The Hitman's Last Job(25)

“Well if you’re sure,” she didn’t seem convinced.
“Yeah we’re sure,” Carl interrupted. “But thanks,”


And the waitress shrugged and walked back indoors thinking they were odd.

“Shit! What are we to do now?” Anna was panicked.
“I don’t know… but I guess that car has the worst luck in the world,”
“Where are we anyway?”
“I’ll have to look it up on my phone. Two seconds, it’s in my backpack,” and he quickly hurried into the diner to grab it.


He walked back out while searching through it frantically.

“Shit I can’t find my phone!” he emptied the contents of the bag onto the ground and ran his fingers through everything. “Oh my God please don’t let it be true,” but it was. “My God damn phone is in the car!”


Anna felt like kicking at the earth and screaming. She wanted to just give up and lie in the middle of the road. She wandered away from Carl for a moment to take a deep breath. On either side of the diner laid vast expanses of empty road. She turned her head from left to right and back again. Wherever they were going next was on foot and it was going to take forever.

“How the f*ck are we going to get to Mexico from here?” asked Carl as he joined her.
“I guess we’ll find out soon,”
“I’m sorry,” Carl wrapped his arms around her. He wanted her to feel safe.
“What for?” she looked up to him.
“I’m a real lousy protector. I took you to save you and now look at us,”
“Hmmmm…. It’s just crazy,” no other words seemed to make sense of the situation. “But if it’s any consolation. If we’re lost, then so are the Mob,”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean if we can’t even find where we are then what hope have they got. I reckon they won’t be having much luck either,”
“I guess not,” he felt a little better seeing her logic.
“So what now?” he asked.
“That way’s south right?” she pointed down the road.
“Yup,”
“Well we’ll walk that way,” and she placed her hand in his. “Let’s go,”


~

Jorge was blowing plumes of thick smoke up from the basement floor. He was sat cross legged in front of Reiner Snr with a wicked smile on his face. Exhaling again he tried to make the smoke reach the detector.

“Yo man. You need new batteries. Been blowin’ into it for like two days,”


The old man raised his head a few inches but then collapsed.

“Still no word from your kid… Guess you must have done something real bad for him to hate you like this,”


He looked down and saw a tear fall from the old man’s face.

“Hey why you always cryin’ man?” he kicked the old man in the shin but he didn’t flinch this time.


Reiner Senior began to make a quiet croaking sound as he struggled to speak through his parched throat. Jorge knelt down beside him and held his ear close.

“I…. love my son,” the old man rasped. “Tell him that,”


But Jorge didn’t have time for soppy sentimentalism. Instead he spat on the ground as he stood up.

“Ah shut the hell up. Like I give a shit,” and he threw his cigarette end on the floor. “You gotta tell us where he is old man!” and he pulled his gun out and pointed it to his head.
“But I don’t know,” Reiner croaked. “I just don’t know. I promise,”


Jorge knew he was telling the truth. He’d beaten him endlessly and threatened him at gun point, starved him and denied him water and still the old man said he knew nothing. But it wasn’t Mob style to leave people alive. He knelt back down and whispered into his face.

“Carl knows we got you, old man, and he doesn’t care. He wants you dead…. And so do I,” and Jorge pulled out his favourite knife from the inside of his snakeskin boots.


CHAPTER 13

“Who was your high school crush?” Anna asked Carl as though they were on a normal date meandering through the trees.
“Oh God! Her name was Cassie Yates and I swear to God she was the hottest thing ever when I was twelve. Everyone fancied her but she had braces and makeup that was like this thick,” he held out his thumb and forefinger. “I hear she has six kids now,” he looked into the distance. “What about you?”
“His name was Brody McKenzie. He was a real dork but that’s what I liked. He wasn’t a jock or a bully or one of the weird goth kids,” Anna laughed. “He was real sweet to me,” and she shoved her hands in her pockets. “This is a real nice place,” she looked all around her. “And it’s not as cold as Chicago. Shame we’re not here for fun,”
“Don’t worry about that. Once we’re sorted and settled I’ll take you all around the world,” Carl kissed her cheek and she smiled.


They were silent for a moment and all they could hear was the sound of their own footsteps interspersed with the chirping of wild birds.

“I think they’re circling us,” Anna joked.
“I hope not,” Carl looked up into the sky.
“Hey… So I gotta ask you now, or I won’t ever,” Anna blurted out quickly.
“Go for it,”
“That briefcase you carry everywhere. It’s got money in it hasn’t it?”