the sound of the six cylinder working hard relaxed him.
“I jacked a Five Series out of El Cerrito and it was time to ditch it. I was heading somewhere quiet when your man, Chaudhary, came out of nowhere and T-boned us.”
“Us?”
Fuck, he cursed himself. “Yeah, I was with my crew, but fuck them, I was driving.”
Dodge Man said nothing.
“OK, I didn’t know he was on a mission and I chased him. He’d fucked up my night and I was going to teach him some manners.”
“And you picked him up on the beach.”
“Yeah. By the time we got down to him, he was ankle-deep in the sea.”
“Ocean.”
“What?”
“He walked into the ocean, not the sea.”
“Who the fuck cares?”
“I do. I require accuracy.”
What a prick, Vee8 thought. He’d better not short him on his money. “OK, ocean.”
“Did you hit him or hurt him in any way?”
Vee8 dropped the bravado. Seeing Chaudhary kill himself like that had given him no pleasure. He hadn’t boasted to anyone about it. He and his crew didn’t mention it after that night. Seeing someone getting fucked up, even dying on the street, was one thing, but Chaudhary was another. There was something creepy in that robotic way he strode out into the water. Vee8 wouldn’t forget it for as long as he lived.
“No, I didn’t hurt him. The guy was in his own world of hurt. I tried to talk him out of it, but he was beyond help.”
“You let him kill himself.”
Vee8 turned to Dodge Man. “Hey, fuck you. You weren’t there. That guy wanted to die. If I tried to stop him, he was taking me with him.”
“OK. Take it easy. What did he say? Word for word.”
It took no effort to remember Chaudhary’s final words. “He said he’d done a terrible thing and he couldn’t be forgiven for it. He had to pay and drowning himself was the only way out.”
“Did he say what it was or why he couldn’t be forgiven?”
Vee8 shook his head. “Whatever it was, I believed him. Whatever it was broke him and there was no turning back in his mind.”
Dodge Man glanced over at Vee8. “He said nothing else. Gave no explanation.”
“That’s it, man. We didn’t get into a major dialogue. I ain’t a therapist.”
Dodge Man nodded, satisfied.
“Can I get my money now?”
“Yeah, sure. Another five hundred OK?”
“Eight would be better.”
Vee8 grinned when Dodge Man didn’t object.
Dodge Man reached inside his jacket and a blackjack came out instead of his wallet. He smashed it across the bridge of Vee8’s nose. Blinding light filled his vision and seared clear though into his brain. He didn’t see the second blow behind his left ear coming or the third that put him out cold.
The chug, chug, chug of a diesel engine vibrating against Vee8’s skull brought him around. The engine throbbed in time with his skull. The boat’s pitch and roll turned his stomach. He sucked in air to clear his head and get his bearings. The Bay Bridge stood off the stern drifting farther away. Headlights glinted from vehicles racing across the double-decker bridge in both directions. He was aboard a small boat, the kind that took tourists out on the bay. He lay on his side on its fiberglass deck, his wrists bound behind him and his ankles shackled together with chains. A length of chain had been looped through his ankle shackles and padlocked in place. The other end of the chain was connected to two steel truck rims sitting on the end of the stern. Realization turned to panic and Vee8 thrashed to get himself free.
“Hey, take it easy,” Dodge Man said. “You keep that shit up, you’re going to send those wheels over the side and it’s over for you.”
“What’s it matter? You’re going to drown me anyway, you fuck.”
Dodge Man tied the wheel off and came over to Vee8. He knelt at Vee8’s side and smiled. “Don’t upset yourself. You’re misreading the situation.”
“What am I fucking missing?” Vee8 squirmed on the deck.
“Consider this an incentive program. I
“I jacked a Five Series out of El Cerrito and it was time to ditch it. I was heading somewhere quiet when your man, Chaudhary, came out of nowhere and T-boned us.”
“Us?”
Fuck, he cursed himself. “Yeah, I was with my crew, but fuck them, I was driving.”
Dodge Man said nothing.
“OK, I didn’t know he was on a mission and I chased him. He’d fucked up my night and I was going to teach him some manners.”
“And you picked him up on the beach.”
“Yeah. By the time we got down to him, he was ankle-deep in the sea.”
“Ocean.”
“What?”
“He walked into the ocean, not the sea.”
“Who the fuck cares?”
“I do. I require accuracy.”
What a prick, Vee8 thought. He’d better not short him on his money. “OK, ocean.”
“Did you hit him or hurt him in any way?”
Vee8 dropped the bravado. Seeing Chaudhary kill himself like that had given him no pleasure. He hadn’t boasted to anyone about it. He and his crew didn’t mention it after that night. Seeing someone getting fucked up, even dying on the street, was one thing, but Chaudhary was another. There was something creepy in that robotic way he strode out into the water. Vee8 wouldn’t forget it for as long as he lived.
“No, I didn’t hurt him. The guy was in his own world of hurt. I tried to talk him out of it, but he was beyond help.”
“You let him kill himself.”
Vee8 turned to Dodge Man. “Hey, fuck you. You weren’t there. That guy wanted to die. If I tried to stop him, he was taking me with him.”
“OK. Take it easy. What did he say? Word for word.”
It took no effort to remember Chaudhary’s final words. “He said he’d done a terrible thing and he couldn’t be forgiven for it. He had to pay and drowning himself was the only way out.”
“Did he say what it was or why he couldn’t be forgiven?”
Vee8 shook his head. “Whatever it was, I believed him. Whatever it was broke him and there was no turning back in his mind.”
Dodge Man glanced over at Vee8. “He said nothing else. Gave no explanation.”
“That’s it, man. We didn’t get into a major dialogue. I ain’t a therapist.”
Dodge Man nodded, satisfied.
“Can I get my money now?”
“Yeah, sure. Another five hundred OK?”
“Eight would be better.”
Vee8 grinned when Dodge Man didn’t object.
Dodge Man reached inside his jacket and a blackjack came out instead of his wallet. He smashed it across the bridge of Vee8’s nose. Blinding light filled his vision and seared clear though into his brain. He didn’t see the second blow behind his left ear coming or the third that put him out cold.
The chug, chug, chug of a diesel engine vibrating against Vee8’s skull brought him around. The engine throbbed in time with his skull. The boat’s pitch and roll turned his stomach. He sucked in air to clear his head and get his bearings. The Bay Bridge stood off the stern drifting farther away. Headlights glinted from vehicles racing across the double-decker bridge in both directions. He was aboard a small boat, the kind that took tourists out on the bay. He lay on his side on its fiberglass deck, his wrists bound behind him and his ankles shackled together with chains. A length of chain had been looped through his ankle shackles and padlocked in place. The other end of the chain was connected to two steel truck rims sitting on the end of the stern. Realization turned to panic and Vee8 thrashed to get himself free.
“Hey, take it easy,” Dodge Man said. “You keep that shit up, you’re going to send those wheels over the side and it’s over for you.”
“What’s it matter? You’re going to drown me anyway, you fuck.”
Dodge Man tied the wheel off and came over to Vee8. He knelt at Vee8’s side and smiled. “Don’t upset yourself. You’re misreading the situation.”
“What am I fucking missing?” Vee8 squirmed on the deck.
“Consider this an incentive program. I
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