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Eddie’s face flushed red as he pounded his fist into the center of the desk. “What the hell are you telling me, Sal? Jesus H. Christ!”
His heart pounded as he pressed his fingers to his temples. He could barely stand to look at Sal, who stood before him with that stupid fucking remorseful look on his face. Eddie lowered his hands and mustered all of his restraint to stop himself from jumping over the desk and strangling Sal to his last breath.
The heat that was about to come down on them barely mattered. The only thought rattling in his brain was Kate. His hope that they could one day be together vanished in the split second it took for that fat fuck Sal to walk into his office and tell him that he’d killed the kid.
“I told you to kill that thief, Marco, Sal. What the fuck happened?”
Sal stood in front of Eddie’s desk and looked at the floor and then back at Eddie. “I’m real sorry, Eddie. It all happened so fast.”
“Yeah?” Eddie said. “Tell me.” He pounded his fist again. “Tell me!”
“Well, ah’ ... first I ah’ ... I drove to Marco’s house, like you told me to, so I could keep an eye on him and follow him if he left.” Sal paused to check Eddie’s reaction and then continued. “But his car wasn’t in the driveway, like it usually is. Just Kate’s white SUV. So, I left.”
“And?”
“And—I came back here—to the restaurant and sat in the car for a while, across the street in the parking lot. And then, it was gettin’ dark so I drove back to Marco’s house. The Mustang was in the driveway. That’s when I decided I’d just wait. I mean, you said you wanted it done right away. So, I parked about three houses down.” Sal shrugged. “Waited maybe an hour, hour-and-fifteen, and that’s when the SUV pulled out of the driveway. Thought it was Kate at first, but then another car came from the opposite direction and its lights shined in on the driver. It was Marco. I waited a few seconds and pulled out. I followed him down to Payne.
Eddie leaned back in his chair, bouncing slightly, arms crossed, jaw clenched. It was all he could do to keep himself from shooting Sal right in the face.
“Then what?”
Sal gave Eddie a quick side-glance before continuing. “I followed him down to Minnehaha. He took a few turns into a neighborhood. Turns out he was going to pick up the kid.”
Eddie growled, ready to rip into him, but Sal raised his hands.
“I swear, Eddie. I didn’t know who it was. I saw Marco walk up to this house. Didn’t know whose house it was. And so, ah’ ... while he was in there, I ran out and gave the tire a light pop with my knife. Ya’ know, for a slow leak, hoping he’d pull over. Make it easier for the hit.”
Sal again looked down at his feet before starting up again. “Then, Marco walks out with the kid, but, like I said, at the time, I didn’t know that, right? The kid’s pretty tall. Almost as tall as Marco. And, and ... I couldn’t tell in the dark .... They both had on those puffy winter jackets and hats. I swear, Eddie. I didn’t know who it was. And, like I said before, you wanted it done that night and I ah’, I wanted to get it done fa’ you.”
“So,” Eddie said, “I guess I didn’t know Sal, that you are so fuckin’ stupid,” Eddie pointed at him, “that right then, you knew you’d be taking out two people, even though you didn’t know who the second guy was. Is that what you’re fuckin’ tellin’ me?”
Sal looked up at the ceiling and let out a puff of air before nodding at Eddie.
Eddie kept a brutal gaze on Sal. “And then what?”
Sal continued. “They got in. I followed, staying back a bit, waitin’ for the tire to flatten. I could see Marco started havin’ trouble around Arcade. He took a left and pulled into one of them three little roads down there, not even a road, really. Then, he pulled over cuz-a the tire, and I pulled up behind him.”
Sal continued. “I ah’ ... got out and walked over to Marco’s car, pulled out my piece, had it at my side.”
“Go on.”
“I ah’ ... went to the driver’s side. Marco saw it was me and rolled down his window. Was glad to see me, asked me to help him with the tire.” Sal shrugged. “That’s when I popped him. And when I did that, the kid opened his door and started runnin’. So I chased him around the back—met him by the trunk—and shot him. That’s when I saw it was the kid.”
Eddie slammed his fist on the desk three times. Sal blinked, but otherwise kept his composure.
“Then,” Sal continued, “I dragged the kid around and put him back in the car—the passenger seat. He was still alive, so I thought he might be okay.”
“Oh, is that right? You thought he’d be okay? Huh?”
Eddie reached into the side drawer of his desk and pulled out O’s .45. He stood, walked around his desk and shoved it into Sal’s temple.
“Whoa, whoa,” Sal shouted as he stepped back, his hands raised in surrender. “Eddie, please! Jesus Christ! I’m sorry!”
“I oughta’ waste you right here, you stupid fuckin’ piece-a shit.”
Eddie’s face twisted and contorted as he continued to press the pistol into Sal’s head. Sal stood motionless, hands still raised, eyes squeezed shut.
The office door flew open. “Eddie!” Tau shouted. “What are you doing? Stop!”
Dario came in behind Tau and both of them put their hands out cautiously, as they approached Eddie and Sal.
“Come on, Eddie,” Dario said. “Put it down. You don’t wanna’ do this. Think-a the mess. We don’t need this right now. Not here in your office, man. Not worth it. Come on now, Eddie. Put it down.”
Eddie released the gun from Sal’s head. “Fuck!”
He hit him in the head with the butt of it. Sal dropped to the floor against the wall, groggy, but still conscious. Eddie moved in, leaning down. He again smashed the butt of the gun into Sal’s cheek and then kicked him in his gut with his pointed dress shoes three times, before Dario and Tau pulled him off. Sal lay still, in a heap, blood pouring from his forehead.
Eddie was breathless as he pushed them away. He pointed down at Sal. “Get him outta’ here.”
He turned back toward his desk as Tau and Dario struggled to pull Sal to his feet. They hauled him out of the office, his head hanging and his feet dragging behind him.
Eddie slammed the door and paced the office. He stopped in front of his desk and pounded both hands on top of it.
“Fuck!”
KATE
