Even the dogs wore the color.Damn.
I made it across traffic and hustled down the side street Johnny dipped into.The block was bisected by an overhead train.The “L” as it was called here.When Ellie pointed it out, I thought she was pulling my leg and naming it after herself.Then I looked it up.Chicago was a strange city.A street ran under the tracks.It was barely wide enough for a car, and yet trucks zipped down the path at top speed.
They drove worse than my woman did.
I scanned for Johnny.
If he hadn’t looked back at that moment, I’d have missed him.But he did.I ran under the elevated tracks, dodging traffic and nearly getting run over.He’d spotted me and turned into an alley.
Perfect.
I ran after him, heedless of the puddles and trash.He turned north again as the block ended.
There was a moment he was out of my sight.That cost me.
By the time I emerged from the alley, Johnny had disappeared.
I halted under a movie theater’s marquee and looked for likely avenues of escape.A metro entrance was barely yards away.The rumbling of the platform informed me I had little time.
I ran up the steps, jumped the gates, and scanned the crowds for his dark hoodie.
There.He slipped into a train car just as the warning bell rang.I ran to intercept him and was foiled by the doors sliding shut.
My hands hit the glass where his face mocked me.
He mouthed, “Fuck you!”
I pointed at him and mouthed, “You’re dead.”
He had the gall to laugh and flash a middle finger at me as the train began to move.
I backed off, not willing to get dragged under the wheels and glared at him until he was out of sight.
The train was heading south.I made a mental note to check the map and determine if it would land him near the bar.If it did, it meant he had a base near Ellie’s condo.Which made a lot of sense.
“Ringo Devlin.I see your quarry escaped.”
A gun poked me in the ribs.I turned my head to note one of Vincent’s men as the bearer.
“George.”I’d made a point to know the remaining faces and names.
“Boss wants to talk to you.”
I’d bet he did.“You do realize who you’re holding a gun on?”
Another man joined him from my left, boxing me in.
“Hey, Phil.”
“Don’t make this difficult,” Phil commented.His head turned and I noted two others waiting at the steps.
A transit police officer watched from the safe distance of the security alcove.He dipped his head at the blatant display of force and turned away.
That’s how it was going to go down, huh?
“Where is Vincent?”
“Not far.Walk.”George indicated the stairs with his head and poked his gun into my flesh a little harder.
