21 The Bad (2/2)

I laughed out loud and got up moving towards the right side of the Livingroom. The 308 tossed over my shoulder, and my grandpa's old gun cleaning kit under my arm.

”Do you want to buy the Fox Body off me?”

”I mean... I thought about it.”

I paused thinking about it for a moment. I shifted the rifle's weight on my shoulder and continued down the hall.

”You know what? I'll think about it Johnny.”

”You will!?”

There was a lot of excitement in his voice that he tried, and failed, to hide. I nodded passing a few doors till I hit the master bedroom at the end of the hall. I slipped the kit under the king-sized bed, and sat the rifle next to the nightstand.

Out of caution more than fear I took one of the clips for the gun and loaded it. That sat openly on the nightstand just in case I needed to be ready for action. In the nightstand sat my .45 with a clip in.

I pulled it out and checked the clip. After that I got up and went to the guest bedroom where the Mossberg 590, and Johnny's Glock were stashed. I checked Johnny's Glock and the shotgun before going back to the master bed and crashing.

It was compulsive at this point. An instinct rather than a reaction. The guns had become such a big part of us it was just normal to check ammo, and keep them clean. Of course, if Ricky and his men did show up we would be damn glad we kept the guns up.

”You going to sleep?”

Johnny called across the house. I had a direct sight line from the master bed to him on the couch down the hall.

”No just relaxing. Feels good to be able to do it for once.”

”I feel you. We haven't been able to rest in so long.”

We were silent for a moment. Enjoying the peace for however long it might last. Johnny sat up fully from his couch looking down the hall at me.

”I guess my luck really did run out.”

”I wouldn't say so. Look at all the shit we made it through. Plus, our friends and family are still alive. I'd say we are the luckiest assholes out here.”

”You're right... I guess it's the ones around us who are the unlucky ones.”

I frowned at the ceiling. Tony crossed my mind. Then Jess, and my parents. Tony was dead and no doubt Jess and my parents were worried sick about me. I hadn't even begun to think of a lie for where I was whenever we got to go back.

”We are the bad guys Jack. It's really starting to sink in.”

I kicked myself up into a cross leg position looking down at Johnny.

”They say the first step to fixing a problem is admitting that you have one. Or something like that. You get what I mean.”

”So, you think after all this we can still be good people? Can someone do all the horrible shit we've done and still be a good person?”

I flopped back down. The roof didn't have an answer for me. No one could answer that for me. It was a subjective as hell question. So, what did I really believe?

”Johnny I'm not half as smart as you guys think I am... I don't know if we can still be good people or not. I don't know if there is salvation for us at the end of this. But if you want to be a good person then don't let your past stop you from trying. Don't let anything stop you from trying anything for that matter”

Johnny stayed quiet for a minute. I heard him shift around on the couch before getting up and walking to the guest bedroom door.

”I don't know Jack I think you're pretty damn smart. Smarter than me for sure. If it wasn't for you I would have died doing this a long time ago.”

”If it went for me you wouldn't be doing this. You would have never had a driver and would have never started this shit.”

”If you had said no I would have found a way to do it. I would have got into this somehow. I needed the money real bad. My family was broke as hell man. I was going to get that money somehow.”

He paused gathering up a thought before he continued it.

”If you said no I would have done it alone. Imagine how Chicago would have gone without you. You always take charge and get it done man. I respect that about you. I'm not as good with words as you are, but you get what I mean right?”

I nodded with my eyes closed smiling ever so slightly.

”Yeah Johnny. I got you.”

”Good. I'm headed to sleep. Night Fox”

”Night Hound.”