables as women screamed.

            “NICK!” I heard Jack yell from across the room. I wanted to turn and look but I needed to deal with this first.

            “You’re not going to shoot me” I smiled and reached into my pocket

            “What makes you say that?” she asked smirking

            “Well, I suppose you could shoot me, but….” I paused “It be pretty hard to do without this.” I said smirking waving her clip in my hand. She checked he gun and when she realized there was no ammo she tossed it behind her over the balcony.

            “Wow, you took my clip AND put my gun back WITHOUT me noticing.” She licked her lips “Not gonna lie, that’s pretty hot” she said eyeing me up.

            This chick was crazy I figured I should get rid of her quick.

            “If I had to take a guess I’d say you got about 4 minutes before the actual cops show up.”

            “Not bad kid, there might be hope for you yet.” With that she turned around and dived off the railing into the pool of the hotel next to us. I turned around my friends ran out. I leaned over the balcony and the girl waived as she got out of the pool. I threw her the clip and walked over to my friends.

            “What the hell dude!” Jack said

            “I’ll explain later” I said

I ran towards the front door but heard the siren coming up the hill; I closed the wooden double doors and locked ourselves in. I walked out to the balcony cops were already entering the pool area.

            “S**t!”

            “What the hell! Cops dude? You know I hate cops!” Brett said pointing at me.

            That’s where you entered the story. Detective Keegan Byrne NYPD’s greatest treasure of a detective.

            “We’ve got the building surrounded!”

            “No!” I yelled out

            “What the hell are you doing?!” Matt whispered

            “What?” Keegan yelled out

            “I have no intention of coming out with my hands up!” I yelled out “And I have hostages!”

            “What are you doing dude?”

            “He’s getting our asses out of here.” Fish stated “at the cost of his own” he frowned at me.

            That’s when the phone on the front desk began to ring.

            “Listen I don’t have time to explain now but, I have a plan.” I said trying calm everyone down. Matt and Fish had to hold Brett back he was trying to beat me senseless or perhaps beat my senses back into me.

            “OK listen I’m going to say there are four hostages and that I’ll send out three. That’s you guys.”

            “And what about you?” Fish asked

            Well they won’t charge in for a while if they think I got one more hostage.” I paused. “I’ll use that time to find a way out of here.” I finished the phone still ringing in the background.

            “No I refuse to let you stay here by yourself.”

            “Not like you got much of a choice, the more hostages the more I get in trouble.”

            “That’s bullshit dude.” Matt said frowning.

            “No.” Fish said “As much as I hate to admit it he’s right. They won’t hold us for long just take statements and let us go”

            Brett finally calmed down “Ok then what do we do?”

            “Just hold on” I picked the phone off the hook it had gotten annoying.

            “Hello?” Keegan said “This Is NYPD detective Keegan Byrne and I’ll be your negotiator today.”

            “You’re a funny guy but you sound young. How old are you?” I asked

            “Just turned 21 a week ago.”

            “Congrats. Anyway listen I’ve got four hostages.”

            “I don’t like it when people take hostages.”

            “Then this should lighten your day I’m willing to release three of them.” I told him

            “Good but not good enough.” Keegan said

            “Well that’s all I got so take it or leave it.”

            “Fine just send them through the front door”

            “No I don’t think so. How about into the pool under the balcony” I motioned fish to go. He had Brett and Matt jump first. Matt was hesitant at first but was pushed off the railing by Brett. When he fell I could no longer see what was happening but I would guess SWAT members rushed him onto land and away from the action. Brett walked back to run off the edge but tripped over the railing and splashed into the pool on his back.

            “That was AWESOME!” he yelled out.

Fish assured me they were ok and jumped off the railing arms crossed legs straight. When I heard a splash I started breathing again. I looked around, but there was nothing but dark wooden chairs and tables to match. I didn’t see much to work with could go on the roof but There’s no where to go out there. Obviously fighting my way is out I put my hand in my coat pockets trying to think. Then I remembered what Mr.0 said about the concierge A.I. I pulled out my phone opened it up and pressed the center button. The phone began ringing.

            “Hello this is AIME how can I be of service” The electronic voice said but it sounded really lifelike.

            “Amy?” I couldn’t believe they actually named it.

            “Yes Artificial Intelligence Management Expert.”

            “Oh AIME I see. Anyway Aime I need a way out of my current situation can you help me out”

            “Please hold” the phone went silent and the restaurants phone began ringing again. I ignored it.

            “There’s an escape latch under the cashiers desk. May you continue to be on the run from the police.” The A.I. Hung up.

            I walked over to the desk and moved it backwards and sure enough there was an escape latch leading under ground. I opened it up and climbed down closing the latch behind me. The tunnel was dark as dark gets I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face. I pulled out my lucky Zippo lighter. It was silver with three sevens on the front in Gold. My uncle had given it to me when I was thirteen. I don’t smoke but I keep a bunch of fake cigarettes that you buy from carnivals in an old pack. And I pretend to smoke them. So I lit my lighter and began my walk through the deep dark tunnel.

Reviews

[Ace D Portgas]

LOVED HOW BAD A*S IT WAS TO TAKE THE CLIP FROM THE GUN! I could just see that in my head...Other than that the ending was pretty intense...Can't wait to see next chapter...I knew the girl was part of the bigger scheme of things...Always the pretty ones lol

[MR_BERG]

This starting to be fun.

[0_o Abbie]

That was awesome, I loved this line, "Matt and Fish had to hold Brett back he was trying to beat me senseless or perhaps beat my senses back into me."