Down in the Zero

'I know. I mean, I think I know. But I never…'

'With girls?'

'Yeah. Except with Charm.'

'Still?'

He looked down, quiet for a minute. 'Yes,' he finally said. 'That's what happened the last time she came over. I didn't want to do anything, but…'

'It's okay. It takes time, to get strong enough.'

'I'll never be strong enough. I thought I was. She…hasn't come around for a long time.'

'Yeah you will. And soon, too. She was conditioning you, understand?'

'No.'

'She started with you early, so you got used to…certain things. After a while, you feel like that's the only way you can do it, see? But it's a trick…a cheap, dirty trick.'

'How could I…?'

'You already are, kid. If her stuff was really working, you wouldn't feel anything for Wendy.'

'What do you mean?'

'How do you feel about Wendy? Like she's your sister?'

'No. But I never tried to— '

'What? Have sex with her? Don't worry about it. You feel like you want to be with her. Close. To protect her, right?'

'Yes.'

'The rest will come, kid. I promise you. You may have to talk to somebody…some pro who knows what they're doing— some places you can't get to all by yourself. But it's already happening. You got a good throw of the dice now— let it ride.'

His head came up, eyes on me now. 'What do I have to do?' he asked.

'For now, you have to drive— we got a meet to go to.'

I showed the kid how to park so we could cover the whole lot with one eye–sweep while we waited. A couple of minutes before midnight, Clarence's Rover glided past the gas pumps. They spotted us, rolled over to where we were parked. I was already stepping out of the car. The Prof came over to where I was standing, leaving Clarence at the wheel. He was carrying a dark green canvas duffel in one hand. We naturally rolled into a prison–yard position, shoulder to shoulder at a slight V–angle so we narrowed the exposure of our backs and could watch the maximum vista. The way it's done, your mouth hardly moves but your eyes never stop.

'What you got that's hot, schoolboy?'

'A nest of snakes, Prof. I need to show you a few things. We'll take my car, okay?'

'You say, we play, bro,' the little man said, waving Clarence over.

The Prof took the shotgun seat next to Randy, Clarence and I sat behind. Randy cruised through the quiet streets as I ran it down. The Prof gave me a quick glance over his shoulder, tilting his head toward Randy. I nodded— it was all right for the kid to hear.

'The Mole showed the printout to some other people. Israelis,' I said. 'They got somebody they want on that list.'

'Don't be downing the Mole, man. Everybody's got a button, something to push.'

'I know,' I said. Thinking of Charm— and her handles. 'That's not the thing. I saw the list too. Here's one of the names on it,' I said, pausing to give it weight, '— Angelo Mondriano.'

'Damn! He's been long gone, youngblood. Word is he's holding up a bridge somewhere, inside a slab of concrete.'

'I don't think so.'

'I remember it now,' the Prof mused. 'He went canary, then he jumped the cage, right? Didn't some of the wiseguys ask you about running him down?'

'Yeah. He must have dropped a couple of dozen heavy hitters when he testified. He was in the Witness Protection Program, then he went over the Wall. Six–figure bounty on his ass. Open contract— the money for his head.'

'That's not like the new Italians. What about all the cash he was supposed to have swiped?'

'There's Italians, and there's Italians,' I said. 'The guys who came to see me, they were the old guys, you understand? Vindicata! The money wasn't the thing for them. It was blood. You know the rules.'

'Yeah. You turn, you burn. You roll, you pay the toll. But I thought…'

'No. Couldn't be. They dropped him, they'd want to make it public. Put his head on a stake, send the message.'

'That's right enough,' the little man agreed. 'So what we got, somebody in the ID business?'

'Sure. That's where the money's coming from. It was a long list, Prof.'

'And the Israelis, they're going in?'