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“Good.” Joey motioned the man to leave his office and stand guard outside. “Joey Jr. is dead, Amy.”
“Please, Mr. Curanto, I didn't tell the cops anything,” Amy cried, trembling all over as a stream of blood left her nose. “I swear—”
“I know, I know.” Joey spoke in a softer tone that gave Amy a little hope. He approached Amy and touched her bruised face. “I see that Andy has been a little rough with you. He's a brute. I must have a talk with him. In the meantime, my dear, why don't you take a little ride with me?”
Amy looked up into Joey's eyes, and any hope she had shriveled and died. She didn't see a human being. She saw a vicious, hungry, cobra waiting to devour her.
“Please, Mr. Curanto, I didn't… I didn't...” Amy dropped her eyes, unable to look at Joey. “I'm so dead…”
“Only if you don't do as I say,” Joey promised, reaching down and taking Amy's arm. “Let's go for a ride and let me explain to you what your part is going to be. If you obey and help me, then I'll let you live.”
“Mr. Curanto… Joey told me about your new operation. I didn't want to get involved, but he forced me. That's the truth,” Amy cried, keeping her terrified eyes on the floor. “Please...”
Joey yanked Amy to her feet. Amy let out a loud cry.
“Let's take a ride, my dear,” Joey hissed. He walked Amy to the double doors and then stopped.
“Do as I say,” he warned and then pushed Amy out into a large hallway. “Get the limo ready, Andy. Now!” he barked.
As Andy went to defrost a cold limousine, Stan, Roberto and 'Smiley' jumped into a flashy black SUV and headed for the east warehouse district.
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“Why do you always get put in charge?” A short, thin man wearing a smiling scarecrow face asked Stan as he lugged down a bottle of Vodka.
“Hey, take it easy, we have work,” Stan scolded Smiley.
Smiley looked into Stan's tough military face.
“You ain't even Italian,” he laughed and then slapped Stan on his arm, “but we like you anyways, right, Roberto?”
Roberto raised his head up from his pipe.
“Sure, we like you, Stan. One of these days we're gonna like you so much we're gonna whack you,” he laughed.
Stan shot an eye into the backseat as he drove the black SUV down a snowy street. Roberto was a sixty year old hit man that could still track down a flea. Roberto scared Stan. When Joey called Roberto onto the scene, business was serious. Smiley, on the other hand, was a goofy loose end, but a deadly shot. “Take it easy on the pipe, Roberto, we have—”
Roberto's smile quickly dropped into a vicious snarl. He whipped out a Glock 19 and slammed the gun up against the side of Stan's head.
“Don't give me lip, kid, or you'll eat a bullet,” he warned.
“Sure… I… Roberto… sure,” Stan stuttered.
“Joey should let me kill you,” Roberto spat at Stan. Then he removed his gun and went back to his pipe.
Smiley glanced at Stan with eyes that were no longer laughing. He took a long swig from a deep vodka bottle and sat silently as Stan drove. Stan didn't say a word, either. He was thinking. Roberto hated his guts.
Maybe I can use whatever is going to take place at the warehouse to get rid of that snake? All I'll need is one clear shot.
***
They sat stationed behind a line of wooden crates close to the east wall.
“Okay, now we wait,” Mack whispered, checking his watch and then dousing the pen light. “The warehouse is empty. We have the place all to ourselves, but it's going to get really interesting very soon.”
“Yes, it is. Easy targets, right?” Brenda agreed, speaking in a low whisper as darkness enveloped her eyes.
Mack was smart to turn off the pen light. It gave their eyes time to adjust to the dark. When Joey and his army of thugs arrive, they would be walking blind for a while. And they had cut the main power line.
