Chapter 6: Coward
Arriving at his apartment building, Noah immediately ducked behind a car as he watched three men leaving, with their hands in their pockets. The tallest one—a bald guy with a neck tattoo Noah recognized as "Rex"—slammed his fist against the building's brick wall.
"Waste of time. Carter's not home," Rex growled, flexing his knuckles.
"Maybe he's hiding inside," suggested the shorter one with a leather jacket. "Should've kicked the door down."
"And have the neighbors call the cops? Use your brain, Mick." The third man—well-dressed with a trimmed beard—checked his gold watch. "We'll catch him eventually. Interest keeps ticking up either way."
Mick spat on the sidewalk. "Boss ain't gonna be happy. Third time we've missed him."
"Boss should've let me break his fingers last time," Rex said, cracking his knuckles. "Teach him what happens when you miss payments."
"He's got till Friday," Gold Watch reminded them. "After that, we don't just collect money."
Noah pressed himself against the car, heart hammering. The $500 payment he'd made earlier was civil because it was another loan shark, a legal one.
Meanwhile, these ones weren't.. And "till Friday" meant he had less than 24 hours before things got ugly.
The three men piled into a black sedan parked across the street.
When they were gone, he sprinted to his apartment, barely breathing until he was safely inside with the door locked and chained.