The Fired Gun

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2

He hadn’t slept deeply in more than a year. Even though Adelaide and her crew endeavored to keep at least his name a secret if not the finer points of his profession, Dakota knew that his job and his history made him a target. There were probably hundreds of people who could benefit from his death, including whomever might be next on his list.

As a result, he’d learned to sleep lightly and for shorter periods of time. Better to take a nap when safety could be assured than to try and get a full night when danger may be lurking.

But the combination of jet lag, travel fatigue, hiking, stress, and, of course, a two-hour-long romp in bed got the best of him. He passed out, naked and face down on a pillow in the cheap hotel room they’d rented for a little privacy. The guy, who said his name was Louis, apparently had three roommates, and therefore, if they wanted their session to go uninterrupted, they needed to find a bed elsewhere.

Dakota didn’t mind. He had pretty much unlimited funds, thanks to Adelaide, and Louis was even more attractive than he remembered. And what’s more, he took one look at Dakota—worn out and sleep deprived—and practically tackled him. Dakota easily aroused him, and everything they did only seemed to excite him more. He managed to stay awake only long enough to ensure that Louis fell asleep first. Once his breathing slowed, he, too, was out like a light.

Until he heard rustling. He didn’t think much of it at first. With their session having completed hours ago, Louis was under no obligation to stick around, unless he wanted seconds—which Dakota was way too exhausted to perform. Perhaps he hoped to make a retreat without waking his one-night stand, in order to avoid any awkward small talk.

But Dakota didn’t feel right. When he reached up, with a hand than shook violently, and scratched his neck, he knew why. His all-defense talisman, which he always kept activated, except for situations like this where there could be no clothes to hide its glow, was completely missing. Some withdrawal symptoms would have been present anyway because of turning off the magic crystal, but the necklace’s absence probably intensified the symptoms.

Immediately, his whole body tensed in alarm. But he wasn’t the panicky kid of only a couple years ago. He could manage a tense or dire situation. By the sounds, Louis was still in the room. So, Dakota slowly and carefully reached down the side of the bed to his leather messenger bag, which luckily hadn’t been disturbed. He found a loaner gun in no time, flipped onto his back, and c****d it. When Louis spun around in fear, he was carrying Dakota’s wallet, cellphone, and necklace, the cord of which had been cut.

“Now, where the f**k are you going with those?” Some of the persistent weariness crept into his otherwise calm and confident voice.

At the sight of a gun pointed directly at him, the thief dropped his prizes on a nearby dresser and put up his hands. He nervously backed against the closed door. With a thick accent that aroused Dakota, even now, “Holy s**t! Are you police or something?! You won’t shoot me, yeah? The walls are thin. People will hear.”

Glaring at him, “What were you even gonna do with my necklace? Hock it?”

Confusion. “Hock?”

“Were you gonna sell it?”

He nodded.

“How much did you think you’d get?”

Louis shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Anything. I can’t pay my rent.”

Dakota licked his lips and let out a sigh. “It’s pretty f*****g rude to steal from people you have s*x with. Unless that was the point all along. Was it?” It didn’t really matter. The exchange had gone wonderfully, and he got what he needed out of the deal. But if the goal was entirely to rob him, the night might still be cheapened a little, he thought. Just on principle. It felt nice to know that people found him attractive, and not just an easy mark who chose this moment to temporarily let his guard down.

Louis blushed and shook his head. “No! No, I just—No. You’re really cute. And good in bed. And you looked like you were interested. But, umm, your stuff was just right there, and I’d never see you again, and I-I’m sorry, man. Please put the gun down. Jesus. I won’t take any of your stuff, yeah? I’m sorry that I tried to.”

He lowered the weapon slightly, but kept it trained on him. Getting up, he walked over to him in the nude. “Why can’t you pay your rent?”

Breathing quickly, “The-uh, the airline I worked for dropped two thousand people last month. I get tips from American tourists, help them with their bags or giving directions, but it doesn’t pay enough.”

Though it could easily be a drug habit or some other reason that Louis planned to steal his things—and there could be no telling how many other times he’d resorted to theft and succeeded—something about his delivery made it sound believable. It was desperate. Sad.

He couldn’t help but be moved by it.

With another sigh, Dakota put the gun under his arm so he could pick up his purloined items. He tossed the phone onto the bed, out of reach. It took a few tries, but he eventually tied an oversized knot so that he could wear the necklace again. He would have to get a different cord for it later. After, he opened his wallet and produced four fifty-Euro bills and offered them to him.

When Louis hesitated, Dakota explained. “You’ve caught me in a rare moment of charity, okay? I haven’t slept that well in a really long time, and I had a good night. You might want to find a different way to make money, though. This one will get you killed. I mean that.”

Louis blinked in disbelief for a few moments before quickly taking the cash and shoving it into his front pocket. “Uh, th-thank you.”

Dakota closed his eyes. “You can go now.”

He didn’t open them again until he heard the door slam. Alone in the ugly room, he picked up the scraps of his dignity, got dressed, and headed back to the safe house.