The Deal...

The man moved more fully into the shadows. “You Gabe?” he asked in a near whisper.

The darker shadow nodded. “You...?” He started.

“Now who else would I be?” He asked.

The darker shadow said nothing. The other man passed him a small paper bag. “Count it,” he told him.

Gabe Kohlson moved out of the shadow, more fully into the light. “It's a lot; I can't stand here, out here counting it.”

The man laughed. “You asked for this place. It's the middle of nowhere. I Googled it, it comes up marked as the middle of nowhere. Who will see you?” He laughed and then choked it off with a harsh cough. “Count it. No mistakes... You got it?”

Kohlson's head popped up fast from counting. “Of course I don't... That wasn't the deal.”

“Easy... Easy... Keep your panties on... I'm saying you got it... You got access to the it?”

“That I got... I can get it out this Thursday at shift end...” He held up the paper bag. “A lot of this goes to greasing the skids... You know, to get it out,” Gabe told him. “This stuff.”

“Whoa right there,” the man told him. “Don't say anything about it. I don't know what it is and I don't want to know, see? I do a job. Take this thing there, that thing here. That's all I know. Keeps my head on my shoulders when all about are losing theirs.”

“Uh... Lost me,” Gabe Kohlson told him.

“Just shut up about it, man. I don't want to know anything past what I know, okay?”

“Okay,” Kohlson agreed.

“I do know you got to get it out and I will be here to get it... Hey,” he waited until the kid looked up. “You know who I work for, right? You muck this up you'll wind up out at the county landfill... Gulls pecking out your eyes let me tell you. I will meet you here next Thursday night... Seven... Don't be late... Don't mess this up... Don't make me come looking for you...” He faded back into the shadows more fully, turned and walked down the shadowed front of the building. A few minutes later he found his car in the darkness: He waited.

He heard the kid’s beater when it started. A few moments later he watched as it swept past him, heading out of the small park area toward the river road. He levered the handle on his own car, slipped inside, started it and drove slowly away...