With a yell, he grabbed Vincent and ran.
The man in grey gave chase.
Their footsteps were like thunder cracking through the silence. In the dark, Raymond took Vincent's wrist and pulled him forward, until his hand slipped and he lost hold. Then he could only run, looking for a way out. A place to hide. Anything!
Behind them, the man in grey hadn't fired. Not yet. The moment he shot, all hell would really break loose.
Raymond wanted to laugh. What the hell, this wasn't real! It couldn't be happening!
Maybe he'd died and gone to heaven after all!
Vincent swore, turned around, and said, "Fine, I'll give you this much! Pick 'em up!"
He ripped open his jacket. Bills flew through the air in a flurry of green and red.
"Are you happy now?! That's all I have!"
The distance between them grew wider, until they were no longer being chased. Raymond put his hands on his knees and wheezed. Next to him, Vincent inspected his jacket with a miserable expression.
Turning to Raymond, he said, "What was the point of you being here?"
Raymond stood up straight. He took the money he'd won at the slot machines and shoved it in Vincent's face.
"Back when you bet two hundred dollars on me to win the fight, I lost."
The money he gave Vincent now was exactly two hundred.
Vincent was struck dumb. "You..."
Raymond was filled with an unexpected sense of satisfaction.