Reversal of Fortune
Jacobi pointed to the steel box on the counter. "Go ahead."
Blowing out through pursed lips she rubbed her hands together and examined it. She'd never seen it before today, though it didn't surprise her that Dad had some sort of safe in the back room. This safe didn't have a combination, but she'd seen enough spy movies to figure what the small square on the side facing her was. Her thumb covered it, with just a bit to spare.
A brief whirring followed by four sharp clicks came from within. The door pushed against her thumb. She moved her hand back and made a motion as if to grab the box.
"Ah, ah, ah. Please be so kind as to step back." Jacobi didn’t relish the idea of her opening it. There could be a gun in the strongbox. He opened it, the lid coming down to rest along the counter. The whole thing was lined in dark gray, half-inch thick. egg crate foam. Slabs of foam separated it into four segments. In the first was a Heckler & Koch pistol with three magazines. The second held a black silk bag, the third a bundle of CDs or DVDs in cheap plastic jewel cases, and in the last one another metal box. Jacobi began to reach for that when he felt a searing pain in the small of his back.
Danny had watched her take the shard of metal from her back pocket. He couldn't believe that Marla was going to get the drop on him. His vision was still a bit blurred so he couldn't tell what it was exactly, but it was about as long as his hand. He silently wished her luck and slowly began to get to his feet. His body, especially his braincase, protested.
After plunging the letter opener into his kidney or at least where she hoped his kidney was, Marla stepped back. She knew that she didn't have the strength to hang on to him until he went down.
Like a wounded bear, Jacobi swung around to face his attacker. Surprise and what may have been admiration filled his eyes. Though the pain was immense, not a sound escaped him. He lashed out with his foot and caught the young lady directly on her kneecap. A loud crack split the air. Marla screamed and fell to the floor, clutching her leg. "You've outlived your usefulness." The pistol in his hand sought her torso.
Danny began to move just as Marla went down. His hands were still linked behind his back, so he just lowered his head and ran the half dozen steps. His shoulder caught the gun and knocked its aim off, the top off Danny's head connecting with the pit of Jacobi's stomach at the same time.
A bullet whined off of the tile and sprayed Marla's arm with fragments of lead and flooring. Jacobi fell back against the counter, driving the letter opener even deeper into his back. The loud grunt and growling scream were music to Danny's ears, as was the clatter of the gun on the floor.
The young man lay sprawled on top of the man who had held their lives in his hand. The two were tangled together and there was no way of easily extracting himself, especially with the handcuffs hampering any movement he made. Jacobi wasn't moving, so that was good. "Marla, are you…"
"I'm okay." She said through gritted teeth. "I don't think anything's broken." Marla stood, stifling another scream of pain as she put a little weight on her damaged leg. The world seemed to dim and her head swam as endorphins began to work in her. To her eyes it looked like Jacobi was either dead or unconscious. A rivulet of blood ran out from under the tangled bodies. It was her intent to make sure that he stayed down either way.
The big gun Jacobi had brought in was only a few hops away. She managed to make it and sprawled gracelessly onto the floor as she tried to bend down and pick it up. Another searing bolt of pain connected her knee and head as she met the hard surface with jarring force. Her hand gripped the metal barrel, still warm from use. Reversing the gun, she pointed it at the killer's head.
