“You’ve got an old warrant. It’s active now. They’re taking you back to the city. You’re going to trial, then back inside. And there, you’ll meet the guys who remember you from Stateville. And they’ll know you tried to shake down The Ghost. It’s over.”
Vinnie went pale. “No. Please. They’ll kill me inside. Everyone knows I snitched.” “If they find out I tried to hit a Chairman…” “They’ll find out,” Greg said calmly. “I’ll make sure of it. People will appreciate knowing Vinnie tried to tax The Ghost.” Vinnie started sobbing, yanking at the chain, but the bolt held.
“Just kill me here. Please. Don’t send me back. It’ll be worse there.” “I know,” Greg stood up. “That’s why I’m sending you.” He walked out and closed the door. Vinnie screamed inside, but the sounds soon faded. Greg lit a cigarette. He watched the woods, waiting for nightfall.
The hours dragged. Greg sat on the porch, smoking. Razor and Vince stayed in the barn, keeping an eye on Vinnie. He’d stopped screaming after two hours. He went quiet. Greg went in to check. He was sitting on the floor, chained to the wall, staring into space.
He wasn’t crying or begging anymore. He realized it was useless. At six in the evening, Greg brought some water to the barn and set the bottle near Vinnie. He looked at it but didn’t take it. Greg shrugged and walked out. Seven o’clock. The sun was setting, and the town was going quiet.
Greg made some coffee for Razor and Vince. They drank in silence. Waiting. At eight o’clock, the phone rang. Monty. “Ghost, it’s done. Kovacs is in the system. The 2006 case is active. The alert is out. You can call it in.”
“Thanks, Monty.” “No problem. If you need anything else, let me know.” Greg hung up and looked at Razor. It was time. They went into the barn. Vinnie looked up, saw them, and cringed. Greg crouched in front of him. “Last talk, Vincent.”
“The cops are on their way. They’ll take you to the city. Then trial, then prison. There, you’ll see the men who remember what you did. And they’ll know you tried to shake down a Chairman. This is the end.” Vinnie stared at the floor, silent.
Greg continued. “You have a choice. You can try to buy your way out again, go back to PC, but that only buys time. They’ll get to you eventually. Or you can accept it. Realize you broke the code and take what’s coming like a man.”
Vinnie looked up. There was no plea in his eyes, only exhaustion. “What’s the difference? They’ll kill me. You know that.” “I know. So why the talk? You’ve already decided for me.” Greg stood up. “I didn’t decide. You decided when you started snitching.”
“When you started shaking down old people. When you came here. Everything happening now is just the consequence of your choices.” Vinnie smirked. “You talk a good game. But basically, you’re sending me to my death.” “Basically, you sent yourself.”
“I’m just helping you get there faster.” Greg walked out and closed the door. He walked about 50 yards away to the edge of the property. He pulled out his phone and dialed 911. The dispatcher answered. “911, what is your emergency?”
Greg spoke calmly, deepening his voice to sound older. “Hello. I was walking by and heard screaming in a barn. At 23 Oak Ridge Road. It sounds like someone’s being held there. Can you check it out? Your name, sir? I’d rather not say.
Just please check on them.” He hung up. He went back to the porch. Razor and Vince came out of the barn. “Cops coming?” “They’re on the way, maybe 20 minutes.” “Should we clear out?” “Yeah, go now.” Razor and Vince grabbed their gear and got in the car.
Greg walked to the window. “Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.” “Anytime, Ghost.” Razor started the engine. “Call if you need anything.” They drove off. Greg was alone. He went inside and sat by the window. He waited. 15 minutes later, sirens appeared on the road.
Two cars. A cruiser and an SUV. They stopped at the gate. Four officers got out. Two in uniform, two in plain clothes. One of them, a sergeant, walked up to the porch. He knocked. Greg opened the door. He looked calm. “Evening, Officer.”
“Evening.” The sergeant showed his badge. “We got a call about someone screaming in your barn. Mind if we take a look?” “Not at all.” Greg nodded. “There’s a man in there. He came by today demanding money. I managed to tie him up, was going to call you myself, but I hadn’t gotten to it yet.
Glad you’re here.” The sergeant frowned. “You tied him up? By yourself?” “I did. He was threatening me, had a knife. I disarmed him, tied him up, and locked him in the barn.” “Show us.” Greg led them to the barn. He opened the door. Vinnie was on the floor, chained to the wall.
He saw the police and twitched. “There he is,” Greg said. “He came with two others, demanding two thousand dollars. I refused, they started threatening. I caught this one, the others ran off.” The sergeant walked over to Vinnie and crouched. “You got ID?”…
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