Now and Then

“I can’t function unless I know you’re safe,” I said to Susan.

“She be safe,” Hawk said.

“But why not just give him his damned tapes,” Susan said.

“And wash your hands of it.”

“Couple reasons,” I said. “I’ve heard the tapes. Once he gets the tapes he’ll try to kill me.”

“And Doherty’s wife cheated on him,” Susan said.

“This needs to come out right,” I said.

“This being what happened to Doherty recently,” Susan said,

“or what happened to us years ago, or both?”

“Goddamn it, Susan, this is what I do. I don’t tell you how to do what you do.”

Susan nodded. Had he been capable of it, Hawk might almost have looked shocked. I had probably never raised my voice to Susan in Hawk’s presence. I wished I hadn’t now.

“I think your work and mine may be intermingled here,” she said. “But the problem is better dealt with by you than me.”

“I’m sorry I yelled,” I said.

“I know,” she said. “I’m sorry I kvetched.”

“I know,” I said.

Chollo looked at Hawk.

“I miss something?” he said.

Hawk shook his head.

“Long time ago,” Hawk said.

“No. Not until he’s used you to leverage me,” I said.

“But one of them pulled a gun,” she said.

“Good help is hard to find,” I said. “He got scared. Probably going to shoot at Hawk.”

“Vinnie can’t take that chance,” Chollo said.

Shooter camaraderie.

“No, he couldn’t,” I said. “None of you can. You protect Susan. Kill anybody you have to, as soon as you need to.”

I had just articulated Vinnie’s guiding principle. Still listening to his iPod, he almost smiled. Then he shot at me with his forefi nger.

“If you’re so safe,” Susan said to me, “why did you ask Chollo to come here?”

“I thought he might come in handy,” I said.

“I am very handy,” Chollo said. “I can shoot, I can speak Spanish, I can pick beans. And I am a very fun hombre.”

“And we’ve all missed you,” I said.

“Si,” Chollo said.

“If you give me all the protection and go it alone,” Susan said, “and something happens to you, how will I feel?”

“And if I don’t give you enough cover, and something bad happens, how will I feel,” I said.

“He hard to kill,” Hawk said.

“What if they try to force him to give up the tapes?”

“He hard to force,” Hawk said.

“I can’t function unless I know you’re safe,” I said to Susan.

“She be safe,” Hawk said.

“But why not just give him his damned tapes,” Susan said.

“And wash your hands of it.”

“Couple reasons,” I said. “I’ve heard the tapes. Once he gets the tapes he’ll try to kill me.”

“And Doherty’s wife cheated on him,” Susan said.

“This needs to come out right,” I said.

“This being what happened to Doherty recently,” Susan said,

“or what happened to us years ago, or both?”

“Goddamn it, Susan, this is what I do. I don’t tell you how to do what you do.”

Susan nodded. Had he been capable of it, Hawk might almost have looked shocked. I had probably never raised my voice to Susan in Hawk’s presence. I wished I hadn’t now.