“Hey, keep your voice down,” Riley demanded.
“It was you the whole time!”
Jay stood up and pried the lid off completely. The entire bin was filled to the brim with hundred dollar notes. He immediately became consumed with uncontrollable excitement. He grabbed handfuls of it and started dancing around the room. Riley was not sure how he was going to handle this situation, but was absolutely livid that Jay found out. He was not exactly the kind of guy that could keep his mouth shut about something like this.
“Put that money back, Dieffer.”
“Are you crazy? You have a king’s ransom in there and you’re worried about a couple hundred dollars.”
“Put it back!” Riley said more firmly. This time, he stood up and got in Jay’s face.
Jay stuffed the money in his pocket and backed up. “What are you doing, bro? There’s enough to go around for everybody. Don’t be greedy.”
“I’m not going to ask you again,” Riley said, getting more aggressive with him.
“Listen, I think we can work out a deal. How much is in there?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“I believe it became my business.”
Riley thought about the situation and tried to figure out the best possible solution. “How much do you want?” he asked.
“Well, that depends,” Jay said. “How much you got?”
“I’ll let you keep whatever’s in your pocket, but you can’t say a word to anybody.”
“I don’t think that’s a very fair deal. I want half!”
“You’re not getting half.”
“Fine. We’ll split it evenly three ways.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Okay then, I guess I’ll just go tell everyone that RILEY AND JADE ROBBED THE ARMOURED TRUCK!” Jay screamed at the top of his lungs.
Riley, in an act of passion, lunged forth and struck Jay in the face. Jay stumbled back and then charged forward. He drove his shoulder into Riley’s stomach and ploughed through him. The momentum knocked the wind out of Riley and was enough to cause the bin of money to topple over.
Jay’s eyes lit up when he took in the full scope of how much money was there. He was mesmerized and immediately started scooping stacks of money in his pockets, down his pants, and even in his socks. Riley was still feeling the effects of the football-style tackle, but was slowly regaining his composure. He staggered up to his feet. Jay was so transfixed by the money that he didn’t even see Riley coming.
Riley dove on top of Jay from behind and wrapped his arms around Jay’s neck. Jay desperately clasped at Riley’s hands, which only made Riley squeeze tighter. Within seconds, Jay had passed out and collapsed onto the floor. Riley eventually let go.
The first thing he did was take all the money back that Jay had taken. He then stood the bin up straight and started piling the money back in. His mind was racing. Jay’s discovery of the money created a huge complication. He tried to figure out what the best course of action would be. Even if he gave Jay some money, Jay would likely go out and buy a new car and a bunch of designer clothes. It wouldn’t take long before they traced the origins of the money back to Riley and Jade.
Riley’s mind was occupied with stacking the money in the bin and thinking of a solution to his new problem. After a few minutes, he had completely forgotten about Jay, who was still passed out on the floor.
“Jay, wake up, man,” Riley said as he shook him. Jay wasn’t waking up. Riley put his fingers to Jay’s neck to feel a pulse. There was none. Riley started to panic. He put his head on Jay’s chest to listen for a heartbeat or breathing – any sign of life. There was none.
Riley sat on the floor with his back against the couch, a pile of money encompassing his feet and his dead friend lying within arm’s reach.
“What have I done?” he said to himself.
He immediately started to cry. Whatever complication Jay had caused by discovering the money had now become a lot worse. With his arms folded over his bent knees, Riley put his face down and sobbed.
When the tears stopped, Riley took a couple of deep breaths and put the only sensible plan he knew into action. He picked up the phone and called Jade at the restaurant.
“Riley, is everything okay?” she asked fearing the worst.
“No, not really. We have a problem,” Riley said remorsefully.
“What’s wrong sweetie?” her initial thought was that Riley had been arrested and was at the police station. It was only a matter of time before they arrived at the restaurant and hauled her off in front of everyone in handcuffs. Nothing could have prepared her for what she was about to hear.
“Dieffer’s dead.”
“What?”
“Listen, Jade. I’m at the apartment with the money and a dead body. It’s highway time.”
THE END
For more information about Edward Mullen such as his books, his blog, his podcast, his videos, or other short stories, please visit: www.EdwardMullen.com
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