Hit List

by Darcia Helle

  “And maybe your life is in danger anyway,” Lucianna said. “How do we know that you’re not just using this as a good opportunity to get out of a bad situation?”

  Sam wanted to scream. He wanted to rip the phone from the wall and pound it until it shattered. Anger was a welcome feeling. He let it replace the fear, happy to embrace an emotion that he was more comfortable with. “I guess you don’t,” he said. “But let’s put it this way. I have nothing to lose by not telling you. Maybe I even have lots to gain by keeping my mouth shut. You, on the other hand, have a lot to lose. Corinne’s life is in danger.”

  That last statement gave Lucianna pause. She said, “You’re not walking away with the money until I’m satisfied with what you tell me.”

  “You’ll be satisfied.”

  “Okay then, let’s meet.”

  “Train station at two o’clock,” Sam said. “Just you. And don’t tell anyone where you’re going.”

  “I don’t think so, Sam. I bring Vinnie. No one else. And we’ll tell no one, not now or at any time afterward.”

  Sam rubbed his hand over his face. He was sweating again. “I don’t trust Vinnie.”

  “He’s not a cop anymore.”

  “The guy’s crazy.

  “You have my word that he’ll behave,” Lucianna said. “He’s just coming along to look out for me. I could have lied to you, let him keep his distance. You see Sam, I’m on the level here. I want the information. You know that. You want the money. And we both have our rules.”

  Sam wiped more sweat from his forehead. “Bring mostly hundreds. In a briefcase or something so I can carry it easy.”

  “Okay.”

  “Two o’clock.”

  “See you then.”

  Sam hung up the phone and picked up his toolbox. He inhaled deeply, then walked out to the tables. His eyes darted around at the faces, then out the dingy windows. Across the street he saw what he’d been looking for.

  He walked toward the back of the diner, toward a waitress. At the same time, he pulled a $10 bill from his pocket. When he reached her, he handed her the bill and said, “Can I go out the back door?”

  She eyed him suspiciously but quickly grabbed the ten. “Sure, honey.”

  “And can we pretend I’m going to work on your plumbing out there?”

  She lifted her eyebrows. “My plumbing, huh?”

  He stared at her straight-faced, not wanting to play the game. She shrugged and said, “Suit yourself.”

  He quickly slipped past her. He strode through the doors to the kitchen, past two cooks trading a dirty joke, and out the back door into the alley.

  Chapter 37

  Skeets picked the potato chip pieces from between his teeth with a matchbook cover. The radio kept him company while he gazed across the street at the pub. The wide windows were covered in a dusty film. Cockroaches probably had full run of the place. Still, the thought of a beer and a burger had his mouth watering.

  Today he was driving a blue Taurus. Not exactly a car he’d choose to steal. But the point was to blend in. And who paid attention to a blue Taurus?

  He tossed the matchbook on the dashboard, then checked his watch. Sam had been in the place nearly fifteen minutes. Not long, really. He was just bored out of his mind. Following the guy around like a shadow was not his idea of a fun way to pass the time.

  Two girls in tight little mini skirts strolled past. Neither so much as glanced in his direction. Fucking Taurus. Didn’t matter, anyway. Those girls couldn’t be more than fifteen and already they had more miles on them than a ten-year-old subway car.

  Time inched by. He surfed through the radio stations. All news and commercials. He finally landed on a song he liked and he tapped out the beat on the top of the steering wheel.

  The fifteen minutes turned into forty-five. Sam’s truck sat in the same spot. Skeets tried to see into the pub but the dirt and glare of the sun made that impossible. So he passed the time by reciting every curse word he could think of.

  When nearly two hours had passed, Skeets started to think that maybe he was in trouble. How the hell long could it take Sam in there? He’d brought one little toolbox and hadn’t come back out for anything since. Maybe he’d decided to eat lunch there after the job was done. Maybe it was just a complicated job and was taking awhile. Plumbing wasn’t his thing. How the hell was he supposed to know what to expect?

  He pulled a crumpled $20 bill from his pocket, lowered his window, and motioned to a young wanna-be thug walking past. The kid eyed him suspiciously. Damn Taurus. Skeets held out the bill and said, “Do me a quick favor?”

  “I don’t swing that way,” the kid said.

  Skeets made a face like he’d been sucking on sour lemons. “Hell, me neither. What the hell’s wrong with you?”

  The kid merely shrugged. His glassy brown eyes darted between Skeets’ face and the $20 bill. Skeets mentally vowed never to steal another Taurus. Bad enough that the chicks didn’t notice him. But no way was he having teenage boys thinking he wanted some action from them. Just the thought made his skin crawl.

  “I need you to go inside that pub,” Skeets said. “Look for an old guy, in his fifties, white. Brown hair. Mustache and beard. He’s wearing a brown jacket and jeans.”

  The kid stared at him. “Why don’t you look yourself?”

  “You want the twenty bucks?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then shut the hell up and just do what I’m asking,” Skeets snapped. “The guy might be working on the plumbing or some shit. Check the bathrooms. He ain’t there, find out if he’s in the kitchen. But don’t go announcing it. Understand?”

  “What’s to understand?” the kid said. “How hard you think that is?”

  “Then do it already.”

  The kid reached for the money. Skeets pulled it away and said, “When you come back.”

  The kid scowled but didn’t argue. He shuffled across the street and disappeared inside the pub. Two minutes later he stepped out and shuffled back to the truck. Skeets wanted to reach out and drag him. Damn kid walked like he was getting paid by the hour.

  “Well?” Skeets asked when the kid got close enough.

  The kid reached his hand out. Skeets held out the money but didn’t let go. The kid grabbed one end and said, “He ain’t there.”

  Skeets’ stomach lurched. “What do you mean he ain’t there?”

  “Just what I said. Now let go of the fucking bill.”

  “You sure he wasn’t in the kitchen? Or maybe in the chick’s bathroom?”

  “I went in both bathrooms,” the kid said. “Just some nasty bitch giving a dude a blowjob. Not your dude, either. He was black and not that old. Kitchen was empty, except for the cook.”

  “You looked yourself?”

  “Yeah. Ain’t hard to walk in the place and look.”

  Skeets let go of the money and the kid quickly stuffed it into his pocket. Then the kid said, “You want the rest of the info?”

  “What?”

  “Your guy. You wanna know the rest, you gotta pay more.”

  “Little prick,” Skeets muttered. He fished his last ten from his pocket. “What else you know?”

  The kid smiled, showing stained yellow teeth. “I talked to Annie. The waitress in there. She saw your guy today.”

  “What’d she say?”

  The kid reached for the ten. Skeets let him take it. The kid said, “He was there ‘bout two hours ago. Left out the back door.”

  Skeets slammed his fist against the steering wheel. “Fuck!” he sputtered. Now what was he going to do?

  ***

  “How’d your life get so damn complicated?” Rob asked. He removed another door from a kitchen cabinet and placed it in the stack with the others. “Gangs and private detectives. And now payoff demands. Suddenly your life’s like a made-for-TV movie.”

  “Yeah, lucky me,” Ian said. He was kneeling on the floor on the opposite side of the kitchen, removing yet another door from the twenty-two
kitchen cabinets. “But it feels more like the Twilight Zone than a movie.”

  “Hey, at least you managed to fall for a rich lady. Would that make her your sugar mama?”

  Ian glared at Rob. “I don’t want her money.”

  Rob held up his hands in mock surrender. “I never said you did, buddy. I was just trying to lighten the mood here.”

  “Yeah. Sorry.” Ian sighed, raked his hand through his hair. “This whole thing is nuts.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “What the hell could Sam know that he’d need to disappear after telling us?”

  “Maybe nothing,” Rob replied. “Could be nothing more than a con. A good opportunity for him to make some easy cash and take off to a little island somewhere.”

  “Possible. But I don’t think so.”

  Ian’s phone chirped out the theme from Bugs Bunny. He straightened up, yanked the phone from his belt, and answered a quick hello before the second ring.

  “It’s me,” Lucianna said. “He called just a few minutes ago.”

  “And?”

  “I’m meeting him at two.”

  “Where?” Ian said. “I want to be there.”

  “I’m sorry, Ian, but that’s not a good idea. He’s spooked and specifically requested that I come alone.”

  “No way. I don’t want you doing that.”

  “This is my job, you know,” Lucianna said. “I’ll be fine. But you don’t need to worry because Vinnie’s coming with me.”

  “Okay. Good.” Ian’s heart raced. He leaned back against the counter, vaguely aware of Rob’s curious gaze fixed on him. “How much?” he said.

  “I’m on my way to the bank now. I have no idea how long this meeting is going to take, so don’t panic if you don’t hear from me for awhile.”

  “How much, Lucianna?”

  After a brief hesitation, she said, “I tried to talk him down. No luck. He’s genuinely scared, Ian, and feels he needs to get lost after today.”

  “Okay,” Ian said. Though he wasn’t sure how that was okay. “Will you have trouble getting the cash so fast?”

  “Not at all. I already called the bank.”

  The soft silk of her voice washed over him. He closed his eyes, pictured her smile, and instantly felt calmer. “Did you decide what color stain you want for your desk?”

  “Oh, I think I’ll leave that up to you,” she said. “That is definitely your territory.”

  He heard the smile in her voice, which made him smile in return. Would there ever be a time when he wouldn’t give in to her? He decided that it didn’t matter. He’d give her anything she wanted just to see that smile. “I’m supposed to take my mother to Endicott at three.”

  “Keep the appointment,” she said. “If I’m finished before then, we can meet at that diner nearby.”

  “Call me as soon as it’s over.”

  “You got it.”

  “And be careful,” Ian said.

  “Always.”

  Chapter 38

  Sam sat on a hard plastic chair in the far corner of the train station. In his pocket he had stuffed a one-way ticket to Virginia, purchased under the name Jason Briggs. Just a name he’d picked from the phone book back a few months ago when he’d gotten the fake I.D. He’d known he’d end up running sooner or later.

  Once in Virginia, he would rent a car and maybe disappear into Mexico. Hopefully he could live pretty well on the combination of his little bit of savings and the ten grand from McCormick.

  At the moment, however, he was having doubts as to whether he would even make it to Virginia, much less Mexico. He stared out the glass doors looking for a familiar face. He scowled, thinking he should be more concerned with those that were not familiar. Not much chance that Skeets would be the one to show up. Not this time.

  His mouth was dry and his heart raced. A shot of whiskey would be good about now. Anything to take the edge off the anxiety.

  Just then she strolled in, looking calm and self-assured. Faded blue jeans and low-heeled boots. Wild dark hair tucked behind her ears and a half smile when she spotted him. The kind of woman that inspired fantasies.

  An image of his ex-wife floated through his mind. All these years gone by and he still missed her. She’d been a head-turner as well. Somehow seeing Lucianna strut across the room reminded him of all he’d lost.

  A step behind Lucianna, eyes penetrating and face absent of a smile, strode Vinnie. The man had cornered the market on inducing fear. Nico needed flash and lots of other muscle around. Not Vinnie. That guy didn’t even need a weapon. Just his hands. Not that Sam had experienced or even witnessed it firsthand, thankfully. But he’d heard rumors and he didn’t doubt their truth.

  Sam clasped his hands in his lap. His right knee bounced up and down. This was it. Buying his freedom by selling out the very people who’d put him through hell all these years. A certain serendipity in that. He couldn’t turn back time and prevent Corinne from getting hurt. But at least now he’d be able to help make things right.

  ***

  The background noise had a chaotic edge. The station was not particularly crowded, just charged with raw energy. Probably something in the air today.

  Lucianna glanced around as she headed toward Sam. A middle-aged balding man dressed in an ill-fitting business suit was staring at her. He blushed and lowered his head when she caught his eye.

  Vinnie remained a step behind her. He carried a black leather case full of money and had the easy stride of a man about to embark on a long vacation. However, his relaxed posture conflicted fully with his dark penetrating stare. That was Vinnie. A study in contrast.

  “Hello Sam, “Lucianna said as she sat beside him.

  Sam nodded. He glanced nervously at Vinnie, who remained standing a few feet away, still and menacing. Give him a uniform and he’d look like a sentry at the palace in London. You’d think someone had stolen smile from his vocabulary.

  Lucianna was mildly amused by Vinnie. Of course, she knew the soft side. She would not be the least bit amused had Vinnie not been related to her.

  “So,” Lucianna said. “You want to do this here?”

  “My train leaves in an hour,” Sam replied.

  Lucianna looked at him. “I don’t think that’s what I asked.”

  “Here. Yes.”

  Lucianna turned in her chair so that she could face Sam. She propped her elbow on the hard plastic back and rested her head in her hand. “Okay, I’m listening.”

  Sam stole another quick glance at Vinnie. Sweat beaded on his forehead. “I want to see the money first.”

  “Fine,” Lucianna said. “But you do realize that seeing it does not guarantee that you will receive it. Vinnie will hold the case unless and until we get information from you. Helpful information.”

  “You will.” Sam swiped at the drops of sweat threatening to run into his eyes. “Let’s get this done.”

  Vinnie took a step closer. He turned to face Sam, glaring through the two feet that separated them. Sam fidgeted, keeping his gaze focused on the case, sweat rolling down his cheeks. Finally Vinnie lifted the case to his hip. While keeping his eyes fixed on Sam, he flipped the latches and pulled it partially open, allowing Sam a ten second peek at the stack of bills. Then he closed the case, tortured Sam a moment longer with his stare, and stepped back into his sentry position.

  Sam dropped his head into his hands and muttered something that could have been a string of curses or a prayer of thanks. After a few seconds, he raised his head and blew out a long breath. He stared down at his hands as he spoke. “I used to have a bad gambling… addiction. Cost me my family. Almost cost me my life. You see, poker was my game of choice. This guy I knew once… This guy got me entrance into these local games. Organized. Big money. Run by a gang called K Unit.”

  Sam had stopped squirming. Now he appeared almost deflated, as if the effort of telling this story had robbed him of his last drop of energy. Lucianna caught Vinnie’s eye and could sense that his thoughts were in the s
ame place. This gang, the lead they’d been chasing, was definitely involved with whatever had happened to Corinne.

  Sam’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. Then he said, “I lost everything. Couldn’t sell enough to keep up. They skinned my daughter’s cat, nailed the fur to the front door. Two days later, three of them were in my house when I got home from work. Broke two of my ribs. A week after that, the same three took a baseball bat to my leg. Their boss visited me in the hospital. Offered me a deal. I took it. Couldn’t see much choice.”

  The background noise had faded away. Lucianna was stuck on the cat. Nailed the fur to the front door. She shivered and pushed the image out of her mind. “What was the deal, Sam?” she asked.

  He sighed heavily. “I had to do jobs for them. Pay off my debt that way. Funny thing, though. I never even managed to pay off the interest.”

  Sam collapsed into himself. The normally healthy glow to his skin had faded to a frightening pale. Lucianna could almost sympathize with his plight. Almost.

  Sam pulled himself up a little straighter. He said, “The boss, they called him Ace. I don’t know his real name or if he’s even still around. I only saw him that once, in the hospital. After that, I got directions from his crew. Last couple of years, though, I’ve been dealing with this guy by the name of Nico. He took over for Ace. He’s a cold-hearted punk with a damn army of psychos always surrounding him.”

  Sam paused, staring down at his fingers as if they had only just sprouted there. His voice was nearly a whisper when he said, “The guy who first introduced me, got me into the games, that was Cameron McCormick. Corinne’s husband.”

  Lucianna’s heart fluttered. “You were friends?”

  Sam gave a little shrug. “Not friends really. Gambling buddies. Lived in that secret world together, hiding what we did from our families.”

  Sam finally met Lucianna’s eyes. “I don’t know what happened to him,” he said. “That’s the truth. He owed money. Lots of it. One day he just disappeared.”