Storage
Orin Burke knocked on the door to Paulie's apartment. He hadn't
called ahead; he didn't want to give the kid any warning that he was on
the way. No sense in giving him a chance to try something funny.
Paulie answered the door, half asleep, "Oh, hey dude. What's going
on?" Burke stepped inside. He didn't need any neighbors seeing him
here. "Come on kid, Get dressed. We got a little work to do. And
don't call me dude. I don't like it." Paulie was a little
suspicious, but he tried not to let it show. "Do I have time to grab a
shower?" he asked, staggering towards the hallway. "Nah, just throw
some clothes on. We're in a hurry. It won't take long." Orin lied.
The kid would be lucky if he ever came back. As Paulie left the room,
Orin looked around the small apartment... trash on the counter in the
kitchen, laundry piled up in a corner, a thousand dollar stereo system
on top of two milk crates... "How do you live like this?" he yelled.
Paulie laughed out loud from the bedroom. Burke saw the kid's cell
phone on a table next to the couch, and turned it off as he slid it in
his pocket. Paulie shuffled out of the bedroom, still rubbing his
eyes. He picked up his jacket, and pulled a Raiders sock hat down over
his head. Orin's jaw muscles tightened. "You're not wearing that
gangster crap in my car. Take it off. And pull up your pants. You
got four inches of boxer shorts hanging out." Paulie laughed again,
camouflaging his nervousness. "Come on dude, It's the style now." He
only had a chance to throw a few things in his pockets that might come
in handy. He didn't want to have to change clothes again. Orin paused
for a second, then gave up. "Whatever, come on. We gotta go." Paulie stopped on the way to the door.
"Oh, hang on dude, I forgot my phone." Orin put his arm on Paulie's
shoulder and pushed him out the door, "Don't worry about it. We'll be
right back. And
don't call me dude anymore."
Orin pulled his Cadillac up to the gate of a self-storage business
that appeared to be closed. After punching some numbers on a keypad,
he pulled around to a garage door on a back row of storage units, and
turned off the car. "So now what?" Paulie asked. Orin shifted in his
seat, getting comfortable, "Now we wait. In a few minutes, somebody's
going to make a delivery here. Then we put the delivery in that
storage unit, and guard it until tomorrow morning." Paulie gave him a
disappointed look, "I thought you said we would be right back dude?" Orin gave him
a stare, "Call me dude one more time and see what happens." Just
then, a pair of headlights pulled around the corner in front of them.
As it got closer, Paulie recognized the truck. It was the same one
from the hotel that night. He watched Orin as he got out and walked
over to the driver. He could hear them speaking, Been driving long?"
Orin asked. "Hell yea, the driver replied, "my ass is molded
to this seat." Orin didn't laugh. "Has she eaten lately?" "Yea" the
driver said, we gave her a sack of burgers a couple of hours ago."
"Okay" Orin said, handing him an envelope, "hang on a sec before we unload." He walked back
towards the Cadillac and signaled Paulie to roll down the window.
"Listen kid, now this is business. Bud told you sometimes it can be
unpleasant right?" "Yea" Paulie said, waiting to hear more. "...and you
trust Bud, right? Well this delivery we're guarding is your buddy
Moira." Paulie's heart started pounding. "Now I know you like her, but
she messed up. She messed up bad, and Bud wants us to hold her. Do we
understand each other?" Orin paused to see if the kid was buying it.
"Yea, I got it." Paulie answered. What choice did he have? He had to
play along.
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