Everything stopped.
Paulie froze in mid-swing; I clutched to Ezra, petrified. I’d forgotten how it felt to be at the other end of a gun.
Even the guard who Paulie’d half beaten to death stopped his twitching to crane his neck & see the Commissioner. I’d forgotten how menacing he could look, too. My hand traveled up to my necklace.
He approached slowly, threateningly. “Well, what a surprise. I thought it was just two pipsqueaks with the idea they could overthrow us. But now I see that we have a murderous rebel & two runaways. We can’t have that.”
A pin drop would’ve sounded like an explosion. The only noises I could hear was the ragged breathing of the guard on the floor, & my heart.
“Now, would we rather slow & extremely agonizing, or quick & relatively painless?”
“What are you talking about?” Paulie barked. I jumped hearing his normally carefree voice so stern.
The Commissioner laughed. “Why, your exits of course!”
Henry chose this moment to make his “grand” entrance.”
I barely held back a scream.