and returned to Shattner.
Ten feet away from them, he turned smoothly and drew.
So smooth and balletic was his movement that it took Shattner a couple of seconds to make the gun in his hand. The two reports were muted, hitting the other two in the back of their heads. Shattner didn’t hear the bodies falling; he saw Diego step up to the bodies and fire into their heads again for good measure. He grabbed the baggies and walked back to Shattner leisurely, a thin breeze ruffling his hair slightly.
Shattner felt the cold touch of the barrel to his neck when they reached the first set of lights on their way back.
‘You are too calm, chollo. Maybe you’re a cop?’
Shattner broke. He swerved into the darkness between streetlights and turned back to Diego.
‘A cop? Wouldn’t I have brought the whole force on you guys by now? Remember I’ve seen a lot of shit you guys do and know a lot.’
Diego didn’t say a word but continued pointing the gun at Shattner.
Shattner leaned forward and pulled the gun to his forehead. ‘If in doubt, pull. That’s your motto, isn’t it? Go on, then. Pull.’
Black pools of nothing stared back at him, and then slowly the barrel moved.
‘You have got balls, chollo. Si , I grant you that. Now drive.’
Shattner drove back in silence, gripping the wheel hard to hide the trembling in his hands. Diego sat motionless behind him, expressionless, bars of light and dark moving across his face as the car made its way to Blake Avenue. Probably thinking when he can kill me , Shattner thought savagely.
The next week, two gang members were busted by the police as they were selling drugs to street vendors near a school. The same school Shattner had driven Diego to. The week after that, a gang member was arrested as he was carrying out a hit on an MS-13 gang member.
The first arrest was shrugged off by the chapter as the price to be paid for being in business; the members were soon bailed. Just like most businesses of this size, Jose had lawyers and PR agents on retainers. The second incident caused uneasiness given its proximity to the first.
The third arrest happened in the subsequent week.
Ten gangbangers were flushed out after the police ran an elaborate sting operation on a prostitution racket owned by Jose. The uneasiness exploded into suspicion.
There was a snitch in the gang.
And Shattner was its newest quasi member.
Diego was with Shattner on every gang business errand now, watching him from behind his lizard-like eyelids. He didn’t care if Shattner knew he was under suspicion.
The gang still used him, and he wondered about that. Maybe all the members are known to the cops and they’re using me as a foil , he reasoned.
His phone vibrated on the table, bringing him out from the past. The text message stared back at him.
‘Tomorrow.’
He went to the bedroom window and stared into the dark street below him, wondering if he would return home the next day.
He had heard rumors of a large deal, and it was likely Diego wanted him as the getaway driver.
That, or the summons was for his execution.
He washed his face in the bathroom and stared back at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was even thinner now, his cheeks hollowed out, and there were dark circles under his eyes. His hands trembled constantly, and he had to jam them in his pockets whenever his kids were around.
He took a deep breath, pushing away his constant fear, squared his shoulders, and stepped out of the bathroom.
Diego was awaiting him at the garage entrance the next day, sitting inconspicuously in an anonymous Toyota Corolla. Passersby did not give him a second glance, unaware that they were a few feet from the most ruthless killer in Brooklyn.
He jerked his head at Shattner, indicating for him to get in and drive, and Shattner obliged, taking them down Rockaway Avenue, onto Linden Boulevard and into a deserted industrial area on Wortman Avenue.
He parked beside a Ford Transit, and as soon as he
Ten feet away from them, he turned smoothly and drew.
So smooth and balletic was his movement that it took Shattner a couple of seconds to make the gun in his hand. The two reports were muted, hitting the other two in the back of their heads. Shattner didn’t hear the bodies falling; he saw Diego step up to the bodies and fire into their heads again for good measure. He grabbed the baggies and walked back to Shattner leisurely, a thin breeze ruffling his hair slightly.
Shattner felt the cold touch of the barrel to his neck when they reached the first set of lights on their way back.
‘You are too calm, chollo. Maybe you’re a cop?’
Shattner broke. He swerved into the darkness between streetlights and turned back to Diego.
‘A cop? Wouldn’t I have brought the whole force on you guys by now? Remember I’ve seen a lot of shit you guys do and know a lot.’
Diego didn’t say a word but continued pointing the gun at Shattner.
Shattner leaned forward and pulled the gun to his forehead. ‘If in doubt, pull. That’s your motto, isn’t it? Go on, then. Pull.’
Black pools of nothing stared back at him, and then slowly the barrel moved.
‘You have got balls, chollo. Si , I grant you that. Now drive.’
Shattner drove back in silence, gripping the wheel hard to hide the trembling in his hands. Diego sat motionless behind him, expressionless, bars of light and dark moving across his face as the car made its way to Blake Avenue. Probably thinking when he can kill me , Shattner thought savagely.
The next week, two gang members were busted by the police as they were selling drugs to street vendors near a school. The same school Shattner had driven Diego to. The week after that, a gang member was arrested as he was carrying out a hit on an MS-13 gang member.
The first arrest was shrugged off by the chapter as the price to be paid for being in business; the members were soon bailed. Just like most businesses of this size, Jose had lawyers and PR agents on retainers. The second incident caused uneasiness given its proximity to the first.
The third arrest happened in the subsequent week.
Ten gangbangers were flushed out after the police ran an elaborate sting operation on a prostitution racket owned by Jose. The uneasiness exploded into suspicion.
There was a snitch in the gang.
And Shattner was its newest quasi member.
Diego was with Shattner on every gang business errand now, watching him from behind his lizard-like eyelids. He didn’t care if Shattner knew he was under suspicion.
The gang still used him, and he wondered about that. Maybe all the members are known to the cops and they’re using me as a foil , he reasoned.
His phone vibrated on the table, bringing him out from the past. The text message stared back at him.
‘Tomorrow.’
He went to the bedroom window and stared into the dark street below him, wondering if he would return home the next day.
He had heard rumors of a large deal, and it was likely Diego wanted him as the getaway driver.
That, or the summons was for his execution.
He washed his face in the bathroom and stared back at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was even thinner now, his cheeks hollowed out, and there were dark circles under his eyes. His hands trembled constantly, and he had to jam them in his pockets whenever his kids were around.
He took a deep breath, pushing away his constant fear, squared his shoulders, and stepped out of the bathroom.
Diego was awaiting him at the garage entrance the next day, sitting inconspicuously in an anonymous Toyota Corolla. Passersby did not give him a second glance, unaware that they were a few feet from the most ruthless killer in Brooklyn.
He jerked his head at Shattner, indicating for him to get in and drive, and Shattner obliged, taking them down Rockaway Avenue, onto Linden Boulevard and into a deserted industrial area on Wortman Avenue.
He parked beside a Ford Transit, and as soon as he
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