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Seated in darkness, Susan finds herself surrounded by lingering memories. It was here that fateful night her world changed. The formation of her current reality, her eyes fixated for the moment on Cord as he sat, speechless, waiting. It’s been a while since she felt as if she could trust another. Wondering what made him tick. Did he indeed work as an agent for a corrupt government? The wanted poster, and her sister, claimed he was now a member of a rogue group engaged in lawlessness. A bounty hunter, thief. A creator of chaos. Life was hard difficult as she made her way and, often angry, occasionally caught herself wondering about her dad. She tried to reach out once, a note left on a bulletin board. And now wondering was her past fabricated, a sham? No, it was real. Used by men, treated as a lackey that was painfully real, but had she placed her hatred on the wrong person?
“Why did Mr. Eldridge give me the cafe?”
“He knew his son, Max, knew his capacity for evil. From what I understand, he cared for your mother. But in a bind, family first, he was also a lover of wealth and power and to appease his conscience, gave you this opportunity. He also made sure you and your sister freed. I also think Sandra is receiving a ‘stipend’ to support her and her daughter. The details are fuzzy, but don’t for a moment think he is an honorable human.”
“Are you an honorable man?”
“I’m…working on that. But the stories being spread about Jesse and this crew exaggerated.”
“Exaggerated?” Susan said.
“Why didn’t you pull the trigger the other day? Would Sandra have pulled the trigger?”
“I feel conflicted yet compelled to take a risk. Please do not cross me. Two weeks from today, I’ll meet with Sandra. Monthly we meet at the cafe. Same time, same table. She always brings a bodyguard or two. Maybe more. But, they wait outside while we catch up on current events, the granddaughter, Jesse, and plot how to entrap him, his gang, and the weather. The cafe is always empty. She will sit facing the room, where she can see the entranceway. I sit with my back to the room. You and Jesse will arrive through the back. At exactly 2:10, to talk.”
“Really?” replies Cord.
“Really,” Susan replies! “Do not bring your crew. I will warn her about what is about to happen. That you two will arrive to talk. She will not be happy. She is always armed. I will intervene, stand in the middle. If someone dies, I will be the first.”
“You realize this sounds insane?”
Standing, “one final warning, you know that house you were seeking to annex, don’t you are being setup.”
“Your warning is a bit late. We lost several good men and a woman.”
“Interesting, sorry, but why, I understood your crew was…”
“It felt like a trap. Kinda like what you are proposing.”
“To answer your question, I don’t think Sandra would have pulled the trigger.”
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