Chapter 27 Stellan
STELLAN
I glance at my friend. He seems preoccupied. When I called, he showed up at my place, like always. Like nothing changed.
“Where’s this job at?” he asks when I cross the bridge into Jersey.
“Not too far.”
“We heading to AC?”
“Nah, not all the way.”
I don’t take the main roads. I head off the second I can and cut down a long road hewn in the middle of the pine barrens. The trees feel oppressive. Random houses appear in their midst. I have no idea how anyone lives back here. It feels like we’re on the bottom of the ocean.
“Jersey Devil was born down around here,” Frankie remarks, frowning at the sandy road I turn onto.
“You’re superstitious?”
“Nah, I don’t believe any of that stuff. It’s just a fun story.”
I drive for a while longer. We don’t find anyone or anything. Just another stretch of road and more trees.
After a while, I pull off the main road, deep in the middle of nowhere.
“Pine barrens go on for miles,” I comment as I pop the trunk. Frankie joins me. I shouldn’t let him out of my sight, but we both know what this is. There are shovels in the back. I grab one and hand him the other. “You know how many people live out here?”
“Too many.” He follows me into the trees.
“There are over a million acres of these fucking things.” I knock a tree as I walk past. It’s scraggly and crooked. “Soil’s a wreck around here, but the trees keep coming. No wonder people hate it.”
“Whole place is haunted.”
“Lots of graves around here. Sandy soil makes easy digging, especially when it’s a little warm.” I keep walking. Frankie follows, his boots stomping over twigs.
“Smells like the ocean. I like that at least. Good day for a hike.”
“Yeah, that’s what we’re doing. Going for a hike.” I keep walking. We don’t talk much as I wander further into nothing, until I can’t see the road or the car and there’s nothing but trees spreading out for miles in all directions.
Then I stop. Frankie stops too. I turn to face him as he leans against a tree and checks his phone. “No fucking service.”
“Why’d you do it?”
He taps at his screen before shoving it away. Then he wipes his forehead with his sleeve. “I had a feeling this was about last night.”
“Why, Frankie?”
He sighs, shaking his head. “Fucking Turks were supposed to check in. But they’re not reliable, you know? I wasn’t sure what went wrong. Now I guess I see what happened.”
“You told them.”
“You set me up.” He shrugs, grinning a touch. “Does that make us even?”
“Why?”
He nods to himself, pats at his pockets, and reaches inside. I have my gun drawn before he can take out a packet of cigarettes. He flips out one and lights it. My aim doesn’t deviate from his chest as he takes a drag.
“I gamble. You know that. But six months ago I got in deep with some fucking Russians. Deeper than I’d ever been before.
Couldn’t tell you about it. That would’ve only pissed you off and left me in a worse spot.
So when this guy approached me from the Turks and offered to buy off my debt in exchange for some information, it was too good to be true. ”
I almost laugh. “You betrayed me for money?”
“Always comes back to money. That’s the American way, right? Capitalism and shit? Lots of economists would say this is your own fault for not paying me what I’m worth.”
“Fuck you, traitor. You fucking rat.”
He shrugs. “Yeah. Well. Guess my debt doesn’t matter much anymore.”
“Why’d you come out here?”
“Hoped I was wrong. But I also knew that if I wasn’t, and you caught me, there was no running away. I’ve seen what you do. I know what you’re like. Who knows you better?”
I clench my jaw. He’s got a good point. Not many people know me like he does.
“Over ten years,” I say softly. “You’ve been my partner for over ten years. I trusted you with my life.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“You were going to sell our entire Famiglia to the Turks.”
“It was a lot of money.” He grins sheepishly. “A really deep hole.” He sucks in more smoke and blows it out. His hands are shaking. I know Frankie well enough to know he’s afraid and trying not to show it.
Fucker’s always been a brave idiot.
“Start digging.”
“You really gonna make me? Seriously, Stellan?”
“You betrayed me. You’re getting off easy and you know it. Your whole family should be dead for this. Your name should be smeared from history. Instead, I’ll tell everyone you died during a job. We’ll pay your mother and take care of your sister. But you’re done.”
Frankie nods and lights another cigarette on the butt of his first. “You know what I always loved about you, Stellan? You act tough and cold, but you’re fair. And you’ve got compassion. You don’t like showing it, but I know you do.”
“Start fucking digging.”
“The family’s gonna be in better shape with you leading it. I probably should’ve just told you the truth.”
“Dig, Frankie.” Rage hits me, blinding and hot. “Dig, you fucking traitor. You were my friend. Fucking dig.”
Frankie throws the cigarette at me. He dives to the side, reaching behind his back as he falls. He draws his weapon in one fluid, practiced motion.
I shoot him in the head. His finger squeezes and the gun goes off, but the bullet hits a tree ten feet to my left.
His corpse hits the ground in a spray of blood and brain.
I put another bullet in his chest, kick away his gun, and stand over his corpse.
My friend.
He fucking betrayed me. Then he tried to kill me to save his own worthless ass.
Pathetic.
I hate him so much it hurts. It fucking hurts. I turn away and have to stomp out a small fire starting in the pine needles.
I think about digging a hole.
But to hell with that.
Whatever lives out here in the barrens, they'll eat well tonight.
I grab his shovel and start back to the car.
My phone rings when I get close to the road. Kira's name is on the screen. I answer it, balancing the shovel in one hand.
“I’ve been thinking,” she says without greeting me. “About our mutual problem.”
“Climate change?”
“Don’t be funny. You sound out of breath.”
“Just out for a hike.”
She pauses. “Okay, right. Whatever. So, the Turks are here to get the book, right? But you can’t move it because you don’t have the key. Which means all we have to do is find the key, put the book in a more secure location, and the Turks won’t have any leverage.”
I grunt, adjusting the shovel. “And now that the mole is dead, they won’t have a fresh stream of information.”
Another long silence. “Frankie?”
“Don’t feel bad for him. He was a fucking prick in the end.”
“We need the key. That’ll fix everything.”
“You offering to help?”
“I mean, it was my dad who took it, so I feel like I owe it to you.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Kira.”
“Well, I have some ideas too. What are you doing later?”
“My schedule’s clear now.”
“Great.” She clears her throat uncomfortably. “Come pick me up at home. Where are you?”
“The pine barrens.”
“In Jersey? With that devil thing?”
“It’s not so bad, honestly. I kind of like it here.”
“Great, pitch a tent and stay.”
“I’ll see you in an hour.”