-What exactly?
-Nothing. You have to drive with us.
-Far?
-No, not really. Within the city.
-But why?
-Well, — painfully pulled the man, at the same time, laughing voice, -in fact, that we had no such money.
-Really? Veryь interesting! — the green light in the eyes of my interlocutor danced brighter and stronger. -So you're not going to pay us? And what you thought calculated with us? 'm not bullet whether on the forehead? And because we took the risk and, and, repeatedly, in your job?!
-No, no... you See, just didn't think, frankly, that you this time bring us what they promised. And led through the city such amounts... you know, recently became крацне dangerous...
-You are afraid that you are robbed?
-No, we are not afraid, " he grinned, " we ourselves can Rob anyone! Just recently garbage strongly шманают, sweep, grab the stuff, sometimes just беспонтов any. Loan us once again рисковат? We hurried to the meeting with you and any trouble, let even small, we were totally unnecessary. It was easy to understand that any stoppage and delay upon the path, if we became interested in the police, could be delayed unknown extent. And then would we did not keep their word and could be late or simply not to come, not drive, so to say to the meeting place. And, sorry, but I am as a man of action afford it can't. Yes, I just never forgive myself if you miss more than a quarter of an hour!
I was thinking about. My wits was clean and the decision was taken almost immediately. I felt that the other person is lying to me, to put it mildly, deceiving, as the latest rogue, and even knew why he does it. To agree with my hand on this would be foolish, for the consequences of such a trip could be very sad, in this case, it was a completely unnecessary and tremendous risk and, perhaps, even more trickery. Give up now meant I was scared to go with them, and therefore behind me nothing, and I can safely dispose of without fear of retaliation, nor earth, nor the supernatural. I continued to feel that any business goes good for me, if I act boldly and will not shake. Voice premonitions midst inside of me and kept clearly sounding in me. I felt that I had no right to abandon today the proposals of my interlocutor, because I violate the order of some I did not understand the game, and I don't сдобровать. I took unwittingly too overwhelming weight, but now had to take it to the end, unable to throw it somewhere in the middle of the path. I had to end now play its role of self-confidence and a reckless Hama, not without reason, I must say.
"Come, then, but I warn you that acted and continue to act dishonestly towards us. It will be reckoned to you! I said the leader of the gang of bandits. About myself thought, "what will be will be. Maybe not an easy make... Once helped once, then, probably, will not deny a second!"
We came to the car. Here the talk is already all was over: books and notebooks thrown in the trunk, приехвашие sat in the car, waiting for his boss. Охромов stood, not knowing what to do, lonely and lost.
-Get in the car, go with them! said I him.
-Where? "Mattie asked Greg.
-For the money. They money, you see, we took no... Your roots! Forgot that go for a deal, but not sew. Предсставь, if we came too and would tell them: "you know, we "junk" all left in one safe place!" I wonder what they would do.?
-I'm not going! — cried in hysterics Охромов. -Let give money now or уматывают themselves where they want!
He was not in themselves, but here at all frightened by this turn of events.
"Okay, calm down you! — I shouted at him. -You must understand that the money they got it! as they tell you they will pay? We'll go, we'll take...
-And I know that they have the money! — not rest Grisha.
-Well, what I pockets'll have to fumble?! — I was even more excited, angry at истерикующего friend. -You now довыступаешься that we beans stay.
Охромов looked at me anxiously, as if a madman or a fool. But I was acutely aware of his condition. I saw that he was struggling with something wants me to say, but cannot do it, and now if he were trying to communicate his thought eyes. How I had such прозорливост and the ability to guess other people's thoughts, but I told him пытаяь anticipate what he wanted me to convey:
-I would himself go and take the money. By myself! But, you know, Grisha, they, — I nodded in the direction of sitting in the car, can not give me your dollars... and we go to most of you, not for me. If we сейас refuse, then in the best case, you just never see the money, as their ears. Yes you probably understand.
Apparently, I finally convinced him.
-Okay, let's go, " agreed Охромов.
We have gathered to sit in the car, but found that there was to be no seats.
"Chief, I'm sorry, " I said, bending down to the front seat, but you will need to find us a place, if you want, that you and I drove.
After a minute of the rear doors is two guys got out and left on the roadside.
"Sit down! said the leader, and we, having taken the place of these two, went, as he said, for our "fee".
We crawled out with a primer on shosee, turned to the left, in the city racing through his засыпающим streets, which was devoid of life, even those who refueled alcohol, wine or vodka, and better, because it is cheaper, moonshine, loves побролить looking for a night, in dark corners, пошарахаться in the parks and squares and поискатьна his head приклюений. Soon we were on the opposite end of town, in the area of new buildings.
"Volga" промчала us surprisingly easy and fast путынным streets, typing, despite its extreme congestion somewhere a hundred and fifty килоиметров per hour. In the salon in the back seat was terribly crowded, and every minute I expect that somebody will try to shove me or Охромову knife under your ribs. Such a "surprise" could well be expected from these wicked men, but everything went relatively peacefully.
We turned off the Avenue neighbourhoods, a little поныряли between шестнадцатиэтажками and stopped at the entrance to one of them. The driver cut the engine.
-Everything arrived! "he was sitting on the front seat of the leader of a gang, повернувшис ago, and all climbed out.
In the boxes of the surrounding houses, lonely burned several Windows. Heels and doors machine roared echoed through the night well the yard, violating echoing bottomless silence of the night and stalled somewhere in лабиинтах ксарталов.
I looked at the clock. It was nearly three in the morning. I was surprised how quickly time passed.
Is your friend go with us, — said, appealing to me, the leader of the team of bandits. -We give him the money. And you stay and wait for him here. MAshina will transport you back.
Pale as death, who did not understand anything and confused, what stayed all night Охромов disappeared with the bandits in the entrance of the house. For the first time that evening calm changed me, and I was excited. All that happened there, on a vacant lot near the edge of an abandoned orchard was like a dream, and now I seem to be woken up from him. Probably, the same confusion feels, feels La Sonnambula, awakened from sleep during their nightly processions on the roof, the roof of the house. Confidence in the safety of the enterprise, aroused in me still in теение the entire evening and guarding me like hypnosis from all подстерегавших hazard communication with the criminal world, suddenly started to evaporate, to weaken. And to my horror realized that he made a big mistake by agreeing to come here himself and persuasion on this Охромова. Apparently, enchantment forces guarding me for some reason this вреени, began to run low. The fact that some forces have protected me, I did not doubt for a single minute since heard an inner voice, suggesting to me peace of mind. In my mind clearly and undoubtedly, perhaps, for the rest of your life bears these two black, можнатые, with shiny glossy hair, which I have not seen any man or animal, appeared out of the darkness and saved us from punishment hands. They were hands that night, decided to intercede for us before the face of death, playing hide and seek with the bandits.
In the car remained one driver, so I had some hope that we will not be cheated. But Охромова was already about five minutes. From the entrance нессколько times came, and I thought, finally, it is Grisha, but every time came for the papers, came to the trunk of the "Volga", took from them associated piles of notebooks and carried back into the hallway. Soon the trunk of a car was empty.
The driver, who sat at the steering wheel of the car, постукивавший the wheel fingers outstretched hands, got out, slammed the door, too, disappeared into the stairwell.
Passed still ten agonizing minutes of waiting, and GRishi all was not and was not. I already наал figure out different ways that there could happen, but one of the other turned out worse, and I could only guess, being in the dark, and hope that everything will cost.
Here slammed, gritting spring input the door and under a dim light appeared two. One immediately headed to the car and sat in the driver's place and another came up to me, пыхнув in the face of cigarette smoke. People shoved me into the hands of a wad of money, blow hard pieces of paper, saying:
-Here, here for two. Your friend asked to keep покедова his share. He decided to stay with us celebrate the deal. For him not to worry, go! Good night!
Speaking laughed, giggled пропитым tenor, then took my arm and put the effort spent to the car, planted in the back seat and shutting the door. As soon as he did it, as the driver immediately turn the ignition on, started the engine and started across the floor in reverse, deftly after taxiing out with road access, abruptly turned around and rushed at full speed, famously by spinning the wheel and laying the steep and narrow streets of the dizzying turns. Less than a couple of minutes, the car sped down the wide Avenue Kharkiv streets.
I have not had anything to ask or say in response gave me a wad of money. And only then, when the car at all pairs had raced through the предутреннему city, lit by a faded light fixtures above Avenue, sufficient only to watch the road bed, вырываемым from the darkness of their orange Ghost, I thought нельзябыло to leave. No, it was not necessary to agree to go for any price, and we had to stay together with Grisha, do not throw the hem of his one. Then I realized that these thoughts came to my mind much earlier, but I cravenly delayed to the point where they will be safe for me and not allow совешить the risk of what they are I whispered. I waited until destiny is going to take me away from danger, and only now, when it was already far from the place where it was still possible to do a deed, I let the match their suffering and torments of conscience from all страстьюю. I was now vu meanness of his act. I left in obscurity other, leaving it at the moment when he was one-on-one with the undoubted danger. As not weak in my legs, and shook my hand, when I sat in the car?! I was afraid of myself to admit that in смалодушничал.
Machine sped through the city, taking me in school, away from the house where отался my buddy. The arrow on the speedometer exceeded a hundred miles, and I felt every minute that happens to me, takes irreversible.
I have continued the struggle between fear and conscience, demanding the return ago and help a friend. I felt that Охромов got in a great and terrible trouble, but the fear calmed me down, spoke teeth that Gregory would be all right, that he will return he has previously communicated with these people and, therefore, they did nothing bad will. I resisted his onslaught, convincing themselves that the bandits will find now forgery or already found it and would dispose of Охромовым, because it's him they were charging make a deal. But fear replied that , if it were so, they would not have released me , and in any case, would not give the money for the deal.
I mechanically unfolded the piece of money and looked at them, hoping to see them instead of the cut sheets of newspaper. It would give me the strength to take the decision to return. But the money was real. There were many: assorted papers big notes. I couldn't even show how many thousands I was holding in your hands, but such amount of money I have never had.
What was created here with me! What a vile and low thoughts arose in this moment in my head, the head servant, never holding in his hands a large amount of money, and now has decided that the whole world at his feet, and he was not a slave. Where only took me the unbridled greed, the greed and impurity? They are like ropes tied my hands and legs and I knew would never come back, though, and never admitted this to their conscience. In my soul-dark-grubbing. "Well, — I thought, -that though they gave money. Could, in General, to give them nothing and cheat just as we were deceived. Grisha is back... back... And if not come back, all the money will go to me..." I myself were terrified of those black, нехорошоих the bad thoughts that pesky worms дырявили my brains, but I didn't know how to escape from them. I was ashamed that I let the thoughts, but still buried already other for the sake of a few thousand caught up in my hand. I realized that I don't want Охромов returned. I became not себеот this discovery, but the temptation was somehow somnolent my conscience, crushing, destroying all sorts of impulses it bring to my mind the bursts of light of goodness. All movements of the soul, which tried to break through this barrier of the stench, and the corruption, sank into the swamp of greed that erupted in the form of windfall money, got me one. Seduce not share it with anyone, what I did not know earlier and never had turned the spit me now, as I wanted to. He became повелителеммоих thoughts and обуревал me excessive greed and fit of fun, crazy, animal laughter, sounding inside me with such force, that from this ringing numb the feelings which were still able to bring me back to consciousness of the abyss into which I plunged my soul. This wild laughter глушил all inside of me, stunned my will, and while it sounded in my soul trembled in terrible fear. This terror broke out in a cold sweat, but I tried not to notice him. I did not want to open their eyes, what terrible price paid for the money чтоо I hold in my hand the amount of dirt and darkness took me with them on his soul. I didn't want to think about how painful will I see then this money that is good has become evil, that will be me eternal проклтием and a reminder of my betrayal. I tried to convince himself that Охромов return, but would not truly believe in return. I didn't want, didn't want to share with him the money, I thought that it would be fair if they достанутьсч only me, because Охромов a finger has not struck to as-promote thing, because that's I came up with a trick of bandits and get money without giving them anything in return, because I know where the secret library, from which you had to get the manuscript, because it's me, not охромов walked into the house and risked, when I caught the old man, a watchman in the building because Охромов lied to me and often not fulfilled its promises... I cried to justice, which he tramped to and betrayed. I felt my mind that inside was some sort of agony, something squirming, something каючится, something уирает in me.
