Page 5 of Minus

“I doubt even Phil would be stupid enough to keep that much money here,” I said.

“Are you, Phil?” Clutch asked.

“What?” Phil asked.

“Are youthatstupid?”

“What?”

“You keep saying ‘what.’ Are you having trouble with your hearing, Phil? Maybe I can help you with that.”

Clutch holstered his gun and pulled out a knife from his belt. He walked behind Phil and grabbed his head, pressing the blade to Phil’s ear. Phil tried to squirm, but Clutch held firm.

“Hold still, big man.”

“Please don’t cut me, Clutch,” Phil cried out.

Clutch smiled. “What could go wrong? This is a chop-shop isn’t it? A place where large things get cut up into small pieces.”

Phil’s eyes widened.

“I’m going to ask you one more time to point us in the direction of Cutter’s three million dollars and if you fail to hear me this time, I’m going to be forced to improve your hearing by any means necessary.”

I chuckled. “Wouldn’t cutting his ear off make his hearing worse?”

“I’m not a doctor, Minus. I’m sure Phil here understands that I’m doing the best I can under the circumstances, don’t you, Phil?”

Phil’s bloodshot eyes bulged from their sockets, as he grunted out, “Sure, Clutch.”

“I simply need my good buddy Phil to hear my question as clearly as possible. So here it goes, one more time. Where is Cutter’s fucking money?”

“It’s not here…”

The first drops of blood appeared as the blade pressed into the soft flesh where his earlobe connected to his head.

“I’ll tell you where it is!” he screamed instantly. “I swear to God, I’ll tell you where it is.”

Clutch stopped, straightened, and looked at me, smiling. “See, it worked! He can hear just fine now.”

“I think you missed your calling,DoctorClutch,” I said.

“You asshole, you almost cut my fucking ear off!” Phil snapped.

“Come on, Philly Cheese Steak, I barely touched you. Now, where’s the money?” Clutch asked, once again leveling his pistol to Phil’s head.

“A dude named Viper hired my crew to steal a car. That’s it!” he squeaked. “I swear I didn’t know there was money in the trunk until the car got here and they opened it up.”

“But once you saw the money, you didn’t think to call Cutter?”

“How was I supposed to know the money was his?”

“Don’t make me shoot you for being stupid, Phil. The Burning Saints are your business partners. Three million in cash shouldn’t roll through your shop without raising analarm. You should have called Cutter as soon as you saw the money.”

“You’re right, Clutch. You’re absolutely right.” Blood ran down the rolls of pink flesh that made up his neck as his hands applied pressure to the wound.

I cocked my head. “Now tell me, who the fuck is Viper and where can I find him?”

“He’s the new head of Los Psychos, the Mexican club. They hang out at the Nine Ball.”

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