Coffee & Criminals

21. Adventure

"Ha! Yeah right!" I said loudly. My voice echoed around the room. Staring at Wolfe with disbelief, I shook my head. "That's one heck of a joke if I've ever heard one. Pretty funny, Wolfe. Almost got me there. For a second, I actually thought you were being serious."

He stared back, not smiling. "I am."

I still refused to believe it. Chuckling softly, I began to walk away.

"Florence." Wolfe called behind me. Soft and threatening. He meant what he said, I realized with an extra heavy thud of my heart. "Don't make me chase you. We did that once, remember how it ended? Unless you want to be wet again-" He actually had the nerve to chuckle to himself at that. I was glad that I was facing away from him, he wasn't able to see the blush creeping up my cheeks. "-which I'd gladly do, in both senses of the word, I suggest you get back here. I told you, I have something to show you. And I will, voluntarily or involuntarily."

I turned around, my mouth agape. "What could you possibly have to show me down there? Is the gaping darkness of Satan's stretched asshole really so interesting that you need to drag me-" I jabbed my finger into my chest and winced when it hurt more than I expected it to. ''-the waitress who's already late for work, me, Florence Remy, the eighteen year old adult-child, the girl who has an elite platinum membership to any Twizzler factory in the country, down there to see your oh so interesting thing? Please, you murder people for fun. Forgive me if I refuse to go down a ditch with you."

His jaw tightened. "I will literally shove you down there if you won't do it on your own terms."

I crossed my arms and glared at him. "You would not."

"I would."

"Wouldn't."

"I would." He repeated. Wolfe sounded serious enough that I didn't doubt his words for a second. With a pleasant smile, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black object. It only took just a few moments for me to realize that it was a gun and that he had every intention to use it. Weapons terrified me alone. When they were in the hands of the cruellest crime boss in the country, my fear reached mountainous heights.

There were two exits. The entrance we came through and the door I was standing close by. Wolfe blocked the one of the exits. To get to it, I'd have to pass him and I knew that wasn't happening. It was almost a 15 feet dash from where I was to the door. The other exit was locked with the control panel beside it. I was stuck in the middle with nowhere to go. Man, I really needed to work on mapping out some escape routes. One would really come in handy right now.

"Listen." Wolfe said. He almost seemed amused that I would be so wary of him. Yes, because a dark trapdoor under a law firm building and a dangerous criminal waving around a gun and trying to force me down said trapdoor where death was eminently waiting for me wasn't threatening at all. "I'm not going to do anything. I promise not to hurt you, not to kill you, not to do anything you think I'm doing to do. I just have to show you something very cool, that's all. You won't be disappointed."

"We have very different definitions of the word cool." I pointed out. I was still edging towards the control panel door. Maybe it was open, who knows. "There is nothing that guarantees you won't brutally stab me or shoot me in the butt except for your word and that's a joke itself. You're holding a gun, Wolfe. I mean, put yourself in my shoes for a second. Figuratively, of course, because these were kinda expensive and I'd rather not have your freakishly large toes and feet ruining them. You want me to go down a hole, a very dark hole, with you and-"

"Please?"

"Okay."

He grinned as I walked back to him sulking. There was no way I was getting out of this. Since I had no other options, I decided to play along. Arguing with Wolfe was taking neither of us anywhere and it was just a waste of time. Rather than be any more late for work than I already was, I could see no alternative and no way to convince him. He was as stubborn as they come. Besides, if I really thought I was in danger, I could just kick him in the family jewels and run away. I wasn't a very fast runner, but never mind that.