Faust

Set up

         "........The O'deans......" Alonzo coughs out the answer along with some blood. 10 steps from the door and nobody's going to notice,

         My left foot slowly shifts back as he finally gives up.

         There's nobody by the door now, and the fellows outside wouldn't know what happened and.......
         "10....maybe more......They got Knox's crew with them....they're coming for you...."

         Back then, before I met Vix and Vel, cleaner crews were like mythical creatures to me, never seen one, never met one, but heard all about them. And Knox's cleaning group was no joke, they specialize in good old-fashioned clean houses, precision and not leaving loose ends are what their services guarantee. I heard there were about seven maybe eight in that group.

          What surprised me was their employers were the O'deans which is not a big name in Little Italy. If I remember correctly they occupy the far east of Little Italy, by the train station, business involves peddling, extortion, protection rackets, the usual.

           They never got into any disputes with Nicola's crew and generally not much of note..... at least that was what I thought at the time.

         The room went quiet as the idea of a group of reapers and gangsters waiting outside the building slowly sink in, Doubts and fear creeps up their and mine shoulders, slowly penetrating my skin and bones until it reaches my heart.

I take a deep breath and tried to ignore the feeling of deja vu. It's all too damn familiar.

          Nicola scratch his ear with the empty hand as his eyes momentarily lost focus. Then he backhanded him with that hand, so hard that blood from his gums spilled out on the table. Not giving him the lecture of a break, Nicola presses down on his forehead.

         Bending his neck to an unnatural degree as he presses the muzzle of his revolver on the front of his neck.

         "And what was your use in this? What did they ask you to do? You cocksucking snake."

         "They.....told me to get you all relaxed and drunk.....and when the timing is right.... I'll walk out from the back..... go home...... and leave the back door and the steel door unlocked...ahem." In the end, Alonzo starts coughing, blood from the wounds in his mouth are slowly dripping down his throat because of the way Nicola is pressing down on him.

         "Why?" After a deep breath. Nicola asks.

         The coughing became gurgles, the gurgles became..... it took me a while to realize he was laughing as his lips curl upward even in this situation. I take a step forward to see his eyes. Delirious, rage, fear, desperation, and contempt from the bottom of his soul which burns so strong it surpassed all the other emotions.

          "You want to know why? Ahem...... you want to.... want to know why I agreed?..... You wanna know why? They offered me money, good money...... but I said no. And they threatened me with some bullshit evidence about that heist...... I said I don't care .... And then, they threaten to kill Jennice, I said let the bitch die I don't care either.... Holy shit.. you guys...." Alonzo's line of sight is jumping from one man to another, implying 'you guys'.

           "Y'all should have seen their face! They were fucking speechless!...... Then I told him I'll do it if you fuckers promise me...... to cut you to little pieces." His eyes stop at Nicola. The fat man's chest stopped moving ups and down as a wild, primo rage consumed him. His face became a color so red, it looked purple. But Alonzo wasn't done yet.