of Majestyk's seat. He glanced around a s s he straightened up, holding onto the seat.
"Hey, are you trying to put me through the windshield?"
Renda's eyes raised to the rearview mirror and the reflection of Wiley's face.
Their eyes met briefly before he shifted his gaze to the road again. Perhaps a m inute passed before he glanced at Majestyk.
"All right, you got a new game. What's it cost?"
"Three dollars and eighty-five cents," Majestyk said. "You paid and you're in."
"Come on, cut the bullshit. How much you want?"
"Nothing."
"I explained it as simply as I could," Renda said. "We make a deal or you'r e d ead. I get sent away, you're still dead."
"I've already made a deal."
Renda glanced at him again. "You think the cops can keep you alive? They'd hav e t o live with you the rest of your life. Can you see that? Never knowing whe n i t's going to happen?"
When Majestyk didn't answer, Wiley said, "He's kind of weird, isn't he?"
Renda's eyes raised to the rearview mirror and met Wiley's gaze.
When he looked at the road he saw the curve approaching, waited, started int o t he curve and braked sharply to reduce his speed. Again Wiley was thrown against Majestyk's seat.
"Hey Frank, take it easy, okay?"
He glanced at her reflection. She was ready.
Coming out of the curve and hitting the straightaway, Renda accelerated t o a lmost seventy, held it for a quarter of a mile, then raised his right foot an d m ashed it down on the brake pedal.
Wiley already had her hand on the latch to release the backrest of Majestyk' s s eat. It was free as the car braked suddenly and she threw herself hard agains t i t, her weight and the momentum slamming Majestyk into the dashboard.
"Frank, under the seat!" She screamed it.
"Get it, for Christ sake!"
Renda was accelerating with his left foot, bringing his right foot up and ove r t he transmission hump to kick viciously at Majestyk, jammed between the seat an d t he dashboard, as Wiley reached beneath the driver's seat, groped frantically , and came up with a Colt .45 automatic in her left hand.
"Shoot him! Shoot the son of a bitch, will you!"
"I don't know how!"
"Pull the fucking trigger!"
Majestyk pushed against the seat back, lunging at Wiley. Renda hit the brake s a gain, bouncing Majestyk off the dashboard. But he was able to push off from it , twisting around enough to get a hand on the girl's arm just as she fired and th e a utomatic exploded less than a foot from his head.
Renda was kicking at him again. "Christ, shoot him!"
He kicked at Majestyk's ribs, got his heel in hard a couple of times, kicke d a gain and this time his heel hit Majestyk's belt buckle, slipped off and hit th e d oor handle as Wiley pulled her arm free and put the automatic in Majestyk' s f ace. The door opened and she saw him going out, fired, saw his expression an d f ired twice again, saw the window of the swung-open door shatter, but he wa s g one, out of the car, and she knew she hadn't hit him.
The XK Jag was two hundred feet up the road before its brake lights flashed on.
The car made a tight turn, backed up on the narrow blacktop, and turned again t o c ome back this way.
Majestyk heard the sound of the engine. He was lying facedown on the shoulder o f t he road, propped on his elbows, dazed, staring at gravel and feeling it cuttin g i nto the palms of his hands. His vision was blurred and when he wiped his eyes , he saw blood on the back of his hand. He heard the engine sound louder, windin g u p, coming toward him. When he raised his head he saw the headlights and th e g rille, low to the ground, the nose swinging toward the gravel shoulder, comin g d irectly at him.
With all of his strength he threw himself to the side, rolling into the ditch , as the Jag swept past. A moment later he heard the tires squealing on th e b lacktop and knew he had to get out of here, pushing himself up now, out of th e w eeds, climbing the bank away from the road and ducking through the wire fence ,
"Hey, are you trying to put me through the windshield?"
Renda's eyes raised to the rearview mirror and the reflection of Wiley's face.
Their eyes met briefly before he shifted his gaze to the road again. Perhaps a m inute passed before he glanced at Majestyk.
"All right, you got a new game. What's it cost?"
"Three dollars and eighty-five cents," Majestyk said. "You paid and you're in."
"Come on, cut the bullshit. How much you want?"
"Nothing."
"I explained it as simply as I could," Renda said. "We make a deal or you'r e d ead. I get sent away, you're still dead."
"I've already made a deal."
Renda glanced at him again. "You think the cops can keep you alive? They'd hav e t o live with you the rest of your life. Can you see that? Never knowing whe n i t's going to happen?"
When Majestyk didn't answer, Wiley said, "He's kind of weird, isn't he?"
Renda's eyes raised to the rearview mirror and met Wiley's gaze.
When he looked at the road he saw the curve approaching, waited, started int o t he curve and braked sharply to reduce his speed. Again Wiley was thrown against Majestyk's seat.
"Hey Frank, take it easy, okay?"
He glanced at her reflection. She was ready.
Coming out of the curve and hitting the straightaway, Renda accelerated t o a lmost seventy, held it for a quarter of a mile, then raised his right foot an d m ashed it down on the brake pedal.
Wiley already had her hand on the latch to release the backrest of Majestyk' s s eat. It was free as the car braked suddenly and she threw herself hard agains t i t, her weight and the momentum slamming Majestyk into the dashboard.
"Frank, under the seat!" She screamed it.
"Get it, for Christ sake!"
Renda was accelerating with his left foot, bringing his right foot up and ove r t he transmission hump to kick viciously at Majestyk, jammed between the seat an d t he dashboard, as Wiley reached beneath the driver's seat, groped frantically , and came up with a Colt .45 automatic in her left hand.
"Shoot him! Shoot the son of a bitch, will you!"
"I don't know how!"
"Pull the fucking trigger!"
Majestyk pushed against the seat back, lunging at Wiley. Renda hit the brake s a gain, bouncing Majestyk off the dashboard. But he was able to push off from it , twisting around enough to get a hand on the girl's arm just as she fired and th e a utomatic exploded less than a foot from his head.
Renda was kicking at him again. "Christ, shoot him!"
He kicked at Majestyk's ribs, got his heel in hard a couple of times, kicke d a gain and this time his heel hit Majestyk's belt buckle, slipped off and hit th e d oor handle as Wiley pulled her arm free and put the automatic in Majestyk' s f ace. The door opened and she saw him going out, fired, saw his expression an d f ired twice again, saw the window of the swung-open door shatter, but he wa s g one, out of the car, and she knew she hadn't hit him.
The XK Jag was two hundred feet up the road before its brake lights flashed on.
The car made a tight turn, backed up on the narrow blacktop, and turned again t o c ome back this way.
Majestyk heard the sound of the engine. He was lying facedown on the shoulder o f t he road, propped on his elbows, dazed, staring at gravel and feeling it cuttin g i nto the palms of his hands. His vision was blurred and when he wiped his eyes , he saw blood on the back of his hand. He heard the engine sound louder, windin g u p, coming toward him. When he raised his head he saw the headlights and th e g rille, low to the ground, the nose swinging toward the gravel shoulder, comin g d irectly at him.
With all of his strength he threw himself to the side, rolling into the ditch , as the Jag swept past. A moment later he heard the tires squealing on th e b lacktop and knew he had to get out of here, pushing himself up now, out of th e w eeds, climbing the bank away from the road and ducking through the wire fence ,
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