Money Games

Jake Ramsey is finally ready to go into the field on live missions. He has only one question: does his boss Jeff Beltran think the same? Beltran has a way of giving as little information as possible while also taking risks with the lives of his recruits. When Jake is called in to help his partner Shannon, he can't help but think this mission is another test even though Beltran claims it is real. As soon as he gets on the ground he sees evidence that this is indeed another test. Just when he thinks he has figured out the truth, things take a sudden turn and he finds himself reevaluating while also fighting for his life. This standalone Jake Ramsey short story occurs before the events in the novel Black Brick. If you enjoy thrillers with twists and turns, this short story is for you. Pick up your copy today! Sneak Peek I grabbed his knife hand and hit it up against the brick wall. When it didn't drop, I did it again."Who are you?" the man demanded. I repeated the gesture, this time while kneeing him in the gut. He let out a howl."Jake!" Beltran said. "What are you doing?" He paused. "Are you in a fight?"I still didn't respond. It would seem strange to the thug that I was talking to myself. It was bad enough that I hadn't given him my wallet, it was worse that I'd attacked him without warning when he'd slipped the knife up against my throat, and it would be a disaster if the man overheard me telling Beltran that I was delayed because I had got into a fight. While we were on the same team as the police, technically speaking, it never did anybody any favors when we got into trouble and had to go through the tedious process of covering our tracks. Despite everything, the thug still managed to keep ahold of his knife. I attacked again, this time kneeing him in the groin. I grabbed the knife hand, pulled it back, and then slammed it into a brick wall. Hard. I was relieved when I heard a sickening crunch and he finally released the blade."My hand." He cradled his broken hand without giving any indication of the pain he was feeling. "You will pay for this."I grabbed his good arm, making him wince."Wanna make it two for one?"He stared back at me with cold eyes, gave a single shake of his head. I released him and nodded towards the end of the alley."Go!"