Page 91 of Provocation
‘Too late for that,’ Farley snarls, ripping the girl’s button-up shirt open to reveal her white tank top.
She screams and before I know it, I’m tearing her out of Farley’s grip and pushing him away from her.
‘Leave her alone,’ I growl. ‘She’s just a kid!’
He looks surprised for a split second before he grins nastily. ‘You little fuck!’ he grinds out.
His gun is in his hand and pressed to my head before I realize he’s even moved, and I register my own shock that he was that fast. I underestimated him. Now, I’m going to pay for it.
‘No one tells me what to do,’ he breathes. ‘I’m going to kill you. Here. Now. In this fucking pizza place. Your brains are going to be all over the walls, you piece of shit!’
He pulls back the hammer, and I swallow hard, my life flashing before my eyes. Daisy is at the forefront. How long will she stay in the car? Will she run? Will she come in here when she hears the shot? God, I can’t let this happen. I have to do?—
The sound of the gun firing and the accompanying scream from the girl has my entire body clenching, but there’s no impact. I’m alive, I realize after a moment. It’s Farley who thuds to the floor next to me, surprise in his rapidly dimming eyes. I look up, expecting maybe Sal but it’s not.
Daisy’s there, standing behind where he was at almost point blank range. My gun, the one that I thought was in my jacket pocket, is in her hands. She’s looking…bemused.
Then, she winces at the gun and shakes her hand before she lowers her arm and stares at Farley. His eyes are open and unseeing. A puddle of blood is expanding on the floor around his middle.
‘Is he dead?’ she asks quietly.
I nod, not sure what else to say as I get to my feet and walk to her slowly. I take the gun from her hands, and she lets me have it.
‘Fuck,’ I whisper, looking at the dead man and glancing at Sal and his daughter who are looking as shocked as I feel.
It’s the old man who shakes himself and gets to his feet first. ‘Janey, go get the trash bags and the duct tape.’
She nods and disappears into the back.
‘Son, I’m guessing your boss ain’t gonna like this.’
I shake my head at Sal and glance at Daisy who hasn’t moved.
‘This your girl?’ Sal asks.
‘Kormak can’t find out,’ I hear myself saying. ‘He’ll kill her.’
Sal nods in my periphery. ‘No one from around here will say a word, but the body needs to disappear. You understand?’
‘Yeah,’ I whisper, blinking. ‘The body. Yeah.’
‘Can you do that? You got a place?’
I nod. ‘I have a place.’
The tunnels in the club lead right to the river. It won’t be difficult to get him there.
I grab the trash bags from Janey and Sal helps me wrap Farley up.
I tell Daisy to stay inside, and I run out to the truck, moving it so that the tailgate is as close to the back door as I can get it. When I go back in, Daisy is sitting at one of the tables with a slice of plain cheese pizza. She’s eating like she didn’t just kill a man.
But, then, this isn’t her first time…
I stare at her until Sal nudges me and gestures to the body that’s now wrapped in black plastic. We pick him up and carry him through the kitchen, out the back door, and put him into the truck bed. I close it up and Sal goes back inside.
He uses sawdust on the wet blood, shrugging when he sees me watching. ‘Keep some of this around for kids’ birthday parties,’ he says as he sprinkles it down. ‘Someone’s always throwing up.’
‘Right.’
