Author: Marcus van Heller

About: The in-house Marcus sets his sights on wiseguys and wannabees, complete with approximations of the dialogue, and not a little drugs, sex and violence.

First published 1969.

Excerpt:

“Good stuff.” He tipped up the bottle and Solly smacked his lips.

“Dat ain't bad—”

“I gotta find you guys a spot,” Gino said. “You can't stay here.” He shrugged. “We got a wedding comin' up. This joint'll be full of Italians by tomor-ra.” He smiled. “A hunnerd maybe. The Big Guy didn't know, but I'll fix it. There's a spot down the road where you'll be OK. How long you wanna stay?”

Dico looked at Solly. “Not long,” he said. “We better move on west—maybe even to Chicago—”

“That's a good idea,” Gino agreed. “This town's too goddam small. More beer?”

Solly smiled and handed over the empty. Gino went out to the back again and Solly watched the girl's ass. She made the hamburgers and put them on the hot plate. Gino came back and winked at Dico. He passed the bottles around.

“The hit made the papers. You seen them?”

Solly looked interested. Dico shook his head. “What's it say?”

“Nothin',” Gino smiled slightly. “Jus' the main facts, position of the bullet holes, like that. The cops are great on that stuff. They c'n measure bullet holes so you couldn' see straight.” He looked at the bottle against the light. “The Big Guy's pleased, you know it?”

“That's good,” Dico said. It made a guy feel good when he did a good job and the right guy knew it. Solly was smiling too, but still glancing at the girl's ass.

“Whose car you got?” Gino asked, nodding toward the heap in the drive. “Hot?”

“Yeah.”

“All right, I'll have one of the boys drive it south and lose it. When you move on I'll get you another one, OK?”

“Gee, that's swell, Gino,” Dico said.

Gino smiled. “You're our best. Got to fix you up.”

The girl put the hamburgers on the table with forks and spoons, and poured coffee for them. She smiled and went out; Gino motioned and they sat.

“We'll leave soon's you eat,” Gino said. He went out the back and they could hear him talking in the drive. In a few minutes someone backed the heap out to the street and the sound of the engine petered out.

By the time they had finished the hamburgers and coffee another car came purring into the drive. Gino came in and lit a cigarette. “I won't go with you, but Eddie'll drive you over and show you the joint. OK?”

“Sure.” They went out to the car and were introduced to Eddie. He was behind the wheel, dark and smiling.

They got in the back and there was a girl there.

“Jus' a little present,” Gino said. “That's Imogene. She's a real hunk. I'll see you guys later.”