Pissing in Pools #2
“Uh… Halo got into another raft with that replacement actor… uh, I think,” Joel squeaked.
“Spill it,” Simo demanded.
“Ok! Ok!” Joel moaned, and after a long sigh, he began. “Halo was acting all stupid over the guy…”
“Who? What guy?”
“Uh, that asshole, Xander Kostinos.” Joel saw Simo’s big hand roll in front of his face. “Fuck… she was fawning all over him and shit. The fucker embarrassed me in front of everybody! He did this Judo shit on me, then handcuffed me!” Joel felt Simo's face come closer.
“Why would this man do this to you?”
Joel dropped his head and stared down at his tan, unlaced boots. He felt Simo back away slightly but heard ice in the man’s voice. “I wanna know it all. Tell me of this actor, too.”
“Uh, the fucking stupid Greek actor? Fine…” Joel sighed.
“…he saved all our asses. One big, heroic, stupid fucker… saved Halo when the plane was going down and even made it to the cockpit. I guess he helped pull the plane out of the dive. THEN! Get this shit! He carries out the dead co-pilot and does CPR shit on him like he’s a fucking doctor… ”
“What else?”
Joel sighed heavily again. “The idiot jumped into the water to save Doug, after Doug got bit by a shark. After he gets Doug back on the wing, he gives me a thumbs-up like some stupid actor in a ‘B’ action flick.”
“Why was this Doug in the water? What else you not telling me?”
“Oh… I—I accidentally may have knocked Doug into the water…”
“And?”
“I… uh, might have panicked a little. I… got into the raft and… and I came back to try to get Doug… but there were too many sharks in the water! Why the fuck were there goddamned sharks right there in all of the fucking Pacific?” A rush of relief came over him as Simo sat back.
“So why you not kissing this ‘Greek guy’s ass in thanks, Joelly? Instead, you go and ruin a man’s good name who saved you… then you tell the world he kills Halo Raines. Why?”
Simo’s chuckle turned his blood cold.
“Joelly… I wanna hear you say it. Now. Right now…”
It felt like Simo was sitting on his chest as he whispered out his reply. “I… ah… was jealous.” Simo’s big hand clapping him on his shoulder jolted him back to life.
“Good boy, Joelly!” Once again Simo’s finger was pointing in his face as he suddenly went from laughing to angry. “Just so you know, as I don’t think you do… I am Greek. So don’t ever fuckin’ sneer the word ‘Greek’ again. Katalaveno?”
Joel began nodding his head as Simo pushed those ridiculous sunglasses back in place. “My apologies. I meant no disrespect… I misspoke.” Watching Simo settle back and move away made him feel like he could finally breathe again.
“On to business. Did Jenny Jones threaten to come out with her side of the truth? And you can’t touch her or she had evidence, nea?”
“Yeah, something like that. Uh… my options?”
Simo shrugged his huge shoulders. “If she uploaded a video or if it’s on her phone, I can destroy it. If she put it into a bank, I can’t do much. So who all knows the truth?”
Joel saw Simo cock his big head at him as if he already knew the answer. “Uh… the NTSB investigator, the FBI, and her doctor in New Zealand,” Joel replied quietly.
“What else you not telling me?”
“I… uh, have one of them in my pocket… more or less.”
Joel was expecting a ‘who?’ but Simo didn’t ask. “You been busy… will they do wet-work if you pay them?”
Joel felt his leg bounce faster. “Oh, I doubt that… uh, when JJ comes back here, can… can you, uh, entertain her?” Joel was shocked at Simo’s sneer.
“You want another woman dead? Not enough blood on your hands? Hey, why the fuck you not dump her in the water? And what about your bitch, Sarah?”
Joel moaned and put his head into his trembling hands. “I was going to dump her… I swear! But I was so tired! I—I fell asleep. And Sarah won’t say a peep. She did really good testifying before the grand jury here in LA… they ended up indicting that… uh, Xander... guy in absentia.”
“Yeah. I heard that.”
Simo cocked his head at him again. “Why did you make it and they didn’t?”
“I fucking paddled my ass off. That’s why!
The captain told us to paddle away from the typhoon.
I did exactly that! I dunno why those fuckers were dicking around!
Anyway, no way they could have lived. The seas were fucking huge after I got rescued.
A lot of navy people even got sick on the ship, it was so bad out there.
” Simo nodded. “When JJ comes back, can you do it? Make it a really bad accident? Like mess her face up, too?” Joel watched Simo spread his arms across the back of the bench, making himself look all the bigger.
“Joelly, one hundred thousand dollars… for the entertainment costs. Ten thousand for tracking and destroying her evidence. Hard copies in a bank? No can do. AND I will… entertain her… gently, and in a way to cover both our asses, katalaveno?”
Joel guessed the foreign word meant ‘understand’ and he nodded. “I… have ten thousand with me.”
Joel leaned back and fished out one bundle from his pocket and discreetly handed it to Simo.
Simo took the bundle from him and Joel watched as Simo’s other huge hand reached out, palm open, at him.
He looked into Simo’s smiling face and he let out an exasperated sigh at Simo.
He fished the other bundle out and Simo snatched it from him.
Joel watched as Simo almost tenderly placed the bundles of cash in an inside pocket and gently patted it.
“So, Joelly, that business is done.” Joel watched Simo’s smile segue into a leer. “We have other business now.” Then Simo let out an ominous chuckle and Joel’s hackles rose.
“Uh… oh?”
“I know some people who isn’t too happy with you.”
“What? WHO?”
Joel leaned away from Simo as Simo’s hand disappeared under his blazer. Fearful of a gun, Joel put his hands up as if to ward Simo off. Then in Simo’s hand was a folded-up piece of newspaper. “They asked I give you this…”
Before Joel could take the paper from Simo’s hand, Simo tossed it into his lap, stood up, and glared at him.
“Joelly, you are pissing in other people’s pools around here…
they don’t like it. As YOUR business partner, I’m telling’ you to keep a low fuckin’ profile and your dick in your pants.
” Then Simo’s finger was jabbing at his face. “And watch Sarah.”
Joel swallowed hard. “Uh… advice noted. I’m having her move to my place.”
Simo turned to leave, then stopped a few steps away, as Joel picked up the piece of paper in his lap. The big guy eyed him hard. “Oh, last thing… do you know an Elara Swan?”