Just Long Enough for the Asian to Finish His Cigarette

“Does any of this ring any bells for you, Mr. Maurice?” he asks, snuffing out his last cigarette and motioning for the Irishman to remove the ashtray. Of course this was ringing a bell. It was ringing a fucking carol of bells. This was the job that had left me sipping all my meals through a straw. This job was the reason that Jacks owed me what he saw as a never-ending barrage of favors.

“Yeah,” I reply, “I remember this. Your men were like a bunch of rabid badgers. They put up a hell of a fight. I actually felt kind of bad taking them down.”

“I’m sure you did.”

“Did you guys piece this all together on your own or did you have help?”

“It took us a while to find out who you were and approximately where to find you,” the Asian tells me, “but the pinpoint came from a pretty little thing who knew all about you. We met her in a bar. She was drunk and more than willing to give up everything she knew about you. I assume you know her, otherwise she’s a better tail than I am. She said her name was Quill.”

I started out in a bad mood, but now I’m pissed. That would explain why she wanted to apologize to me. I’ll have to remember to thank her next time I see her. “What exactly do you want from me?”

The Asian leans forward again, staring me down. “I want retribution, Mr. Maurice.” I saw that line coming. This is how hired help works. People are wronged in some way and they come to people like me to find them the vengeance they need. The vengeance they feel they deserve. The Asian lost a lot of good men on that job. Of course he wanted recourse. That was to be expected.

“What are we talking about here?” I ask, popping my knuckles. Now he’s speaking my language. “Who needs to die to make this right with you?”

The Asian just stares at me. “You do, Mr. Maurice.”

That’s unexpected. I stop midpop. I have to keep my cool. I swallow the last swig of rum.

“How about another one of those cigarettes?” I gotta buy myself some time. That’s the only way I can get out of this in one piece. I raise my empty glass. “Hey, Lurch, how about a refill, while we’re at it?” The Asian nods as he takes the silver cigarette case out of his pocket and holds it out to me. The giant takes my glass and disappears back into the kitchen. I light the smoke. My gears are grinding so hard and so fast that I’m certain the Asian can hear me thinking. I gotta start by getting the scoop.

“Why do you have to off me?”

“As I said, we need retribution.”

“I feel it’s unnecessary for me to have to say this, but I’m gonna go ahead and say it anyway. I had nothing to do with the death of your former employer.”

The Asian raises his eyebrow and leans back on the couch. “Is that so?”

“My only role in that scuffle was to make sure that the girl got out alive and well. I was getting paid for her well-being. Your boss was worth no money to me. I don’t stick my beak where it doesn’t belong.” The behemoth returns from the kitchen and slaps the drink down on the table in front of me. “Thanks.”

“I have a source that tells me otherwise.” The Asian seems pretty keen on believing what he’s already been told. I gotta steer him away from that mind-set.

“Your source has his head up his ass.”

The Asian sits motionless, waiting for me to continue. I take a drag off the cigarette.

“Listen, you seem to run a pretty tight ship around here,” I tell him, motioning around the shitty apartment. The Asian nods, seemingly curious where I’m going with this but not willing to show me. “Which makes you a businessman. I get the feeling that you, like any good businessman, will make goddamned sure that the business he’s running is worthwhile.”

The Asian lights up another cigarette and waves at me with his free hand. “Get to the point, Mr. Maurice.”

I nod. “You must do research on guys like me. I’m only looking out for two things when I go on a job. Number one, I look out for number one. And number two, I look out for my investments. All told, I go into a job making sure that I’m coming out alive and that there’s a payoff at the end of the rainbow.”

“I did gather that from my background checks.”

“Okay, now, on the job in question, my duty was to make sure that the hooker got out clean. I did that. I walked away. So, my job was done. What good would it have done me to kill some run-of-the-mill, scumbag drug dealer, unless it was going to earn me some extra compensation?”

I pick up the rum and take a drink. My eyes are fixed on the Asian and I’m not letting them move. I gotta stay cool or I’m toast. I can feel the mick’s eyes burning a hole into my skull. He’s ready to pounce, and what’s more, he wants blood. Right now, he doesn’t care if I’m innocent or guilty, he just wants to fight and he wants to win. The big guy doesn’t care either way, he’ll just do whatever the Asian tells him to do. That’s why I gotta focus on the Asian. He’s the one that counts.

I gotta give it to him, he’s got a good poker face. Sitting before me, not moving a muscle. I can’t read him at all. He’s trying to make me sweat, something I haven’t done in a long time, and he’s doing a damned good job because I’m sweating right now. He wants me to give up some information that I hadn’t previously alluded to, he wants me to come right out and say that I killed Vincent, and, if I don’t come right out and say it, he wants my body language, my facial expression, to slip up and let him know that something happened. I don’t want to send him a signal that could be misconstrued, so I sit, stone faced, and wait.

His eyes are piercing through me, like a bullet is going to rip through my skin if he has even the slightest inkling that I had something to do with this job. He hasn’t said anything; in fact, I can’t even hear him breathing. He’s just sitting on the couch, slowly smoking his cigarette and focusing on me. The cigarette is almost down to the filter. He’s got two more drags, tops, and he’s gonna milk those puffs for all they’re worth. Staring at me staring at him. The only question is, how’s this gonna end?

“Well, Mr. Maurice,” the Asian says without warning, leaning forward on the couch toward me and holding out his dead cigarette for the mick to take, “I’ve learned a great deal in the business that I’m in. One of the things I’ve learned is how to read someone who’s lying, and sitting here talking to you, I’ve come to one of two conclusions. Either A: you’re telling me the truth, or B: you’re damned good at bluffing your way out of interrogations.”

I set the dirty glass on the floor at my feet. “I’m telling you the truth.”

The Asian stands up. “And for the time being, I’m going to believe that, Mr. Maurice. However, the fact remains that I need retribution for what has befallen my crew.”

“So, you’re gonna kill me regardless.” I lean back in my chair.

The Asian shakes his head. “No,” he tells me. “I’ve come to believe that you’re of far more use to me alive.”

I stare at him for a moment, trying to let the confusion rattle itself out of my head. “I’m not following you.”

“This is not a terribly difficult concept to grasp, Mr. Maurice.” The Asian is getting condescending. I have to watch my step or I might walk right back into the noose. “I need to extract vengeance for what has befallen my crew. If you, as you claim, had nothing to do with the untimely demise of my former employer, Vincent, then I am in need of your services.” He pauses. I keep my mouth shut. I’m finally starting to get used to the water. He’s easier to read than I thought. I get the feeling that his pause was more for effect than for anything else. He’s a showman. He’ll start up and finish this off in a moment. I take a drag from my cigarette.

“You will find the man I’m looking for. You will bring him to me. And you will do so in one week’s time.” Just as I expected, he finished his thought before looking at me. I mull over the prospect of this business venture.

“What kind of pay are we talking?” The Asian finds this question funny, as he half chuckles before responding. I sit in silence.

“If you are talking about monetary compensation, Mr. Maurice, you will be receiving none. I am allowing you to live in order to clear your name with me. I am giving you one week, seven days, in order to do so. Your payment will be the continuation of your existence.”

I nod my head. “To be perfectly honest, I’d rather have the money, but it sounds fair enough to me.”

“One week, Mr. Maurice.”

“Seven days, I got it.”

The Asian nods. “We’ll be in touch, Mr. Maurice. Maestro and Kenny will make sure you arrive home in a timely fashion.” The Asian disappears from the room as the behemoth and the mick move in toward me. I look up at the two of them and smile.

“Am I going to get a kiss at the door too?”

I have time for only one fleeting thought as an enormous fist comes rushing at my forehead.

Shit.