– Shit.
I gentled the slide back into place and found that the hammer was cocked. I placed my thumb over it, and, for what I swore would be the only time in my life, I pulled the trigger of a gun. Nothing happened, of course. I mean, there was a snap and the hammer came loose and I lowered it into place, but the gun didnt go off by some weird alignment of having a hidden bullet and my thumb not being strong enough to hold the hammer back or anything like that. But until I put the thing back in the glove box, I kept expecting it to fire of its own will and send a round ricocheting over the parking lot and through a window and into someone elses life.
But that didnt happen. Which was a huge relief.
Next I made a final call to Po Sin and told him what he needed to know. Beyond that information, there seemed to be little excuse for conversation. Especially seeing as he was clearly still contemplating bailing on the whole deal.
I thought it best not to think about what that could mean. And succeeded in doing so. Not thinking about bad things being a gift of mine.
Finally, I got out of the truck and walked to the storm drain in the middle of the lot and dropped the bullets down between the grates to splash into the dirty soapy runoff from the truck wash.
– Whats up?
I looked up at Jaime as he came from the diner.
I shrugged.
– Just killing time.
I started back to the truck.
– We should get going.
– Fine by me. Wheres my gun?
I got in and knocked on the glove box.
– In there. But for fuck sake dont shoot anyone with it.
He took the gun out.
– Shoot anyone? Its a gun. Thats what its for. I mean, what am I supposed to use with Harris to make him give Soledad back so I can get the fucking money you owe me?
– We dont need a gun, we have a plan.
– Fucking plan? You never told me about a plan. A gun is better than a plan. A gun is a guarantee. What you -planning to do when your flan doesnt work and you need something to persuade Harris to go along?
I took out the envelope with the shipping documents.
– I thought wed use these.
He grabbed the envelope from me and stuck it in my face.
– Asshole, they seized the terminal. The law has the almonds.
I had a sudden flashback to the classroom. The effort it could take on some days to explain rudimentary principles of the English language to twelve-year-olds.
– Jaime, I know this is an abstract concept, but follow me here. Harris, he doesnt know the almonds were seized.
– Yeah, but.
– Jaime. He. Does. Not. Know. The. Almonds. Were. Seized.
He opened his mouth. Froze. Nodded.
– Yeeeaaah, man. He doesnt know. Yeah, thats good. Hey asshole, thats really fucking good. Great twist, man, great twist.
He slapped the envelope on his thigh.
– Will it work, asshole? Will he take the papers instead of the can?
I stared at him.
– Urn, wasnt this the way it was supposed to work in the first place?
– Well yeah, but I never knew if itd really work. Think it will?
I thought about the options, couldnt come up with any in particular.
– Yeah, itll work.
– Well it doesnt work, we got the gat as backup.
– You shouldnt need the gun. All you need to do is stay out of sight.
He gave me a squint.
– Whats that stay out of sight shit?
– Im sure youll be shocked to discover that Harris doesnt like you.
– Fuck him anyway. Like I like his hick ass.
– Just so. That being the case, Id rather not have two armed men who hate each other in the same room while Im negotiating for Soledads release.
– Man, I got a stake in this.
– Yeah, its your project, I know. And your stake is guaranteed. What isnt guaranteed is that Harris will deal straight. So if things go off, I want some backup. Follow me?
He cocked an eyebrow and nodded slowly.
– Yeah, backup, I follow. I like that. Buddy cop action. 48 Hours. That works, it sells. And thats it, thats all I got to do to get my pay?
I nodded.
– Yeah. Just stay out of sight, keep your eyes open, make sure no one backdoors me while Im inside. And be ready in case I call for help.
He gave the gun a spin on his index finger.
– So we do need the gun.
– We dont need the gun. Just be ready in case I need help.
– Be ready with the gun.
– Jaime!
– Chill, chill, Im just fuckin’ with you. Ill be cool and keep my eyes open and Ill be ready. And thats all, right?
– That and be yourself.
He leaned back and tucked his hands behind his head.
– Bein’ myself is what I do best. Star quality.
He pointed at the keys in my hand.
– So we rolling or what?
I pocketed the keys.
– Naw.
– What, we just gonna sit around here?
I got out and started down the street.
– Nope. Well walk.
And we did, walked back to the Harbor Inn where the bad guys were holed up waiting for the showdown.
BENEATH A RAGING EYE
– Wheres my girl?
– Wheres my can?
I looked at Harris, and I reminded myself about his really big gun and the way hed used my phone to kill someone. I took into careful account that more was at risk in this motel room than just my miserable existence, and I formulated a response that was calculated to bring calm to a fraught situation.
– Could you shut the fuck up for a second and tell me where my girl is?
I raised a finger.
– Not that I really think shes my girl, I know that was an asinine thing to say, just that Im a little hyped up right now and some weird things are liable to come out of my mouth.
Harris came across the room and kicked me in the shin and I bent to grab it and he rapped me on the back of my head with the butt of that really big gun I was supposed to be remembering he had.
I curled on the carpet, one hand on the lump growing from my shin, one on the lump growing from the back of my head, white light pulsing at the edges of my vision with every beat of my heart.
Harris looked down at me.
– Had a conversation, didnt we, about you and that mouth and bein’ in the same room?
I nodded and felt my brain flop around inside my skull.
He nodded back.
– Dont keep that conversation in mind, weird things are liable to come out of my gun.
His driver, appropriately dressed in Wrangler jeans, a sleeveless Raiders T, and a meshback truckers cap with Yosemite Sam on the front, barking Back Off., opened the door.
– It aint out there. Aint on the street, aint up on Anaheim. No truck, no can. Just this pecker.
He shoved Jaime into the room.
Jamie stumbled in, tripped over my legs and went on his ass.
– Fuck off me, hick.
The driver flipped him off.
– Fuck you, pecker.
I got up on one elbow and looked at Jaime.
– I told you to stay out of sight.
He untangled his legs from mine.
– I was staying out of sight! I was way down at the corner staying out of sight. No one told me Mr. Big Ten Four over there was gonna come poking around.