Prolouge: 1955

This started as a small story I wrote to get a feel for the situation and the type of writing I was leaning towards. This is just one of a few chapters that has little to do with the main story, for now at least.

"Look, just put the gun down and I'll hand you the book."

My voice was surpsingly calm as i stared at the snub nose of the petite revolver, the hand holding it belonged to one of those dames that looked so beautiful it seemed they stepped out of an film reel, a kind of beauty that seemed to be stop time around her because you know she won't be that pretty in a few years when the lines come in and her wieght drops and those curves become something else entirely.

"Just stop talking and lie down."

Her voice had a hard east coast accent, that meant she was probably from New York, if I lay down she would just put a bullet in my neck, and I couldn't have that.

With slow deliberate movements I started to lay down until my legs were bent and my hands were flat on the ground, she didn't lower the revolver at all, a real professional this girl.

I exploded forward and heard the gun go off, my head was still on my shoulders so that meant she had missed me. My shoulder collided with her midsection and with a yell she fell backwards, I landed on top of her and held her hands above her head and banged her wrists into the cold concrete until she let go of her gun.

And there we were like two lovers caught in a tryst, inside of a filthy abandoned hotel in the middle of Ohio ready to kill each other over a book no one could read.

I could feel her labored breathing under me and I have to say the sudden adrenaline and the circumstances of the last few days had me thinking rather impure thoughts about my new prisoner.

She smiled at me with dark purple lips, her heart shaped face was perfect in the half light of the dusty room, with a few deft movements she was underneath me in a much better position, I smiled back and leaned in for a kiss, to my surprise she did not resist my advances and after a few seconds of bliss I pulled myself off her and sat back up. She opened her mouth to say something in a sultry voice but I interrupted her with a fist to the side of her jaw. Her head snapped to the side and she fell asleep quietly.

"I may be a healthy male, but how stupid do you really think I am?"

I stood and put the book back in it's bag and picked up her revolver. I looked at it and then at her, I knew the smart play.

Instead I put the gun in my pocket and walked out of the room, making sure to grab my trench coat on the way out, it looked like rain and I didn't intend to get caught in another storm.

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