The Secret Life of Haans Gerhardt

Untitled Part 11

Chapter 12

Joe sat in the passenger seat of his truck, his jacket rolled up and placed against the window. As Sabrina drove, he tried to clear his mind and sleep. But all he could see was Neil's shocked expression as he fell to the floor when Joe had shot him. He hadn't wanted to shoot Neil. He wanted Neil to get caught, and to give up The Boss. He saw Neil as the ticket out for him and Sabrina. A guarantee of a normal life. Just as Joe had finally managed to drift off, Sabrina pulled the truck over abruptly.

"We need to talk," she said, slapping his shoulder. 

Joe groaned and sat up. "Ok," he said. "What's wrong?" he asked her. 

Sabrina looked at him and threw her hands in the air in frustration.

 "Everything, Joe!" she yelled, without intending to do so. 

Taking a deep breath, as if to calm herself, she continued to tell him what was troubling her. 

"I miss my grandma." she told him. "I only got into this business with Neil to help get money to take care of her. I just wish I could walk away and have a normal job again. I'm probably gonna lose my job at the coffee shoppe now." 

 Joe listened patiently as Sabrina talked. 

As she finished, he put his hand on her shoulder and said, "It's all gonna work out, Brina. You'll see. We'll get The Boss paid off, get out, then get legit jobs and leave all this behind."

 As he spoke, Sabrina shook her head, her long, red hair flowing from side to side with the movement.

"You don't understand, Joe," she told him. "There is no normal for us anymore. The Boss will always have more jobs for us. Hell, he'll probably have you killed for killing Neil." 

Joe opened his mouth to say something, but Sabrina threw her hand up to silence him. 

"Don't you get it?" she asked him, not even trying to hide her frustration. "This is us now, Joe. There's no going back." she told him as she stared down at the steering wheel in front of her. 

They sat in silence for what seemed like hours as she fought back tears for her grandma. What would happen to her now? Who would take care of her? Somewhere in all these thoughts, Sabrina began to develop a plan. A plan which, if carried out carefully, could bring The Boss down. It had to work! It was the only way to make sure Grandma had someone to care for her. Sabrina had to take The Boss down, and somehow keep him from taking her and Joe with him.