Dying For LA by Ian Jones (top fiction books of all time .txt) 📕

Voorhees, with no response. He didn’t say a word, just disappeared with the briefcase.

Afterward they sat pensively in the kitchen wondering what the hell was going to happen now.

After some time Voorhees had come out of the office and stood in the entrance.

‘Nothing in the briefcase. Practically empty. So, not what we are looking for. It’s not there. Go to bed.’

Then he disappeared, his bedroom door slammed shut.

Sal and Rico had done as they were told, but neither could sleep. With no windows, it was impossible to tell whether it was morning but in the end they drifted off, to be woken shortly afterward by Voorhees kicking them awake.

‘Get up. We got to talk.’

He stomped out the room into the office, and wearily the two men climbed out their sleeping bags and pulled on jeans. Once dressed they walked through, to once again stand in front of the desk while Voorhees glowered up at them from his chair. He didn’t say anything at first, Rico took a quick look around. Nothing had changed in the room. This could be difficult now. Neither he or Sal were armed, they didn’t have weapons of any sort. These were handed out by Voorhees from one of three large, locked trunks before any action. So he could have anything hidden in the ridiculous voluminous gown that he always wore, maybe even have a bazooka in there. And there was nothing in the office that Rico could see that would be of use if Voorhees decided he wanted some payback for whatever it was they were being blamed for.

His stomach sank further, and he knew Sal felt the same.

Voorhees sat back in his chair, and looked at them balefully.

‘This is so fucked up. We’re in a mess. It seems like everything is always going to shit. You can’t do nothing right, you’ve lost four soldiers. I am getting crap like you would not believe.’

Rico said nothing, just looked back.

What could he say? It was clear that everything was to be laid at their door.

But it was Sal that surprised all of them, even himself. Quiet, emotionless Sal, who never said a word, never questioned, who always did what he was told.

He stepped back and crossed his arms, then stared down at Voorhees belligerently.

‘Yeah Yann, we’re in a mess. Look where the fuck we are living. Nearly four fucking months. When we set up here, you said it was temporary, not for long, blah blah blah. And yeah, things have gone wrong. We did nothing in all that time, and we didn’t know what the fuck was going on, you never tell us nothing. Then we get the call on the station, and you know what? We did what we said, exactly as you told us. We checked it out, we knew where everything was. And we followed the plan, me and Rico, we followed the fucking plan, man. Soon as Pol and Sung were on the platform we went back out, check the street, that’s what you said and what we did. And we have no fucking idea what went on down there. Nobody is saying nothing, but we know they got killed. And that fucking Karl yesterday? You said he was an asshole, and he was. Don’t fucking call him a soldier. He was jumping about in the back of the car on the way to Hollywood like a kid going to Disneyland. Again, me and Rico did exactly what was in the script. I checked the bar out, and then we made a plan. We knew what to do, we covered everything. We knew all the people inside, where everyone was, and what the target was doing and who he was with. Weiss, he was a fucking asshole Yann. From start to finish. He said nothing when we put the plan together in the car, he was just fucking around with the gun he had then he went in with Rico and doesn’t follow what we decided, just starts pulling the trigger. Which was the same in the end I guess, we got the briefcase. But he decided to go all Wyatt Earp in the street, and gets taken out by a security dude. But by nothing more than luck we got away, and we did everything right after.

He dug in his pocket and took out a black metal tube and threw it on the desk. It rolled across and came to a rest against Voorhees’ gut.

‘By the way, he took the silencer off the Walther. I found it in the car when I checked it over before we dumped it. So the whole of Hollywood probably heard the fucking shot. So, hey Yann, don’t start giving us the usual shit. Yeah, we’re down four guys. But me and Rico are still here, and what the fuck does that tell you Yann, eh? Maybe, just maybe, it’s because we do it right.’

Mentally Rico clapped his hands together in his head. He looked at Sal with new respect. Voorhees was also looking at him, pink mouth open.

‘Leave me,’ he said finally, and gratefully Rico and Sal got the hell out and went for breakfast.

Chapter Thirteen

They were all back in the diner within an hour. Keane had more information on the shooting the previous night. They ordered coffee and made themselves comfortable.

‘Before we start, we got the ballistic reports on the AKs from the Metro station, which is to say, there ain’t much at all. No serial numbers, all filed off, nothing new there. All late 1960s models. The guns were well used, but so far no trace anywhere with the usual parties if they have seen any action in the US before. They believe the guns were fully loaded before the attack.’

Everyone nodded.

‘Right, to last night. I spoke to the cop who was working the security shift. He was out on the boulevard when he heard the shot, and came around the corner. He saw two men running in the road and told them