The Mystic Arts Of Erasing All Signs Of Death Part 46

We got up.

Harris gagged. Gabe took out the sap and forced Harris' head to the side and waited for the vomiting to subside before putting it back in.

Po Sin watched for a second then turned back to us.

-That the brother?

I looked at Jaime's feet sticking out from under the bed where he'd crawled to hide.

-Yeah.

He bent and grabbed an ankle and dragged Jaime squirming into the light.

-Get up.

Jaime stood, one big bundle of flinching muscles.

-Uh, hey uh.

Po Sin pointed at Harris and Gabe.

-See that?

Jaime nodded.

-Sure.

Po Sin shook his head.

-No you don't.

Jaime nodded.

-No, no I don't. I do not.

Po Sin looked the room over.

-Anything in here belong to any of you three? A hat? Keys? Phone? Check your pockets, make sure you have everything you came in with.

Jaime pawed his pockets.

-I got everything, sir, I have all my stuff.

Po Sin looked at me and Soledad.

-You two?

We nodded.

He pointed at the door.

-OK, get out.

Harris jerked and tried to knee Gabe in the back and Po Sin took a pillow from the bed and tossed it to Gabe and Gabe m.u.f.fled Harris' face and Po Sin stepped on the cowboy's ruined gun hand and there was a noise from behind the pillow.

Jaime bolted for the door. I pushed Soledad ahead of me, detouring to unzip one of the duffels and pull out a thin Harbor Inn bath towel. Jaime and Soledad went out. I closed the door to a crack and stood just inside.

-Po Sin.

He looked up.

-Yeah.

-What are you gonna?

-We're gonna find out where my van is. I don't think it will take long. But you probably don't want to watch.

-And that's?

-What?

-That's all, just find out where?

Po Sin crossed the room.

-Go home, Web. Nothing's gonna happen here.

He opened the door and pushed me out.

I stuck my foot in the door.

-Hey man, just, you know. Not too much. I mean. I called for help, but.

-That's right, you called for help. Help came. Now we're just gonna clean things up a little.

And he closed the door in my face, cutting off my view as one of Harris' hands flailed and knocked Gabe's sungla.s.ses from his face to reveal that single inked tear, dark beneath a raging eye.

WHAT SHE THOUGHT OF THAT.

-I mean, is this how you think partners behave, a.s.shole?

I flicked the blinker and shifted onto the exit ramp.

-We're not partners.

Jaime folded his arms a little tighter.

-Apparently f.u.c.king not. Partners let each other in on the plan. Partners have some trust between them. You think I could get anything done in the industry if I did business the way you do, just giving people half the information and not even telling them the details of what happens in the third act? I could not.

I came off the ramp and took a right.

-Seeing as you're a complete f.u.c.kup, Jaime, I thought it best not to tell you that what I really needed you to do was to get found sneaking around so they'd think they caught us messing with them and not be worrying about us trying to pull something else. Seeing as you have an obvious gift for doing the absolutely wrong thing, I figured that if I told you you needed to get caught doing something suspicious, you'd probably end up in the greatest hiding place known to man. If I'd told you to let yourself get caught, you'd probably still be hiding in some d.a.m.n storm drain or something.

-Well no s.h.i.t! What a.s.shole lets himself get caught?

I pulled into the parking lot and stopped.

-How relieved I am to know I was correct.

He looked around.

-What's this?

-Your motel.

He didn't move.

-I thought we might go grab a drink or something. You know, wrap party. Kind of review the events and see how the numbers add up.

Soledad opened the door and got out.

-Come on, Jaime.

-Yeah, but.

He looked from me to her and back.

-Well, let's all go get something to eat first? Yeah?

She tugged his sleeve.

-Come on, little brother.

-Shiiit.

He got out.

-Hey, hey, a.s.shole, so how 'bout my cash? My ten percent.

I rubbed my forehead.

-I don't have it.

-Well. What? That's not cool. I got a hotel bill to pay here. I got to pay for those sheets. Expenses eating my capital.

He pointed at Soledad.

-She got anymore in that shirt?

I looked at her.

-No. That's all there was.

-Man, you owe. None of this would have worked out without me. You owe. That cash is to pay my talent. This was my project!

I adjusted the Harbor Inn bath towel I'd wrapped around myself when I stripped off my pee-soaked jeans and drawers and dropped them in the bed of the Apache.

-I know what I owe, Jaime. I'll pay it. Now please, f.u.c.k off.

He flapped his arms.

-Yeah, f.u.c.k yourself, a.s.shole. Just you better come up with my dough.

He started for the motel.

-C'mon, sis, get my stuff from my room and grab my ride. We can skip the bill. I put it on your dad's credit card anyway. And he won't mind. I can crash in Malibu tonight, yeah?

I looked at Soledad.

-You want to ride with him?

She looked at her brother's retreating back.

-No.

-Should I bother asking if you want to ride with me?

She wiped at a clot of eye snot.

-Yeah.

-So you want to ride with me, or what?

-Yeah.

-Get in.

She got in and slammed the door and Jaime turned and watched as I rolled toward the exit.

-Oh, oh yeah, go on, you two, go have fun. f.u.c.kin' ditchers! Get rid of me and go do your thing!

He walked behind the truck and we drove slow across the lot.

-Just better get me that cash, a.s.shole! You don't, know what happens!