THE CASH BOX Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Assassin

Karina sat in Henry’s trailer at the construction site, the faint hum of the computer fan the only sound in the cramped space. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, her mind racing as she tried to guess the password to his computer. She’d tried everything—his birthday, his favorite sports team, even his childhood dog’s name. Nothing worked. Finally, in a moment of desperation, she typed in her own name.

The screen unlocked.

Karina froze, her breath catching in her throat. Her name. The password was her name. A wave of emotion crashed over her—grief, love, regret. She stared at the screen, her vision blurring with tears. For a moment, she allowed herself to remember the good times with Henry, the way he’d looked at her, the way he’d said her name. But the moment passed quickly, replaced by a gnawing sense of unease. What was she about to find?

She clicked through his emails, her heart pounding. Most of them were mundane—work-related messages, receipts, spam. But then she saw it: a recent conversation with an unnamed contact. 

The subject line read: “Final Arrangements.”

Karina’s stomach burned as she opened the email. The messages were cryptic, but one thing was clear: Henry had been communicating with someone about something secret. Something big. The last message from the mystery person read: 

“I’ll send the pictures. You’ll see what’s at stake.”

Karina’s mind raced. What pictures? What was at stake? She hesitated for only a moment before typing a reply, pretending to be Henry: “Send them. Now.”

The response came almost immediately. Attached were several photos. Karina clicked on the first one, her heart pounding. The image loaded slowly, and when it finally appeared, she felt like her entire universe had been flipped on its head.

It was a photo of a pregnant woman’s stomach, her hands cradling the curve of her belly. The next photo was a close-up of an ultrasound image. The final photo was a handwritten note: 

“You’re going to be a daddy soon. Don’t forget us.”

Karina’s hands flew to her mouth, a strangled sob escaping her lips. She felt like she’d been punched in the gut. Henry had been lying to her. He had another life, another family. The man she thought she knew—the man she had loved—was a stranger.

Tears streamed down her face as she slammed the laptop shut. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. She had to get out of there. She grabbed her keys and bolted from the trailer, her mind a whirlwind of pain and anger.

---

Dee was pacing the living room, her nerves on edge. Karina had been gone for what seemed like hours, and the bag of gold was still weighing heavy on her mid, taunting her. She couldn’t stop thinking about what they could do with the money. The possibilities were endless. But deep down, she knew something was wrong. Karina had been acting strange, and Dee couldn’t shake the feeling that they were in over their heads.

The sound of the door opening made her jump. She turned, expecting to see Karina, but instead, a hulking figure filled the doorway. It was the thug from the bank—the one with the scarred face and mismatched features. His presence was like a storm cloud, dark and suffocating.

Dee’s heart stopped. “W-who are you? What do you want?”

The thug stepped inside, his eyes cold and calculating. “Where’s the gold?”

Dee’s mind raced. She had to think fast. “Karina took it. She left for Henry’s trailer. She has it. Please, don’t hurt me. Go get her.”

The thug’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “You’re lying.”

Dee fell to her knees, her hands trembling. “I’m not! I swear! She has it. Please, just… believe me. She left with it. I have nothing to do with this.”

The thug raised an eyebrow, amused by her desperation. He pulled out a gun and pointed it at her, his finger tightening on the trigger. But when he pulled it, there was only a hollow click. The chamber was empty. He looked down at the barrel of his gun, bewildered and amused at the same time, and he laughed a wretched, cracked laugh.

Dee’s eyes widened, a flicker of hope sparking in her chest. “Please,” she begged, her voice breaking. “I’ll do anything. I’ll… I’ll…” She hesitated, then blurted out, “I’ll give you whatever you want. Just don’t kill me.”

The thug smirked, lowering the gun. “Whatever I want, huh?”

Dee nodded frantically, tears streaming down her face. Her hands made it to the zipper of his old dusty jeans and she looked up at him with what she thought was her best seductive glance in such a moment of desperation. “Yes. Anything. Please.”

The thug’s smirk turned into a cruel grin. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a knife, the blade glinting in the dim light. Before Dee could react, he grabbed her by the hair and plunged the knife under her jaw. Her eyes widened in shock, a gurgling sound escaping her lips as she collapsed to the floor.

The thug wiped the blade on his pants and turned to leave, his work done. Dee lay motionless, her blood pooling on the floor.

---

Karina sped down the highway, her hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her mind was a blur of emotions—grief, anger, betrayal. She didn’t know where she was going, but she knew she couldn’t go back to Dee’s apartment. Not yet. Not until she figured out what to do.

But as she glanced in the rearview mirror, her heart stopped. A black SUV was tailing her, its headlights glaring in the darkness. She recognized the driver immediately—the thug from the bank. She knew in that moment she should never have dismissed her suspicions of that man when she saw him outside the bank, and realized for a moment she was now in a game where she was not going to be able to let any suspicion get past her.

Panic surged through her veins. She pressed down on the gas pedal, her car lurching forward. The SUV followed, closing the distance between them. Karina swerved in and out of traffic, her heart pounding as she tried to lose him. But the thug was relentless, his SUV weaving through the cars with terrifying precision.

The chase led them through the city, onto back roads, and finally onto a deserted stretch of highway. Karina’s car was faster, but the thug’s SUV was more powerful. He rammed her from behind, sending her car spinning out of control. She slammed on the brakes, her tires screeching as she came to a stop.

The thug’s SUV skidded to a halt behind her. Karina fumbled for her phone, but before she could dial 911, the thug was at her door, yanking it open. He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out of the car, slamming her face into the hood.

“Where’s the gold?” he snarled, his breath hot on her neck.

Karina struggled, her vision blurring from the impact. “I-I—“ she was about to tell him the 3-ton bag of gold was making a crater in the back seat of her car. But then, a greater instinct overcame her and she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had to be smart and keep her mouth shut or else her own life was at stake. What was stopping him from killing her once he had the gold?

The thug slammed her face into the hood again, his grip tightening. “Don’t lie to me!”

Karina’s hand flailed, searching for something—anything—to defend herself. Her fingers brushed against the cold metal of the thug’s gun, still tucked into his waistband. With a surge of adrenaline, she grabbed it and twisted around, pressing the barrel against his chest.

The thug’s eyes widened in shock. He didn’t have time to react before Karina pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed through the night, and the thug crumpled to the ground, his lifeless eyes staring up at the sky.

Karina dropped the gun, her hands shaking wildly. She stumbled back to her car, her mind racing. Her reflection in the rear view mirror showed a fat bump on her lip and a bruise above her eyebrow. She had to get back to Dee. She had to make sure her friend was okay.

---

Karina burst into Dee’s apartment, her heart pounding. “Dee! Dee, are you—”

Her voice caught in her throat as she saw the scene before her. Dee lay on the floor, her blood staining the carpet. Her eyes were open, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Karina fell to her knees, a scream tearing from her throat. She cradled Dee’s lifeless body, her tears falling onto her friend’s face. “No… no, no, no…”

The bag of gold sat in her car, calling to her, calling so loudly it rang in her ears. Karina wiped the tears and snot from her face, her grief turning to rage. This was what it had cost. This was the price of Henry’s lies, Lorenzo’s greed, and her own naivety.

She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know where to go. But one thing was clear: this wasn’t over. Not yet.

AtilA