said.
“I’m sure they’ll allow you to do that,” he replied.
“Look, can’t we come to some sort of an accommodation?”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I swear I don’t know who those men were. I was just supposed to take you home and have a little fun.”
He made a quick right turn and then a left and another right until he thought he’d lost their tail. You dumb son of a bitch , I told you, you aren’t that irresistible. It was bad enough that his quiet evening had practically turned into a car chase, but he’d made a fool of himself, too. So much for swearing off women .
Once they’d cleared drug central, he found a spot to pull over and turned off the engine.
“I guess this is where we come to the part about friends,” he said.
“What do you mean?” she replied.
“Once your friends find out you’ve blown the assignment, I’m guessing they won’t be very happy. Somehow, I’m also thinking they probably aren’t really your friends, you know, like people who go out of their way to help you when they have nothing to gain. And I’d be willing to wager my next month’s paycheck that if they had to bail you out of jail, it would be sayonara, or maybe something worse. Am I right?” Her look said yes.
“I’ve got a pretty good idea how it was that we came to meet tonight. And in case you’re interested, it has to do with a lot of innocent deaths and some people who couldn’t give a damn.”
“So tell me,” he continued. “We we re supposed to go back to your place, and at the most inopportune moment, a couple of thugs barge in and start taking pictures. Am I right?”
“Something like that,” she said. “Only without the thugs . ”
He thought for a moment. “Did they think I’d just parade around naked for you while you clicked your cell phone a few times?”
“There’s a camera in my purse,” she said. “All I have to do is make sure it’s got a good view of the bed and press a gadget in my pocket. The camera does the rest, I don’t even have to take it out of my purse; there’s a little peephole.”
“So what about the guys in the car?” he asked.
“I don’t know anything about them. There wasn’t supposed to be any violence. Tomorrow I’m supposed to meet my contact for lunch and give him the purse, that’s all. He hands me another five grand and the return ticket to Boston , that’s all.”
“Who’s the contact?” he asked.
“Some guy who’s well-connected, I don’t even know his real name. Look, i f they find out I blew it, they’ re gonna want more than their down payment back. When I said these guys are well-connected, I meant it. Nobody I know has ever made them mad, at least nobody who’s still around.”
Virgil thought for awhile.
“All right,” he said. “Here’s what we’re going to do.” He started the car after checking his mirror and pulled out into the street.
“We’re going to go back to my place and make them think everything’s going according to plan. Only tomorrow when you meet your contact, you’re going to tell him I got drunk and fell asleep with my clothes on. You’re gonna tell him that I fell head over heels for you” – not far from the truth, he thought uncomfortably – “and not to worry, we’re going to have dinner tomorrow and then go back to my place again to finish the job.”
“ So what happens when they figure out I blew them off? You know, after you’ve used me and don’t give a shit anymore?”
“Your going to have to trust me,” he said, looking at her square in the eye.
“Oh yeah, first I try to make dirty movies with you a nd destroy your career, and now I’m supposed to trust you. Do I really look that stupid?”
“You better just face it, Molly. Your plan’s already blown and your friends are going to find out when you can’t deliver the product. You can either go back to them on your
“I’m sure they’ll allow you to do that,” he replied.
“Look, can’t we come to some sort of an accommodation?”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I swear I don’t know who those men were. I was just supposed to take you home and have a little fun.”
He made a quick right turn and then a left and another right until he thought he’d lost their tail. You dumb son of a bitch , I told you, you aren’t that irresistible. It was bad enough that his quiet evening had practically turned into a car chase, but he’d made a fool of himself, too. So much for swearing off women .
Once they’d cleared drug central, he found a spot to pull over and turned off the engine.
“I guess this is where we come to the part about friends,” he said.
“What do you mean?” she replied.
“Once your friends find out you’ve blown the assignment, I’m guessing they won’t be very happy. Somehow, I’m also thinking they probably aren’t really your friends, you know, like people who go out of their way to help you when they have nothing to gain. And I’d be willing to wager my next month’s paycheck that if they had to bail you out of jail, it would be sayonara, or maybe something worse. Am I right?” Her look said yes.
“I’ve got a pretty good idea how it was that we came to meet tonight. And in case you’re interested, it has to do with a lot of innocent deaths and some people who couldn’t give a damn.”
“So tell me,” he continued. “We we re supposed to go back to your place, and at the most inopportune moment, a couple of thugs barge in and start taking pictures. Am I right?”
“Something like that,” she said. “Only without the thugs . ”
He thought for a moment. “Did they think I’d just parade around naked for you while you clicked your cell phone a few times?”
“There’s a camera in my purse,” she said. “All I have to do is make sure it’s got a good view of the bed and press a gadget in my pocket. The camera does the rest, I don’t even have to take it out of my purse; there’s a little peephole.”
“So what about the guys in the car?” he asked.
“I don’t know anything about them. There wasn’t supposed to be any violence. Tomorrow I’m supposed to meet my contact for lunch and give him the purse, that’s all. He hands me another five grand and the return ticket to Boston , that’s all.”
“Who’s the contact?” he asked.
“Some guy who’s well-connected, I don’t even know his real name. Look, i f they find out I blew it, they’ re gonna want more than their down payment back. When I said these guys are well-connected, I meant it. Nobody I know has ever made them mad, at least nobody who’s still around.”
Virgil thought for awhile.
“All right,” he said. “Here’s what we’re going to do.” He started the car after checking his mirror and pulled out into the street.
“We’re going to go back to my place and make them think everything’s going according to plan. Only tomorrow when you meet your contact, you’re going to tell him I got drunk and fell asleep with my clothes on. You’re gonna tell him that I fell head over heels for you” – not far from the truth, he thought uncomfortably – “and not to worry, we’re going to have dinner tomorrow and then go back to my place again to finish the job.”
“ So what happens when they figure out I blew them off? You know, after you’ve used me and don’t give a shit anymore?”
“Your going to have to trust me,” he said, looking at her square in the eye.
“Oh yeah, first I try to make dirty movies with you a nd destroy your career, and now I’m supposed to trust you. Do I really look that stupid?”
“You better just face it, Molly. Your plan’s already blown and your friends are going to find out when you can’t deliver the product. You can either go back to them on your
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