We complied. We didn’t have much choice.
The runt used our handcuffs to secure JD and me, then used zip ties to restrain Flynn and Mickey about the wrists and ankles.
Rico nodded to the other two goons, and they filed out of the mausoleum. They returned moments later with several black duffel bags and started stuffing the bricks of money inside.
"You're making a big mistake," I said.
"Oh, really? How so?"
"Well, a couple of things are going to happen. Pedro is going to come after you. If anything happens to Mickey's daughter, I'm going to personally make it my life's mission to hunt you down and kill you."
Rico laughed. "I hate to tell you, but none of you are ever leaving this crypt.”
I didn't like the sound of that. I don't think anybody else did either.
When the duffel bags were full, Rico's crew lugged them out of the crypt, then returned moments later with more duffel bags. These guys were prepared. I had to give it to them. They had thought of everything. They weren't as dumb as they looked.
Rico's crew stuffed duffel bags until all three crypts had been emptied. $150 million. They lugged the heavy bags out of the mausoleum and loaded them into the van.
"Now for the fun part," Rico said. He nodded to his underlings, and they grabbed JD and stuffed him into one of the crypts. He kicked and screamed and cussed up a storm.
They sealed him in the middle slot.
Mickey was next.
Then they grabbed Flynn and stuffed him in with Mickey into the far right slot.
Flynn said, "Hey guys, did I ever tell you, I don't do well in small spaces?”
Jack kicked and screamed inside the crypt, his muffled voice barely leaking out.
“I’ll sign memorabilia,” Flynn shouted.
The thugs slammed the marble plate against Flynn’s crypt and sealed them in.
I would not want to be tripping on mushrooms, sealed in a crypt. That would make it all the more unbearable. Either way, I didn’t want to be sealed in a crypt.
Flynn and Mickey both screamed and howled.
The runts had a hard time getting me off the ground. I didn’t make it easy for them. My hands were cuffed behind my back, but my legs were free. I kicked the bastards and got in a few good shots.
I managed to get to my feet and do a few roundhouses. My heel caught one of them in the head.
He fell like a stone.
Rico had had enough of that. He pushed in with a rifle, aiming at me. “Keep putting up a fight, and I’ll shoot you right now.”
“That’s better than the alternative,” I said.
One of the goons cracked me in the back of the head with the butt of his rifle. That was lights out.
50
When I peeled open my eyes, I saw nothing. It was pitch black inside the crypt. The damp smell of concrete filled my nostrils.
I kicked around, probing the walls of the crypt.
There was no telling how long I’d been out for. It could have been minutes or hours. It was disorienting, to say the least. There wasn’t a lot of room in the crypt. I wasn’t sure if they had shoved me in headfirst or feet first.
