He came to in a room, a hotel room like every other room in a decent hotel, not too fancy, not too cheap, and not at all memorable. He figured that was why they chose it. MacLemore was watching him from a love seat and holding a gun, pointed in his general direction.
“Why am I here?” he asked as soon as he had his bearings.
MacLemore laughed without a trace of humor.
“That is what I have always admired about you, Mr. Stock,” he sneered. “No small talk, no ‘It’s so good to see you, my dear friend MacLemore,’ just straight to the point. I shall do you the courtesy of acting in kind.” He held the barrel of the gun to Stock’s face. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know who you mean.”
MacLemore looked at the floor, looked out the window, stared Stock in the eyes, pointed the gun so the bullet would whistle past his ear, and fired. The report sounded like a cannon in the small hotel room.
On the other side of the wall, a woman screamed.
“Look what you made me do, Mr. Stock.”
“What? I can’t hear you,” Stock said. “Some idiot fired a gun next to my ear.”
“I’m going to make you a deal,” MacLemore said, his voice dripping with smarm. “Tell me where the woman is, and I won’t kill you until the next time we meet.”
“Seems a fair exchange,” Stock said. “Except Lynnda is one of my best friends and colleagues. She’s taken a bullet for me, and I would be proud to do the same for her. But maybe we can do a deal.”
“Yes?”
“Yes. Step out on the balcony and I’ll tell you where she is.”
“Why the balcony? Do you have someone across the street who will shoot me? One of your sharpshooter friends, perhaps?”
“Ah, you’re too smart for me,” Stock said.
A thug walked into the room.
“What is it, Louie?” MacLemore said impatiently.
“We gotta go, Mr. MacLemore. Somebody shot through that wall and killed the guy in the next room.”
“Oh dear,” said MacLemore. “Well, clean up here, and the boys and I will take our business with Mr. Stock elsewhere.”
“Got it,” Louie said, but instead of complying, he shot MacLemore in the back of his neck. Before the boys could react, Louie shot them, too.
Stock and the thug stared at each other across the room. Then the big man smiled.
“Mr. Stock, I think this may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” said Louie.
