Read Online Silencer by James W. Hall - Free Book Online Page A

could barely do the sleep thing. He was wired funny. It was next to impossible to shut down the turbine inside him.
    A couple of miles blew past, with the GPS speaking in a woman’s voice, guiding them through the darkness. Jonah did banks and dives with his Glock, getting off a few fruitless shots. Blowing the bark off some mangrove bushes out in the dark.
    â€œHow much we getting for this?”
    â€œTwo thousand.”
    â€œYou’re kidding me,” Jonah said. “The FDLE guy, too?”
    â€œTwo thousand for the whole thing.”
    â€œThat’s piss poor.”
    â€œPeople do worse shit for free every day of the week.”
    â€œYeah, but Moses, we need to get our asses into the entrepreneurial mind-set. Been like five years the man’s stringing us along. We do his heavy lifting, take the risks, and we’re still a couple of dumbass wage slaves. Guy’s taking advantage. Team MoJo deserves better.”
    â€œThat two thousand will buy some groceries.”
    Jonah curved the wing of his hand so it came skidding back into the car. He upped the window.
    Beside him, Moses braked hard and cut the wheel. Ahead, springing up in the halogen glow, were all the tacky dive shops of Key Largo—the gas stations, seashell stores, sub shops, everything closed up, the highway empty—then Moses swung left, making a U-turn ontoanother road, this one darker and surrounded by woods on either side. Snake country. Crazy-ass armadillos, frogs big as pumpkins, and other unspeakable creatures lived out there in the mangroves and weeds.
    The GPS told them to turn right in one mile.
    Jonah said, “I’m catching the vibe. Approaching mayhem.”
    They went a quarter of a mile, a thought coming to Jonah all at once, a flash of otherworldly inspiration.
    â€œListen, Mo. I got a what-if for you.”
    Moses was silent, waiting.
    â€œWhat if we don’t kill this guy?”
    â€œThen we don’t get paid.”
    â€œBut, I mean, what if he disappears the way our man wants, but he’s not actually dead? We got him prisoner.”
    â€œAnd why would we do that?”
    â€œSo we could grill his ass till we find out what the deal is. Then we figure a way to leverage that into a major payday.”
    Moses was silent. He drove, ignored two phone calls, drove some more.
    â€œScrew our benefactor? The man’s been good to us.”
    â€œHe’s exploiting us. Using us for scut work. We’re his bitches, man.”
    â€œNo way. Too dangerous.”
    â€œJust think about it. We interrogate this guy. Find out what kind of scam he’s into, why our guy wants him terminated. Turn that into a bargaining chip. For once in our fucking lives we negotiate from a position of strength.”
    Moses was silent. Driving slower.
    â€œThat could work, right? How’s the big guy know the difference? This Thorn creature disappears. We get our two grand. Once we have the lowdown, we use what Thorn tells us to better our position.”
    â€œYou talking about blackmail?”
    â€œI’m talking about finding a way to cut ourselves into whatever’s going down.”
    â€œWhat if Thorn doesn’t know why he’s being whacked?”
    â€œHe’ll know. Shit, everybody knows why they’re being whacked.”
    â€œBut if he doesn’t?”
    â€œOkay. So if he comes up empty, I snuff him later, and nobody’s the wiser.”
    Moses continued to slow. Then he looked over at Jonah.
    â€œThis from some TV show you saw?”
    â€œIt came from my own freaking creative lizard brain, man. I’m no plagiarist.”
    Moses was down to five miles an hour. The electric motor kicking in. The whir of it humming through the floor.
    â€œMaybe you’re not crazy,” Moses said. “Or maybe I’m losing it.”
    â€œSo you like it?”
    â€œKeep him where?”
    â€œYou want to work those phones the rest of your life, Moses?