Coronado - Dennis Lehane [55]
GWEN Then he’s nothing.
BOBBY His nothing’s a whole lot stronger than our something.
GWEN Why not run now, baby?
BOBBY Because we are going to burn him. Because I can accept losing to the prick, but not every fucking time. We’re going to take our cut first before he can burn us. And then we’ll send him his share from a state or two away. And we will fucking disappear, baby. Vanish.
GWEN Did I mention you set my heart aflutter and make me feel all funny inside? How sometimes, like now, I just want to shove my hand in your jeans and—
[BOBBY jerks away from her, but she rolls on top of him.]
BOBBY Hey. Witnesses.
GWEN Where?
BOBBY They could come.
GWEN So could you, fool.
BOBBY I’m serious, I’m serious. If it goes south, you bury it here and send him a postcard telling him how to find it. You don’t get clever. You don’t try to wrangle with him. You tell him it’s here.
GWEN I’ll tell him it’s here.
BOBBY By then, it won’t be our future. It’ll be our noose. I’m serious.
GWEN I’m serious.
BOBBY Gwen.
GWEN Gwen.
BOBBY I am.
GWEN I am.
[She covers his face and body with her own.]
Scene 6
HAL, WILL, and GINA.
HAL Here’s my thing.
WILL What’s your thing, boss?
HAL I’m pedaled out.
WILL You’re a lying sack of shit.
HAL I’m plumb done. I want to reach in that belly right now and pull out a whole baby and spend my final years raising it. I do. Let you—
[HAL fires at WILL’S feet. WILL jumps back. GINA shrieks.]
HAL —run off together and take some of my property and a whole shitload a’ my money. And that’s fine. I just want to raise that child. Problem is, I can see your eyes, boy. And I know you can’t abide that.
WILL I might could.
HAL Might could be full of shit.
WILL The thing is? Hal? You say it now and maybe you feel it but you couldn’t live it then. You’d try, I’ll grant you. But one day, that kid’s one or one and a half or four, and you’ll get bored. Nothing else to do but watch it grow? Fuck, man. And then you’ll need a goal. And you’ll come after us. Because your pride and your fucking money won’t allow you to take it.
HAL You say. But, see, I just want to make someone safe. One person. My person, my child. That’s a long-ass goal. And I’m going to hold its chubby legs and show it how to walk and keep it from biting into the extension cords on the Christmas tree and walk it to school and—
[GINA hits HAL in the head with the bottle. The train whistle blows. GINA hits HAL again.]
GINA Fucking Christmas trees? You’ll keep “IT” safe? What about me?
[WILL grabs her, pulls her back.]
WILL Train’s closing, honey. Ticktock.
Scene 7
BOBBY and BOBBY’S FATHER.
BOBBY Held it in my hand, you know.
BOBBY’S FATHER I assumed.
BOBBY Filled the center of my palm. The whole center of my palm.
BOBBY’S FATHER Big, huh?
BOBBY Big enough.
BOBBY’S FATHER Kinda money that stone’d bring? A man could retire.
BOBBY To what?
BOBBY’S FATHER Mexico.
BOBBY To what, though? Mean old man like you? What you got if you ain’t stealing something, killing somebody, making sure no one alive has a good fucking day?
BOBBY’S FATHER It’s the idea.
BOBBY The idea.
BOBBY’S FATHER Man needs a goal.
BOBBY Uh-huh.
BOBBY’S FATHER Getting awful bored now.
BOBBY Heavens.
[He points the gun at BOBBY.]
BOBBY Where’s Gwen?
BOBBY’S FATHER This is a real fucking gun.
BOBBY This is a real fucking question. You want your rock? Where’s Gwen?
BOBBY’S FATHER You get taller in prison? I think you did. I’m pretty sure you grew an inch, maybe two.
BOBBY I told her that night to just go, just get, just put as much country as she could between you and her until I got out. I told her even if I told you I had it, you’d have to cover your bets, you’d have to come looking for her.
BOBBY’S FATHER Who’s this we’re talking about?
BOBBY Gwen.
BOBBY’S FATHER You don’t say.