Barely Legal

104

Dino swerved around a taxi with his cell phone plastered to his ear. He straightened the car, barked at Stone, “Where is he now?”

Stone was thrown sideways as Fred overtook a semi, skidded into the outer lane. “L.I.E., heading east toward City Field.”

“Where are you?”

“About ten minutes behind.”

“I’m catching up.”

“Bullshit,” Stone said. “Your only advantage is you don’t have to worry about getting pulled over.”

“You’re sweating a speeding ticket?”

“I don’t want to miss the action.” Fred nosed the Bentley through a gap the size of a pinhole and floored the gas.

Herbie was crushed between Carlo and Ollie the Ox. With the town car this crowded, Mario Payday was sitting up front with the driver, leaving the others to the backseat. Herbie didn’t mind being squished, he was just afraid they’d notice his gun, or the damn thing would go off and he’d shoot himself in the leg. The gamble was desperate enough. He didn’t need the attempt to be over before it began. The thug squishing his gun had so much fat and muscle he didn’t seem to notice the hard metal jamming into his leg.

The town car took an exit. The turn jammed the gun even harder into the side of the thug.

Herbie tried to control his breathing, and prayed that Ollie the Ox lived up to his nickname.

The cab almost missed the exit. David had to scream at the driver, who nearly totaled the cab, causing a ten-car pileup that would have shut down the L.I.E. He cut across two lanes of traffic and fishtailed onto the exit ramp as a chorus of car horns applauded the move.

The cab was much too close to the car for comfort.

“Slow!” David warned. “In case the light’s red.”

It wasn’t. The town car breezed right off the exit just as the light was changing.

“Make it! Make it! Make it!” David screamed.

The cabbie missed the last flash of yellow and flew through on the red, prompting another blare of horns.

A block ahead, the town car appeared to take no notice. It slowed and took a right. The cabbie graced David with his ritual grumble, and followed.