Twenty Four

Maddy and Archer walk, side by side, in silence, from the UNICEF camp back to Archer's sorry excuse for a living space. Archer steals glances at Maddy as they walk, but his eyes never rest on her face for more than a few seconds. Maddy's eyes are always down on her feet and she's none the wiser to these looks. Archer isn't quite sure what fine mess he's gotten himself into now, but unlike his previous commitment to New York, he feels slightly more at ease this time around. He shoved his good hand into his pocket and retrieves a pack of cigarettes. He pulls one out between his front teeth and lights it quickly.

The sharp smell of nicotine lures Maddy's eyes to Archer's lips, and then to his hand, and then to his eyes. He raises his eyebrows at her as he bites down on the filter of his cigarette. Two columns of smoke come barreling out of his nostrils.

"What?" Archer asks finally.

"Just looking," Maddy says with a half laugh.

Archer's grin is broad and knowing. "Just looking to look, right?"

"Right," she nods.

Her eyes soften with relief. She walks closer to Archer, the sides of their arms touching. She puts her eyes back down as Archer brings his hand up to rest his casted hand on the small of her back. Maddy relishes the sensation of the touch.

The two arrive at Archer's apartment several hours later, parched and hungry, sweaty and tired. Their entrance is greeted by the foul scent of alcohol and blood and vomit and it takes every muscle in Maddy's neck to suppress a gag. Archer simply lights another cigarette and goes to kneel down beside his mattress in. He fishes his switchblade from his pocket and slices open the side before reaching his good hand in.

"Pass me that towel, huh," Archer cocks his head to the side.

Maddy follows his head and sees a towel hanging off the back of a chair in the corner of the room. She leaves her post in the doorway to get it and hand it to Archer. He spreads it by his knees before stepping on one hand to tear a strip off. The sound of the fabric tearing rips through the silence and almost startles Maddy. Archer removes his hand from the mattress and drops dozens of tiny, sparkling rocks onto the strip.

"You wasted no time here, did you?"

Archer looks up at her and shakes his head as he feels around the inside of the mattress again.

"How many do you have in there?"

"Enough," he says as he rolls his cigarette from one corner of his mouth to the other. He twitches it with his tongue against the roof of his mouth and a small piece of ash falls off the end.

"I didn't think there was such a thing as enough diamonds for Danny Archer."

He grins and tilts his head to the side. "Maybe I'm full of surprises, huh?"

Maddy nods. Archer pulls another full handful of diamonds from the mattress before pushing them into a neat pile in the center of the strip of towel. He folds it and twists it and knots it securely before shoving the wad into his pocket. He pushes himself to his feet with a grunt.

"Right, Miss Bowen," he says matter of factly.

She raises her head.

Archer steps towards her and pulls a pistol from the back of his pants. "You know how to work one of these?"

Maddy looks down at the gun and nods slowly. She isn't trained in the art of firing a gun, but she has taken dozens of firearm lessons and she's good enough with a pistol to defend herself should the circumstance where she needed to arise. Archer thrusts it more towards her.

"Take it," he tells her.

Maddy takes the gun and holds it in both her hands. It's heavy and warm from being pressed between Archer's belt and his back. She slides it into the back of her pants, wincing when the metal scraped against her skin. She pulls her shirt over it and nods to Archer.

"Do you have something?"

Archer smirks and nods. He goes to his bed and bends over to pick up the pillow and pull a gun out. "Of course, Miss Bowen."

Maddy can't help but laugh at the strangeness of Archer pulling a gun out from his pillow. He retrieves two magazines and drops them into the side pocket of his pants before shoving the gun into his pants.

"What now?" She asks.

"We go," he answers, pointing to the door.

"Danny," Ameni appears in the doorway, hands by his sides.

"Ameni," Archer's back stiffens seeing the Egyptian man. He steps in front of Maddy. "What are you doing here, bru?"

"I should be asking you that question, Danny! You were going to leave without cutting me in on the diamonds?"

"Am, bru," Archer shakes his head in a friendly way. "I told you to keep your phone on."

"I've been waiting for your call for three days, Danny, don't fuck around with me!" He raises his hand and cocks the gun he's holding.

Archer puts a cautious hand behind his own back to keep a finger on a trigger of his own. He raises his casted hand to Ameni.

"We don't want to cause a scene, huh," Archer says in a low voice.

"Is that the American journalist behind you?" He turns his gun to her emphatically.

"Don't worry about her," Archer's voice darkens significantly and his knuckles whiten around the handle of his gun.

"I want to get out of here too, Danny," Ameni cries. "You think I like running around for you in this place?"

"Ameni," Archer presses. "Put the gun down and we'll talk."

"I'm done talking, Danny, I want my stones. I want to make money too!"

"I said put the gun down, bru."

Ameni shakes his head wildly. The gesture is enough to spook Archer into drawing his gun, and in a heartbeat's time, he aims and pulls the trigger and hits Ameni right through the top lip. Maddy jumps as Ameni collapses like a limp doll. Archer steps forward and tears his gun from his hands before turning back to Maddy as he rummages through Ameni's pockets. He pulls two sets of keys out and pockets both of them.

"Let's go," he barks. Putting Ameni's gun into his pocket and his own gun back in its place in the back of his pants, he gets up and holds his hand out to Maddy. "Now."