Chapter 3: Let's dance

Art and Louie remained hidden for much longer than the scheduled fifteen minutes, and because of the plans to make off with the money both of them were starting to get edgy.

"What's taking so long Art?' Louie whispered.

"How the fuck should I know! Maybe the deal's a bust. Fuck I don't know! If something don't happen soon I'm fucking lighting up." Art whispered back with frustration while rolling an unlit smoke between his fingers.

Just then the well-known sound of an automobile broke the silence in the large room as it pulled into the warehouse. The sounds of car doors opening, then closing again were heard, then Tony's voice. "Yo. Any trouble getting here?"

A new voice with a rich Italian accent said. "No. No trouble. Did you bring the stuff?"

Tony again. "Willie. Go get the briefcase." There was a short pause then Tony continued. "Right here. You got the cash?"

The Italian voice said. "Anthony!" Then the distinct sound of two fingers snapping together could be heard.

Art dropped the unlit cigarette then squeezed Louie's elbow. "Let's dance!" He whispered and stepped out from behind the shelving.

Art instantly took in the scene. In his line of work you couldn't afford the luxury of lengthy securitizations. The car was a large black sedan parked about six feet inside the delivery door. Two men, both dressed in dark business suits stood a few feet in front of the car's hood. The taller of two men was thin, with a dark olive complexion, and jet-black hair combed straight back. The other man was heavier set with thinning gray hair, he held a black satchel in his left hand. Tony and Willie stood with their backs to Art facing the two other men. Tony held a briefcase in his left hand.

Art's original plan of holding the men at gun point and departing with both bags went to hell-in-a-hand-basket the instant he and Louie had exposed themselves. The heavyset man upon spotting Art's automatic instantly reached for the revolver tucked in the waistband of his slacks.

Tony and Willie being completely unaware that Art and Louie had come out of hiding saw the heavyset man's movement as one hostel toward them and both men reached for their weapons.

A deafening muzzle blast echoed from behind Art and a small black hole appeared in the forehead of the heavyset man. The .45 caliber slug from Louie's automatic exited out the back of the heavy set man's head taking half of his skull along with it, depositing blood, bone fragments and brain matter onto the roof and windshield of the dark sedan.

The thin man yanked a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun from behind his back and quickly fired a round toward Art and Louie just before turning to run toward the back of the large sedan for cover. The 12-gauge blast went wide and ripped through Willie's left arm, jaggedly severing it at the elbow. Willie collapsed to the concrete floor gripping at the wounded stump while blood splattered wildly from the damaged artery.

Tony was confused seemingly hearing gunfire coming from all around him. He jumped to his left trying to avoid the shotgun, while firing several rounds toward the thin man. All of his shots were off target, and only shattered the sedan's windshield and sent small concrete dust clouds into the air.

Just at the very moment that Art squeezed the trigger on his automatic, firing at the retreating back of the thin man seeking cover, was precisely when Tony decided to leap to his left. The bullet destined for the thin man ripped into the back of Tony's head, exiting with his entire forehead, killing him instantly.

Louie fired twice more taking down the thin man with two well placed shots in-between his shoulder blades.

The silence following the gunfire was almost spooky, only low agonizing moan's from Willie, who was still rolling around on the blood covered concrete invaded the quiet. Louie kneeled down over Willie, then removing his belt used it as a tourniquet on Willie's forearm. Art in the mean while went about making sure everyone else was dead and collecting the deal bag's before lighting a much needed cigarette.