Urban Renewal (28 page)

“
CHANGE OF
plans,” Cross said to the proprietor’s back. “We’re not taking anything except a couple of sets of plates. When we come back, we’ll have two more cars. Don’t try playing around with the VINs, just get them crushed.”

“I won’t have a crew until—”

“Morning, I know. Your records are going to show the
two Town Cars sitting in your shop now were the ones crushed. You’re just crushing four instead of two. I’ll be back later to pay whatever that costs.”

WORKING AS
two teams, the crew had the stolen Town Cars covered in masking tape quickly.

“Just the bottoms,” Cross told Buddha. “The tops have to stay black.”

“You get outta the way, it’ll get done quicker.”

“
YOU KNOW
where to leave the car?”

“Yeah. But why don’t you tell me another three, four times, me being such a dimwit and all.”

“Ace will get you and the others back.”

“I
understand
,” Tiger said, making it clear that her patience tank was down to fumes.

“Let’s ride,” Cross told Buddha as he climbed into the front seat of the Town Car. Tracker had the back seat to himself.

TWENTY MINUTES
later, Buddha pulled the Town Car into an empty spot at the curb. All three men pulled the black hoods over their heads.

Two blocks farther down, Tracker said, “Six of them. Right side.”

“They have to see the outfits
first
. Once we start popping, they’re gonna be running and ducking.”

“How long a look they need?”

“Doesn’t matter, as long as we start shooting before they do,” Cross said to Buddha. “Watch them close.”

The Town Car came to a smooth stop right in front of the six young men, all wearing jeans that sagged at the waist. They immediately flashed their warning sign—pulling their matching pseudo-silk jackets aside to display their pistols—a choreographed maneuver it had taken them weeks to master.

Cross and Tracker exited the Town Car, standing with their arms folded across their chests. Buddha took up a position behind the left front quarter panel, standing erect so his outfit was visible.

The gang froze at the strange sight. Before their leader could finish his “What the—?” sentence, Cross and Tracker extended pistols from the loose sleeves of their robes and opened fire in the gang’s general direction. Four went down, two ran off.

The Town Car motored calmly away, as if it had just dropped off a fare instead of a message.

THE SECOND
Town Car rolled up to the junkyard. Ace got out and walked over to the garage.

“Man, I don’t see how those fool boys ever hit anything,” he said. “I couldn’t use my scattergun—too trade-marked—so they gave me a Glock. I couldn’t hit a damn elephant with that thing. But so what? All those fools are
gonna remember is some men in these weird black masks opening up on them. I don’t think any of them are ever gonna
forget
it, in fact.”

“Casualties?”

“Probably not,” Ace answered. “Couple got hit, though.”

“Two on our side,” Buddha said.

“Meaning the two you shot in the head?”

“Boss, you didn’t say otherwise. I just free-fired, but … it’s hard for me to miss, you know?”

“Yeah. Okay, everybody in our car, while I square up with the guy who owns this place.”

“
HOW MUCH
do we owe you?”

“Is a grand okay? I mean, you know, it’s four runs through the crusher and—”

Cross tossed a dozen hundred-dollar bills held together with a heavy paper clip onto the man’s desk.

“In case you want to give any of your workers a tip,” he said.

When the proprietor looked up, there was no sign of the Shark Car. Only then did he count the money the man with the tattooed hand had thrown his way.

“
TOMORROW,
”
Cross said, back at Red 71. “At Ace’s house. The one on So Long’s block, I’m saying. Say oh-nine-hundred—all the reports should be in by then.”

“I’ll take you and Princess,” Buddha said to Rhino.

“And Sweetie.”

“Of course,” Buddha said to the muscleman, as if no other thought had crossed his mind.

Tracker and Ace both got in their own cars and moved out.

“So you’re gonna take me home?” Tiger asked Cross.

“Right now?”

“When, then?”

“Whenever you say.”

“That’s a good boy,” Tiger mock-purred into his ear, as she straddled him.

“
THEY WENT
to the ER,” Rhino told the crew the next morning. “So the gunshot wounds were reported. That’s on the Latin side. On the other side, there’s nothing. Either they’ve got their own doctors or—”

“They’re still running,” Ace finished Rhino’s sentence. “They got a good look at the outfits and all, but no way they take what we hit them with for white boys. They’re gonna figure it’s one of the major players, going on the down-low. Which means they already got the only warning they’re gonna get.”

“The ones you guys hit,” Rhino said, nodding at Cross, “two were DOA. The others said it was some kind of Klan group, only with black hoods. One even said he saw some kind of markings on the hoods.”

“You feel safe here?” Cross asked Ace. “Safe enough for Sharyn and the kids to move in, I mean. The heavy work’s already done.”

“Safe from
my
side, no doubt,” Ace affirmed. “I can get
the word around that this whole block is off-limits in a couple of days,” he went on, taking an ace of spades from his shirt pocket.

“Good enough. So now we wait a couple of days, then we seal the deal.”

“So Long said nobody was backing out.”

“Not
that
deal, Buddha. The buffer zone’s only secure on one side, far as we know. So we stay around until we’re sure. And I know just how we’re gonna get that done.”

“
VERY NICE
lady,” K-2 said to Cross two days later. “So … polite. I know you told us not to take any money from her, but she just stuffed it in my jacket when I wasn’t looking. Here it is,” the Maori said, handing Cross a wad of bills.