I spun it to try again.
I glanced left, moving my head as little as possible.
They were still walking this way, but thankfully, on the other side of the sidewalk.
Taking out my phone for some light, I tried the combination again.
The pair were still talking basketball as they passed me.
I let out a relieved breath when the lock clicked open.
“Give us the watch.”
I’d been so focused on the lock that I hadn’t noticed them backtrack. When I stood, I was cornered, with one on either side of me.
A set of three cars raced toward us on the street, so I couldn’t run back to the bar until they passed.
The short one flashed a knife. “Give us your money, or I’ll cut you.” His wild eyes spelled drugs as he wiped the long red hair away from his face.
I gulped and backed away toward the building behind me. This was bad, and with drugs involved, it could get worse in a hurry.
“The watch,” the guy with the buzzcut demanded, leaning a little to the right.
“The purse.” Shorty motioned with his knife. “Like now.”
I tossed the bag at him. It didn’t have hardly any money in it, anyway. “Take it.” I held my hands up.
Shorty yanked out my wallet and opened it. “Where the fuck’s the money? Who only has twenty bucks?”
“I don’t have any more. I lost it playing pool.”
“The watch,” Buzzcut demanded again.
“Yeah, the watch. We need the watch,” Shorty parroted.
I’d taken plenty of self-defense classes in Atlanta, but poor Cassie’s advice sounded in my head.“Outcomes for mugging victims are worse for those who resist, unless you have a weapon.”My pepper spray was at the bottom of my bag, and I’d stupidly thrown that away.
Shorty waved his knife. “The watch and, uh, the earrings.”
“Hurry up,” Buzzcut said.
“Yeah, you’re slow as a ice cube.” Shorty said.
‘Glacier,” Buzzcut said.
This was going too far. The earrings were my backup fund, the money that could make a difference one day—emergency money I might need to survive on the run. I’d bought them before I left with my grandmother’s advice in mind.“A woman should keep some expensive jewelry with her, just in case.”
Shorty shifted from foot to foot. “The watch and jewelry, bitch.”
“No. You can’t,” I sobbed, touching my earlobe. “These were my mother’s. It’s all I have from her.” I cowered. Hopefully, Shorty had a mother. If not, I had to draw him close enough to grab his wrist before he moved. The lessons came back to me. Surprise was my best weapon.
“Stop stallin’,” Buzzcut growled, looking up and down the street.
I made myself smaller, keeping my eyes on Shorty, the dangerous one of the pair.
He moved closer. “Give me your hand.”
I held it forward a little.
