After a while riding in the car, Long Barrel Darrel seemed to calm down, which made him easier for Jacquie to handle.
"So I guess I'm following you because
you've been in the game for a while, said LBD.
"I'd say that's the primary reason for
Gillingham pairing us together," replied Jacquie.
"Do Gun Bearers have partners very
often?"
"I had a partner for quite some time
actually, but that was a special circumstance. No, most Gun Bearers work alone.
There will be missions that put them with someone else, like one of the Damsel
strippers might have a Gun Bearer who looks after them if they are in trouble,
but that is about it."
"Who was your partner?"
Jacquie didn't say anything; eventually
he took a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly.
"Hey man, sorry I'm asking so many
questions. I guess I'm a bit nervous and curious and the two don't go well
together."
"It's alright, LBD. My last partner was
Simon Refing..."
"No shit? Simon "Corpse-Maker" Refing,
the Gun Bearer who doesn't need a gun?"
"The one and fucking only, I guess he
has made a name for himself."
"Yeah, you could say that. He's more
like a boogie man. Like, if someone thinks they're a tough guy, they might say
they ain't afraid of no Gun Bearer. But then someone else would come back and
say, 'oh yeah, what about Corpse-Maker Refing?' And then that's a whole other story."
Jacquie smiled. He knew that Simon had a
reputation but LBD described him as some kind of legend, a monster.
"So we've been driven for a while, you
going to tell me what we're driving toward?"
"A mark," said Jacquie, "Austin
Tellamore."
"Well alright alright, Tellamore, and
just what did Mr. Tellamore do to earn him a visit from two badass
motherfuckers?"
"Easy LBD, we're not going to kill him."
"That's cool man."
"Mr. Tellamore owes Mr. Gillingham quite
a bit of money. He's been paying it off in small amounts but even those have
stopped lately..."
Oh so we're going to fuck him up real
good, make him sell his own teeth just to get us off his back."
Jacquie laughed a little and sighed as
if to criticize Long Barrel Darrel for being so naïve. "It isn't about the
money. Did Gillingham tell you about the Viceers?"
"The Viceers? Oh yeah those guys that
make sure people with vices keep their vices or make them worse. Gillingham
said that everyone's hands are dirty in Grimland. He said, some people want to
get them dirtier and some want to get them clean. Viceers make sure no one's
hands ever get clean."
"Yeah, that about sums it up and there
is this one Viceer named Dead Bolt Bert, and old Bert needs a favor. Tellamore
isn't responding to his usual methods of persuasion...
"So he needs a guy who can point a
really large barrel into his face, make him piss his pants?"
"Ya know LBD I think you might enjoy
your job more than Simon ever did."
Leave a comment