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It’s , and the crunch of knuckles against bones The grunts of et in Paul’s way

Suddenly, time freezes It’s like my mother’s old record player when it would scratch across a forty-five Screech! The crack of gunshot vibrates the air around us and everyone stops

Paul is the first one to step back He stands up with his hands in the air The others do the saun and Josh yells out, "Leave it!" He points the barrel of his nine-uy freezes

"Well, look who else cahs His words gurgle and he turns his head to spit out a hing He rolls his head onto its side so he can look at Josh Josh reaches down and locks the wheels of his chair with one hand His other hand is steady

"Don’t move," Josh says to the others He motions for me and my brothers to co stupid," Paul says

"You first," Josh responds He doesn’t take his eyes off Bone’sain

"What are you going to do?" Matt asks

Josh laughs "I’un from beneath his desk where he fell I watch as he raises it, and I know exactly when Josh realizes it

The blast froun shot in close quarters cracks hard, like a firecracker inside a glass bottle The rooht just be round, except for Josh So I grab hi hioes silent Bone’s men look over at him and then they run out the door "Oh, fuck," Paul says

"That wasn’t what I planned on doing," Josh says He shoves et off s and pulls himself back up into the chair

"Is he dead?" Paul asks

I walk over to Bone and see that he has a single shot wound directly through the center of his forehead "He’s dead," I confirm I kick his shoulder just to be sure I half expect hi, but he’s dead Dead as a doornail

"Fuck," Paul breathes as he swipes a hand down his face

Matt is already dialing 9-1-1

The police show up and it takes hours for everyone to tell their stories It’s late by the tio to Paul’s, where the wives and kids are waiting I swear, e get there I’ to slap the shit out of Paul, after he tried to tell her about it all on the phone

Then we have to hash over it again And again

"I can’t believe that really happened What would have happened if Josh hadn’t been there?" Friday asks