“
A world without Ben and Chonny’s?
“We’ve had a good run,” Chon says. “You’ve made a lot of money.”
A lot is a lot.
But never enough.
91
O decides to start at Banana Republic.
In South Coast Plaza, natch.
(Don’t geek, we’re not going to go through the whole list again.)
She never sees the car that followed her home, follows her out again. She parks the car and goes in.
Esteban, one of the three men in the car following her, calls Lado.
92
Who is in his office dealing with landscaping shit.
Everybody wants everything done at the same time—which is right now—and they want the same service for less money. They’re all looking for bargains these days, the ones who haven’t just dropped the service—a comical sight, a
He sees the caller ID and walks outside to take the call.
Gives the Nike response—Just Do It.
These boys are good, they know what to do.
93
O decided to go all Kristin Scott Thomas with the travel wardrobe.
Spare but sensual.
Lotsa white and khaki. What she can’t find is
She gets back in her car, turns the key, and feels the blade at the back of her neck.
“Just drive,
She drives where the voice tells her, across Bristol into Costa Mesa, down some streets and to the back side of a little strip mall, where a Mexican in a baseball cap gets in the passenger side and jabs a needle in her thigh.
94
Chon gets the e-mail with the attached vid-clip.
Calls Ben over.
It’s O.
Sitting in a chair in a nondescript room.
Ugly yellow walls.
A chain saw at her feet.
95
Then the vid artist does this really cute thing—
O’s head just pops off her shoulders and starts floating around the screen.
A phone number comes up.
96
Ben hits the number.
Asks, “What do you want?”
Chon says, “Give me the phone.”
Ben isn’t doing that. For Chon to say, “Fuck you,” and then they
Reality versus virtuality.
“I need proof of life,” Ben says.
A phrase he remembers from some movie.
No problem
Skype.
97
O looks scared.
Of course she does.
Scared and stoned. They gave her something.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Did they hurt you?” Chon asks.
Ready to
O says, “No, I’m okay.”
Ben says, “I’m so sorry about this.”
“It’s okay.”
Her image goes off the screen.
Replaced by audio.
98
An electronically altered voice says, “Let me speak with Mr. Let’s Cut the Shit.”
“I’m here.”
“Let’s cut the shit, shall we? You will make the first delivery to me, at the price I demand, within the next five hours or you will receive an e-mail that you will not like.”
“No problem.”
“Really? Because it was a problem before.”
“It’s not now.”
“Good. Now let me speak to Mr. Fuck You.”
