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island dead smack in the middle of the store with two entrances. One was near the rear of the store and the other near the deli sections display case.
    Adam was already in the store. He was standing opposite the deli counter at what could be considered the main counter. He pretended to be browsing. He had gone in the store a few minutes prior in an attempt to act as if he and Tony weren’t together.
    Adam grabbed a box of condoms and placed them down on the counter. The cashier picked up the box of condoms from the countertop.
    “So that’ll be it for you?” The cashier asked Adam.
    “Yeah, you got any breath mints?”
    “They’re right under there.” The cashier pointed downward. “They’re next to the gum.
    Adam’s gray-blue eyes followed the cashier’s finger. Adam grabbed a roll of spearmint-flavored mints. He put them on the countertop. His stomach felt queasy. He was probably just hungry.
    Adam looked over the cashier’s shoulder. He could see Tony standing directly behind the cashier.
    “Don’t move punk! I got a gun!” Tony commanded.
    Tony jumped over the counter and was right behind the young cashier. Tony pushed the handgun into the small of the cashier’s back.
    “Put your hands up! Now!” Adam added to inform the cashier that this was a two-man job.
    The cashier raised both his hands above his head. He was too afraid to turn around to see if Tony actually had a gun. Tony grabbed the cashier’s neck from behind. His bony fingers acted as a vice grip on the cashier’s neck.
    “Look you pimple faced punk, this is a holdup don’t make it a goddamn murder! You understand?”
    Tony slammed the cashier’s face down hard on the countertop.
    “Yeah man. Yeah I, I, I understand.” The cashier stuttered. “Don’t kill me.”
    “Okay motherfucker listen. You listening?” Tony howled.
    Adam slapped the terrified cashier on top of his head. Adam’s stomach was churning. He had no idea why but he was very determined to play his part in this melodrama.
    “Yeah, yeah I’m listening.” The scared young employee muttered through shuddering teeth.
    Adam glanced out the glass-walled window and then at the cashier’s head smashed on the countertop.
    “Listen kid.” Adam leaned down and spoke into the cashier’s ear. “You’re going to get up slowly and open that cash register real slow. If not, my friend with the gun is going to blow your brains out and all over the fucking lottery machine. You hear me!”
    “Yeah, yeah.” The cashier sniveled.
    “If you make one move he doesn’t like, you’re going to die tonight. You got that?”
    “Yeah, yeah I, I got it.”
    “Slowly. Open the register.” Adam ordered. “Get up. Slow”
    The cashier rose slowly and moved to stand in front of the register. The frightened young man punched four keys on the register keypad. The register drawer swung open.
    Adam reached over the counter and snatched all the bills from the separation compartments. He raised the bottom drawer of the register and removed the larger bills. Adam began to quickly count the money.
    Adam and Tony thrived in the heat of the moment. They didn’t notice the door at the rear of the store. The rear door was slightly ajar.
    While Tony and Adam weren’t in a full-on disguise, their baseball caps seemed to be enough to shield their descriptions from the video cameras stationed throughout the store.
    There was a small cramped room behind the door that was ajar. The room was the storage area and the break room for the employees that worked in the convenience store. There were boxes of overstocked merchandise, a small file cabinet, a desk, a cheap office chair, a small table with three folding chairs and the steel safe. Tony and Adam still hadn’t noticed the door.
    In the entryway of the small room stood the store manager. He was a tall slender white man of about forty or fifty years old. He stood silently behind the pushed open door. He listened quietly. He had no desire to show his