The Bernie Factor
Page 45
Chapter 32
“O’Neil! Where are you?”
“Over here on the corner.”
Schwartz ran over to him and saw him holding his gun in his off hand with blood dripping down his jacket’s sleeve.
“Sorry, partner,” O’Neil said. “But I gotta tell you, I never imagined getting hit by one of my own.”
“Jesus kid, I’m sorry,” Schwartz said.
“It’s not your fault,” O’Neil responded. “I knew the risks and made my own decisions. And, hey, what’s a Jew referencing Jesus for anyway?”
Ignoring him, Schwartz knelt down and pulled the jacket back to get a better look at the wound. Schwartz grimaced as he watched blood soak into his partner’s shirt. He reached around to O’Neil’s back and felt for an exit wound, but found none.
“Why are you messing with me? Just call in an ambulance and go after Gionelli. He wants that crazy dog more than anything. This place will be swarming with emergency responders in a few minutes. He’s not coming back, and O’Fallon and the girl are in real danger.”
“I can’t leave you here bleeding,” Schwartz protested. He put his hand on O’Neil’s injured shoulder and avoided eye contact. Guilt flooded Schwartz’s emotions as he choked backed uncharacteristic tears.
“Dammit, Schwartz there’s nothing you can do here!” O’Neil pleaded. “If you stay here with me, then I got shot for nothing. Get the fuck up and go after him!”
“He’s right, and you know it,” Whiteside said from behind Schwartz. “Gionelli will kill anybody to get the information that’s in that dog. This is his retirement. He’s out of options now.”
Schwartz spun around with his fists clinched and red-faced. “Are you saying this is my fault? That I could have controlled this better?”
Whiteside calmly replied, “You couldn’t have controlled this at all, but we can still make a difference before this thing gets completely out of hand.”
“We? Let’s be clear, there’s no we.”
O’Neil moved to his feet and leaned into Schwartz’s face. “Stop arguing with him and get moving. You need his help, so fucking take him.” Schwartz drew back as O’Neil yelled in his face. O’Neil leaned in even further. “Go, now!”
Whiteside dialed 911 on his cell phone and waited for the operator’s response. Upon hearing her inquire what his emergency was, he stated, “Officer down, Fairview County baseball field parking lot, repeat, officer down Fairview County baseball field parking lot.” He pressed the end button and looked at Schwartz. “They’re on their way now, so I suggest we start getting on our way. The couple can help explain things until we return.”
Schwartz looked over at Andy and Sylvia. Bits of parking debris and tiny pieces of asphalt, which they tried to brush off, clung to their clothes. Sylvia had the same look Andy had when he first saw him at Nick’s house.
“Please, Schwartz,” Andy began. “Take this taser tagging, albino son of a bitch and go protect my son and that girl.”
Upon hearing her husband’s words, Sylvia began crying. “Please don’t let anything happen to Nicky. He’s a good boy!”
With that, Schwartz grabbed Whiteside by the upper arm and led him to the sedan. “Should I make the assumption that you’re packing?”
“Normally that would be a correct assumption, but not tonight.”
“Perfect. Another liability.”
“Well, I do still have the stun gun.”
Schwartz shook his head and said, “Just get in.”
Andy, Sylvia, and O’Neil watched as the sedan’s red and blue lights lit up and tore out of the parking lot. By the time they hit the street, the sirens wailed through the otherwise quiet night. They followed the police lights as they took the same path Nick and Gionelli had few minutes earlier. In the distance, O’Neil detected the faint sound of another siren and knew the cavalry was on its way.