Reno Gabrini: Turn Back Time Read online

  “How you, Reno?” he asked. “Staying out of trouble?”

  “No. Are you?”

  The detective smiled. “I’m on a dark road with Reno Gabrini. What the fuck you think?”

  Reno didn’t smile. He could never fun it up with cops.

  The driver handed Reno his service revolver. “No fists,” he said. “We won’t be able to explain fists. This is a transport of an inmate to a hospital. We can claim escape and guns. But we can’t claim escape and fist wounds.”

  “I got it,” Reno said.

  Then the detective took his partner’s revolver, and handed it to Tree. “Don’t do shit we can’t explain,” he said to her too.

  Trina nodded as she accepted the gun, and she and Reno went to the back of the police car, one on either side, and got in. Koba Sorzi was seated, in handcuffs, in the middle of the seat.

  Koba smiled. He was that self-assured, or, as Trina saw it, that self-delusional. “What do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” he asked. “You bested me already. Isn’t that enough for you idiots?”

  “Where’s Caribella?” Reno asked.

  Koba smiled. “Long gone from North America. You’ll never find her!”

  “Don’t bet on it,” Reno said.

  “You’ll never hurt her again.”

  “I didn’t hurt her in the first place. She tried to kill me. She wrecked that car, trying to kill me. But what the fuck’s facts to a psychopath like you, right?”

  Koba grinned. “Right,” he said.

  Then Reno frowned, grabbed Koba’s head, and wanted to twist it.

  “Reno,” Trina had to warn him. “You can’t.”

  Reno knew it too. He released Koba. Then he opened the door, and got out. “Let’s go,” he said to Koba.

  Koba looked at the detectives. “What’s the meaning of this?”

  “Do as he says, Sorzi,” said the detective behind the wheel. “Get out.”

  Koba was reluctant, but he knew he had to obey. He got out. Trina walked over to the same side as Reno and Koba.

  Reno looked at Koba. “Run,” he said. “I’m giving you a head start.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean your ass better run, or you’re going to lose your advantage. Run. I feel like hunting for asshole tonight.”

  Koba knew Reno was a man of his word, and just might be giving him a head start. And he just might get away!

  Koba ran. As soon as he did, Trina aimed and fired her gun, hitting him right in the back.

  Koba fell to his knees. He was so angry that he didn’t even feel the bullet penetration. He turned around. “You said you were giving me a head start!” he yelled.

  “I did say that,” Reno said. “But my wife didn’t.” Then Reno aimed his gun too. “But since you’re already down,” he said. “Why the fuck not?”

  But Koba, despite his gunshot, got up again and tried to run away.

  But Reno shot him in the back, too, right in the spine, and Koba fell to his knees again. This time he felt it to the roots of his hair. And he fell over.

  Reno exhaled. He would have preferred an old-fashioned beat down, but the cops were right. They wouldn’t be able to explain that away.

  They gave the guns back to the officers of the law, handed them both a thick envelope filled with cash, and headed back to their Mercedes. They could hear the officers radioing it in as a suspect escape that ended in gunfire. They needed an ambulance, they claimed, although it was obvious that Koba was dead.

  Reno and Trina drove away.

  But Reno looked at his wife as he drove, worried that such a scene would disturb her. “You okay?” he asked her.

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” Trina responded, sounding just like Reno. “That’ll teach his ass not to mess with us,” she added, sounding like herself again.

  And Reno laughed. “That’s my Tree,” he said, took her hand, and they sped away.

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