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

‘I am needing to ask your permission fat man?’ Pinsky sneered.

‘No, of course not,’ Voorhees replied hurriedly. ‘It’s just that, I’ve heard nothing. Nobody is telling me nothing. I don’t know what’s going on. Yesterday I was told that there would be a new plan, action would be starting, and …’

‘And? You? Ready for action?’ Pinsky interrupted, still staring.

‘Look Leo, me, Sal and Rico, we been together a long time, we’ve done …’

‘You have done nothing!!’ Pinsky snarled. ‘Nothing. And I had to come here to get it done. I am the client I think. I am the customer. You work for me. All we see is mistakes, you waste money and time. It was simple. Easy. A child could do it.’

Voorhees said nothing, just stood there uselessly. Pinsky wheeled round and stalked out, stomping down the stairs. Rico walked over and looked out the window, watching the Russian move fast across the yard.

‘He didn’t take a car,’ he commented mildly.

Voorhees breathed out slowly and sat down. He chose the old office chair which was pushed against the glass partition wall and it made a loud groan, looking as if it would topple over under the weight but just about managed to stay upright.

‘I tried,’ Sal said, speaking to everyone. ‘I asked him, you know, if he was running things now. I said I just wanted to know, I told him that me and Rico had been here for months.’

‘And what did he say?’ Voorhees asked.

‘It was fucking scary tell the truth. He laughed. Asked me if I wanted the job. He told me it wasn’t just us fucking up, some shit went wrong yesterday that wasn’t down to us. For once, he told me. Something about Vegas, I don’t know what he was talking about. He asked me if that was all we were worried about, who was the boss. He said I was lucky that was all that was on my mind and that I wasn’t dead like all the others, he said we were useless, he was amazed we were still here.’

‘I kinda know about Vegas. But it must have got worse. And he blamed me for that, I suppose?’

‘No. He didn’t. He didn’t say nothing about you. He said none of us knew what we were doing. That’s why he came. He told me everyone was very disappointed, there are a lot of angry people. He said we had pissed off everyone. But not only us. Others had fucked up too.’

Voorhees sighed. That explained why nobody was talking to him. Whatever was said now, Pinsky would be blaming him. He was supposed to be in charge.

‘I have called. But they tell me they are waiting for their contact on the inside, they need some information, they should have had it by now. So there is a problem, but they wouldn’t say what. Not to me anyways. They say to wait for their call, don’t contact them,’ Voorhees told them almost apologetically, looking around the room as he spoke.

‘He said something else,’ Sal said quietly. ‘Just before he came in.’

‘Oh yeah? What now? Don’t tell me, I’m a fat turd and it’s all my fucking fault.’

‘No. He said if we don’t get it done in two days none of us will get paid. Or more likely, we’ll all be dead.’

***

They found the rooftop bar easy enough. Cindy knew exactly where it was. When they had returned to the hotel Reed had casually asked her if she fancied going for a drink with him that evening and she had practically fainted with excitement, John was genuinely concerned for her.

‘I get off at seven,’ she managed to say eventually.

At a quarter to eight they set off, Cindy leading the way. She had really made an effort, she looked gorgeous, putting everyone around in the shade. Reed definitely noticed.

The bar was on a corner, four storeys up, above some shops and apartments, next door to a trendy boutique hotel. There were a couple of doormen around a street entrance with a lift inside, they took one look at Reed and stepped out of the way.

Once they reached the roof level, the lift opened out into a fabric covered square lobby area with a greeter desk opposite. There were two pretty young girls in matching violet minidresses who fixed on beaming smiles and asked if they had made a reservation.

‘Er, no,’ John replied.

Both women looked doubtful.

‘We’re very busy,’ one said, but by now they could see out onto the roof itself which was covered in chairs and tables. It was pretty crowded, but they could see Sammy sitting in a corner close to the edge right above the street. She looked up, spotted them and waved.

‘It’s ok, we’re with her,’ John replied and they walked across. The managed to salvage enough chairs so they could all join her at the table, and Reed ordered for everyone from a waitress.

‘I know you, I love your show, and you’re so beautiful,’ gushed Cindy to Sammy, who smiled and looked suitably embarrassed.

‘You staying near here?’ she asked John, rapidly changing the subject.

‘Yeah, just down the street,’ he replied, cagey as ever.

‘Thanks to Google I’m booked in a place somewhere around here, I guess I’m gonna need to find it at some point, but it can wait,’ she replied.

They all made small talk, and Cindy successfully commandeered Reed’s attention so John and Sammy were left to chat about pretty much nothing, which suited them both.

‘I wasn’t at all sure you’d show up,’ Sammy told him.

John shrugged.

‘Well, it’s not like I had a better offer! And I need a night off, truth be told. It’s been a bit crazy, if I’m honest.’

Sammy looked at the still bright red slowly healing scar on his head.

‘Well, at least you got something to remember LA by.’

John laughed ruefully.

‘It’s not that bad, but it has been full on, so I’m taking a break for the evening. We both need to.’ He nodded