Green Desert - Chapter 7.3.4 - Bhanar

I waved my gun at Lango, directing him to go between me and Umo. Holding his side, he went.

These two certainly weren’t acting like proper law enforcement officers. Fistfights between partners seemed normal in the movies, but not in real life. Firing guns while wrestling? And shooting down helicopters? And no handcuffs. Something wasn’t right.

I shuffled along behind them in the dark, mindful of rocks, bushes, and low branches. A whooshing sound and Lango yelped. I shoved him forward and ducked under the leafy limb.

“Get your hands off me, kid.”

“Shut up or I’ll let Umo kill you.”

He shut up. We kept walking.

No, these guys weren’t federal agents from the National Bureau of Investigation. But what, then? Why would Umo lie to his emperor? But if Umo had lied about his identity, maybe he was lying about being a royalist.

The guns, the suits, the sunglasses, the attitudes. They were mobsters. They had to be. Lango shot at the helicopter because . . . because he wanted Zhíno for himself, for his gang.

But what had Zhíno done to their gang? He hadn’t killed any of them, had he? That patrolman surely wasn’t a gangster. No. But maybe somebody else. Or maybe the bastard crossed them some other way. I, for one, certainly knew how quickly Zhíno could get on your nerves and make you want to kill him.

Ahead of us, to the right, dim light shone through the trees. A far-off searchlight. Or headlights up in the desert.

A gunshot in the distance.