Out in the sunshine, on the hot asphalt, James woohed and slapped Big Joe on the back.

"That was easy, in and out." They had already switched to normal close their ear plugs off, and guns hidden. James had a hat, Big Joe just sun glasses.

Big Joe responded in...

He knew his father, Dick. A long time ago Butch and him were on a ship together. Touring all the bases. From Italy to Japan, they were part of the sonar team. Most of the time though was spent messing around. Cards, and drinking, and laughing. Talking about people back...

He popped the pills in his mouth, followed by a swig of coke. He swallowed wrong and the bubbles forced a cough and the glare in the rearview mirror of Big Joe. 

Come on James he thought. 

He took another swig of coke. Calming down, he became too aware of...

A cup of cold water fell on his face. Covering the ground of his kitchen and forcing him out of sleep. 


"We've got a job to do." It was Big Joe. 

"Did I really do it?" James sat up sputtering. 

"Do what?"

"Kill Chad?!"

"No you idiot, that was past James, you're...

James oscillated between dreams and being awake confused. He dreamt about his first job. A hot parking lot he attended to the shopping carts.  Finding them strewn here and there. Only some people returning them to the lot, to the small area where people were supposed to return the carts....

James stood there holding a smoking gun. It felt like he was changed, reset, the first thing he noticed when he came too was the weight of the gun. Heavier than he remembered, maybe to past James. Then he had a ringing in his ear. Chads brains and blood were...

James friend called him an  Uber , he was a consultant so that kind of thing didn't matter to him. It was just what people did. In the car the driver asked "Had a good night?" James replied slurred "Once I get home I will." It sounded like a euphemism...

Jared started each morning abruptly. He woke, or tried to wake up silently, getting out of bed not to wake up his wife, or there kids. He had on a good day about 2 hours of alone time. He didn't do anything special during this time, like he read about...

James before all this had been pretty smart, top of his class, or pretty close. And those kids who were top had all the fucking help in world, extra classes, private tutors, and they didn't have to work.  He wanted to do important things, although most of the time after...

He past signs for Gas City so he knew he was close. He rolled down his windows and familiar air and smell surrounded him. This bypassed his cold calculations. Suddenly tears streamed down his face. He had to go back he thought, for Sammy. He didn’t even know I was...