Fool Me Twice

34

Crow noticed the man the moment he and Marisol stepped outside of Daisy’s, where they had gone for a quick supper.

It was just after nine o’clock on a chilly weeknight, and the restaurant crowd had thinned considerably. Marisol’s driver was parked in front, waiting for them.

The man was standing across the street, along with four others, all of them in their thirties, all drinking beer from cans. The man was wearing a porkpie hat, loose jeans, and a wiseguy expression on his pockmarked face. When he spotted Marisol, he grinned broadly and headed in her direction.

“Hey, look,” he said to his friends. “It’s a real live movie star.”

Crow motioned for Marisol to stand behind him.

The man approached them, followed closely by his four companions. He stopped just shy of where Crow was standing.

“Move over, old man,” he said. “I wanna get me a good look at this here movie star.”

Crow didn’t say anything.

He was totally calm.

The man moved a couple of steps closer.

“What are you, hard of hearing,” he said. “Get the fuck out of my way.”

With barely a glance at him, Crow hit the man with the edge of his right hand, above the upper lip and just below his nose.

The man screamed.

He went down, doubled up on the ground, his face buried in his hands.

Crow’s move was so explosive that before the others could even react, he had a gun in his hand, pointed at them.

“Please don’t tempt me,” Crow said.

The man in the porkpie hat lay on the ground, moaning. The others stopped dead in their tracks.

Crow took Marisol’s hand and guided her to the waiting vehicle. He helped her inside.

He took one last look at the five men and then got in the car.

The driver pulled into traffic and sped away.

Marisol sat in the corner of the backseat, staring at Crow.

“My God,” she said.

Crow returned the gun to his shoulder holster.

He didn’t say anything.