I sucked on the last of a Camel Light and dropped it on the ground as I looked at my watch. Five minutes past three. Where is he? I wondered. Time was running thin, and I could only stand here against the concrete wall and smoke for so long before someone noticed me. The thing was, everything about me was designed to NOT be noticed- nondescript black clothing, requisite black boots, sunglasses- even the expression on my face, or to be more accurate, lack of one- everything was picked with the thought in mind that I would just... blend right in.
He finally rolled past me in his beat up Monte Carlo, and leaned out of the driver's side window.
"Sorry I'm late," he said.
"Let's just do this. I want it to be over with."
"I hear you."
I got in and we started driving. I didn't know where we were going, but I knew that big doings were afoot, otherwise I could have driven myself. Security was going to be tight on this deal. I knew that much.
"You got the bag?" he asked.
I lifted it up from under my feet and showed him.
"Got the cash?"
I opened the zipper up just enough for him to peek inside.
"Good deal. We don't want to show up empty handed for these bastards." He then bummed a smoke off of me and lit it with shaking fingers.
"Christ, I quit almost six months ago- but I'm shaking like a leaf on a tree, you dig?"
I did indeed.
We drove for a bit more, not saying anything else, and finally rolled up to a mansion that looked like it grew by eating other, smaller mansions in the dead of night. This place was big.
"This looks like the place."
No shit.
The gate opened and we drove around the fountain out front and parked the car.
"Well, if this all goes according to plan, I should be back here in less than an hour." I squinted at him as I opened the door and stepped out.
"Good luck, man- and thanks for the smoke."
Yeah, no problem.
I walked up to the front doors of the house, trying my best not to feel anything other than complete calm. This was going to be a tricky deal, no doubt about it. I readjusted the strap on the bag, which felt unnaturally heavy at this point, and approached the heavy oak doors. They swung wide open with a stone-faced butler on the other side, and I walked in.
Like I said, this was going to be a tricky deal, I was almost certain of that.
He finally rolled past me in his beat up Monte Carlo, and leaned out of the driver's side window.
"Sorry I'm late," he said.
"Let's just do this. I want it to be over with."
"I hear you."
I got in and we started driving. I didn't know where we were going, but I knew that big doings were afoot, otherwise I could have driven myself. Security was going to be tight on this deal. I knew that much.
"You got the bag?" he asked.
I lifted it up from under my feet and showed him.
"Got the cash?"
I opened the zipper up just enough for him to peek inside.
"Good deal. We don't want to show up empty handed for these bastards." He then bummed a smoke off of me and lit it with shaking fingers.
"Christ, I quit almost six months ago- but I'm shaking like a leaf on a tree, you dig?"
I did indeed.
We drove for a bit more, not saying anything else, and finally rolled up to a mansion that looked like it grew by eating other, smaller mansions in the dead of night. This place was big.
"This looks like the place."
No shit.
The gate opened and we drove around the fountain out front and parked the car.
"Well, if this all goes according to plan, I should be back here in less than an hour." I squinted at him as I opened the door and stepped out.
"Good luck, man- and thanks for the smoke."
Yeah, no problem.
I walked up to the front doors of the house, trying my best not to feel anything other than complete calm. This was going to be a tricky deal, no doubt about it. I readjusted the strap on the bag, which felt unnaturally heavy at this point, and approached the heavy oak doors. They swung wide open with a stone-faced butler on the other side, and I walked in.
Like I said, this was going to be a tricky deal, I was almost certain of that.
...
I mean that's a compliment.