He hated waiting at stoplights. The position of his legs while driving always made his back hurt even more than it usually did. He fidgeted in his seat to try and make the pain go away but as ever it was a strong presence that refused to leave. The light went green and he moved away slowly. He was the only vehicle on the road and he was in no hurry. If anything he wanted to make the journey last as long as possible.
He had to control his nerves and he took a few deep breaths. Everything was going to be ok. It wasn’t as if it would be more terrifying than Afghanistan and he’d survived that. He tried to remember this as he made his way down the immaculate long drive of the luxurious house in Naperville. One last look in the mirror and he saw dark circles around the rims of his icy blue eyes. He’d seen better days. The job really took a toll on him.
A burly man in a black, mohair suit was ready at the front door to greet him. As ever the size of the house took Carl aback. It was the biggest house, on the most exclusive street, in the most expensive suburb. He often wondered what the Don’s neighbors thought of him. The burly man was called Jerry and was always a pleasant and friendly gentleman to Carl. He always imagined him as a playful bulldog, all fat and stupid with a heart of gold. Jerry shook his hand firmly as he jumped out the SUV.
“You’ve taken your time tonight ain’t ya?” he laughed as he looked up to the hitman.
“Hey! I was you know… stuck in traffic,”
They both laughed.
“Of course you were,” Jerry smirked.
“Say how’s the boss doin? He waitin’ for me?” Carl asked nervously.
“Sure is! Getting all angsty cos you’ve been taken your sweet ass time,”
“Well… you better show me the way,”
They walked through the Don’s house, and Carl admired every detail. He always dreamed that someday he could have all the Don had, but without having to resort to violence and extortion. At least they know what they want, Carl mused. On one hand he worked hard to be a fine citizen that upheld the law… on the other, he killed for cash. It wasn’t his fault that the military wouldn’t compensate him after Afghanistan though. He always had to remind himself that.
Jerry led Cark down a grand hallway that was colored in cream and gold. The decadence was almost too much, as the gargantuan walls framed the priceless treasures that adorned the place. A crypt, a chapel, a private museum, Carl wasn’t sure but he was eager to see. He was then rather titillated when the doors were pulled back to reveal a bathroom. The largest bathroom he had ever seen. To Carl the room could have fitted a train station, and he looked around to see why they were taking him to a goddamn bathroom. But all that lay inside the marble walls was a bath and in that bath sat Angelo De Lorenzo. He was pushing the last piece of a sandwich into his mouth and sucking mayonnaise from his fingers. He looked up to his two employees with an irritated look on his tanned face.
“Hey kid, what took ya so long?” he said angrily to Carl.
“Urgh… things got a little complicated, but it’s all sorted,” he lied smoothly.
“Complicated eh?” Angelo squinted his eyes suspiciously. “But the girl? You got her too didn’t ya?”
“Yup,” Carl nodded, praying he wouldn’t ask more questions.
“Good work,” Angelo began to swim over to the other side of the bath where a briefcase lay. “As always, you never let me down,” and he slid the briefcase over the wet floor in the direction of the two men.
Carl picked it up gratefully and nodded in appreciation.
“Jerry here’ll show you out,” and Angelo swam back to his original spot.
As Carl was led out of the house and back to his car, he couldn’t believe that lying was so easy. He couldn’t believe that he’d bullshitted the Don and gotten away with it! He could feel the sweat clinging to the inside of his clothes as he started the engine and drove away. He gave a friendly wave to Jerry who was walking back in the house with a cheery expression and focused his eyes on the road.
CHAPTER 3