Chapter 4 - The Decoy Safe
Back in my bedroom, my trembling fingers hovered over the keypad.
There was a heavy stash of cash in the safe. About five thousand dollars I had pulled for a roofing project. But there was something else inside, too. Something I needed Marcus to ignore.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Click.
I turned the heavy steel handle and pulled the heavy door open.
Marcus eagerly shoved me aside, his greed completely overriding his situational awareness. He reached into the dark cavity of the safe, grabbing the thick manila envelope of hundred-dollar bills.
"That's what I'm talking about," Marcus laughed, his eyes wide with adrenaline. He shoved the cash into the front pocket of his hoodie.
But as he was admiring the money, I reached into the bottom shelf of the safe. My fingers wrapped around the cold, heavy, knurled aluminum handle of the massive tactical flashlight I kept for emergencies. It was fourteen inches long, made of aircraft-grade aluminum, and weighed almost three pounds.
"What else is in there?" Marcus demanded, turning back to me.
He saw the flashlight in my hand and sneered. "A flashlight? Really, old man? You're going to shine me to death?"
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"No," I said, my voice dropping to a gravelly calm.
I didn't turn the light on. Instead, I gripped the handle with both hands, pivoted on my right foot, and swung the heavy aluminum cylinder like a baseball bat directly into his kneecap.
