Gus reached in his jacket and took out a fat sausage, like you'd have for barbeque. He held it up for Kaiser to see, like he was trying to sell it. Then he took out a coil of copper wire and cut off a piece with a pair of pliers.
"You wrap it around like this," Gus said. "Couple of times, nice and tight, so it cuts off the blood flow." He showed Kaiser what he meant. The sausage bulged around where the wire cut in. Three ugly little blisters, ready to pop.
"Depending on how tight you wrap it, takes as little as fifteen minutes, to over an hour. But, eventually, the tip turns black. No blood getting there, that's what happens."
Gus smiled. His face stayed flabby, but his little eyes were shiny, hard black buttons.
"And then it just falls off," Gus said.
Kaiser's face got all wet and suety colored. He smelled ugly.
Gus took out a pair of thin rubber gloves, like you see nurses wear in the clinic. He put them on.
"When we're done, we're leaving you here for the cops," J.C. said to Kaiser. "It's up to you. If you don't want to go back Inside without-"
Gus unbuckled Kaiser's belt. I turned my face away. I knew I was going to be sick. I wanted to be outside, behind the wheel.
"At the first turnoff!" Kaiser said. His voice was high and thin, like a sliver of glass. "They're going to block the road with trucks."
Gus stepped away, slipped around behind Kaiser's chair. That seemed to calm him down.
"How many?" J.C. asked him.
"Five," Kaiser sputtered. "There wasn't going to be any shooting. When the retard gets out to see what's-"
"So Eddie's the retard, huh?" J.C. said. "You think it was a high-IQ move to smuggle that little cell phone in with you? Just thank fucking Odin or whoever that I can't stand a murder rap. When the cops get here, you tell them any story you want. But if you mention any of our names, you're a dead man, no matter where they hide you. Understand?"
"Yes," Kaiser said, catching his breath. "You don't need to do anything to me. I wouldn't-"
Gus stepped out from behind the chair and clamped his left hand on the side of Kaiser's face. His right hand flashed. There was a little thudding sound. When Gus took his right hand away, an ice pick was sticking out of Kaiser's ear.
-- "The Getaway Man", Andrew Vachss
"You wrap it around like this," Gus said. "Couple of times, nice and tight, so it cuts off the blood flow." He showed Kaiser what he meant. The sausage bulged around where the wire cut in. Three ugly little blisters, ready to pop.
"Depending on how tight you wrap it, takes as little as fifteen minutes, to over an hour. But, eventually, the tip turns black. No blood getting there, that's what happens."
Gus smiled. His face stayed flabby, but his little eyes were shiny, hard black buttons.
"And then it just falls off," Gus said.
Kaiser's face got all wet and suety colored. He smelled ugly.
Gus took out a pair of thin rubber gloves, like you see nurses wear in the clinic. He put them on.
"When we're done, we're leaving you here for the cops," J.C. said to Kaiser. "It's up to you. If you don't want to go back Inside without-"
Gus unbuckled Kaiser's belt. I turned my face away. I knew I was going to be sick. I wanted to be outside, behind the wheel.
"At the first turnoff!" Kaiser said. His voice was high and thin, like a sliver of glass. "They're going to block the road with trucks."
Gus stepped away, slipped around behind Kaiser's chair. That seemed to calm him down.
"How many?" J.C. asked him.
"Five," Kaiser sputtered. "There wasn't going to be any shooting. When the retard gets out to see what's-"
"So Eddie's the retard, huh?" J.C. said. "You think it was a high-IQ move to smuggle that little cell phone in with you? Just thank fucking Odin or whoever that I can't stand a murder rap. When the cops get here, you tell them any story you want. But if you mention any of our names, you're a dead man, no matter where they hide you. Understand?"
"Yes," Kaiser said, catching his breath. "You don't need to do anything to me. I wouldn't-"
Gus stepped out from behind the chair and clamped his left hand on the side of Kaiser's face. His right hand flashed. There was a little thudding sound. When Gus took his right hand away, an ice pick was sticking out of Kaiser's ear.
-- "The Getaway Man", Andrew Vachss
krito:
thanks for the friend request! regards