Slim sobbed. “I was scared. He said he’d kill me if I talked.” “And out here? Why’d you follow him? Why’d you help him shake people down?” “I needed money. There’s no work. Vinnie said we’d just make some quick cash and split.” Greg was silent, watching him.
Slim wasn’t lying. He was weak. He followed Vinnie because he didn’t know any other way. There were plenty like him inside—men without a spine. But that was no excuse. “Stand up,” Greg said. Slim rose on shaky legs. Greg stood in front of him, looking him in the eye.
“Do you know what honor is?” Slim nodded barely. “Do you know what happens to snitches inside?” “Yes. Vinnie’s a snitch. Zip’s a lackey. You’re an accomplice. By the code, you all have to answer.” Slim cried harder.
“I… I won’t do it again. I’ll leave the state. I swear.” Greg was silent, then nodded to Vince. Vince struck Slim’s legs. Slim fell, clutching his knee, crying out. Greg crouched again. “That’s the lesson. So you remember.”
“Never follow a snitch. Never help those who break the code of honor. You understand?” Slim nodded, sobbing. “I understand. I understand.” “You leave this county. Today. If I see you here again, there won’t be a second chance.” “I’m gone. I swear.”
Greg stood up and nodded to Vince. Vince dragged Slim to the wall and sat him down. Slim sat there, face in his knees, shaking. Greg walked over to Vinnie. He was hanging from the chain, face white, eyes darting. When Greg stopped in front of him, Vinnie started talking fast, stumbling over his words.
“Ghost, I didn’t know. If I’d known, I never would have come. You understand, I didn’t mean any disrespect. We were just making money. I didn’t think.” “Shut up.” Greg said it quietly, but Vinnie went silent instantly. Greg looked at him for a long time.
Studying him. Vinnie was bigger, younger, but right now he was nothing. A snitch who’d been caught. In his eyes was fear. Pure, animal fear. “Do you know who I am?” Greg said. “I know what a Chairman can do to a snitch. Inside, the guards saved you.”
“There’s no one to save you here.” Vinnie twitched. “I’ll change. I won’t do it anymore. I’ll leave. I’ll go far away, to another city. You’ll never see me again.” Words. Greg shook his head. “You already gave your word inside. You broke it.”
“Why should I believe you now?” “Because I’m scared. Because I get it now. I won’t break the rules again.” Greg smirked. There was no joy in it. “You don’t get it. You’re just scared. When the fear fades, you’ll start again. Because you’re a snitch.”
“A snitch doesn’t change.” Vinnie started crying. Not whimpering like Slim. He was wailing like a child. “Don’t kill me, please. I have a sick mother. A little sister.” Greg listened. He didn’t interrupt. When Vinnie ran out of breath and went silent, Greg said.
“If you had a sick mother, you wouldn’t be driving around scaring old people. If you had a little sister, you wouldn’t be stealing from your own crew. You’re lying. Even now.” Vinnie whimpered. “What do you want? Tell me, I’ll do anything.”
Greg stepped back. He looked at Razor and Vince. They were standing by the wall, waiting. Greg thought. By the code, Vinnie should pay the ultimate price. A snitch has no right to live among honorable men. But taking a life was a heavy step.
Greg didn’t kill people on the outside. Inside—yes. In brawls, in disputes—by the code. But there, it was part of life. Here, it was different. He walked over to Razor. He spoke quietly so Vinnie couldn’t hear. “We’ll let Vinnie live. Но we have to make sure he never comes back.”
Razor nodded. “Got it. We cripple him?” “No, worse. We send him back inside. They’re already waiting for him there.” Razor smirked. “Good call.” Greg went back to Vinnie. He was looking up with hope. “I’m not going to kill you,” Greg said. “But your life out here is over.”
“You’re going back behind bars. And there, they’ll explain what happens to snitches.” Vinnie went even paler. “No. Not that. Just kill me. They’ll kill me inside.” “Not my problem,” Greg turned away. “You chose this path yourself.”
Vinnie screamed, yanking the chain so hard the hook in the wall groaned. Vince stepped up and knocked him out. Vinnie went limp, hanging from the chain. Greg walked out of the barn. The air outside felt cleaner. The sun was high.
He lit a cigarette and waited for Razor and Vince to follow. “What’s the move?” Razor asked. “Let Zip and Slim go. Tell them to get out of the state. We keep Vinnie until evening. Then we call the cops, anonymously. Tell them there’s a guy with an open warrant at this address.”
“What if he doesn’t have a warrant?”…
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