I tried to get the dagger out of the wall before I got attacked. “But why me? Why not some other mutt on the street?” I asked, frenzied.
“Hey, watch who you’re calling mut, mut!” Stringbean barked, shoving me to the floor. Jay towered over me, laughing to himself.
“Y’see, Tom left us, and we’ve been broke ever since. We were thinkin to use his most prized possesion to get him back.”
“Meaning-?”
“You’re as sharp as your father!” Len shrieked with delight. “He’d be devestated without you,” he added, dislodging the dagger from the wall, bringing it closer and closer to me.
Then I got an idea. “Right back at you, big fella.” They all took a step back for a moment.
“What you mean?” Stringbean asked. I smirked.
“If you got rid of me, you’d go even more broke than you are now. You don’t even know if I can spot a rich man and rob him blind.” We all looked to Boss, deep in thought. After what was the tensest minute of my life, he nodded.

In a flash of the dagger, my wrist bindings fell to the floor.