The gun delivery was faster than your average pizza delivery. 10 minutes after Tara placed the order, a wrinkled old man in a vehicle that very closely resembled a shady ice-cream truck parked in front of our apartment. Since I was busy glancing at Tara’s breasts, I only snapped back to attention when the horn honked.

“That’s our man,” Tara said, eying me cautiously. “Now I can’t go like this. Or are you going to pull a sneaky request for that too?”

“No,” I took one last look at her breasts, then threw her shirt. “You can wear them. And it’s time we prepared.”

She dressed up quickly, eager to cover herself. But when I was near the door, she gently pinched me from behind.

“You are such a naughty boy Alex,” her voice came like a whisper to my ears. “How come I didn’t notice you in high school?”

Mostly because I was the introvert kid who only mingled with my clique and had horny dreams. But I wasn’t about to say that to her.

“You were too busy dating the popular boys, I guess.”

She frowned. “How rude. My dating life involved three boyfriends, and each relationship didn’t last more than two weeks.”

Typical cheerleader.

“I hope ours lasts more.”

“Of course it would. Ours is based on money.”

I didn’t argue against that, but I wished she had said something different.

By the time we reached the gate an old man was waiting with a wrapped box in his hands.

“Quick delivery from Guns of Smith,” he gave a toothless grin as he handed it over to me. “One air gun and a sniper rifle plus the free ammo that comes along with it,” he pulled up his phone and showed me a text typed on the Unet app. “Please sign this. It’s the usual stuff. We are not accountable for any damage done with the weaponry. Bonus ammo doesn’t have any features and there is no warranty for guns under the 500TC price point.”

I glossed over the details and signed digitally.

The old man ruffled back the phone and looked at me. “Payment please.”

I looked at Tara. “How do I pay?”

“Oooh, a new one,” the old man gave a crackled laugh.

Tara grabbed my phone without a word and tapped something. There was a slightly audible bell ring and the old man’s phone vibrated inside his pockets.

“All done,” then he peered over at Tara. “Wait a minute, weren’t you that topless chick?”

“No, I am the chick who’s about to send you headless if you speak another word.”

The old man gave a nervous laugh as if he was about to die and then quickly scrambled inside his truck. I didn’t speak until the truck was a smoke trial on the road.

“So what’s the plan?” Tara asked.

I looked at the box, and then at my apartment. “Oh, you’ll see.”

*

Two bikes arrived at the apartment at sharp 12.30. And by then I was rubbing my heavy eyes and my strained neck. The only thing that kept me alive was Tara’s nervous breathing. She was holding onto me tighter than her airgun.

The bikes didn’t enter through the gate. They stopped outside and one of the bikers got out and removed his helmet. He was a man in his late twenties with a bald, tattooed head.

“That’s Ryan,” Tara said.

He was bulkier, with some muscles on his arms and a stride that said he was about to shoot anyone who stepped in his way.

“You made deals with him?”

“Desperate times, desperate measures.”

As the man walked towards the stairs my fear began to crawl up my throat. My heart started beating faster. I was dealing with people I didn’t know a damn thing about. And judging by our bodies that man could break me more easily than a twig.

But I had the upper hand. Everything was going according to plan.

At the bast of the stairs, Ryan looked up at the lighted room on top - my room. Then he pulled out his gun and started walking.

“Alright,” I stopped peering through the curtains and looked into the dark room. “You ready?”

Tara nodded and held her air gun. Then she silently walked towards the door at the other end of the room.

My plan was simple really.

The thing is I owned both my room and the room beside it. The room beside it was my office where I did most of my freelance work or decided to watch porn in 4k on the 65 inch tv at the center of the room. And there was a door connecting both of them. Even if there were security cameras that would only show me and Tara walking into my bedroom, not my office.

So all we had to do was to hide in my office and while pretending to be in the bedroom. That was simple. I keep the lights on in my bedroom, switch off the lights in the office, and hide in there.

I drifted from my thoughts and looked at Tara, and she gave a nod.

I heard the door of my bedroom creaking. It was followed by silent footsteps.

“I know you are here Tara!” the man’s voice was rough, but it came mostly muffled through the wall. “Come out and play! Whose that new boy you’re with? New boyfriend? Did he fall in love with you after seeing your tits?”

No, way before. But the tits did help.

But I shoved away the thoughts and looked at Tara. She gave a nod, and I nodded back.

She held the gun high, lifted her feet, and kicked at the door. The door flew open, and we saw Ryan turn back in surprise.

“Payback motherfucker!” Tara grinned and fired a shot.

I’d like to say it was a pretty sight. But it wasn’t. I had vastly underestimated the powers of the airgun. It was a fast shot. Faster than Ryan could react. In a fraction of a moment there was a hole right in his forehead. A drop of blood leaked out, and the bullet ended up on the other end of the wall.

But I didn’t care. I was staring straight into Ryan’s large eyes and open mouth. The gun fell from his hand, clattering on the floor. Then the man fell to his knees before finally falling sideways.

Dead.

He was dead.

My heart finally stopped beating.

Tara looked at me, still grinning. I didn’t know what to be more surprised by. How the two of us killed a man, or how her smile proved she had done it before.

“One down,” she said, pulling back the gun. “One more to go.”

I nodded, then ran for the balcony.