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

The two men froze and looked up.

The nearest man was wearing overalls like the one in the cage, and was young, furtive, guilty looking. The second man who was counting the cash was a lot older, in a burgundy blazer. He had elaborately coiffured grey hair and heavy jowls on a red face. He looked annoyed.

‘Who the hell are you?’

Then Reed appeared behind John, and the man’s face dropped, eyes wide. The young man jumped up.

‘I better go Gee-Gee, I got, er … that er … thing. Yeah.’

Then he was off, squeezing past, with the other man in the cage following him rapidly away.

John walked in and stood to the side so Reed could follow and effectively fill the room. Now it was Tom’s turn to show what he can do.

‘We need to have a word with you George,’ he said passively.

Scott looked down at the cash on the desk, then back up.

‘Look, it’s no big deal OK? These fucking guys, they got more money than sense, right? All I do is arrange some ….’

But Reed interrupted him.

‘It ain’t about whatever that bullshit is George. We don’t give a shit about that. It’s about Madeline.’

John produced the photo and laid it on the desk.

Scott looked nervously down then back up again, confused.

‘Jesus Christ. What about that bitch? Whatever she said, it’s bullshit. I looked out for her. I gave her loads of chances to make dough, she’s lying. They all lie, these fucking whores.’

‘She’s dead,’ Reed told him, folding his massive arms.

‘What? When? Nah, that’s bullshit.’

Reed leaned on the desk, just like he had done countless times before, and John could see it, the cowering soldier who had screwed up, ready to own up to anything to get this giant out of his face.

‘Why did she quit working at Caesars?’ Reed asked slowly.

‘What? I don’t know. She was always fucking complaining.’

Reed stood upright and glared down at Scott, who was looking at John, appealing for support. Then Reed walked around and hauled the man out of his chair and across the desk as if he weighed nothing at all, and threw him headfirst out into the caged area outside. Scott landed heavily on his side and slid across the floor. Reed walked out, and picked him up again and threw him even harder back into the office, where he crashed full pelt into the desk, sending the chairs everywhere and the cash flying all over the room. Reed stalked back in and pulled him to his feet, then pushed him across the desk so he was squashed against the wall and started banging his head against it, hard but not so hard it would knock him out.

‘I don’t like you George. I don’t like you at all. So, either you answer our questions nice and politely, tell us the truth and play like a good boy or I’m just gonna carry on throwing you around. What do you say?’

Scott had his arms up. His nose was bleeding and one side of his face was grazed and bloody. His blazer was torn and the white shirt below it filthy.

‘Ok! Ok, stop please, Jesus stop.’

Reed let Scott’s head fall back, then dragged him onto the floor with a thump, and rested one big foot between his legs. Scott stared down in a panic.

‘OK. Here’s how it works. You answer what we ask, and every time we think you’re lying to us I’m gonna really hurt you. Understand?’

‘Oh shit. Oh shit. Jesus Christ. Yeah, yeah, of course.’

‘Good. John?’’

With a big grin all over his face John slapped Reed on the back and crouched down.

‘I’ll just repeat Tom’s question. Why did Maddie stop working here?’

Scott looked wildly at him, and John knew he wasn’t going to bullshit.

‘It was the Russian. It wasn’t me, it was the fucking Russian!’

The Russian. They had heard that earlier in the day. The foreigner? A pattern was emerging.

‘What Russian, tell us about him.’

‘Fuck. Pinsky. Leonid Pinsky. A real badass. Stays here a few times a year.’

‘OK, and what’s the connection with Madeline?’

‘Look, I’m telling you it’s nothing to do with me!’

John looked at Reed who leaned down with his foot, and Scott immediately squealed out.

‘I thought we had explained George. We need you to answer our questions. Sorry if that wasn’t clear, my fault I’m sure. Must be my stupid accent. I’ll ask Tom to throw me around later as a punishment. So, where were we? Ah yes, the connection.’

‘Fuck!!! OK, OK. Look Leonid, he always has a suite, OK? Always, and there’s guys come and go. He wants things, and I sort it for him.’

‘Right, by “things” you mean girls, drugs, whatever the hell he asks for, right?’

‘Well … yeah I guess. They gamble and do all sorts of shit. There’s always a bunch of them. Make a pile of cash for the hotel. But girls, yeah, always. Maddie is real good looking, the men love her, so I line her up, with a couple of other girls. She gets paid but she is real pissed about it, starts saying she ain’t doing it again. I dunno what went on, I swear.’

‘Was,’ John said.

‘What?’

‘You said “is good looking”, you should have said “was”. We just told you, she’s dead. But what happened next?’

‘Yeah, right, I’m sorry. Well he comes back, and wants Maddie again but she ain’t having it. Then Leonid says he got a special job for her, worth fifty grand. I’m like fifty grand! So, I go and tell her all about it.’

‘Yeah you did. Less your ten you fucking chancer.’

‘Hey look, it’s the deal. I look after the girls, I get my cut.’

‘Right. Twenty percent for doing fuck all. I should let Tom start breaking bones anyway.’

‘Wait! Just wait! I’m answering the questions right! So, Madeline says no, and she is real pissed at me anyways, but we both know it’s a lot of money and she’s gonna think about it, then next day says that she got someone else who will do it, and