One Day in a Small-Town Desert, chapter 4, page 8

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Zhíno swung open the brown sedan’s trunk and realized he needed to open the Enforcer cruiser’s trunk as well. He hurried around the auto to the open driver’s door. He felt between the seat and the door, but there was no release lever. He had to use the keys.

He yanked them from the ignition. The siren and flashing lights abruptly stopped. Zhíno didn’t care. They were getting annoying, anyway.

A few quick steps and Zhíno was at the cruiser’s trunk. He jabbed the key in the lock, turned, and flung the lid open, the keys jangling, still in the lock. Besides a spare tire and some emergency flares, the trunk was empty. Plenty of room for Gogzhuè’s guns.

Zhíno ran to the Sonla’s trunk and grabbed one of the smallest boxes with his right hand, bracing it with his left elbow. He gritted his teeth against the pain in both arms and lifted.

Red and green flashed in Zhíno’s vision. But that was impossible. The cruiser lights had turned off. It must be from the pain. And then the faint sound of a siren intruded upon Zhíno’s ears. No, you’re imagining it. Start hauling the boxes.

But between the two autos, way down the road, a pair of headlights approached, flashing red-and-green lights above.

“Plague of Kínıtíní!”

Zhíno dropped the gun box back into the Sonla’s trunk and slammed the lid. No matter what, he couldn’t let the police find the guns. Or at least not help the Voro-fuckers find them.

What should he do? Shoot this Enforcer, too? No, this guy wouldn’t stop to ask questions, not with this cruiser parked in the middle of the highway, door and trunk flung open. Zhíno would never get a chance to pull his handgun from his pocket before the Voro-fucker shot him dead.

The approaching police auto only a hundred meters away, Zhíno sprinted across the road, up the driveway a few strides, and into the desert scrub. Fírí had gone this way. He’d hunt down the Vítí-twin, kill her all too quickly, get the keys, and return to their auto. Hopefully the policeman would be lost in the desert searching for him by then and Zhíno would be able to hop in the sedan and drive off.

Hopefully. But not plagued likely.

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