Slick Steve burst through the Cantina’s front door to go to work on the day shift, then slowed his pace as he moved around the bar. He quickly scanned the front door and the tables scattered around the Cantina. Seeing no immediate threat, his body relaxed.
Tina came to the edge of the bar. “What’s chasing you?”
“Nothing. I was just a little late getting to work. I had some trouble with my car. I didn’t want Bandit to hear that I was late again,” said Slick Steve as he tied a half-apron around his waist. He went to the bar sink and filled the tub with hot water.
“Are you sure everything is OK, Steve?” Tina moved closer to him. She could tell there was more to his anxiety than he was revealing.
“Look,” he snapped back, “I said everything is OK. OK?”
“Sure, sure, OK,” Tina’s voice trailed off as she considered her own plight.
“Steve, I’m really tired and I’ve got to pull a double shift tonight. Do you think you could help me out?” her words ran together as her desperation became obvious. “I’ve got to get well and you’re the one who can do it. You can do it, can’t you? I mean, it’s really important. I’ve got to be able to pull this double shift and I’ll have plenty of money for you. What do you say?” She looked desperately into his hollowed eyes.
“Look baby, I told you long ago that I don’t work that way. It’s cash on the barrel head, as they say. I can get some shit but I only pay cash for it and my connection operates the same way. No pay, no play. And I’m tapped out, so I can’t front you.”
“Look Steve,” she held out a wad of bills in her hand, “there’s $50 here. I’ll have at least another $50 in tips by the end of my first shift. Come on baby, I’ll make it good for you,” Tina purred in mock seduction.
“OK,” Steve shrugged, “I’ll see what I can do. Give me the $50.”
In the alley behind the Cantina, a garbage truck’s hydraulic arm slammed home the contents of the Cantina’s trash bin with a bang. Slick Steve jumped, the blood draining from his already ashen pallor.
“What’s wrong with you?” Tina forgot her own problems as she saw the panic etched on Slick Steve’s face as he dug into the briefcase in his Corvette. She touched his hand as he gripped the railing edge of the bar.
“Well, I’m not sure really. I heard some noise out on the street in front of my apartment around 3 this morning. I couldn’t sleep so I was awake when I heard it. I looked outside to where I parked my car. When I opened my window to get a better look, some kid popped up from the other side of my car and took off running. The kid was long gone by the time I got to my car.
I looked around but nothing moved. Just as I turned the knob on my front door, I heard a pistol with a silencer ring out and a piece of masonry exploded just next to my head. I peeked around the door jamb and scoped out the street, but I couldn’t see anything. I looked up at the masonry. There was a major chunk taken out of the brick fa?ade. It seemed clear that they meant the shot for me. But why? What was that kid doing to my car? Who wants me dead? Or are they trying to scare me?
“I figure that there are enough people out there who think they have a score to settle with me, but I don’t think any of them would do this. It’s all too sneaky. I just can’t figure it out.”
Both Slick Steve and Tina winced as the garbage truck banged another trash bin on the ground. Just then Jimbo walked into the Cantina. Jimbo scanned the dimly lit interior, then smiled when he spotted Tina. His expression changed to a jaw-clenching scowl when he saw Slick Steve.
As Jimbo approached the bar, Slick Steve stiffened in anticipation of conflict. Tina backed away, hoping to deflect Jimbo’s anger.
