"S...sure..." Miguel shot up from his seat as if a venomous snake had just sunk its fangs into him. He led the two young men away from his drinking pals toward their car, stumbling with each step.
"Get in," Julio commanded, his voice low and lethal, as he pointed to the gaping trunk of the SUV like it was a coffin.
"In there? B...but we c...could just t...talk right h...here..." Miguel stammered, the stench of cheap alcohol thick on his breath, mingling with raw terror.
Pascal stepped forward, his eyes dark and burning.
"Do not try our patience one more time, you filthy old snake," he snarled, his voice barely restrained. "Get in before I shatter every bone in your pathetic body."
Miguel's knees buckled. Without another word, he nodded frantically and climbed into the trunk, his body quivering like a leaf in a storm.
