His gym bag was in the closet stuffed with his fake ID, meds, some clothes, the Browning, and extra cash. He moved fast.
He ran back out and got behind the wheel of the stretch, the two pistols he'd pulled off the hitters in front of the massage parlor heavy in his pockets, and tried to imagine what it was going to be like whenSherry and Bishop caught up with him in a couple weeks or a couple months or a couple years down the line. Sherry stepping up with the Jacqueline O's, Bishop smiling amiably. They weren't going to let him go. Sherry already hated his guts for turning her down, and now he had helped Jackie get away, and he was about to score the family too.
Jackie was on his cell calling the airlines.
“You coming with me?” he asked. “I could use you.”
“No, I have something I need to do.”
“What?”
“Clear up my own family troubles.”
“I only have a few guys out there. You could be top man.”
“What's the setup?”
“I'm partial owner of a casino. A small one. I get a nice cut and I have a couple books and parlors. My father brought me in when I was a kid. They generate cash, but—”
“But they're legal, so you never gave a shit about them before?” Chase asked. “You never should have come back from Brown to take over the business.”
“I didn't want to. My sister made me. She convinced me it was the right thing to do for my father.”
Jesus, Chase thought, that bitch is hard. She didn't want to ace Jackie because he might get in the way of her power play. She just wanted him dead because it was easier than having him on the loose, living his own life.
They drove the limit to the airport. When theygot close, Chase saw a shuttle stop, pulled over, climbed out, opened the back door, and plucked the briefcase off the seat. Jackie just sat there and stared at him while Chase counted the cash. A hundred and fifty grand. Enough to make the whole foolishness at the Langan household worthwhile, but not enough for the heat he was going to bring down on himself. There were easier ways to snuff yourself if that's what he was trying to do. He'd have to think about it soon.
“Now get out, Jackie.”
“What?”
“Go sit on the bench and wait for the shuttle.”
“What?”
“I'm robbing you.”
In some men the light of understanding would've dawned in their eyes, but Jackie was still confused, his face twitching. “What?”
“I'm scoring you. Go sit over there.”
“You. You did this. Those were your friends back there!”
“If they were my friends, Jackie, I wouldn't have run one over and shot the other. I didn't set up the hit. You've got enemies under your own roof. Your own mother said so.”
“I don't—”
“You should've brought more than one- fifty.”
“I told you, that's all I had access to. That's all Sherry had in the downstairs safe.”
“Okay. Go.”
“You're leaving me here? We're not even at the terminal!”
“A shuttle will be along.”
“You can't do this!”
“I am doing it.”
“But you work for me!”
“I quit. Get the fuck out.”
“But my money!”
“You own a casino.”
The hysteria was back in Jackie's voice, worse than Chase had ever heard it. “Partial owner! I'll need something to help me set up, to be secure!”
Chase left Jackie ten grand. It would be enough to keep him alive for a couple weeks in Vegas until he figured out how to protect himself. If he ever figured it out.
He grabbed Jackie by the arm and pulled him out of the stretch. Jackie came along like a mental patient zoned on lithium.
Chase said, “Lay low. Don't contact the house. Hide. Don't come up for air for a while. Stick with your own friends. Your friends, you understand, not the family's.”
“You … I trusted you.”
“Jackie, that's just more proof that you don't know what you're doing.”
“Goddamn you.”
Chase looked back once more and, in another odd moment of even deeper pity, said, “Jackie, wake up and watch your sister. She's going to
He ran back out and got behind the wheel of the stretch, the two pistols he'd pulled off the hitters in front of the massage parlor heavy in his pockets, and tried to imagine what it was going to be like whenSherry and Bishop caught up with him in a couple weeks or a couple months or a couple years down the line. Sherry stepping up with the Jacqueline O's, Bishop smiling amiably. They weren't going to let him go. Sherry already hated his guts for turning her down, and now he had helped Jackie get away, and he was about to score the family too.
Jackie was on his cell calling the airlines.
“You coming with me?” he asked. “I could use you.”
“No, I have something I need to do.”
“What?”
“Clear up my own family troubles.”
“I only have a few guys out there. You could be top man.”
“What's the setup?”
“I'm partial owner of a casino. A small one. I get a nice cut and I have a couple books and parlors. My father brought me in when I was a kid. They generate cash, but—”
“But they're legal, so you never gave a shit about them before?” Chase asked. “You never should have come back from Brown to take over the business.”
“I didn't want to. My sister made me. She convinced me it was the right thing to do for my father.”
Jesus, Chase thought, that bitch is hard. She didn't want to ace Jackie because he might get in the way of her power play. She just wanted him dead because it was easier than having him on the loose, living his own life.
They drove the limit to the airport. When theygot close, Chase saw a shuttle stop, pulled over, climbed out, opened the back door, and plucked the briefcase off the seat. Jackie just sat there and stared at him while Chase counted the cash. A hundred and fifty grand. Enough to make the whole foolishness at the Langan household worthwhile, but not enough for the heat he was going to bring down on himself. There were easier ways to snuff yourself if that's what he was trying to do. He'd have to think about it soon.
“Now get out, Jackie.”
“What?”
“Go sit on the bench and wait for the shuttle.”
“What?”
“I'm robbing you.”
In some men the light of understanding would've dawned in their eyes, but Jackie was still confused, his face twitching. “What?”
“I'm scoring you. Go sit over there.”
“You. You did this. Those were your friends back there!”
“If they were my friends, Jackie, I wouldn't have run one over and shot the other. I didn't set up the hit. You've got enemies under your own roof. Your own mother said so.”
“I don't—”
“You should've brought more than one- fifty.”
“I told you, that's all I had access to. That's all Sherry had in the downstairs safe.”
“Okay. Go.”
“You're leaving me here? We're not even at the terminal!”
“A shuttle will be along.”
“You can't do this!”
“I am doing it.”
“But you work for me!”
“I quit. Get the fuck out.”
“But my money!”
“You own a casino.”
The hysteria was back in Jackie's voice, worse than Chase had ever heard it. “Partial owner! I'll need something to help me set up, to be secure!”
Chase left Jackie ten grand. It would be enough to keep him alive for a couple weeks in Vegas until he figured out how to protect himself. If he ever figured it out.
He grabbed Jackie by the arm and pulled him out of the stretch. Jackie came along like a mental patient zoned on lithium.
Chase said, “Lay low. Don't contact the house. Hide. Don't come up for air for a while. Stick with your own friends. Your friends, you understand, not the family's.”
“You … I trusted you.”
“Jackie, that's just more proof that you don't know what you're doing.”
“Goddamn you.”
Chase looked back once more and, in another odd moment of even deeper pity, said, “Jackie, wake up and watch your sister. She's going to
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