and poured two shots.
"What's on your mind?" said Eddie.
Vlad smiled. "I have something coming in I need to store. Some packages," he said. "Safely and quietly, and I will need access to it when I need."
"Do I get to ask what it is?" said Eddie.
"I would prefer you not," said Vlad.
"You want me to store something, but won't tell me what it is…" said Eddie. "How big is it?"
Vlad shrugged. "Not that big. Thirty four kilos. In ten packages. Around seventy five pounds."
Gotta be coke, or smack, Eddie thought.
"Seventy five pounds?" said Eddie. "Why not keep it at your club?"
"It's best that I keep it somewhere different. Somewhere- unexpected. Somewhere where I can get at it without any trouble, and no extra eyes," said Vlad.
Eddie gripped the arms of the wheelchair. "Look, if we're gonna do business, be straight with me. Or we can't do anything." He looked straight at Vlad. "Packages that size, gotta be coke or smack."
Vlad leaned forward. "The latter," he said.
Eddie nodded his head. "What's in it for me?"
Vlad sat back and smiled. "Four hundred."
Eddie held his poker face. Seventy five pounds, what was that much heroin worth? Wasn't sure, but if Vlad was offering that much to hold it, it had to be worth a lot more. He'd look it up on the Web.
Eddie shook his head no. "It's risky," he said. "Very risky."
"Life is risky," said Vlad. He lifted the shot glass, downed the vodka, and poured another. "You know my father used to make vodka," he said, pronouncing it "wodka". "Out of potatoes. Strong stuff."
"I bet," said Eddie. He downed his shot. He swallowed and the top of his body shook, a mild alcohol induced tremor after the vodka hit his stomach. His lower torso was motionless and felt nothing. "Truth is, I got something I wanna try. Maybe get my life back." Eddie shifted in his chair. "Shit, life back. More like get a few years of a life I never had," he said, slapping his arms up and down on the wheelchair. "I don't know if I can take another year in this chair, let alone whatever time I got left." He looked up at Vlad. "You ever heard of stem cells?"
"Stem cells?" said Vlad. "I have heard of them."
"Seventy five pounds of horse," said Eddie. "That's the rest of my life in jail for possession."
Vlad gestured around the dingy shop. "Or the rest of your life here. In your chair."
Eddie rolled back in the wheelchair. "I've been here thirty five years," he said, looking around the shop. "And what's it got me?" He rolled forward, closer to Vlad. "Seven hundred and fifty," said Eddie.
Vlad shook his head. "Six fifty."
"Seven hundred," said Eddie. "Final offer."
Vlad sat back in his chair. "You know," he said. "The girls, they miss you."
Eddie's serious look softened. He laughed. "I bet they do."
"I will have some new ones soon, I think. Freshen the stable," said Vlad. "Always good to do from time to time."
"That never hurts," said Eddie.
Vlad sighed. "Seven hundred it is. So, do we have a deal?"
"We got a deal," said Eddie.
Vlad reached out and shook Eddie's hand and looked at him in the eyes. "You know, where I come from a handshake is the most important thing. More than a piece of paper. More than a promise. It is a man's honor, and a man's honor is his life."
"I can understand that," said Eddie.
Vlad let go of his hand.
"Seventy five pounds," said Eddie. "I got the perfect place to keep it." He rolled over to a medium size plywood box, near the desk. "Underneath the box is a floor safe. If you move the box, you can see it."
Vlad stood up and walked over to the box. Even though the box was heavy, he slid it out of the way with one hand, revealing a rectangular false floor.
"Grab a screwdriver and wedge up the floor," said Eddie. Vlad wedged the screwdriver in the false floor outline and pried it up, revealing a large safe.
Eddie rolled over to his desk, got a notepad and stripped off a piece. "Here's the combination. I'll write it down for you." Eddie wrote down the combination and handed it
"What's on your mind?" said Eddie.
Vlad smiled. "I have something coming in I need to store. Some packages," he said. "Safely and quietly, and I will need access to it when I need."
"Do I get to ask what it is?" said Eddie.
"I would prefer you not," said Vlad.
"You want me to store something, but won't tell me what it is…" said Eddie. "How big is it?"
Vlad shrugged. "Not that big. Thirty four kilos. In ten packages. Around seventy five pounds."
Gotta be coke, or smack, Eddie thought.
"Seventy five pounds?" said Eddie. "Why not keep it at your club?"
"It's best that I keep it somewhere different. Somewhere- unexpected. Somewhere where I can get at it without any trouble, and no extra eyes," said Vlad.
Eddie gripped the arms of the wheelchair. "Look, if we're gonna do business, be straight with me. Or we can't do anything." He looked straight at Vlad. "Packages that size, gotta be coke or smack."
Vlad leaned forward. "The latter," he said.
Eddie nodded his head. "What's in it for me?"
Vlad sat back and smiled. "Four hundred."
Eddie held his poker face. Seventy five pounds, what was that much heroin worth? Wasn't sure, but if Vlad was offering that much to hold it, it had to be worth a lot more. He'd look it up on the Web.
Eddie shook his head no. "It's risky," he said. "Very risky."
"Life is risky," said Vlad. He lifted the shot glass, downed the vodka, and poured another. "You know my father used to make vodka," he said, pronouncing it "wodka". "Out of potatoes. Strong stuff."
"I bet," said Eddie. He downed his shot. He swallowed and the top of his body shook, a mild alcohol induced tremor after the vodka hit his stomach. His lower torso was motionless and felt nothing. "Truth is, I got something I wanna try. Maybe get my life back." Eddie shifted in his chair. "Shit, life back. More like get a few years of a life I never had," he said, slapping his arms up and down on the wheelchair. "I don't know if I can take another year in this chair, let alone whatever time I got left." He looked up at Vlad. "You ever heard of stem cells?"
"Stem cells?" said Vlad. "I have heard of them."
"Seventy five pounds of horse," said Eddie. "That's the rest of my life in jail for possession."
Vlad gestured around the dingy shop. "Or the rest of your life here. In your chair."
Eddie rolled back in the wheelchair. "I've been here thirty five years," he said, looking around the shop. "And what's it got me?" He rolled forward, closer to Vlad. "Seven hundred and fifty," said Eddie.
Vlad shook his head. "Six fifty."
"Seven hundred," said Eddie. "Final offer."
Vlad sat back in his chair. "You know," he said. "The girls, they miss you."
Eddie's serious look softened. He laughed. "I bet they do."
"I will have some new ones soon, I think. Freshen the stable," said Vlad. "Always good to do from time to time."
"That never hurts," said Eddie.
Vlad sighed. "Seven hundred it is. So, do we have a deal?"
"We got a deal," said Eddie.
Vlad reached out and shook Eddie's hand and looked at him in the eyes. "You know, where I come from a handshake is the most important thing. More than a piece of paper. More than a promise. It is a man's honor, and a man's honor is his life."
"I can understand that," said Eddie.
Vlad let go of his hand.
"Seventy five pounds," said Eddie. "I got the perfect place to keep it." He rolled over to a medium size plywood box, near the desk. "Underneath the box is a floor safe. If you move the box, you can see it."
Vlad stood up and walked over to the box. Even though the box was heavy, he slid it out of the way with one hand, revealing a rectangular false floor.
"Grab a screwdriver and wedge up the floor," said Eddie. Vlad wedged the screwdriver in the false floor outline and pried it up, revealing a large safe.
Eddie rolled over to his desk, got a notepad and stripped off a piece. "Here's the combination. I'll write it down for you." Eddie wrote down the combination and handed it
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