Jay caught his breath and tried to ignore the searing pain driving up through his leg. 'That won't be necessary,' he said. 'I'm pretty sure you're going to torture me until I tell you where the original disc with the recording is, and then kill me.' He paused and raised his eyebrows, turning the statement into a question. Eli nodded.
Jay could feel his blood pooling into the bottom of his boot. 'The three of us are professionals and I understand you two have a job to do. It's not personal.' He looked at Dalia and then back to Eli. 'Your friend here made it personal and paid the ultimate price.' Both men nodded to Jay. 'I've finished my journey of revenge for what she did, and quite frankly I don't give a shit about the recording. What's done is done.'
Eli considered the statement while David looked at him waiting for a response. 'So you're willing to tell us where it is, in exchange for what?' Eli said.
Jay noticed the hands of both men. No nicotine stains. 'There's this little girl. She visits me in my dreams, nightmares really. Blames me for all the bad in Iraq. Wears a suicide vest and always visits when I go to bed sober. Now, I'm not religious but I don't want her visiting me when I'm dead. So I'd like a nice cold can of scotch and dry before you shoot me. And a last cigarette or three. The disc is in Brisbane. I figure you'd want to get it and make sure it's the right one before you kill me. That gives me about an hour to indulge in a couple of luxuries before I die. What do you say, Eli?'
Eli tapped the silenced pistol against the side of his leg and appeared to consider the statement and requests. 'I know about those types of nightmares. A bit of professional courtesy is what you're after?'
'Exactly.'
'Can you imagine how long I could make you live and suffer should that disc not be where you tell us it is?'
'I'm not willing to find out. You'll need a pen and paper to write down some access details for a safe deposit box in the middle of the city.'
David fetched a pen and paper and Jay gave him the relevant details.
'I'll also need to call ahead and tell them that someone else is coming to access it.'
'Why?' Eli said. 'It must be a big bank. I'm sure they won't remember what you look like. David here could be you.'
Jay looked across at David. Same broad shoulders, same height, looked reasonably fit. Eli was right apart from the facial features. 'I was in there a couple of hours ago. They'll have the same person working the counter. She'll realise. But I know her well enough to convince her that David here can access the safe deposit box.'
Eli rubbed his chin. He picked up Jay's phone from the table and handed it to David. 'You know what will happen should the conversation head in a different direction.'
Jay glanced at his throbbing foot. He couldn't feel the pain; it was numb. 'Yeah, I know.'
David bought the phone near to Jay. 'What number?' he said.
'Dial one-two-two-three. It's operator assistance.' Jay gave the name of the bank as David dialled.
The call was put through and David held the phone to Jay's ear. He requested to speak with Shannon and a moment later, she came on the line.
'Good afternoon, Shannon speaking.'
He didn't want to give her time to discuss the shootings at the bank. 'Hello, Shannon. It's Jay Ryan. Firstly, thank you for your assistance this morning in trying to resolve the problem I was having. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to fix it and will need to send someone up there to access my safe deposit box.'
By the extended pause, it seemed she was assessing the information and wondering what to make of it. He hoped it didn't take too long. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait.
'Of course, Mr Ryan. And I am so sorry for the inconvenience this morning. Totally our fault. Sometimes our security guard can get a little overzealous. I think you may have broken his arm though. Good news is that he'll fully recover.'
At least one bit of good news. 'Great. So no problems sending my friend up there to see you?'
'As long as your friend has the appropriate access codes, it shouldn't be a problem. Is your friend like those with you this morning?'
Smart girl, great question, he thought. 'Yes, that's great. His name is David and he'll be there in around an hour's time. Thanks for your time, Shannon. Hope to see you again soon.'
David took the phone away.
That's one taken care of, Jay thought.
'Awful lot of talking going on there, Mr Ryan. What happened at the bank this morning?' Eli said.
'A security guard recognised me from a news bulletin as a person of interest in a murder your friend here helped commit.' He indicated Dalia. 'So I threw him through a window.'
'And you want David to walk into the bank and get something out of a safety deposit box when you're a wanted criminal?'
'I'm not wanted anymore. All charges were dropped and accusations withdrawn when the police realised who Dalia was.'
Eli nodded as if he already knew the facts. 'We are here, after all, to clean up the mess she's left,' he said. Eli and David headed for the door. Jay watched them in the mirror, still propped where Dalia had left it. They had a short conversation that Jay couldn't hear. Then David left.
Eli stopped at the bar fridge and got out a can of scotch and dry and a bottle of water. He put both on the table, picked up his pistol and aimed it towards Jay. 'Left- or right-handed?' he asked.
Shit, Jay thought. He was going to be shot in his good hand. He lied. 'Left.'
Eli walked over to Jay and stood on his ankle. It forced Jay to roll slightly to the right. The bullet wound had numbed his leg. He could barely feel the pressure on his ankle.
'If you keep your hand clenched like that you are likely to lose a couple of fingers. Best for the round to pass through the palm. No screaming or yelling either. Anything above a whimper and you'll get the other hand done for free.'
Jay forced his hand open. He clenched his jaw. Every muscle in his body strained with anticipation. He closed his eyes against the inevitable.
The mood changed. 'What happened to your hand?' Eli asked.
Jay opened his eyes and turned his head toward Eli. 'A nail will do that to you.'
Eli gave a chuckle. 'Dalia used the Sub Rosa thing?'
'Yeah.'
'Tattoo?'
'Under the watch.'
'She'd come a long way. It's a shame really.'
'Real shame.'
The spit of the round leaving the silencer registered before Jay felt anything. He stared in shock at the tiny hole in his hand. Charred outer edges. No blood, yet. Then the pain hit. He bit hard into his lip and gums and tasted the blood in his mouth. The burning raced up his arm and spun around his head.
Eli turned back to the table, got the can of scotch and dry and placed it against the wound. He left the weapon on the table and took a knife from his pocket. He cut through the pillowcase and eased Jay's hand and the drink into his lap. The knife went back into the pocket and he popped the ring pull from the can. 'One scotch and dry served as requested,' he said.
It started with headspins and slight blurring of his vision. Jay knew he was losing too much blood from the wound in his foot and the shock of having another hole in his hand wasn't helping his cause. He had no strength in his arm to lift the can to his mouth but realised somehow he had to survive. He pushed through the pain and started to roll his left shoulder to get the blood flowing. He slowly worked his fingers around the can. He shook with the sheer effort of his overworked muscles trying to lift the drink to his bloodied lips. He looked over to Eli, who was sitting down at the table mesmerised by the spectacle. The can inched towards his lips. He tilted his head back and lifted his elbow. The scotch flowed down his throat and poured down the sides of his mouth. He swallowed as much as he could before his muscles gave out and the can dropped onto his thigh and bounced to the floor beside Dalia. He brought his head forward and allowed his arm to fall back into his lap.
Eli clapped. 'Amazing,' he said. 'That must be one bad dream you keep having. Now, you wanted some cigarettes, didn't you?'