White Night

Chapter 27

Nikolai sank his fist into the soft stomach, once, twice, three times. "You screwed up!"

The cop coughed, doubling over to his knees. Grensky was holding the pig's arms behind his back and straining to keep the large man on his feet.

A fourth time, he pounded into the sack of shit.

"Our people are interrupted by you cops and still you don't find the witness? What the hell do we need you for?" he shouted.

The cop's face was red, his mouth gaping as a string of saliva flapped like rigging in his mouth. "Please..." The cop coughed again.

Nikolai nodded at Grensky, who dropped the piece of shit to the ground.

"Don't you forget who keeps you going, takes care of things, so your joke of a career can continue," he spat at the man crawling on the ground.

"Please..." The pig choked on his words. You'd think a cop could take a punch.

"No, you're done. We're pulling our support."

"I found a credit card payment...at a drugstore the night of the shooting."

"Why do I care?"

"Because he bought enough supplies to patch up half an army. It's one of the construction workers."

"Who?"

"His name's Michael Tanner, he's a foreman."

"Do you know where he is?"

"No, but I'm close, tracked his cell phone near Atlantic Avenue and Nostrand."

"Tell me about the woman cop, the gimpy bitch?"

"She's screwed up, easy to misdirect," the cop panted.

"Do you smell that, Grensky? The smell of fresh bullshit filling the air."

Grensky grinned and moved toward the detective, who was still clutching his stomach on the floor.

"You think you're the only five-o we have on the inside?" Grensky shouted, pulling the cop's head back.

"My sources tell me she's an aggressive bitch who put a lot of people in jail before she was mown down," Nikolai added, waving at Grensky not to go any further.

"I'm watching her," the cop spluttered.

"We're watching you. If she gets too close, she's your responsibility. Break her other leg if you have to."

The cop's face twisted in disgust. He was growing a conscience and it was bad timing...

Grensky pushed the cop's face into the dirt, moving in close as he growled in his ear.

"If you don't keep her on a leash, I'll give her an encounter with a car she won't get up from. It's on you, Detective."

"I'll deal with her myself," the cop snapped.

"You got two days or we take care of her." Grensky spat hard in the cop's face and smiled as nicotine-stained saliva slid down his skin.

"I'll do it," he panted, wiping away the thick spittle hanging from his chin with the back of his hand.

The phone in Nikolai's pocket vibrated; it was Mauro Romano. He answered it, motioning to Grensky to let the pig go.

"Nikki, the Don wants to talk."

"Sure, when and where?"

"Now.The restaurant."