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Joe came to the site as soon as it was safe enough to go outside. He didn’t want to be late and disappoint his new boss. When Joe got there at ten till eight on Friday evening, he found the tools that had been left for him next to the electrical work box. It was a new bag, sturdy and filled with more tools than this job would need. El Patron told him it was a gift, and Joe knew it was a bribe to keep quiet as much as anything, but he was happy about it. He’d been happy about the carpeting job too. Yes, sir, I know how to install carpet, Joe said, and then made a quick phone call to his old buddy to get the gist of it so he could fake it. He was pretty sure that El Patron knew that he’d never laid carpet before in his life, but he was also pretty sure that Fain didn’t care as long as Joe didn’t rip him off.
Joe was not stupid enough to rip him off. It was gonna be like in those shows, working for the mob boss. There were worse things. You snitched, you ended up with concrete sneakers. You did what you were told, you got gifts and well-paying jobs, about which you also kept your mouth quiet. It was a life. It wasn’t the life he wanted, and it wasn’t the life he expected, but it was a life.
Just like La Patrona had said, it wasn’t too hard to get into the electrical box that powered the cell phone tower. He cut the bolt, then opened the box and began to shut off all the switches. Easy peasy.